Top photo caption: Father Jim Conover administers the Eucharist to St. Rose of Lima School, Freehold, students during a 2026 Catholic Schools Week Mass.
From Staff Reports
Father James “Jim” Conover has deep ties to the Freehold area, serving as the pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish there for more than 15 years.
As he prepares to retire from active ministry Sept. 1, Father Conover will leave behind a priestly legacy spanning almost half a century. The parishioners whose lives he touched, the communities he served, and the countless faithful who encountered Christ through his ministry stand as a testament to that vocation.
Sacraments and Service
James Conover was born in 1949 in Neptune, the only child of Anna and James Conover. He grew up in Freehold as a parishioner of St. Rose of Lima, attending Freehold public schools. He earned a certificate in medical technology from Monmouth College (now University) in 1967 and completed pre-seminary philosophy requirements in 1973 at Georgian Court College (now University), Lakewood. Before entering seminary, he worked for the American Association of Blood Banks as assistant chief of the department of pathology, Monmouth Medical Center.
In 1978, he earned Master of Arts and Master of Theology degrees from Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. He was ordained on May 20, 1978, by Bishop George W. Ahr in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral in Trenton.
With his Ordination happening not long after the end of the Second Vatican Council, Father Conover belonged to the generation of priests that helped guide Catholic communities through decades of social, cultural and ecclesial change while remaining rooted in the Gospel and the sacramental life of the Church.
Father Conover began his priesthood with assignments in several parishes and secondary schools across the Diocese of Trenton. He served as parochial vicar in the parishes of St. Mary, Middletown; St. Veronica, Howell; St. Raphael (now part of St. Raphael-Holy Angels), Hamilton, and St. Joseph (now part of Our Lady of Fatima, Keyport). He also served as pastor of St. Catherine Laboure Parish, Middletown, and was assigned as administrator of St. Rose of Lima before being named pastor.
Fostering Unity, Celebrating Diversity
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., appointed Father Conover as the seventh pastor of St. Rose of Lima in 2011. From the outset, he focused attention on church restoration and fostering parish identity. Early in his pastorate, he tracked down and restored the church’s original historic baptismal font, culminating in a formal church rededication by Bishop O’Connell in October 2011.
Father Conover has worked to keep liturgy vibrant and inclusive in St. Rose of Lima Parish, expanding the involvement of lay parishioners, including members of the Hispanic and Vietnamese communities from throughout the region.
Father Conover also worked closely with the parish school, recently celebrating in 2025 the milestone of St. Rose of Lima School’s 150th anniversary. In more recent occasions, he was a welcome presence – during Catholic Schools Week in January, when the Bishop visited St. Rose to celebrate Mass; for First Holy Communion, and 8th grade Baccalaureate and Commencement.
A dedicated musician, he re-established the Diocesan Festival Choir in 1982 and served as its organist for more than 30 years. In both St. Joseph and St. Rose parishes, he directed the eighth-grade handbell choirs for a combined 28 years.
He also served for a time as chaplain at the now-closed Mater Dei High School, Middletown, and St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel, and was a member of the diocesan Liturgical Commission and Engaged Encounter team.