ST. DOMINIC HISTORY

Father John F. Gagnier, Ninth Pastor - St. Dominic Church

Father John F. Gagnier served as the ninth Pastor of Saint Dominic since 1876 and the sixth pastor to serve us full-time and in residence since 1922. He arrived on June 27 of 2000, the Centennial year of our church building.

Bishop Matthew Clark blessed the Centennial Memorial Ambry on November 3, 2000. Father Gagnier designed the Ambry to compliment our church architecture. Father Gagnier also designed the Reconciliation Chapel in 2001 and donated the cast iron tower bell in 2002. He had the bell tower cross gilded and donated the wood Tabernacle tower in 2003.

Father Gagnier celebrated his 25th ordination anniversary with the dedication of the new pipe organ by Bishop Clark on Sunday April 27, 2003.
Father Gagnier designed the new Altar and Eucharistic Tower, dedicated on September 16, 2006. These were built by parishioners using wood from the 1954 and 1967 altars and the four decorative towers of the 1911 pipe organ.

Because of the clustering of our parish with Saint Felix and Saint Francis in June 2007, he was last resident pastor of Saint Dominic’s. He became pastor in 2007 of the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus in Greece, NY.

In addition to being pastor at Holy Name of Jesus, Father Gagnier serves our Diocese as a Chaplain for the Finger Lakes Chapter of the Knights of Columbus, which includes the entire Diocese. He is also a Judge on the Marriage Tribunal Appeals Court for the New York Province.