This is a photograph of the St. Rose of Lima Parish in Jay sometime before it was reconstructed following a fire in 1948.

JAY — St. Rose of Lima Parish is in its third century of service as a place where the faithful of the Jay area gather as a community,

Bishop Robert P. Deeley will celebrate the 125th Anniversary Mass at St. Rose of Lima, 1 Church St., at 4 p.m.  Saturday, Aug. 24. Following the Mass, a dinner and reception will be held in the parish hall. Tickets for the dinner are $10, with all proceeds benefiting the social ministry program. Kids under 12 will be admitted free. Tickets will be sold after Masses at St. Rose of Lima and are available at the parish office.

In 1894, Bishop James A. Healy appointed Fr. N. Joseph Horan as the first pastor of the new St. Rose of Lima Parish. The parish’s first church had a seating capacity of 200 which, following a rapid influx of residents, was enlarged to 400 by 1910.

A more current photo of the St. Rose of Lima Parish in Jay. The church will celebrate its 125th anniversary on Aug. 24.

The 57-year-old wooden church was destroyed by a fire in 1948. Mother St. Aurelie, superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph, and Sr. Marie Therese of Lewiston saved the Blessed Sacrament. Aided by 12 other nuns and nearby parishioners, all the movable items in the church were saved.

The sum of $200,000 were raised for a new church and furnishings. With volunteer help and much of the material for the forms and cement donated by the International Paper Company saved the parish around $50,000.

In 1949, Bishop Daniel J. Feeney blessed the cornerstone of the new church and the first Mass at the new St. Rose of Lima Church was celebrated. By the 1970s, the parish families had grown from 30 to nearly 1,300, and the interior of the church was renovated.

To learn more about the parish, the Anniversary Mass or dinner, contact St. Rose of Lima Parish at 207-897-2173.