An Irish pipe and drum corps led Cardinal Timothy Dolan into the celebration of Mass at the Church of St. Mary in Kingston on Sunday, September 1, ahead of a traditional Irish festival held down the street.

“I would thank Father [William] Scafidi for the invitation, but he didn’t invite me, I just called him and told him I was coming,” Cardinal Dolan joked at the start of his homily. Cardinal Dolan was attending the annual Hooley on the Hudson Irish festival held every Labor Day weekend in the Hudson River city.

Cardinal Dolan also remembered Father Edmund Burke, the longtime pastor of St. Mary’s parish, for whom a new outdoor plaza was being named and blessed on Sunday. 

“Congratulations to the parish, I’m so touched that [the new plaza] is named for Father [Edmund] Burke who was so revered here,” Cardinal Dolan said, noting the renovated entrance to the Church of St. Mary. “Thanks for all you do to keep this parish strong and alive,” he said.

Among those concelebrating with Cardinal Dolan were Father Scafidi, pastor of St. Mary St. Peter’s parish, and Father Nelson Pichardo, parochial vicar of St. Mary St. Peter’s. They were assisted by Deacon Jack Carr.

Cardinal Dolan blessed a new plaque naming the plaza for Father Burke, and after Mass, gathered with parishioners to bless the new construction, complete with a large Celtic cross.

“The actual iconic wall that existed for many, many years was demolished, and the archdiocese agreed to put a proper new wall in place,” Father Scafidi told The Good Newsroom of the new construction, which sits at the top of Kingston’s Broadway. He then took the opportunity to make the entrance to St. Mary’s wheelchair accessible from street level. “It was an act of love on the part of the parish,” Father Scafidi said, also crediting the archdiocese and the city of Kingston. 

Father Scafidi described Father Burke as a “well-loved, simple, quiet pastor. He truly had a stronghold being who he was as a pastor,” and that the plaza was a fitting tribute to the parish he served from 1994-2012.

Later in the morning, Cardinal Dolan led the parade of clergy and community leaders down Kingston’s Broadway to TR Gallo Waterfront Park, the site of the Hooley on the Hudson, which featured numerous performances by Irish dance and music troupes. Jim Carey, president of the Ulster County Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Hooley’s organizer, introduced Cardinal Dolan, who blessed all in attendance, and again recalled the memory of Father Burke. 

St. Mary’s Church traces its history to 1840. Since then, the parish has added a Catholic school, a cemetery, and the Catholic Charities office for Ulster County. In 2015, it merged with St. Peter’s Church.