Top photo caption: The Aug. 23 Pizza to Pews event drew throngs to St. Catharine Church, Spring Lake. Kate DePetro and Pizza to Pews photo
By Chloe Berwick, Correspondent, and staff reports
With both the basement and main level full in St. Catharine Church, Spring Lake, it was standing room only at the Sunday noon Mass Aug. 23.
This was no ordinary Sunday, though.
The viral Pizza to Pews young adult group had made a special visit to the Jersey Shore and Diocese of Trenton. Launched by Generation Z Catholics Anthony Gross and Kate DePetro, Pizza to Pews began in New York City as a simple meetup in a Greenwich Village pizzeria before Mass at nearby St. Joseph Church. It quickly gained traction online and has since turned into a community of hundreds of young adults, with one-off events occurring in Washington, D.C., Long Beach, NY, and Palm Beach, Fla.
What once started as a mission to ensure no one went to Mass alone proved to be the catalyst for a vibrant community. The group’s recent visit to the Spring Lake church, sometimes described as “the jewel of the Jersey Shore” because of its stunning architecture and collection of sacred art, found local parishioners playing a familiar part: that of host to thousands of summer visitors each year.
Msgr. Richard M. Liddy, retired professor of Catholic thought and culture and former director of the Center for Catholic Studies at Seton Hall University, was also a visitor that day. He celebrated the Mass, along with Father Damian McElroy, pastor of St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish.
“We scrambled to welcome all these young adults,” said Father McElroy. “It did my heart good. These people come in all smiles, delighted to be in each other’s company, delighted to be in church. They had a wonderful experience with the liturgy.”
More than 100 young adults from across the Garden State and surrounding areas attended the Mass. “When I realized how many of us there were, I had tears. I was so happy!” Pizza to Pews co-founder DePetro exclaimed.
When asked why Pizza to Pews left New York City to host an out-of-state event in St. Catharine Parish, DePetro pointed to her personal love for the Jersey Shore.
“I have cousins in Toms River, and I spend some weekends, if I’m lucky, down in Bay Head,” she said.
After Mass, the group moved to a local establishment in Sea Girt for refreshments and fellowship.
“Sometimes what’s lacking for young people is fellowship,” Father McElroy said, pointing to the importance of the companionship the group offers for those young Catholics who might be “a little bit lost” on their own. Parishioners with adult children tell one another, “We’ve got to get our kids together,” he said.
At the event, DePetro hinted that a “slice” of Pizza to Pews will be opening in Spring Lake. Father McElroy said he hopes to welcome the group again and offered another idea to keep the camaraderie going after Mass in St. Catharine Church: “Pews to Beach.”
To continue to follow Pizza to Pews’ journey and learn about future events, visit their Instagram account,
@pizzatopews.