Tradition, an English word with long Latin roots, means to transmit, hand over or give for safekeeping.

In St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish, Spring Lake, the word comes to life each July during the Triduum of Sts. Joachim and Anne as the faithful celebrate an origin little known outside their midst.

During the Triduum which began July 24 and concluded July 26 with a Mass of healing and the groundbreaking of a new mausoleum, faithful once again treasured memories of how the parish was founded and for whom it was originally named – St. Ann, the mother of Mary.

 In so doing, they transmitted an important and lovely bit of the legacy of their faith to those who might have been unaware of it.

For, it’s a safe bet that most summer visitors who flood into Spring Lake – widely regarded as the heart of New Jersey’s “Irish Riviera” – connect the origin of the parish with Papal Marquis Martin Maloney.

The story of his desire to erect a grand church as a gift to God in memory of his deceased daughter, Catharine, is venerable lore throughout the area.

But as it turns out, St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish has its roots in St. Ann Church, dedicated by the First Bishop of Trenton, Michael J. O’Farrell, in late 1884.

 St. Ann Church, located on Fifth Avenue near Wreck Pond in Spring Lake, was a simple building consisting of plastered walls, an altar, a sacristy and wooden chairs for those attending Mass.

Within a few years, Maloney was granted permission to build the new church which soon became a landmark on the Jersey Shore.

Though St. Ann Church physically disappeared from the landscape, its memory lingers. For longer than anyone can remember, the Triduum of Ss. Joachim and Ann has been a focus of devotion, joy and reflection during the summer.

A time for prayer and healing

For the three days of the Triduum, faithful filled the lower church at morning Masses and devotions and inspirational talks led by four priests including Marist Father Martin Daly.

Many, including Pat Hickey and Greg Scheuermann, said they attend year after year, drawn by the opportunity to share their faith in community.

Hickey, a parishioner for 38 years, appreciates the time spent in prayer.

 “We can use every prayer there is,” said Hickey who added that she directs her intentions for her family and for the spiritual health of society. “I offer it up for the country,” she said. “When you come here and you see so many faces deep in prayer, you get a sense that there is hope.”

Scheuermann, a member of the parish for 12 years, says he’s drawn every year by the talks given by Father Daly who has preached at the Triduum every summer since 1994.

“I’ve heard Father Daly for as long as I’ve come to the Triduum,” he said. “His insights into our faith are very special.”

On this last and concluding day of the Triduum, Father Daly, the headmaster of a Dublin school and a psychotherapist, spoke of the burdens of loneliness, encouraging his listeners to take heart from the fact that our faith has shown “how our Lord” experienced terrible loneliness in the Garden of Gethsemane.

As the Triduum drew to a close, all struggling with physical or emotional pain were invited to come forward for anointing.

After the Mass ended, Father Daly spoke of the way in which such special traditions and rituals are meaningful. “Something like this gives an expression to the experience of faith,” Father Daly said. “It offers a connection to the faith.”

A time of dedication

Sometimes, as happened this year, the Triduum is not only a time of deep prayer and reflection, it is a time to celebrate a major event that will impact the life of the parish…well, till the end of time.

And thus, during a break between the 8 a.m. Triduum Mass and the Noon Mass and anointing on July 26,  members of the parish community attended a ground-breaking for a new mausoleum in the Wall Township cemetery named for St. Ann exactly 20 years earlier to the day.

When they arrived, guests were handed a program commemorating the earlier event with a picture of Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, retired bishop of Buffalo, N.Y. who was then auxiliary bishop of the Trenton Diocese. Walking alongside him in the picture as he blesses the ground with holy water is Monsignor Thomas A. Luebking, pastor of St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish.

The new, 20,000-square-foot mausoleum will provide 2,400 crypts and 1,700 niches for the growing parish which serves 4,000 families and more than 10,000 members. The two wings of the mausoleum will be linked by a chapel highlighted by three large stained glass windows.

People will be able to pray, mediate and attend services in the chapel where three large and distinctive stained glass windows ornament the structure.

In his remarks, Msgr. Luebking, who had over the years made it one of his missions to ensure there was adequate burial space for the community, spoke of the importance of preparing a resting place “for those who fall asleep to this world.

“We look to the interests of our neighbors and the community,” he said. “We are, in a sense, God’s co-workers and God willing, we will bring this to success.”