Town of Brighton: Saint Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church
St Gabriels and St. John's (Lake Clear) have monthly meetings of the Parish Council.In January and throughout February and March a Disciples in Mission program.Each Thursday throughout the year except during the summer we hold Self-Reflection in the Bible.During Lent we had Bread and Soup supper on March 24th.April - confirmation for the adolescents.May - Holy Eucharist for our 7-year olds and a celebration for our children - the future of our parishes.June, July and August - a summer raffle to cover the expenses of both parishes (an Adirondack chair, Amish quilt and a canoe) and a pie bakesale. Summer masses held at Fish Creek. The Parish picnic held at St. John's in Lake Clear.Raffle drawing on September 1.November - Ecumenical Thanksgiving dinner with Lake Clear and St. Regis Presbyterian churches.December - Decorating of the churches followed by luncheon.Historical Note:The parish was formed in the 1890s because of the growing number of Catholics, most of whom worked for Paul Smith, living in Otisville, Keese's Mills and Easy Street. The nearest church was in Bloomingdale and the eight-mile road was a rough one. When asked by a committee led by Levi Betters, Paul Smith willingly donated the land and by 1896, the church was built. There is no record of where the church got its name - Saint Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church - although it has been suggested that there may have been a connection with the fact that the Diocesan Prelate of Ogdensburg at the time was Bishop Gabriel who had already been honored by the Sisters of Mercy when they named the neighboring sanitorium for him. St. Gabriel's, as the church has come to be known, was a Mission of Brandon until 1902, a Mission of Derrick from 1903 to 1910 and since 1911, has been a Mission of Lake Clear.The white, meetinghouse-shaped, frame building has flared eaves, a belvedere and a steeple and is detailed with clapboard and scalloped shingle siding. There is gracefully curved detailing above the windows. The interior is finished entirely with highly varnished, beaded tongue and groove paneling and matching trim.
In 1994, in anticipation of the church's centennial, the church was completely restored through the generosity of an anonymous donor. As part of this effort and with the guidance of a local artisan, parishoners Ruth Woodward, Liz Caldwell and Peg Whiteside restored the stained glass windows.The parish celebrated its centennial in 1996 in the restored church. In 1998 St. Gabriel's was presented with an Adirondack Architectural Heritage Award by Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH).
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