Preserving Our Past, Building Our Future
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
For Moira Gellman, the weekend of June 27-28 was busy – really busy.
On Saturday, the eight-year-old member of Assumption Parish, New Egypt, received her First Holy Communion.
The following day, Moira, with her parents, Claire and Gary, two of her three younger sisters, Kerianne, 6, and Aileen, 4, and grandmother, Virginia Henwood, witnessed a piece of history being made in the life of their parish when Bishop John M. Smith blessed and dedicated the long-awaited and much anticipated new church building.
“It was special to have these two back-to-back events in one weekend,” said Claire Gellman, noting how excited Moira was to receive Holy Communion for the second time from Bishop Smith.
“The kids really enjoyed it. They understand they are part of the parish community, and by being part of the parish, they know they had a part in helping to build the new church,” she said.
Bishop Smith, in his homily, noted the poignancy of a church dedication, and how it’s something that most people never have the opportunity to experience.
“It’s an extraordinary ceremony,” he said. “It’s an historic moment.”
Bishop Smith then recounted how the parish was founded 156 years ago in 1853.
“In a very real way, today we stand on the shoulders of those early Catholics who lived their faith and began the building of this parish community of the Assumption,” said Bishop Smith. “We stand on their shoulders as we begin a new page in the history of this parish community.”
Need for a New Church
Searching for a theme that embodies its efforts to build a new church, Assumption Parish community chose: “Preserving Our Past, Building Our Future.”“That’s exactly what we did,” said Father Joseph Farrell, pastor, a few days following the dedication Mass.
The preservation of the past is seen in how the original, quaint, little white church which has served as the spiritual home for Assumption’s faithful since it was built in 1870s, and continues to stand as a treasured landmark on New Egypt’s Main Street and is a welcoming and prayerful haven for all who enter its doors.
The “building of the future” is reflected a few miles away where the new and much larger building that houses the church and six classrooms is now situated on a piece of property on Monmouth Road in nearby North Hanover Township.
Father Farrell said he realized the need for a larger church when he first arrived to Assumption Parish as pastor in 1999.
There were 600 registered families at the time, and it was obvious that New Egypt and the surrounding towns of North Hanover Township, New Hanover, Wrightstown and Cream Ridge, from where the majority of parishioners hail, were going to experience population growths. More than likely, the parish too would see an increase in its number of families. Since 1999, Assumption has blossomed into a bustling, ministry-driven parish with more than 1,300 registered families.
The original parish complex, explained Father Farrell, was confined to quarters that housed a church with a 150-seating capacity, an adjacent parish hall, plus additional houses for the parish office and pastor’s residence.
The real impetus for the new church however, said Father Farrell, were the insufficient accommodations for the religious education program which had 300 students at the time.
“We had quite a crowd,” he said. Classes were held in the parish hall, with makeshift classrooms made from partitions. There were also safety issues of great concern because at dismissal time when the students filed out of the building, they were too close to the road and the oncoming traffic.
To alleviate some of the concerns, Father Farrell and Diane Gregorio, director of religious education, arranged for classes to be held at the newly built New Egypt High School. The parish also rented the school auditorium for larger Masses on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, as well as for First Holy Communions and Confirmations.
Affectionately, the parish dubbed the school as “Our Lady of the High School,” Father Farrell quipped.
Stories, Stories and More Stories
When talking about some of the logistics and experiences that went into building the new church, Father Farrell chuckled and said he had some “great stories” to tell.One such story occurred in the early 2000s, when the first attempt was made to build on a 20-acre piece of property that the parish owned near the original church. The architect had been hired and the construction plans were prepared. However, there was a glitch when soil samples were taken at the site and it was discovered that it had the “consistency of sand on the beach.”
“We would have had to put pilings down before we could build,” said Father Farrell, and a lot more work would have needed to be done before a parking lot could be laid down.
“All of that would have been too cost prohibitive,” he said.
A search began for another location for the church. With assistance from diocesan building officials, Father Farrell found the land in North Hanover Township. Martin DeSapio was hired as the architect.
Eastern Builders was the principal construction company and the construction manager was parishioner John Dawkins, along with his wife, Gloria, and son, John Jr.
“It was a blessing to have the Dawkins managing the job,” said Father Farrell, especially since they had a vested interest in seeing the building of their new church to completion.
Two Worship Sites
While parishioners are thrilled with their new church, Father Farrell said they still remain deeply devoted to their little white Main Street church which is still used for daily Mass, small funerals and weddings.Of the design of the new church building, Father Farrell described it as modern, with an arc- shaped nave and newly purchased furnishings. Yet, what enhances its decor with a traditional flavor are the stained glass windows depicting several images in the life of Jesus – the Last Supper, the Baptism of Jesus, Jesus healing a child, Veronica wiping the face of Jesus, and the one that Father Farrell calls the “most interesting” – the one in the carpenter’s shop where Jesus is with his parents, Mary and Joseph, and grandparents, St. Ann and St. Joachim.
Father Farrell said the windows, which were purchased from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, had their previous home in St. Aloysius Church, formerly located on 26th and Tasker St., which had been closed by the archdiocese.
“Every time I look at them, I think of how they once served as an inspiration for prayer for the people of St. Aloysius Parish,” said Father Farrell. “Now they serve to inspire prayer for the people of Assumption Parish, here in the countryside of New Jersey.”
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Events
For Moira Gellman, the weekend of June 27-28 was busy – really busy.
On Saturday, the eight-year-old member of Assumption Parish, New Egypt, received her First Holy Communion.
The following day, Moira, with her parents, Claire and Gary, two of her three younger sisters, Kerianne, 6, and Aileen, 4, and grandmother, Virginia Henwood, witnessed a piece of history being made in the life of their parish when Bishop John M. Smith blessed and dedicated the long-awaited and much anticipated new church building.
“It was special to have these two back-to-back events in one weekend,” said Claire Gellman, noting how excited Moira was to receive Holy Communion for the second time from Bishop Smith.
“The kids really enjoyed it. They understand they are part of the parish community, and by being part of the parish, they know they had a part in helping to build the new church,” she said.
Bishop Smith, in his homily, noted the poignancy of a church dedication, and how it’s something that most people never have the opportunity to experience.
“It’s an extraordinary ceremony,” he said. “It’s an historic moment.”
Bishop Smith then recounted how the parish was founded 156 years ago in 1853.
“In a very real way, today we stand on the shoulders of those early Catholics who lived their faith and began the building of this parish community of the Assumption,” said Bishop Smith. “We stand on their shoulders as we begin a new page in the history of this parish community.”
Need for a New Church
Searching for a theme that embodies its efforts to build a new church, Assumption Parish community chose: “Preserving Our Past, Building Our Future.”“That’s exactly what we did,” said Father Joseph Farrell, pastor, a few days following the dedication Mass.
The preservation of the past is seen in how the original, quaint, little white church which has served as the spiritual home for Assumption’s faithful since it was built in 1870s, and continues to stand as a treasured landmark on New Egypt’s Main Street and is a welcoming and prayerful haven for all who enter its doors.
The “building of the future” is reflected a few miles away where the new and much larger building that houses the church and six classrooms is now situated on a piece of property on Monmouth Road in nearby North Hanover Township.
Father Farrell said he realized the need for a larger church when he first arrived to Assumption Parish as pastor in 1999.
There were 600 registered families at the time, and it was obvious that New Egypt and the surrounding towns of North Hanover Township, New Hanover, Wrightstown and Cream Ridge, from where the majority of parishioners hail, were going to experience population growths. More than likely, the parish too would see an increase in its number of families. Since 1999, Assumption has blossomed into a bustling, ministry-driven parish with more than 1,300 registered families.
The original parish complex, explained Father Farrell, was confined to quarters that housed a church with a 150-seating capacity, an adjacent parish hall, plus additional houses for the parish office and pastor’s residence.
The real impetus for the new church however, said Father Farrell, were the insufficient accommodations for the religious education program which had 300 students at the time.
“We had quite a crowd,” he said. Classes were held in the parish hall, with makeshift classrooms made from partitions. There were also safety issues of great concern because at dismissal time when the students filed out of the building, they were too close to the road and the oncoming traffic.
To alleviate some of the concerns, Father Farrell and Diane Gregorio, director of religious education, arranged for classes to be held at the newly built New Egypt High School. The parish also rented the school auditorium for larger Masses on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, as well as for First Holy Communions and Confirmations.
Affectionately, the parish dubbed the school as “Our Lady of the High School,” Father Farrell quipped.
Stories, Stories and More Stories
When talking about some of the logistics and experiences that went into building the new church, Father Farrell chuckled and said he had some “great stories” to tell.One such story occurred in the early 2000s, when the first attempt was made to build on a 20-acre piece of property that the parish owned near the original church. The architect had been hired and the construction plans were prepared. However, there was a glitch when soil samples were taken at the site and it was discovered that it had the “consistency of sand on the beach.”
“We would have had to put pilings down before we could build,” said Father Farrell, and a lot more work would have needed to be done before a parking lot could be laid down.
“All of that would have been too cost prohibitive,” he said.
A search began for another location for the church. With assistance from diocesan building officials, Father Farrell found the land in North Hanover Township. Martin DeSapio was hired as the architect.
Eastern Builders was the principal construction company and the construction manager was parishioner John Dawkins, along with his wife, Gloria, and son, John Jr.
“It was a blessing to have the Dawkins managing the job,” said Father Farrell, especially since they had a vested interest in seeing the building of their new church to completion.
Two Worship Sites
While parishioners are thrilled with their new church, Father Farrell said they still remain deeply devoted to their little white Main Street church which is still used for daily Mass, small funerals and weddings.Of the design of the new church building, Father Farrell described it as modern, with an arc- shaped nave and newly purchased furnishings. Yet, what enhances its decor with a traditional flavor are the stained glass windows depicting several images in the life of Jesus – the Last Supper, the Baptism of Jesus, Jesus healing a child, Veronica wiping the face of Jesus, and the one that Father Farrell calls the “most interesting” – the one in the carpenter’s shop where Jesus is with his parents, Mary and Joseph, and grandparents, St. Ann and St. Joachim.
Father Farrell said the windows, which were purchased from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, had their previous home in St. Aloysius Church, formerly located on 26th and Tasker St., which had been closed by the archdiocese.
“Every time I look at them, I think of how they once served as an inspiration for prayer for the people of St. Aloysius Parish,” said Father Farrell. “Now they serve to inspire prayer for the people of Assumption Parish, here in the countryside of New Jersey.”
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