St. Mary's Since 1961: An Independent Parish
Part 1: The Origins of St. Mary's
Part 2: 1922-1939: A Mission Church of Sacred Heart Parish
Part 3: 1939-1961: A Mission Church of St. Rose of Lima Parish
Part 4: Since 1961: An Independent Parish
Epilogue: Pastor's Vision for the Future
Acknowledgments: About this history
In June 1961, the Most Reverend Celestine Damiano, bishop of Camden, formally established St. Mary's as an independent parish and appointed the Reverend Charles Zimmer as its administrator. To accommodate the increasing population in the Malaga area, Father Zimmer added a third Sunday Mass. In addition, he offered Masson weekdays--something that had not been possible during St. Mary's four decades as a mission church.
Building the Rectory
During his first months in Malaga, Father Zimmer used the church sacristy as a temporary home and office. Early in 1962, Bishop Damiano approved the building of a rectory across the street on land acquired four years earlier.
As was the case in 1922 when St. Mary's Church was built, the people of Malaga responded generously to the fund-raising campaign. One hundred and seventy-four individuals gave approximately $20.000. Father Zimmer officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony on March 31, 1962, with Messrs. Joseph Ali (1923-1992) and Charles Colucci, trustees, assisting. The latter volunteered his services as general contractor; the subcontractors were mostly local craftsmen who worked with care and dispatch. Before spring ended, Father Zimmer was able to move into the completed rectory.
Vatican Council II and the 1960s
In the fall of 1962, Pope John XXIII convened the twenty-first ecumentical council of the Catholic Church, generally known as Vatican Council II. Father Zimmer was quick to implement its threefold mandate--renewal, modernization, and ecumenism. He changed the position of the altar so that a priest could say mass facing the congregation. He becam to say Mass in English instead of Latin, he formed one of the first parish councils in the area, and he fostered dialogue with neighboring churches.
By the end of the 1960s, St. Mary's had changed. Part of this change was due to the dictums of Vatican Council II. Another factor was the influx of young, newly married couples, who were attracted to the Malaga area by housing developments within commuting distance of their workplaces. (This influx was akin to that of Malaga's immigrant population a half century earlier.)
The death of many of St. Mary's founders during the 1960s (and 1970s) also augured for chnange. The annual Feast of the Assumption, for example, no longer featured fireworks, a band, and other Old World attractions. Because virtually all the founders were farmers, and because most of their descendants had gone on to other pursuits, the 1960s marked the end of an era during which farming was the dominant occupation of St. Mary's parishioners.
The 1970s and '80s
During the 1970s and for most of the 1980s, Father (later Monsignor) John McCaffrey was pastor. He often said, "My whole interest is in reading and studying the Word of God," and he considered the CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program to be vital for the children. Monsignor McCaffrey organized a cadre of volunteers to supllement the teaching by nuns from Villa Rosello (Newfield) at that time.
By the mid-1980s, Mr. Ronald Bonner had been coordinating the CCD program for several years and enrollment had soared to over 100 children, including preschoolers. The preschool instruction motivated numerous parents to send their youngsters to St. Rose of Lima School in Newfield (instead of a public school). At one point, about fifty pupils from Malaga were enrolled at St. Rose's.
Soon after he arrived, Monsignor McCaffrey established a Praesidium of the Legion of Mary to serve the Malaga area. The legion stresses Marian spirituality through attendance at weekly meetings and through a variety of apostolic activities. St. Mary's legionnaires welcomed new families and registered them in the parish.
In addition to helping newcomers with the practical aspects of getting settled in a new community (locating stores, services, medical care, and so forth), members of the legion sounseled them in spiritual matters. During the 1980s, many residents, both old and new, were brought back into the Church as a result of the legion's activities.
During Monsignor McCaffrey's tenure, the diocese's Third Order of Mount Carmel elected to make St. Mary's parish its home. St. Theresa's Rose Garden, which symbolizes her devotion to souls in purgatory, is located on Harding Highway, west of Malaga Lake. A part of the garden, St. Anne's Cenacle, continues to be a site of prayer for Carmelites and others.
Recognizing the importance of music to the beauty of the liturgy, Monsignor McCaffrey encouraged Mrs. Sally Bonner to organize a folk group to provide music that would appeal to St. Mary's youth. Mrs. Bonner's guitar playing and singing, together with that of the younger people under her tutelage, has enhanced Sunday Masses since 1982. (Her long-term dedication is reminiscent of that of an earlier musician, Mrs. Simone Walsh [1899-1985], who served as organist at St. Mary's for twenty-five years.)
St. Mary's in the 1990s
The Reverend Abbott Hope was pastor of St. Mary's from 1989 until his retirement last February (1997). During his first years in Malaga, Father Hope was assisted by the Reverend Mr. Philip Harris, deacon.
In August 1992, the parish celebrated the seventieth anniversary of the building of St. Mary's Church. The celebrant of the High Mass was the Most Reverend James McHugh, bishop of Camden. Monsignor Patrick Madden, Monsignor Edward O'Connor, and Father Hope were concelebrants.
Father Hope continued to strengthen the spiritual programs at St. Mary's. he focused on making the parish ever more youth-oriented by providing religious instruction for children who attended public schools. (Rising tuition costs at local Catholic schools had caused a shift back to public schools.) He helped start a youth group, which now has 23 members. The group carries out service projects and sponsors recreational activities for its members. Currently, Messrs. Andrew Nuar and John Dalesandro, Jr., represent their peers at parish council meetings.
Father Hope worked closely with his parishioners in operating St. Mary's programs, which are now staffed by the following people:
Lead Person
Building/grounds.............................................Mr. Charles Chamberlin
Carmelites.....................................................Ms. Mary Whittam
CCD..............................................................Mr. Ronald Bonner
Diamond Jubilee.............................................Miss Theresa DiMatteo
Feast............................................................Mrs. Louiuse Mancus
Fellowship Sunday.........................................Miss Carmella Castelli
First Friday Adoration.....................................Dr. Aime Nuar
Legion of Mary...............................................Ms. Cynthia Herzler
Liturgy...........................................................Mrs. Sally Bonner
Music............................................................Mrs. Sally Bonner
Parish Council...............................................Mrs. Louise Mancus
Youth Group..................................................Mrs. Cindy Merckx
(Adult Coordinator)
During his final months as pastor, Father Hope oversaw the purchase of the property next to the rectory (the former Hopkins residence) with funds bequeathed by Mrs. Evelyn Tonelli of Dutch Mill Road, who died in 1994.
Early this year (1997), the Reverend Jerome Romanowski became St. Mary's twelfth pastor. The traditional Catholic community into which he was welcomed comprises nearly 400 registered parishioners--about four times as many as when St. Mary's Church was dedicated seventy-five years ago. Even more significant than this growth is the community's transformation from a group of foreign-born farmers to a population of American-born technicians, tradespeople, large-scale farmers, and professionals.
Over two hundred years ago, the Founding Fathers declared our national motto to be "E Pluribus Unum" (one for many). They envisioned a nation to which many peole could come, transcend differences, and unite.
Today, a small, southern New Jersey Catholic community continues to help fulfill that dream under the leadership of an energetic, forward-looking pastor.