My Genealogy Hound

REV. WILLIAM A. MORRISON. St. Mary’s Catholic Church at Watkins, being the only Catholic congregation in Schuyler County, and also being a very old organization, occupies a position of great importance among the members of that faith in central New York. The edifice, which stands at the corner of Ninth and Decatur Streets, is a substantial brick structure and was erected in 1865. Previous to that time the congregation met for worship in the building on Monroe Street formerly owned by the Presbyterians. The first services of the church were held there in 1846, and from that time to the present the cause has had a steady growth.

The pastor of the church, Father Morrison, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., January 6, 1860. His parents, John and Margaret (McDonald) Morrison, were early settlers of Buffalo, where the former was an active politician and for some years held the office of Postmaster. Our subject received in his youth every educational advantage which his father could secure for him. He was educated principally in Niagara University, which is near the Suspension Bridge at Niagara Falls. At the close of his theological studies, he was ordained to the priesthood in the Catholic Church, in 1883, by the Rt.-Rev. Stephen Vincent Ryan, Bishop of Buffalo. His first charge was as assistant to Father Early at Hornellsville, N. Y. From there he went to Olean, Cattaraugus County, where he was assistant to Father Hamel for four years.

The first pastorate of Father Morrison was at Randolph, N. Y., where he remained nine months. He was then transferred to Akron, N. Y., and in 1893 was given charge of the congregation at Watkins, where he has one hundred and fifty families in his parish. The present church was built by Father English in 1865, at a cost of $12,000. The parochial residence was erected in 1875 by Father McManus. The first resident of the church was Rev. James McManus, who was succeeded by the Very Rev. Dean Leddy, now pastor of the Wellsville Church. The next pastor was Rev. Martin Ryan, now of Owego, N. Y., and he was succeeded by the present pastor.