Our Lady of Fatima Shrine
Address: 1023 Swann Rd, Youngstown, NY 14174The History of the Fatima ShrineThe shrine itself is dedicated to the Virgin Mary as she is an incredibly significant figure among catholic literature and represents the moment when she performed the Miracle of the Sun in front of approximately 70,000 witnesses. The story that precedes this is that the Virgin Mary gave three shepherd children instructions to commit acts of reparations and penance, and made visits for each of the 3 children, instilling one secret in them each. Upon returning to their village, those around them believe the story to be too farfetched to be taken seriously and the kids were then promptly jailed for their “outlandish” claims. The Children were eventually released and saw the Blessed Virgin again, in which they asked for permission to share the secrets. On her final visit, the aforementioned “Miracle of the Sun” was performed and the secrets were shared. It would later be apparent by 1941 that only 2 of the secrets would ever be known to the public as there is a written account of such an event on a letter by one of the children, but the 3rd secret will forever remain a mystery, as the surviving child at the time refused to reveal it. The Niagara falls communities had a large piece of catholic influence and as such the Polish and Italian communities brought themselves together in the mid 1950’s and decided they wanted to support the Barnabite Fathers, which are a missionary faction which found their way into the region. (Clemens, 2020). Together, these groups came up with the idea and constructed the Shrine of Lady Fatima in present day Lewiston NY in order to commemorate and show importance to the aforementioned story. At first it was simply a single statue which made up the shrine, but later in 1960, the rest of the shrine complete with a basilica and a much larger property would become what we know of the shrine today.Works Cited:Clemens, C. (2020, May 18). Our Lady of Fatima Shrine and Basilica in Lewiston, NY. Exploring Upstate. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://exploringupstate.com/basilica-of-the-national-shrine-of-our-lady-of-fatima/Written by: Jack HughesOur Lady of Fatima Shrine Website
Messiah Lutheran Church
Address: 915 Oneida St, Lewiston, NY 14092Lutheran ChurchAnother area we researched was the Lutheran Church / Lutheranism. Founded byGerman monk Martin Luther in the 1500’s, Lutheranism is one of the largest divisions ofProtestantism. It was something that started as a religious movement that was meant to reformthe Roman Catholic Church. Luther never intended to create a whole new religion, he simplywanted to share his concerns regarding some of the practices of the Catholic Church. He washoping that people would listen and be willing to make some changes. Instead, the result was somuch contention and debate, that Luther ended up being excommunicated from the CatholicChurch. After many years of enduring countless challenges and controversies, Lutheranism wasfinally recognized as a formal religion.One of the core beliefs within Lutheranism is the concept of Trinitarian. This is the ideathat there is only one God, the Triune God, who exists in three separate but equal entities – theFather, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Martin Luther explained The Trinity saying, “I believe thatGod has created me and everything that exists. I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord ... and Ibelieve that the Holy Spirit has called me to Jesus. God consists of three distinctpersons”(Jaensch).In the mid 1800’s, some of the European Lutherans immigrated to America, settling inBuffalo, New York. Shortly after arriving, they formed one of the first Lutheran churches in Western NY, The Trinity Lutheran Church. Starting with just a dozen parishioners, the churchhas gone through extensive renovations over the past 170 years, to accommodate the continuallygrowing congregations. In addition to the physical church building, they also have a TrinityLutheran School to help foster both the spiritual and educational needs of the local Lutherancommunity. Lutherans believe salvation comes from their faith in the Savior Jesus Christ; thatChrist is the head of the church; and that they accept the Bible as the authority in determining theguidelines of the church. Based on those beliefs, the mission of the Trinity Church is “to makemore and better disciples of Jesus Christ”(Trinity Lutheran Church). They pride themselves onbeing caring and welcoming to all those who would like to join their ministry.Works Cited:Fairchild, Mary. “Lutheran Beliefs and Practices.” Learn Religions, Learn Religions, 5 May2021, https://www.learnreligions.com/lutheran-beliefs-and-practices-700531. Accessed30 Nov. 2022.Jaensch, Andrew. The Lutheran school: communicating hope, vision, and leadership inchallenging contexts-historical and global perspectives1, Jaensch, Andrew; LutheranTheological Journal; Adelaide Vol. 45, Issue. 2, Aug 2011,https://www.proquest.com/docview/926221725?OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:primo&accountid=28167. Accessed 30 Nov. 2022.Roberts, Rev. Derek. “Lutheran Belief and Practice.” Praise Lutheran Church, 30 May 2018,https://praiselutheran.com/about/lutheran-belief-and-practice/. Accessed 30 Nov. 2022.Trinity Lutheran Church Editors. “History.” Trinity Lutheran Church,https://www.trinitywestseneca.com/about/history/. Accessed 30 Nov. 2022.Written by: Dominic DelvecchioMessiah Lutheran Church Website
St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church
Address: 620 Center St, Lewiston, NY 14092St Peter's Roman Catholic ChurchThe Saint Peter’s Catholic Church is found North of the artpark where the Hopwell site is located and just north where the Presbytarian church is located. It is found in the historic village of Lewiston. The Saint Peter’s Catholic Church is a spacious room with very high ceilings. On the outside the church is made out of brick. The St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church mission statement is “We, the members of St. Peter Parish (St. Peter & St Bernard Roman Catholic Churches), are committed to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We pledge our lives to Christ through the intercessions of St. Peter & St. Bernard and covenant with each other to demonstrate His Spirit through worship and ministering to the needs of our parishioners and our communities.” At this worship site you can involve yourself in the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. For example, you can get baptized, you can get reconciled, you can partake in confirmation classes, and you can get married. At the church you can attend mass and services. You can involve yourself in prayer groups. In addition you can take part in donating. Lastly, you can involve yourself in the music for the ministry. You can go to church and enjoy the choir along with the instruments performing during mass. Music is a part of mass in the churches of the Roman Catholics. Music during mass has been around for a while. The music is most enjoyed during the holiday times (closer to Christmas) where the choir will sing. For example, in a New York Times article written in 1879 it is described that at Grace’s Chappell on Christmas Eve, the midnight mass, Miss L. Fritsch, soprano and the large choir followed in the beautiful anthem of “O holy night”(NY times 1879). Throughout the midnight mass and at the end of the mass the choir and Miss L. Fritsch performed “How beautiful the feet of those who preach the gospel in peace”. The carol followed with “Softly, sweetly, float the strains” and lastly the services closed with “Hosanah hosanna loud glorious raise”. These are just some examples of how music in mass is something worth checking out and especially powerful closer to christmas.Works Cited:Times, New York. THE MUSIC IN THE CHURCHES., 25 Dec. 1879.Written by: Alec PetocchiSt. Peter's RC Church Website
First Presbyterian Church
Address: 505 Cayuga St, Lewiston, NY 14092First Presbyterian Church of LewistonOne of the next stops on our tour was the First Presbyterian Church in Lewiston. The Presbyterian church is a part of the early immigrants from the old world who moved to the colonies seeking religious refuge. These large groups almost immediately moved more inland and established some of the first congregations in the mid 1600’s. Since their establishment the congregation gained more and more popularity on the east coast up until the late 1700’s when the church split into a few different denominations like the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the United Presbyterian Church of North America. The church split even further when the debate over slavery and womens rights was at large wich created the PCA which was only allows strait men to be ordained and the PCUSA which does not have such restrictions.Presbyterian churches are a form of Protestantism that differs from the other branches of christianity in a few ways. Presbyterians believe that you do not have to earn God’s grace and rather it is given to everyone freeley. The presbyterian church teaches based on the scriptures but does not believe in teaching reincarnation because the scriptures do not mention it. Worshipers do not pray to or ask for prayer from other saints and rather consider the act of prayer a form of worship and therefore prayer should only be offered and directed towards God. Another large deviation from other forms is that presbyterians do not tend to believe in the concept of hell and rather think of purgatory where God will eventually forgive the sins of the people that are not immediately brought to God’s kingdom.The First Presbyterian Church of Lewiston was created in 1817 with its first Communion on June 12th. The membership of the church doubled in size by 1820 and the construction of the church began 1830. Needless to say that this church was one of the first and more influential Presbyterian churches in Western New York. The small church in Lewiston influenced the forming of 3 more churches in Niagara Falls, Youngstown and Lockport. Works Cited:History. First Presbyterian Church of Lewiston. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2022, from www.lewistonpres.org/historyHistory of the Church. Presbyterian Historical Society. (2022, August 1). Retrieved December 6, 2022, from www.history.pcusa.org/history-online/presbyterian-history/history-churchWebster, R. R., & Rensselaer, V. C. (1857). History of the Presbyterian Church in America. Wilson. Written by: Clayton HillFirst Presbyterian Church Website
Lewiston-Hopewell Burial Mound
Address: 43° 9.991′ N, 79° 2.67′ W. Marker is in Lewiston, New York, in Niagara County. Marker can be reached from South 4th Street south of Tuscarora Street.Hopewell sightThe Hopewell site is located on the grounds of the Earl W. Brydges Artpark. The Hopwell site dates back to the year 200 AD. The Marker can be reached from South 4th Street south of Tuscarora Street. On the grounds of Artpark, the Hopewell sight is found in a wooded section of the land, in between two parking lots. The inscription on the mound of the Hopewell site says that there are “Thousands of similar mounds are located in the Ohio River Valley where the Hopewell lived in small scattered settlements from about 200 B.C. to A.D. 500.” The inscription also describes that the Hopewell mound creators were associated with and influenced people far from their Ohio homeland. The Hopewell mound builders were also traders and very artistic people. There is no known reason why people were specifically buried here and there are no identities revealed of the people buried here. Lastly the inscription asks for the respect for the sacred burial ground. "In our community, Indian Mounds Park is a cemetery and should be treated as one," said a police officer in James Walsh’s newspaper article. The police officer in James Walsh’s newspaper article refers to people drinking and doing drugs in a park hidden by the trails that go through an Indian burial ground. In an effort to reroute trails in St. Paul park, a $2.5 million trail reconstruction project, is the subject of a public meeting. While there are people that take this as far too extreme it is essential to try to conserve and respect these burial grounds as it's important for the history of our country. Established in 1893, Indian Mounds Regional Park is home to six Indian burial mounds high atop 450 million-year-old limestone and sandstone bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River and downtown St. Paul (Walsh). The burial site spans at least two American Indian cultures. One of which is the Dakota group. And in addition the ancient people known as the Hopewell that house the site you see here in Lewiston NY, at Artpark. Works Cited:Walsh, James. Ancient Mounds in an Urban Conflict: A Plan to Reroute Trails at St. Paul Park Draws Praise from American Indian Groups, Pushback from Neighbors., 18 July 2019.Written by: Alec PetocchiThe Historical Marker Database
Stella Niagara - Sisters of St. Francis School
Address: 4421 Lower River Rd, Stella Niagara, NY 14144Stella NiagaraStella Niagara is a hamlet in Niagara County, New York located along the Niagara River just north of Niagara Falls. Within New York state, a hamlet is defined as a small unincorporated settlement, which means it is not ruled by the local municipal government.The main religious organization in Stella Niagara is The Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity, also known as, The Sisters of Stella Niagara. The Sisters of St. Francis were originally founded in 1835 in the Netherlands, by Mother Magdalen (Catherine) Damen. Catherine had become familiar with the Franciscan spirituality and decided she was going to dedicate her life to the Franciscan order. The core values, beliefs and traditions of the Franciscan spirituality are heavily immersed in Catholicism and the Catholic faith. They focus on charity, kindness, and selflessness. In 1874, a few missionary Sisters immigrated from Europe and arrived in Buffalo, New York where they went on to establish one of the congregations in the United States. It was there, in the Diocese of Buffalo, that the first American motherhouse was created. Then in 1907, the sisters moved from Buffalo to what would eventually become known as Stella Niagara. Here they honored many of the traditions and beliefs of St. Francis of Assisi. In 1971, The Sisters of St. Francis founded the Stella Niagara Education Park. It has a private Catholic school, convent, and hospitality renewal center. With a passion for education, they wanted to ensure there was a school for kids (ranging from preschool to eighth grade) to learnspiritually, mentally, and physically. It was also very important to them to encourage and teach children the kind and loving ways of St. Francis of Assisi. They believed this values-based curriculum would enrich a child’s heart, mind, and body.Finally, in carrying on the traditions of St. Francis even further, The Sisters of St. Francisof Penance and Christian Charity, opened The Center of Renewal Retreat & Conference Centerin 1974. Their mission statement is, “The Center of Renewal is a community of service. In thespirit of St. Francis of Assisi, we provide hospitality, promote spiritual growth, and foster thedevelopment of people. Individuals and groups are welcome to this environment of peace andbeauty”(Center Of Renewal).Works Cited:Center of Renewal.“Center of Renewal Retreat & Conference Center.” Center of RenewalRetreat & Conference Center at Stella Niagara,https://www.stellaniagararetreats.org/About-Us/Brief-History. Accessed 30 Nov. 2022.The Sisters At Stella Niagara. “The Sisters at Stella Niagara.” Sisters of St. Francis,https://www.stellaosf.org/the-sisters-at-stella-niagara. Accessed 30 Nov. 2022.Stella Niagara Education Park “Stella Niagara History - Catholic School between Youngstown &Lewiston NY.” Stella Niagara Education Park,https://stella-niagara.com/stella-advantage/stella-history/. Accessed 30 Nov. 2022.Written by: Dominic DelvecchioStella Niagara Website
St. John's Episcopal Church
Address: 110 Chestnut St, Youngstown, NY 14174St. John's Episcopal ChurchOne of the locations we stopped at on the tour was the Episcopal Church. The very first Episcopalian church was created in 1789 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The history of episcopalians starts in 1534 with the separation of the English Church and Roman Catholic rule which followed the unapproved marriage to Cathrine, the queen of England. Even though the Roman Catholics and Episcopalinans split, the church of England remained Catholic until the 16th century when episcopalians adopted the Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty-Nine Articles as their main source documents. It was not until the late 1700’s that Episcopal churches and parishes began to make their mark in the United States of America around the time of the revolutionary war so much so that “By the start of the Revolution, the Church of England was the second largest denomination in America” (Holmes). This was a large part of what gained the Episcopalians a lot of attention in the United States because a dedicated Episcopal church had not been constructed yet even after there was growing popularity amongst these congregations.Originally the Episcopal church was a part of the Angilican Church which still held ties to England which also meant that it still had traces back to the Crown. Once the revolutionary war began there were still a large number of Episcopalians so once the revolution was concluded in 1783 the colonists of 13 colonies had to reconsider some of its practices and if they wanted to continue believing in them. As it turns out the Episcopals were still tied to the rule of the Crown through the Church of England so it was not until 1789 that the congregations of America officially split with the Church of England in order to avoid an Oath to the Crown.The Episcopal church has a variety of different source documents for their teachings all of which relate back to their common belief in the Holy Trinity which is the “liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (Home). The Diocese of St. John’s church contains multiple congregations that cover the majority of Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania. All of these congregations follow the teachings of Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe along with the main doctrines of The Bible, The Book of Common Prayer, The Apostles’ Creed, and The Nicene Creed.Works Cited:Holmes, D. L. (1993). A brief history of the Episcopal Church: With a chapter on the anglican reformation and an appendix on the quest for an annulment of Henry Viii. Trinity Press International.Home. The Episcopal Dioceses of Western New York & Northwestern Pennsylvania. (2019, October 30). Retrieved December 6, 2022, from episcopalpartnership.org/ Written by: Clayton HillSt. John's Episcopal Church Webiste
Old Fort Niagara
Address: 102 Morrow Plaza, Youngstown, NY 14174The History of Old Fort NiagaraThe French and Indian war spanning from 1754 to 1763, also known as the ‘7 Years War” was a battle between the North American French and British colonies, with both receiving support from various Native American Tribes. Since this part of this war was fought around the Great Lakes, the Niagara River was for many reasons an incredibly vital part of the Northeastern landscape to have control over since it controlled access to the Great Lakes and the westward route to the heartland of the continent. The French understood the River’s importance way before any wars had begun and established the first official post here in 1679, called “Fort Conti”. There was then another fort constructed here called Fort Denonville which only lasted from 1687-1688, and by the time of 1726, France had finally constructed the first permanent fortification aptly named the “French Castle”. Unfortunately for the French, the British succeeded in capturing the fort in 1759 during the aforementioned war in a 19 day siege, and then held the fort until the war 1796 when the British were forced by treaty to give up the fort to the United States due to the Revolutionary War. Once again, the ownership of the French Castle was flipped once again as it was captured by the British again in 1813 during the War of 1812, and was once again given up to the United States in 1815 by the end of the War. From that point and beyond, this location will now be known as Old Fort Niagara and served as a border post in peacetime, and during wartime for both World Wars it served as an infantry training camp. After it was restored and repaired for 5 years starting in 1929, and all military personnel minus the Coast Guard left, the site became a non-profit organization and became an official New York State Park. During its militaristic existence for its 300 year long existence as a fort, it has had quite a large impact on the Native American communities surrounding the fort as it forced all that were near to be involved in one way or another, whether it was for battle purposes, trading, or peaceful negotiations. Early on in its lifespan French Officials realized that in order for healthy trade to be set up between the current French Settlers and the Natives they would need to be liked by such, and become what is known as a “Dutch Bushrunner”, or alternatively a “White Indian” (Howard, 1968), which essentially was a Frenchman who interacted with the Natives in a trade-centric friendly manner. Unfortunately that's where the positive parts of the interactions end as these Bushrunners would transfer measles, chicken pox, yellow fever, and other “White Man’s” diseases along with the Goods the French colonies were trading (Howard, 1968). Among the goods traded, strong alcohol was especially damning for the Native Americans as the Women who vowed to remain in chastity, relaxed to promiscuity as a side effect of the alcohol which resulted in the “Half-Breed” (White European and Native American) children to become common (Howard, 1968). As a result, the entrance of the Europeans mixing with Native Americans impacted them greatly as they interfered with their culture, the people, and the Natives safety as the Europeans introduced new goods in which they meshed into their lives, new diseases which killed many, and brought guns, and new politics around to what would be an otherwise a European-Free culture.Works Cited:Fission, Content Management System. (2020). History and collections. Old Fort Niagara. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://www.oldfortniagara.org/history Howard, R. W. (1968). Chapter 5, The White Indians. In Thundergate: The Forts of Niagara (pp. 34–35). essay, Prentice-Hall.Written by: Jack HughesFort Niagara Website
