History: 

In 1869, forty families petitioned Bishop McQuaid of the Diocese of Rochester to establish a mission parish in Ontario. A year later a church building was erected on the north side of East Ridge Road at a cost of $4,000.00. The Rev. P. C. McGrath of Fairport was in charge of the mission and offered Sunday Mass and administered to the needs of the parishioners until the parish was placed under the direction of Holy Trinity Church in Webster in 1877. Early priests came each Sunday by horse and carriage and later by trolley to see to the needs of the Ontario parish. The women of the parish vied with each other in preparing tasty dinners for the priests before their return to Webster later that day. Among these early pastors were Rev. Aloyisus Weissteiner, Rev. Joseph Netzel, Rev. C. Ulrich, Rev. Joseph Maguin and Rev. Joseph Miller.

Finally, in 1915, a house was purchased on East Ridge Road for a rectory, and Rev. Michael J. Kreig was appointed St. Mary’s first resident pastor. In 1917, Rev. William Byrne succeeded Father Krieg as resident pastor. Under his direction, a Parish Hall was constructed and a heating plant installed.

In 2007, Father Symon Peter Ntaiyia was appointed pastor to the Cluster Parishes of St. Mary’s of the Lake – Church of the Epiphany – Mission of St. Rose and is the present pastor of all three churches at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church Society of Wayne County.