Community
Reclaiming a Piece of Catholic History: A History of the Old Diocesan Catholic Church in Warners
By Raphael and Gerard Roberts• 9/25/2026
•3 min
The Catholic history of Warners includes a church that, although no longer functioning as a parish, remains an important part of the area’s Catholic heritage. Our Lady of Good Counsel Church on Newport Road served the Catholic community of Warners for many years. Today, the former church is beginning another chapter: after having been used as a Montessori school, the property has recently returned to our community and will soon serve as our bookstore, bringing the building back into Catholic use.
The story of the old church is therefore not simply a story of a parish that closed. It is a story of a Catholic building that has passed through several chapters and is now being given a new purpose.
Msgr. Joseph M. Champlin (1930-2008)
One of the most notable priests connected with the final years of Our Lady of Good Counsel was Msgr. Joseph M. Champlin.
Champlin was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Syracuse on February 2, 1956. During his more than fifty years of priestly ministry, he served as pastor of Holy Family Parish in Fulton and St. Joseph’s Parish in Camillus. He later served as rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse from 1995 until his retirement in 2005. He was also a prolific Catholic author, writing more than sixty books and pamphlets on subjects including liturgy, pastoral theology, marriage and family life. [1]
After his retirement from the Cathedral, Champlin continued his priestly ministry. In 2006 he became priest in residence at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Warners. [2] His obituary likewise identifies him, at the time of his death, as the sacramental priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Warners. [3] Thus, Msgr. Champlin was an important priest in the church's final years.
Champlin and Michael Davies on Firing Line
Long before his arrival in Warners, Msgr. Champlin had become known beyond the Diocese of Syracuse for his writing and his participation in discussions concerning Catholic liturgy.
On April 22, 1980, he appeared on William F. Buckley Jr.’s television program Firing Line for an episode entitled “The Fight over Catholic Orthodoxy.” The other participants were Michael Davies and Fr. Malachi Martin, with William F. Buckley Jr. as host. The program was recorded as part of the Firing Line broadcast archives now preserved by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives at Stanford University. [4]
From left to right: William F. Buckley Jr., Msgr. Champlin and Michael Davies.
The discussion centered particularly on the changes to Catholic worship following the Second Vatican Council. The Hoover archive describes the program as a discussion between traditionalists—including Davies and Buckley, who favored the Tridentine Mass—and reformers such as Champlin, who supported the postconciliar liturgical reform. [4] For anyone interested in the history of Catholicism in Warners, the program is an especially interesting historical connection: a priest who would later serve the Catholic community in Warners had already participated in a nationally televised discussion with some of the most prominent Catholic voices of the period.
The complete program is available online: “Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.: The Fight over Catholic Orthodoxy” | Recorded April 22, 1980 | Featuring Michael Davies, Malachi Martin, and Msgr. Joseph Champlin
You can watch the full episode at: https://www.youtube.com/live/ERPQaQ1Gn5U
The Hoover Institution’s archival record may also be consulted here:
Hoover Institution — The Fight over Catholic Orthodoxy https://digitalcollections.hoover.org/objects/6590/the-fight-over-catholic-orthodoxy [4]
The Final Years
Msgr. Champlin remained active in Warners during the final years of his life. According to a 2008 tribute entered into the Congressional Record by Congressman James T. Walsh, Champlin became priest in residence at Our Lady of Good Counsel in 2006 and continued serving the community after his retirement. [2]
On January 17, 2008, Msgr. Champlin died at the age of 77 following a long battle with cancer. His obituary records that he was living in Warners at the time of his death and was serving as the sacramental priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel. [3]
His death came only months before the end of the parish’s independent existence.
On June 29, 2008, Our Lady of Good Counsel was merged with St. Joseph’s Parish in Camillus. The closing marked the end of the old Warners Catholic community as an independent diocesan parish. [5]
From Church to School
After the parish closed, the old church entered a new chapter. After years lying dormant, the building was subsequently used as a Montessori school, giving the historic structure another purpose within the Warners community.
Although the building was no longer being used as a Catholic church, its history remained.
Now, that history is taking another turn.
With the recent acquisition of the property as part of our growing Catholic community in Warners, the former church will once again have a specifically Catholic purpose. Rather than remaining simply a former church building or a reminder of the past, it will become our bookstore.
The purpose will be different from that of the original parish church, but there is an important continuity. A building that once housed the worship and parish life of Catholics in Warners will once again become a place devoted to Catholic life—this time through books, history, theology and the treasures of our Catholic tradition.
A History Restored
The story of the old Warners church therefore does not end with its closing.
Its history stretches from the generations of Catholics who worshipped there, through the final years of the parish and the ministry of Msgr. Joseph Champlin, to its later use as a Montessori school. Now it has returned to a Catholic community in a new form.
The building will not simply be preserved as a relic of what once was. It will have a new life and a new purpose.
The old church has become our bookstore—but in doing so, it remains part of the Catholic history of Warners.
Its chapter as a parish church has ended. Its story has not.
Sources & References
1. Syracuse Post-Standard, Rev. Joseph M. Champlin Obituary, January 17, 2008. Read the obituary - https://obits.syracuse.com/us/obituaries/syracuse/name/joseph-champlin-obituary?id=49894792
2. U.S. Congressional Record, Extension of Remarks by Rep. James T. Walsh, “Honoring the Life of Monsignor Joseph Champlin,” February 13, 2008. The tribute states that Champlin became priest in residence at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Warners in 2006. Read the Congressional Record - https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2008-02-13/pdf/CREC-2008-02-13.pdf
3. Syracuse Post-Standard, Rev. Joseph M. Champlin Obituary, January 17, 2008. The obituary identifies Champlin as the sacramental priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Warners at the time of his death.
4. Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Firing Line Broadcast Records, “The Fight over Catholic Orthodoxy,” April 22, 1980. The archival record identifies William F. Buckley Jr. as host and Michael Davies, Joseph Champlin, and Malachi Martin as guests and describes the discussion of the postconciliar liturgy.
5. The Catholic Sun, Diocese of Syracuse, reporting on parish changes following the closure of Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Editorial note: The history of the building’s subsequent use as a Montessori school and its recent acquisition for use as our bookstore is based on the community’s own knowledge of the property’s recent history. Those details should ideally be supplemented with property records, parish records, or contemporary local reporting if a formal historical record is available.
The story of the old church is therefore not simply a story of a parish that closed. It is a story of a Catholic building that has passed through several chapters and is now being given a new purpose.
Msgr. Joseph M. Champlin (1930-2008)
One of the most notable priests connected with the final years of Our Lady of Good Counsel was Msgr. Joseph M. Champlin.
Champlin was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Syracuse on February 2, 1956. During his more than fifty years of priestly ministry, he served as pastor of Holy Family Parish in Fulton and St. Joseph’s Parish in Camillus. He later served as rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse from 1995 until his retirement in 2005. He was also a prolific Catholic author, writing more than sixty books and pamphlets on subjects including liturgy, pastoral theology, marriage and family life. [1]
After his retirement from the Cathedral, Champlin continued his priestly ministry. In 2006 he became priest in residence at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Warners. [2] His obituary likewise identifies him, at the time of his death, as the sacramental priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Warners. [3] Thus, Msgr. Champlin was an important priest in the church's final years.Champlin and Michael Davies on Firing Line
Long before his arrival in Warners, Msgr. Champlin had become known beyond the Diocese of Syracuse for his writing and his participation in discussions concerning Catholic liturgy.
On April 22, 1980, he appeared on William F. Buckley Jr.’s television program Firing Line for an episode entitled “The Fight over Catholic Orthodoxy.” The other participants were Michael Davies and Fr. Malachi Martin, with William F. Buckley Jr. as host. The program was recorded as part of the Firing Line broadcast archives now preserved by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives at Stanford University. [4]
From left to right: William F. Buckley Jr., Msgr. Champlin and Michael Davies. The discussion centered particularly on the changes to Catholic worship following the Second Vatican Council. The Hoover archive describes the program as a discussion between traditionalists—including Davies and Buckley, who favored the Tridentine Mass—and reformers such as Champlin, who supported the postconciliar liturgical reform. [4] For anyone interested in the history of Catholicism in Warners, the program is an especially interesting historical connection: a priest who would later serve the Catholic community in Warners had already participated in a nationally televised discussion with some of the most prominent Catholic voices of the period.
The complete program is available online: “Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.: The Fight over Catholic Orthodoxy” | Recorded April 22, 1980 | Featuring Michael Davies, Malachi Martin, and Msgr. Joseph Champlin
You can watch the full episode at: https://www.youtube.com/live/ERPQaQ1Gn5U
The Hoover Institution’s archival record may also be consulted here:
Hoover Institution — The Fight over Catholic Orthodoxy https://digitalcollections.hoover.org/objects/6590/the-fight-over-catholic-orthodoxy [4]
The Final Years
Msgr. Champlin remained active in Warners during the final years of his life. According to a 2008 tribute entered into the Congressional Record by Congressman James T. Walsh, Champlin became priest in residence at Our Lady of Good Counsel in 2006 and continued serving the community after his retirement. [2]
On January 17, 2008, Msgr. Champlin died at the age of 77 following a long battle with cancer. His obituary records that he was living in Warners at the time of his death and was serving as the sacramental priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel. [3]
His death came only months before the end of the parish’s independent existence.
On June 29, 2008, Our Lady of Good Counsel was merged with St. Joseph’s Parish in Camillus. The closing marked the end of the old Warners Catholic community as an independent diocesan parish. [5]
From Church to School
After the parish closed, the old church entered a new chapter. After years lying dormant, the building was subsequently used as a Montessori school, giving the historic structure another purpose within the Warners community.
Although the building was no longer being used as a Catholic church, its history remained.
Now, that history is taking another turn.
With the recent acquisition of the property as part of our growing Catholic community in Warners, the former church will once again have a specifically Catholic purpose. Rather than remaining simply a former church building or a reminder of the past, it will become our bookstore.
The purpose will be different from that of the original parish church, but there is an important continuity. A building that once housed the worship and parish life of Catholics in Warners will once again become a place devoted to Catholic life—this time through books, history, theology and the treasures of our Catholic tradition.
A History Restored
The story of the old Warners church therefore does not end with its closing.
Its history stretches from the generations of Catholics who worshipped there, through the final years of the parish and the ministry of Msgr. Joseph Champlin, to its later use as a Montessori school. Now it has returned to a Catholic community in a new form.
The building will not simply be preserved as a relic of what once was. It will have a new life and a new purpose.
The old church has become our bookstore—but in doing so, it remains part of the Catholic history of Warners.
Its chapter as a parish church has ended. Its story has not.
Sources & References
1. Syracuse Post-Standard, Rev. Joseph M. Champlin Obituary, January 17, 2008. Read the obituary - https://obits.syracuse.com/us/obituaries/syracuse/name/joseph-champlin-obituary?id=49894792
2. U.S. Congressional Record, Extension of Remarks by Rep. James T. Walsh, “Honoring the Life of Monsignor Joseph Champlin,” February 13, 2008. The tribute states that Champlin became priest in residence at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Warners in 2006. Read the Congressional Record - https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2008-02-13/pdf/CREC-2008-02-13.pdf
3. Syracuse Post-Standard, Rev. Joseph M. Champlin Obituary, January 17, 2008. The obituary identifies Champlin as the sacramental priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Warners at the time of his death.
4. Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Firing Line Broadcast Records, “The Fight over Catholic Orthodoxy,” April 22, 1980. The archival record identifies William F. Buckley Jr. as host and Michael Davies, Joseph Champlin, and Malachi Martin as guests and describes the discussion of the postconciliar liturgy.
5. The Catholic Sun, Diocese of Syracuse, reporting on parish changes following the closure of Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Editorial note: The history of the building’s subsequent use as a Montessori school and its recent acquisition for use as our bookstore is based on the community’s own knowledge of the property’s recent history. Those details should ideally be supplemented with property records, parish records, or contemporary local reporting if a formal historical record is available.