Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Church (LaGrangeville, New York) is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

located in

Lagrangeville LaGrange ( ) is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 15,975 at the 2020 census. The town was named after the estate of the Marquis de Lafayette. History The town was originally established in 1821 as "Freedom ...

Dutchess County Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later org ...

, under the authority of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York City and the count ...

. It was established as a mission of

St. Columba Columba () or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. He founded the important abbey ...

in Hopewell Junction in 1998 before being elevated to parish status in 2002. The church was built 2006–2008. It was "that would be a standard and model for future churches built in the Archdiocese of New York." The church was built between 2006 and 2008. Cardinal Egan among others dedicated the church on Sunday, November 23, 2008.Parish History of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
/ref> Donald Swartz was chosen as the architect of the new churches after several design proposals were considered in 2002. The engineering firm was The DiSalvo Engineering Group. The main altar contains a relic of Saint

Kateri Tekakwitha Kateri Tekakwitha ( in Mohawk), given the name Tekakwitha, baptized as Catherine ("Kateri" in Mohawk), and informally known as Lily of the Mohawks (1656 – April 17, 1680), is a Mohawk/ Algonquin Catholic saint and virgin. Born in the Mohawk v ...

. The church contains significant items from two important

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

churches that had been recently closed. The tabernacle is from Our Lady of Vilnius in Manhattan, and the stained-glass windows by the prominent Bavarian firm of

Mayers of Munich Franz Mayer of Munich is a German stained glass design and manufacturing company, based in Munich, Germany and a major exponent of the Munich style of stained glass, that has been active throughout most of the world for over 170 years. The fir ...

(stained glass makers to the Holy See) were transferred from the Harlem Church of St. Thomas the Apostle in Harlem, New York, (1907) installed in 2007. Both closed churches faced lengthy preservation debates to forestall their demolition and architectural details dispersal. Rohlf's Stained Glass Studios of Mt. Vernon, New York completely restored the 100 year old Mayer windows. The

Rose Window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

is also by Rohlf."Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church LaGrangeville, NY", J. Sussman, Inc.
/ref> Rocks containing the names of the parishioners in 2007 were placed under the altar stone. The Rosary Garden was an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of Scouting America. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over ...

project by Spencer Coffin and many parishioners. The

mission cross A mission cross () commemorates a "people's mission" () that has taken place in a parish. These were common throughout Europe prior to the 20th century, and the tradition continues. The cross is usually inscribed with the year of the mission with ...

built by John McFadden. The former church was transformed into a Faith Formation Center in 2008 and a Parish Office wing was added along with the construction of a new Priest's Residence.

References

External links

Saint Kateri homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha's Church (Lagrangeville, New York) Roman Catholic churches completed in 2008 Postmodern architecture in New York (state) Christian organizations established in 1998 Roman Catholic churches in New York (state) Churches in Dutchess County, New York 21st-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States