History of St. Michael's
A Short History of the
Saint Michael the Archangel Parish Family
St. Michael’s Parish was founded as a mission church of St. Joseph’s Parish in South Troy. The cornerstone of the original St. Michael’s Church (on Stowe Avenue) was laid in 1872. Jesuit Fathers staffed the new St. Michael’s Parish. The first pastor was Rev. Augustus Regnier who was appointed by Bishop McNeirney in 1874. St. Michael’s remained a mission church until 1888 when it was transferred to the care of the diocese of Albany and the first diocesan priest, Rev. James Flood, was appointed pastor. St. Michael’s School was built in 1887 and was staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. The school was forced to close in 1943 because of the shortage of fuel during World War II.
The parish flourished with activity through the years. In 1978, a terrible fire destroyed the original Church. At the time, the people of the parish wanted to rebuild on the same site, but Bishop Howard Hubbard encouraged them to look for land in North Greenbush to build a new Church. A parcel of land was purchased on Williams Road and the building of the new Church commenced. While construction took place, parishioners attended weekend Mass in the gym of LaSalle Institute located just across the street. LaSalle Institute was an all-boys Catholic high school run by the Christian Brothers. In 1980, the new Church was completed, but quickly outgrew its space. Within five years, the Church underwent renovation to add more seating for parishioners attending Mass. A few years later, a wing was constructed in the back of the facility. This wing had two floors with seven classrooms for Faith Formation classes, and parish meetings. This wing was named after Rev. James Mackey who was the pastor of St. Michael’s at the time. Lastly, in the year 2,000, an office wing was added to the front of the building which gave ample and attractive office space for the staff.
St. Michael’s Parish endeavors to be a Welcoming Parish to all who come to worship with us. The members of the parish are actively involved in the many parish ministries that are available (see Parish Ministries). In particular, the parish is committed to an enormous amount of outreach to the needy. The parish received its first non-priest parish leader in 2007, in the person of Sister Katherine Arseneau csj. She is assisted by two Sacramental Ministers, retired priests Rev. James Mackey and Rev. Arthur Toole.