Named for St. Elizabeth, the Mother of John the Baptist
St. Elizabeth Church, located in Rochester VT, was built as a mission chapel in 1939, under the auspices of Rev. Mark Harvey, then pastor of Randolph's Sts. Donatian & Rogatian Church in Randolph VT.
Rochester was a mission outpost of the Randolph parish. A priest from Randolph would conduct Mass in the church every fifth Sunday.
In 1939, the Diocese purchased the large Victorian home of Chester E. Pierce, and the house was remodeled into the current church (see images below).
St. Elizabeth became the mission church of St Anthony parish in 1950. For a number of years, two priests covered five churches in an area of 360 square miles, including St. Anthony (Bethel), St. Elizabeth and St. Michael (Royalton). In the 1980s, the churches became known as the Mountain Valley Parish.
On July 1, 2010 the name was changed to Our Lady of the Valley Parish, comprising St. Anthony and St. Elizabeth. One priest serves both parishes today, as has been the case for a number of years.