The Village of Bloomingburg was first incorporated in 1833. It is known that there has been a Catholic presence in the area since 1855. At the turn of the century, the priest from Otisville would sometimes travel across the mountain to say Mass in the back room of a store located near the Shawangunk Kill in the village. News clippings show that an Archdiocesan Priest, Father O'Toole of Otisville,
came in the years immediate prior to the opening of the new church to say Mass for the area Catholics. Because of the distance and the demands of his own Church, it was difficult for him to come on a regular basis. Some folks, who were as hearty as they were devout, frequently would walk the four miles over the mountain to Wurstboro to fulifll their weekly obligation and be present at Mass. At about the same time, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Middletown, staffed by the Carmelite Friars, realized the need to build "mission" churches in the area to serve the expanding Catholic population. So it was in 1913, the cornerstone of Our Lady of the Assumption Church was put into place. Following the laying of the cornerstone and completion of the frame structure, the Carmelite Friars of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Middletown, NY, blessed and dedicated the new mission church to Our Lady of the Assumption, the Mother of Jesus. Nearly 100 years later, Our Lady of the Assumption Church continues to serve the faithful in Orange and Sullivan Counties.
