Recently in Stories from St Mary's Category

Blog Article: The bishop gets THAT LOOK

By
Martin Kelley
on May 31, 2008
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Article

Snippet:
I've been busy with work lately and much of my free time has been spent helping Julie and the Savestmarys.net coalition. St. Mary's is one of about sixty South Jersey Catholic churches the bishop is trying to close down and replace with smily happy Megachurches. I'm still not going Catholic on you all, I just don't like short-sighted religious bureaucrats with secret agendas, and I like places and people and churches with roots and history.

On Tuesday night Bishop Galante and his posse came to visit St Mary's and was greeted by an overflow crowd. He came with charts and a game show host of a priest for MC who tried to start the meeting with a pasted-on smile and crowd-control speaking rules. The St Mary's parishioners were having none of it. There were over five hundred people in the pews asking why the Bishop wanted to shut down a church with sound finances, an impassioned priest, an involved laity and the wherewithal to continue another hundreds years?

"Vibrant" has become the Bishop's stock answer...

Interviews

By
St. Marys
on May 14, 2008
Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that I've been busy interviewing elderly members of St. Mary's. Had a little bit of camera trouble yesterday but luckily I had my little digital camera with me, which does take some video. I hope some of it turned out as I haven't had the chance to look at it yet. The actual video, I think, will take quite a bit of editing, but I wanted to tell you a few interesting things I learned yesterday:

  • The materials used to build St. Mary's were obtained by horse and carriage trip to Atlantic City, a trip of 44 miles (one-way).

  • Though generally speaking the community in Malaga was convinced of the need for their own church, it was tough convincing everybody because of the expenses they knew they'd incur. Money was tough to come by for this small, agricultural community. Initiators of the project went from house to house, farm to farm, to collect money.

  • The simple yet beautiful marble altar cost something like $5,000 at the time. (I must consult my notes to see if I can confirm the figure.) What a sacrifice and a lot of work it must have been to raise the funds for an altar worthy of our Eucharistic Lord.

  • Back before St. Mary's was even built, they had many events such as the Feast of the Assumption. The church was named St. Mary's because of the community's devotion to and the constant intercession of Our Lady.

  • "Card parties" were held at the church property to raise funds and get together. I was unfamiliar with that term, but apparently people got together to play pinochle.

  • In order to continue to work on the church, they held events like dinners and beef and beers in the church basement, which was completely unfinished, dirt floor and all, at the time.
  • Families donated statues and built grottos themselves. Whenever the church needed something, the parishioners bought it or did it themselves. Caretaking of all kinds was done by the parishioners.
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Why Save St. Mary's?

What's true for OL Queen of Peace, Pitman & Assumption, Wildwood Crest is also true for St. Mary's Malaga:

"The people in Pitman bought that ground and built that church and it belongs to them. You can't just take it away."

-Anthony Mecca, Queen of Peace Parish, Pitman (also on the slate for closure), May 8, 2008

"This is God's house. Let us live here with God as we've done all these years."

-Fred Spiewak, Assumption Parish, Wildwood Crest, June 11, 2008

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Confidential Tip Line

We would like to announce our totally confidential tip line, for anyone with information pertaining to St. Mary's or their own parish, dealings with the diocese, etc. Remember, you need not give your name, or you may if you choose to. Contact us by email: info@savestmarys.net or phone: 856-692-0222 (ask for Leah).