Sacred Heart Parish marks century milestone
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Michael Hallman|Correspondent
Approximately 100 parishioners braved the elements, driving through torrential downpours and brushing off threats of flooded roads to join in the centenary anniversary celebration of Sacred Heart Parish, Bay Head, June 7, on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart.
Located just a block from a beach that still shows evidence of having been battered by Superstorm Sandy, the warm, mid-sized church offers an inviting atmosphere and a lively sense of celebration of the Eucharist. While attendance was driven down by the storm, those who did attend exuded a sense of joy at this anniversary.
The liturgy was celebrated by the pastor of Sacred Heart, Father Michael O’Connor, and concelebrated by Capuchin Franciscan Father Paul Engel, weekend assistant, and former pastor Msgr. Casimir Ladzinski, who were assisted by Deacons James Lacey and Silverius Galvan.
In his homily, Father O’Connor spoke of his own family’s devotion to the Sacred Heart. He recalled the story of an image of the Sacred Heart that hung in his kitchen. Beneath the picture were written the names of his parents, and then each child’s name was added as they were born. The local custom was to keep a small lamp burning at all times next to the image, and this was followed in his family home as well.
For Father O’Connor, this practice was a way of entrusting the family to the loving care of the heart of Jesus.
When he informed his family of his plans to become a priest, his mother had one wish for him – that one day he would be assigned to a parish named in honor of the Sacred Heart. In 2004 he received a call from Bishop John M. Smith and was informed that he would be assigned to Sacred Heart Parish, Mount Holly. Believing his mother’s prayers to be answered, the following day the bishop called again, changing his assignment. At last, just a year ago, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., called him to announce his present assignment to Sacred Heart Parish, Bay Head. This time, there was no change of plans.
“The Sacred Heart of Jesus always has a special place, I suppose, in my heart. And really, when I think of this feast day, it reminds me of my home, it reminds me of my family, it reminds me of all that they gave me,” Father O’Connor preached.
The devotion to the Sacred Heart has such a strong connection to the strength of the family, he said.
This connection was not lost on those parishioners who call Sacred Heart home and have celebrated so many important family events there. For Fran and Frank Dockery, parishioners for nearly 20 years, their family has celebrated two weddings and two Baptisms in the parish. Fran Dockery said she continues to be attracted by the homey feel of the church.
Charlie and Arlene McCourt have been members of the parish for five years, and believe they have found a home here. “It’s warm, it’s friendly, it’s inviting,” said Arlene McCourt. “You can get to know people.”
The church was built in 1913 and originally placed under the care of the Conventual Franciscans, who resided in St. Peter Parish, Point Pleasant Beach, and St. Catharine of Siena Parish, Seaside Park. In 1942, care of the parish was assumed by diocesan clergy.
The liturgy was followed by a meal served in the small banquet room next to the church. Despite the driving rains, most in attendance stayed for dinner. As far as they were concerned, they were already home.
PARISH HISTORY
Through the final decades of the 19th Century, the growing number of Catholics summering in the Bay Head and Mantoloking areas, attended Sunday Mass in St. Peter Church in nearby Point Pleasant Beach.
The local lore of the area is replete with stories of how the faithful from the tip of the barrier island negotiated the roadways and waterways in order to get to Mass back then.
Some walked the distance others rode in horsedrawn carriages while still other “Mantolokingites” sailed on Barnegat Bay to Bay Head and then traveled by land to Point Pleasant Beach.
Sacred Heart’s parish history records that for those latter worshippers, because of the vagaries of wind driven sail, going to church often turned into an all day outing.
By 1903, access improved thanks to a new trolley line which linked Bay Head to Point Pleasant Beach and as more and more people came to vacation in Bay Head and Mantoloking and even settle the towns year round, it became necessary to provide area Catholics with a church of their own.
Because property restrictions prohibited the building of a church in Mantoloking, plans were formed to build the church in Bay Head and on Dec. 9, 1913, the Church of the Sacred Heart was established in that borough by Bishop James A. McFaul.
A resolution signed by its founders, Bishop McFaul; Msgr. John Fox, vicar general; Conventual Franciscan Father Berard (sic) Schweitzer, pastor of St. Peter Parish and lay trustees Joseph F. Edwards and Ralph J.
Schoettle on April 7, 1914, provided for the construction at a cost not to exceed $6,200 on the Southwest corner of Main Avenue (Rte. 35) and Harris Street.
Astoundingly, the church was completed in time for that year’s summer season and was administered by Conventual Franciscan Fathers as a mission of St. Peter’s until the end of the summer of 1915. At that time, it was placed under the care of Conventual Franciscan Father Daniel Lutz who took up residence as its pastor, performing the first Baptism and the first marriage in Sacred Heart Church in 1916.
By 1917, Bay Head had become the summer residence of the Conventual Franciscan Fathers Mission Band – a group of friars who directed parishes missions throughout the area. They assumed charge of Sacred Heart and also gave services to the Catholics of Lavallette and Seaside Park.
The Mission Band moved its residence to Seaside Park and St. Catharine Church in 1919 and Sacred Heart became a mission of St. Catharine.
By 1927, a decision was taken to move the church to its present location at Main Avenue between Goetze and Strickland Streets where it became, as it remains today, a landmark at the tip of the Barrier Island.
In 1942, the parish, still home to a largely summer community, was placed in the care of priests of the Trenton Diocese who also tended to the mission church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Seaside Heights.
The following decades would see expansion of the Sacred Heart Campus with the purchase of a house for use as a rectory in 1944 and the construction of the parish social hall in 1959. A two-story classroom addition to Msgr. Casey hall was constructed in 1976.
The parish campus, which had weathered many storms in its one hundred year history, suffered serious damage when Superstorm Sandy struck Oct. 29. Worshippers returned to the church for the first time on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 13. Four days later, on Feb. 17, the first Sunday Mass of the Lenten season was held in the church.
The centennial celebration will draw to a close Friday, Dec. 13 with a Centennial Mass celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., followed by a gala 100th anniversary dinner dance.
About Father Michael O’Connor, pastor
Father Michael O’Connor, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish since July 2012, was born in Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland, in 1946.
He prepared for the priesthood in Carlow College and St. Patrick Seminary, Carlow, Ireland, and was ordained June 17, 1972, in Ireland, for the Diocese of Trenton.
Father O’Connor has served as parochial vicar in the parishes of Guardian Angels, Edison, now in the Metuchen Diocese; St. Denis, Manasquan, and Our Lady of Sorrows, now Our Lady of Sorrows – St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton. In 1985, he was named pastor of Holy Name Parish, Delran, and served there for 19 years until he was named pastor of St. Mary of the Lake Parish, Lakewood, in 2004.
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By Michael Hallman|Correspondent
Approximately 100 parishioners braved the elements, driving through torrential downpours and brushing off threats of flooded roads to join in the centenary anniversary celebration of Sacred Heart Parish, Bay Head, June 7, on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart.
Located just a block from a beach that still shows evidence of having been battered by Superstorm Sandy, the warm, mid-sized church offers an inviting atmosphere and a lively sense of celebration of the Eucharist. While attendance was driven down by the storm, those who did attend exuded a sense of joy at this anniversary.
The liturgy was celebrated by the pastor of Sacred Heart, Father Michael O’Connor, and concelebrated by Capuchin Franciscan Father Paul Engel, weekend assistant, and former pastor Msgr. Casimir Ladzinski, who were assisted by Deacons James Lacey and Silverius Galvan.
In his homily, Father O’Connor spoke of his own family’s devotion to the Sacred Heart. He recalled the story of an image of the Sacred Heart that hung in his kitchen. Beneath the picture were written the names of his parents, and then each child’s name was added as they were born. The local custom was to keep a small lamp burning at all times next to the image, and this was followed in his family home as well.
For Father O’Connor, this practice was a way of entrusting the family to the loving care of the heart of Jesus.
When he informed his family of his plans to become a priest, his mother had one wish for him – that one day he would be assigned to a parish named in honor of the Sacred Heart. In 2004 he received a call from Bishop John M. Smith and was informed that he would be assigned to Sacred Heart Parish, Mount Holly. Believing his mother’s prayers to be answered, the following day the bishop called again, changing his assignment. At last, just a year ago, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., called him to announce his present assignment to Sacred Heart Parish, Bay Head. This time, there was no change of plans.
“The Sacred Heart of Jesus always has a special place, I suppose, in my heart. And really, when I think of this feast day, it reminds me of my home, it reminds me of my family, it reminds me of all that they gave me,” Father O’Connor preached.
The devotion to the Sacred Heart has such a strong connection to the strength of the family, he said.
This connection was not lost on those parishioners who call Sacred Heart home and have celebrated so many important family events there. For Fran and Frank Dockery, parishioners for nearly 20 years, their family has celebrated two weddings and two Baptisms in the parish. Fran Dockery said she continues to be attracted by the homey feel of the church.
Charlie and Arlene McCourt have been members of the parish for five years, and believe they have found a home here. “It’s warm, it’s friendly, it’s inviting,” said Arlene McCourt. “You can get to know people.”
The church was built in 1913 and originally placed under the care of the Conventual Franciscans, who resided in St. Peter Parish, Point Pleasant Beach, and St. Catharine of Siena Parish, Seaside Park. In 1942, care of the parish was assumed by diocesan clergy.
The liturgy was followed by a meal served in the small banquet room next to the church. Despite the driving rains, most in attendance stayed for dinner. As far as they were concerned, they were already home.
PARISH HISTORY
Through the final decades of the 19th Century, the growing number of Catholics summering in the Bay Head and Mantoloking areas, attended Sunday Mass in St. Peter Church in nearby Point Pleasant Beach.
The local lore of the area is replete with stories of how the faithful from the tip of the barrier island negotiated the roadways and waterways in order to get to Mass back then.
Some walked the distance others rode in horsedrawn carriages while still other “Mantolokingites” sailed on Barnegat Bay to Bay Head and then traveled by land to Point Pleasant Beach.
Sacred Heart’s parish history records that for those latter worshippers, because of the vagaries of wind driven sail, going to church often turned into an all day outing.
By 1903, access improved thanks to a new trolley line which linked Bay Head to Point Pleasant Beach and as more and more people came to vacation in Bay Head and Mantoloking and even settle the towns year round, it became necessary to provide area Catholics with a church of their own.
Because property restrictions prohibited the building of a church in Mantoloking, plans were formed to build the church in Bay Head and on Dec. 9, 1913, the Church of the Sacred Heart was established in that borough by Bishop James A. McFaul.
A resolution signed by its founders, Bishop McFaul; Msgr. John Fox, vicar general; Conventual Franciscan Father Berard (sic) Schweitzer, pastor of St. Peter Parish and lay trustees Joseph F. Edwards and Ralph J.
Schoettle on April 7, 1914, provided for the construction at a cost not to exceed $6,200 on the Southwest corner of Main Avenue (Rte. 35) and Harris Street.
Astoundingly, the church was completed in time for that year’s summer season and was administered by Conventual Franciscan Fathers as a mission of St. Peter’s until the end of the summer of 1915. At that time, it was placed under the care of Conventual Franciscan Father Daniel Lutz who took up residence as its pastor, performing the first Baptism and the first marriage in Sacred Heart Church in 1916.
By 1917, Bay Head had become the summer residence of the Conventual Franciscan Fathers Mission Band – a group of friars who directed parishes missions throughout the area. They assumed charge of Sacred Heart and also gave services to the Catholics of Lavallette and Seaside Park.
The Mission Band moved its residence to Seaside Park and St. Catharine Church in 1919 and Sacred Heart became a mission of St. Catharine.
By 1927, a decision was taken to move the church to its present location at Main Avenue between Goetze and Strickland Streets where it became, as it remains today, a landmark at the tip of the Barrier Island.
In 1942, the parish, still home to a largely summer community, was placed in the care of priests of the Trenton Diocese who also tended to the mission church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Seaside Heights.
The following decades would see expansion of the Sacred Heart Campus with the purchase of a house for use as a rectory in 1944 and the construction of the parish social hall in 1959. A two-story classroom addition to Msgr. Casey hall was constructed in 1976.
The parish campus, which had weathered many storms in its one hundred year history, suffered serious damage when Superstorm Sandy struck Oct. 29. Worshippers returned to the church for the first time on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 13. Four days later, on Feb. 17, the first Sunday Mass of the Lenten season was held in the church.
The centennial celebration will draw to a close Friday, Dec. 13 with a Centennial Mass celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., followed by a gala 100th anniversary dinner dance.
About Father Michael O’Connor, pastor
Father Michael O’Connor, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish since July 2012, was born in Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland, in 1946.
He prepared for the priesthood in Carlow College and St. Patrick Seminary, Carlow, Ireland, and was ordained June 17, 1972, in Ireland, for the Diocese of Trenton.
Father O’Connor has served as parochial vicar in the parishes of Guardian Angels, Edison, now in the Metuchen Diocese; St. Denis, Manasquan, and Our Lady of Sorrows, now Our Lady of Sorrows – St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton. In 1985, he was named pastor of Holy Name Parish, Delran, and served there for 19 years until he was named pastor of St. Mary of the Lake Parish, Lakewood, in 2004.