RECENT PRESS
COTM Hosts the Annual Rivertowns Clergy Association
November 26th, 2024
This annual event was organized by Bill Baker, Rector and Organizer of the Rivertowns Clergy Association. It was designed to be a celebration of unity. “We don’t have to agree on everything, maybe not even anything but we’re brothers, we’re sisters, we’re siblings, so we’re celebrating that tonight.
John Dominick III at the Church of the Magdalene, Pocantico Hills
Edward Sudol – December 5th, 2024
The Church of the Magdalene is thrilled to be hosting the distinguished John Dominick during Masses on Saturday at 5 pm and on Sundays at 9 and 11 am. John will be singing and playing the organ/piano. Decades of experience have given him a deep understanding of sacred music traditions, leading him to redefine what church music can, and perhaps should, be.
Born and raised in Louisiana, John earned a degree in Vocal Performance from Northwestern State University of Louisiana, where he honed his vocal technique and pursued advanced studies in piano. His career in church music spans multiple parishes throughout the New York Archdiocese where he directed choirs, organized liturgical music, arranged compositions and created engaging worship experiences.
Aside from leaving a lasting impact in Catholic schools where he taught music, voice and piano while inspiring students to explore their talents, John’s expertise as a pianist and organist has made him a sought-after accompanist and cantor. He has contributed his talents as a guest musician at numerous venues throughout New York, demonstrating his adaptability across various musical styles and traditions. His dedication to sacred music is complemented by his ability to integrate classical techniques, making his contributions to worship both spiritually and artistically enriching.
John has also had an impressive career as an opera singer. He has performed iconic roles such as Wotan in Wagner’s Die Walküre, King Philip in Verdi’s Don Carlo, and the Four Villains in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. His operatic endeavors have taken him to prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, where he has been a featured soloist in works like Verdi’s Requiem, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, and Handel’s Messiah. John’s operatic achievements have earned him recognition from the Licia Albanese Foundation, the Wagner Society of New York, and the Career Bridges Foundation.
A member of the American Guild of Musical Artists and the Federation of Catholic Teachers, John is committed to excellence in every facet of his work. Whether leading a choir, teaching a classroom or commanding the stage, John brings passion, skill, and an unwavering dedication to his craft. His lifelong mission is to inspire and uplift through the transformative power of music.
The Church of the Magdalene is a small country church, located in the beautiful hamlet of Pocantico Hills in Westchester County. Roads leading to the hamlet pass by rolling fields protected by stone walls. A handful of homes, large and small, a school, two churches, and a firehouse are located in the center of the village. Parishioners come from more than fifteen surrounding towns and villages. In 2024, our parish is celebrating its 130th anniversary of its founding.
Peace, Love and Community in Pocantico Hills
Elsbeth Lindner — November 6, 2024
It’s been a celebratory year at the Church of the Magdalene in Pocantico Hills, and the festivities are far from over. Marking the 130th anniversary of its founding, the small country church in a hamlet set among rolling fields and stone walls has already celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving with a special lunch and a series of “Mass on the Grass” during the summer months.
But there’s more. “We started our anniversary celebration July 21 and we’re organizing a yearlong celebration of activities and events,” explains Father Tim Wiggins, the pastor, “and whatever we do this year between July and next July is in the spirit of and honor of the 130th anniversary.
“Most parishes, when they have a 130th celebration, they do something to mark the occasion, something everyone would benefit and see and enjoy, and one of our major events is to redo our indoor and outdoor Christmas crèches,” he adds.
Also, the Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown clergy association has opted that the annual Thanksgiving service be hosted by the Magdalene, which is the only Catholic presence in the group. It will take place on Nov. 26.
Then there’s a special concert being considered for Easter time, and a family event or a fun night for the youth, in the spring.
education class.
As part of the anniversary, Father Tim invited parishioners to take part in a write-in campaign on the subject of “What does the Magdalene mean to me?” The responses, which will be kept in an archive, are heart-warming. “The Church of the Magdalene is a beautiful little spiritual sanctuary that provides me with a tremendous sense of peace and tranquility. Also Father Tim’s homilies are the absolute best,” said Suzanne Ferrara.
Now in his third year at the church, Father Tim has both settled into his role and stimulated the growth for which he hoped. “The size of our church is very attractive,” he comments. “It’s not the big cathedral…it’s small, it’s country, it’s charming, and it’s peaceful. It’s a community, and you can feel the intimacy. People come to the Magdalene to hear God’s words and a relevant homily pertaining to today’s times.”
New members are joining, from other ZIP codes. Some are coming because of Father Tim’s relationships in previous pastoral assignments. “I think people are also on a journey, searching. Right now our church holds, comfortably, about 220 to 225 and we have about a 60-70% attendance at each of our three weekend Masses so it’s good. No one is ever turned away.”
New activities have also encouraged involvement. Parishioners are invited to join multiple committees and ministries, like healthcare awareness or social justice. Father Tim hopes for a youth group and a men’s group, to complement the two existing Bible studies groups for women, as well.
“My interest is always spiritual, but also social. How can we come together more as a community, not only to worship but to learn and to socialize as human beings?” The monthly Brunch Sundays, the monthly family Mass with breakfast, the parish-wide annual St. Patrick’s Dinner, the brown bag Sundays, organized to supply food to the Sleepy/Hollow Tarrytown Food Pantry, or the hurricane relief tag sale, these are all opportunities. “New parishioners are coming and asking what are we doing for our community in a time of need. And I thought we could do better and we could do more,” the pastor says.
“I’m very hopeful that there’s still a brighter future here at the Magdalene.”
Looking to a Bright Future with Father Tim
Elsbeth Lindner — January 8, 2023
The rectory of the Church of the Magdalene in Pocantico Hills, one village neighbor recently commented, used to be dark, but now all the lights are blazing. And the new pastor, the Rev. Timothy Wiggins, isn’t at all surprised.
Father Tim, as he’s happy to be called, is a busy man, fully occupied with the pastoral role he took on in July 2022, growing his parish, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2019. “It’s a hidden gem,” he commented, “a really good parish with a strong multi-generational base and increasing numbers.”
Father Tim’s appointment comes at a critical time in the Catholic Church. Demographic shifts and a vocation crisis have led to a shortage of priests, which in turn has necessitated the merging of some parishes, leaving pastors with outsize workloads and little help in the way of associates.
The Church of the Magdalene is at risk of merging, but Father Tim’s arrival has signaled a turnaround. An additional 30 families have joined the parish since his arrival, the pews at service are at their fullest since Covid, and 10 new youth members have been added as altar servers. This youth community is also busy with outreach, including a Thanksgiving food drive and Christmas toy collection. It’s been an impressive and encouraging first six months.
For the pastor, it’s also been a welcome return to Westchester where he has deep, abiding roots. Born in Valhalla, he was raised in Port Chester – and plans to be buried in Rye Brook, he revealed with a smile.
Most African Americans follow either the Baptist or Methodist churches and Father Tim was very involved in the Methodist church from an early age. His grandmother hoped he would become a pastor. But the boy was intrigued by the nearby Catholic Our Lady of Mercy and in December 1976, at age 12, he attended his first Mass. “I felt like I was in heaven. The liturgy, the theology – it’s all very systematic. And I loved the rituals and the tradition, which served as my spiritual anchors.”
He quickly became an active member of the church, an involvement that continued while he received a degree at Denver University’s School of Hotel and Restaurant, before returning to Port Chester while working for Marriott in the tristate area. Reconnecting with Our Lady of Mercy via a part-time job as parish cook, he eventually found his vocation and was invited into the seminary system in 1995. The priest and the parishioners, “They saw something in me. That invitation was a validation, and a conviction, and encouraged me to pursue my theological training.”
Yet he put his vocation aside for five years, to care for his elderly grandmother, after which he immersed himself fully, preparing for the priesthood. Upon his ordination in 2002, Father Tim had many pastoral assignments including at St. John the Evangelist in White Plains where he spent “ten glorious years.” Then came the opportunity to be administrator in his home parish, at Our Lady of Mercy, where he enjoyed two years of significant progress, after which the church’s “making all things new” program intervened, realigning the parish to merge it with three others, leaving Father Tim without an assignment and his parishioners confounded.
Eventually, he received an assignment teaching and assisting at other parishes, and eventually a pastorship at St. Charles in Harlem, the priest always guided by his founding commitment “to the people whom I come to serve and lead to Christ. That’s why I’m a priest to this day.” That belief, and obedience, supported him in difficult times, but the innercity ministry was a challenge.
At Pocantico Hills, he can reconnect with his Westchester communities, with which he had never lost touch. Worshippers at Magdalene come from 12 different ZIP codes, proof of Father Tim’s undying relationships. “And the people here are wonderful and very collaborative.” They appreciate that he is a “younger” priest, a sign of investment versus rumors of possible merger.
A systematic man, tall, energetic, approachable, engaged and engaging, Father Tim has perhaps found his safe harbor in Pocantico, after too many perplexing moves. Now he needs time to expand his parish, to defend it against dissolution. His commitment to the people in the pews is obvious and unwavering. Those rectory lights are unlikely to dim while he’s in residence.