Philip O'Reilly O.P., from County Cavan, Ireland, was sent by Bishop John Dubois to establish missions and build churches along the Hudson wherever there were sufficient resident Catholics.

Patrick Duffy became pastor of Our Lady of Loretto in Cold Spring and took over the missions in Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, and Saugerties.

The same year Duffy was appointed pastor in Newburgh, at which time Rondout and Saugerties became mission stations of St. Peter's in Poughkeepsie.

[1] During his tenure it was not uncommon to find one hundred men led by their foreman, marching eight to ten miles to attend Mass.

[3] The local authorities came recognize the value of the priests in settling disputes among the laborers, who were for the most part without families and living in barracks around the quarries and mills.

Power owned a tract of land on West Main Street just south of the Wappingers Rural Cemetery.

This land, known as Power's Park, was enclosed by a board fence and contained a grandstand from which spectators could watch bicycle races which were run on a 1/4 mile track.

This park was also the home field of the Wappingers Monitors baseball team and was the site of some of “Big Dan” Brouthers’ most memorable hits.)

Settled largely by unskilled workers, first from Ireland and then from Italy, they came to the area in great numbers in the late 19th century by ferry after landing in New York City.

At one point, the town boasted over six brick factories, a ferry service, a school, churches and several saloons.

[6] In 1917 Father James A. Talbot, pastor of St. Mary of the Snow purchased and converted a former a Dutch Reformed Church to accommodate the growing parish.

In response to parishioners' requests in July 1919, Archbishop Hayes directed pastor of St. Mary's, Father Joseph G. Cushman, to send a priest fluent in Italian to reside in Glasco and Father Matthew DiOrio became the first resident pastor of the parish.