MEET OUR PASTOR, Fr. Jay W. McGinnis

            Fr. Jay was born in Buffalo and after spending his first year in Indianapolis returned to Western New York and grew up in Tonawanda. He received his elementary education at St. Amelia School and went from their to St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute for high school. He received his BA in history with a minor in political science from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York. During his college years he spent a semester in Washington, D. C. on a political science study program which St. John Fisher College participate in which was run by the State University of New York.

            Upon graduation from college he made the decision to enter the seminary for the Diocese of Buffalo. Thoughts of the priesthood and religious life had run through his mind since he was young and he had explored the Christian Brother’s novitiate when he was a senior at St. Joe’s. After a weekend at the novitiate he decided to defer his decision on a vocation until after college. After considerable thought and prayer in his senior year of college Fr. Jay decided to try the seminary, even though his family thought he should get a MA in Library Science, to which he was also attracted after working in the college library his last two years at St. John Fisher so he’d have something to fall back on if the seminary didn’t work out. 

            After three years at what was first St. John Vianney Seminary and then Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora Fr. Jay was ordained a transitional deacon with 9 of his classmates in Our Lady of Victory Basilica by Bishop Edward Head and assigned to the combined parishes of Bliss and East Arcade in Wyoming County. After the summer in these parishes he was transferred to his home parish and spent the rest of his diaconate ministering in St. Amelia Parish were his primary work was with the school and youth ministry.

            Bishop Head ordained Fr. Jay to the priesthood on October 15, 1976, in St. Amelia’s Church. He was subsequently assigned as associate pastor to St. Joseph’s University, Blessed Sacrament, Kenmore, St. Christopher’s, Tonawanda and Ss. Peter and Paul, Williamsville during which time he also served as secretary to then auxiliary Bishop Donald Trautman, now Bishop of Erie, Pennsylvania. While at St. Christopher’s he also served as chaplain at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute.

            In January of 1991, Bishop Head assigned Fr. Jay to his first pastorate at St. Patrick’s in Randolph. This is a beautiful parish in southwestern Cattaraugus County boarding Pennsylvania and the Seneca Reservation. This assignment included the Red House Chapel in Allegany State Park, which is part of St. Patrick’s Parish. After four years at this assignment Fr. Jay was elected to the Diocesan Priests Personnel Board for a term of 3 years and transferred to Our Lady of Pompeii Parish in Lancaster where he remained pastor for nearly 11 years before being assigned to St. Paul’s on December 1, 2005.

            In his spare time Fr. Jay enjoys watching old TV series and movies, visiting with friends, traveling and playing golf (at which he is not good). He also enjoys reading. He has also been a member of the St. Joe’s Alumni Board off and on since the late 1970’s and currently holds the position of treasurer of that organization.