By Lois Rogers |Features Editor

Across the bridge. Since Oct. 29, 2012, when Superstorm Sandy struck, this phrase has become embedded into the lexicon of the Jersey Shore.

As summer approached, shore residents expressed hopes that mainlanders would cross those bridges and return to help the area in its continued recovery. But this summer has, for many of the affected towns and parishes, been quieter, with fewer faithful in attendance some pastors say.

Though the parish campuses, even those that sustained heavy damages, such as St. Rose, Belmar, St. Denis, Manasquan, Sacred Heart, Bay Head, and St. Francis of Assisi, Brant Beach, are all up and running, there are necessary differences in some instances: Mass schedules truncated just a bit in a handful of parishes; some seasonal parish icons notably missing.

The faithful will have to wait until next year, for instance, to attend Mass in St. Denis beloved beachfront chapel. “I get asked at least three times a weekend when the chapel will be open again,” said Father Edward H. Blanchett, the pastor.

He notes there are strong, sentimental ties to Our Lady, Star of the Sea Chapel, which, in one incarnation or another, has stood at the ocean’s edge since 1929.

“This is the third iteration,” he said. “There are strong, sentimental ties to the chapel and definitely many people consider it their ‘summer church.’” Father Blanchett said that expectations are, the chapel, which took a direct hit from the ocean surge, will be open for Mass next summer. Before that happens, though, the interior furnishings, including the pews and the altar, will have to be replaced, he said.

“Our reason for trying to bring it back is that it is the only religious presence on (the actual) shoreline. It encourages people to remember that when they go on vacation, they are not on vacation from God,” said Father Blanchett.

But to a great extent, many shore parish campuses seem to mirror St. Rose, which, though literally swamped by the storm, has resumed all of its regular activities and meetings.

The Mass schedule is the same, said Msgr. Edward J. Arnister, who, like each of the pastors interviewed for this story, praised Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and the diocese for the help and cooperation that made the recovery possible.

Thanks to the diocese, Msgr. Arnister said, “we’re dealing with just little odds and ends at this point, a punch list of things that need to be tended to. We’re even having our first (vacation) Bible school in the parish center which was renovated by the storm.”

In Seaside Park’s St. Catharine of Siena Parish, Mass attendance is good, said Conventual Franciscan Father John Ruffo, the pastor. “Last Saturday night, the pews were filled, he said. “It looked like Christmas Eve.”

And he finds the overall attitude of those in attendance “more positive and less glum than it was,” though like all the pastors, he notes that some people remain traumatized by the effects of the storm and a week doesn’t pass without someone impacted by Sandy coming to the rectory for help with the basic necessities of living.

The New Summer Normal

In parishes that dot the coastline between bays and ocean, there’s a sense that while recovery is underway, there is still a lot of “overcoming” to do.

That’s how Franciscan Father Stephen Kluge, put it.

Father Kluge is the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish which embraces four worship sites on Long Beach Island including the main church in Brant Beach – badly damaged by the storm – and a busy community center.

“We’re getting there but the rebuilding is not over,” said Father Kluge during a recent interview.

Like all the pastors interviewed, he very much encourages people to cross the bridges – in this case the three-mile span known as the causeway from the mainland to Long Beach Island – to help support the communities recovering from the storm. “We want company,” he said, affirming a desire for a seasonal influx.

By “we” he means the churches and the towns on the island. “The people in the parish have great faith and are helping each other and praying for patience as they deal with insurance companies and try to get their lives back together,” he said.

But this summer, is admittedly, much quieter than others have been. Father Kluge estimates that Mass attendance is down by 33 percent from previous seasons when upwards of 100,000 faithful attended from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

“The friars who live here make a circuit, celebrating Masses in every church two or three times a week,” he said. “They say Mass attendance has been very light. The area merchants are saying they are waiting for summer to start.”

For the Long Haul

In the Tuckerton-Little Egg Harbor area, a centuries-old summer haven for boaters, a majority of houses were built on lagoon front lots leading out to the sea. Some 500 homes were literally lost in the storm, said Father K. Michael Lambeth, pastor of St. Theresa Parish. “People here are still very much feeling the financial crush of the hurricane,” he said.

“They are still experiencing the emotional side of the storm as they continue to wade through what’s happening to them,” Father Lambeth said. “It’s an ongoing thing. … People are coming down to see what they can do with their summer homes and realizing that they can’t deal with the new regulations to raise their homes.

“As much as they can, they are trying to be optimistic,” he said. “But we have people coming to us almost on a weekly basis for assistance.”

The situation has caused the parish to cut back on plans that were in the works for non-necessities including appreciation dinners, landscaping and a new sign for the church. “Everything is focused on how we can raise money to help.”

“This is a very nice boating community with a wonderful home-town environment,” Father Lambeth said. “In the summer it’s (traditionally) full of fun stuff like festivals and parades. My heart breaks when I see that a lot of people are suffering.”

Father William J. Lago, became pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Highlands, and St. Agnes, Atlantic Highlands, July 1.

In the six weeks since this new assignment began, Father Lago, who previously served two shore parishes – St. Rose, Belmar as parochial vicar – and St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Avon-by-the-Sea, as temporary administrator – has been struck by the way his new flock – which includes many regular summer visitors – is coping in this post-Sandy summer.

Despite the fact that the “Highlands was hit hard,” as he puts it, the town is putting on a brave summer face, going ahead with celebrations like the annual Clam Fest. But even there, he said, it was “disconcerting to see FEMA and Renew Jersey Stronger (operated by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs) there giving out information on how to get help.”

“People are still displaced but it was very edifying for me (as pastor) to find out that they are commuting from other communities where they are staying to come to church here,” he said. “I know the landscape,” said Father Lago, “and I know they are driving a distance to get here, past several different parishes to continue to worship in their home parish.”

And while the town hasn’t seen the usual number of summer visitors, he noted that the ushers keep him current on the numbers. “They keep seeing summer visitors they know which is a positive sign. And I’ve met summer parishioners who regularly summer here from London, Ohio, Texas. It’s remarkable.”