In 1829 construction was begun on a church at Paddy Hill in the Town of Greece by a small Irish Catholic community.  Dedicated to St. Ambrose on February 5, 1832 by Fr. Frances O’Donoghue, it was the first rural Catholic Church in New York State.  Regular Sunday Masses began in 1841 under the spiritual care of Fr. Dennis Kelly, who also had charge of parishes in Scottsville and Brushville (near Mt. Morris).  Fr. Joseph Bioggio was appointed first resident pastor in 1849.  Fr. John  Maurice was the next pastor (1856-1895). It was during his pastorate that the church on the corner of Latta Rd. and Mt. Read Blvd. was built in 1859.  In September of 1860 the parish was named in honor of Our Mother of Sorrows.  The title could also be Mother of Parishes, since from it, sprang Holy Cross (1863), St. John the Evangelist (1865), Our Lady of Mercy (1957), St. Lawrence (1959) and St. Mark (1964).

Fr. Daniel O’Rourke was pastor (1929-1961), and it was he who got the ball rolling for the Parish Centennial on June 8, 1930.  Bishop O’Hern celebrated the Mass in the Church while most of the 5000 people heard Mass in the cemetery south of the Church.  Gov. and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt came to participate in the festivities.

The parish grew with Greece and in 1946, the Sisters of St. Joseph arrived to staff the school with Sr. Agnes Cecilia Troy as the first principal.  The present school was built in 1953. Prior to that, classes had been held in the convent and a Quonset hut. A new convent was opened in 1958.  Fr. George Wood, assisting on weekends since 1956, became pastor in 1961 and campaigned for a new church that was built and dedicated by Bishop Sheen on September 22, 1968.  Fr. Thomas Statt, who succeeded Fr. Wood in 1981, was pastor until June 2000.  The current pastor, Fr. Alexander Bradshaw, has made significant improvements including a major renovation of the worship space, upgrades to the parish buildings and utilities, and introduced Stewardship throughout the parish community.  On September 12, 2004, Our Mother of Sorrows celebrated 175 years of development from a small, rural church to a large suburban parish at a Mass at which Bishop Clark presided.  The church had been renovated for the anniversary with much improved acoustics and appearance.