A Brief History of the Parish of St. Edward the Confessor
    The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, NY established the Parish of St. Edward the Confessor on July 28, 1967 in the rapidly growing suburban community of Clifton Park, New York.  Fr. Robert Scott was named the first pastor.  He was assisted by Fr. Donald Mooney, OFM., a Franciscan priest from Siena College.  In the first year of its existence, the parishioners of the newly established parish met in the Locust Lane Clubhouse while the construction of the church was underway.  The first Mass was celebrated in the Locust Lane Clubhouse on September 10, 1967.

     Dedication of the new church took place on June 6, 1969 with Edward J. Maginn, Bishop of Albany, presiding.  The families that comprised the parish came together from areas previously served by Corpus Christi Parish in Round Lake, NY, St. Mary’s Parish in Halfmoon, (Crescent) NY and Our Lady of Grace Parish in Ballston Lake, NY. 

    Following the death of Fr. Robert Scott, the Rev. Thomas Boyle    was named the second pastor of St. Edward’s on December 3, 1978.  He served as pastor of the parish until September 1981 when he was transferred to another parish assignment. 

    On October 17, 1981, Fr. John Cairns    was named the third pastor of St. Edward's, retiring on October 22, 2006. 

   In November  2006, Fr. Pat Butler was named the fourth pastor of the Parish.

  Fr. John Lanese, the associate pastor and four Permanent Deacons: Walter MacKinnon, Jerry Grigaitis, Charles Taylor and Gene Kelenski assist. 

    St. Edward’s has undergone two expansions since its founding in 1967. 
            The first addition was undertaken to increase the seating capacity of the church from 650 to 1000 people. 
            A second addition was added in 1996 to include new offices, a parish social hall and an enlarged gathering area. 

    The parish continues to grow and presently has a registered membership of 3307 families, making it the largest Roman Catholic parish in the diocese of Albany. 

    There are many ministries available at St. Edward’s, and they may be explored in more detail on this web site.