Judging from the standing- room only church building, the crowded simulcast in the church basement and the feeling of excitement that emanated from the parishioners in the pews, one would never have guessed that a threatening late summer thunderstorm was brewing outside of St. Alphonsus Parish, Hopewell on Saturday, Sept. 8.

  The members of the faith community joyfully gathered to celebrate the 135th anniversary of the parish incorporated in December of 1876, with the celebration of the Eucharist and the blessing of the newly restored grotto by the Rosary Altar Society.

Originally erected in 1956, the grotto was built by the Catholic Men’s Club after the Rosary Altar Society donated the statues of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette.  During this time the beautiful grotto and statues became a focal point of many family photos and parish memories.  However, over time, the need to refurbish the grotto became increasingly necessary as age and weather took its toll on the over 50-year-old edifice.

The parishioners responded generously to this appeal and contributed to the restoration project, purchasing 300 of the 400 bricks required to complete the endeavor.  These commemorative bricks border the grotto area and provide the opportunity for members of the faith community to remember their loved ones in a special way. While the original design was maintained, the surrounding area of the grotto was widened and expanded to make the area more inviting and appealing.

“Several of your husbands, fathers or grandfathers may have been involved in the construction [of the grotto] and we should all be very proud of the wonderful work they did at that time,” Lola Abbondandolo, President of the Rosary Altar Society, expressed.

“Today we not only celebrate our parish’s 135th anniversary, but a big milestone with the restoration of Our Lady’s grotto,” she said.

“Today we celebrate the 135th anniversary of our Church, “ Father Alexander C. Enriquez, pastor of St. Alphonsus, conveyed in his homily. “It does not matter whether our building is big or small, plain or ornate, this building is the place we come together to worship God,” he said of the church whose cornerstone was laid in July of 1877.  The church building was completed at the cost of $5000 and the first Mass was said the following year.

 “Each of us is part of the rock that our Church is built upon,” he shared with the congregation. “Each member of this community of faith is essential to the universal church. We are all part of the rock.”

 “[The parish] was founded under the patronage of St. Alphonsus Ligori, and St. Alphonsus was the founder of the Redemptorist fathers, and the Redemptorist fathers popularized the novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help,” Father Enriquez explained. 

It was fitting and appropriate to bless the grotto on that particular day, he said.

“Today we also remember the birthday of our Mother, the birthday of Our Lady, the birthday of the Mother of God, the birthday of the Mother of Heaven and Earth and the birthday of the Mother of us all.”

Following the Mass which included two very special songs sung by Father Enriquez and members of the choir, the congregation prepared for the blessing of the grotto.

“Let us light our candles and be the light in the world,” Father Enriquez proposed as candles were lit from one another and the candlelight procession walked from the church to the grotto as the rain continued to fall steadily.

The children of the parish presented the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes with an offering of flowers which were then arranged and placed in the new grotto.

Father Enriquez, who was accompanied by Father William Lago and Fr. Peter Albano and assisted by Deacon Robert La Fond, was shielded from the rain by parishioners who shared their umbrellas as the Prayer of Blessing was prayed. 

Following the blessing, the parishioners, some of whose candles still remained burning despite the unrelenting rain, gathered in front of the newly blessed and refurbished grotto and posed for family pictures as many parishioners have done in the past. 

“I am so glad so many people are here,” Father Enriquez said as members of the congregation gathered under tents to share a meal together following the celebration of the Mass and the grotto blessing.

“It is really great,” Abbondandolo agreed as she gazed at the many people who gathered to celebrate the anniversary of the parish and completion of the restoration project she directed since its inception in the beginning of the year.

“We are tight-knit community, there’s so much feeling and history here,” Abbondandolo shared, “It is really wonderful.”

St. Alphonsus Parish History

The parish of St. Alphonsus traces its roots back to the mid-19th century when the few early Catholic residents of what was then known as Columbia attended Mass in either St. Paul Parish, Princeton or St. John Parish, Lambertville.

But by 1874, there was enough of a Catholic presence that Father Thomas R. Moran of St. Paul began offering two Masses a year in Columbia, renamed Hopewell in 1891.

By December, 1876, the growing number of Catholics allowed for a new mission and Father Anthony Smith, pastor of the then-St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Trenton, was given the task of purchasing land and initiating the building process.

Father Smith purchased the lot where the church now stands and St. Alphonsus was incorporated on Dec. 22, 1876.

For several months, while this process was underway, Masses were held in the home of parishioners Michael and Ellen Norton on Columbia Avenue.

A covered basement was finished by the summer of 1877, and the first Mass in the new church was said there on July 11, at which time Bishop Michael A. Corrigan of Newark laid the cornerstone and preached a homily.

Father Michael Holland, an assistant from St. Mary Church, which would become the diocesan cathedral in 1881, took charge of the new mission and parish records show he worked tirelessly to bring the dream of a church to fruition. It was completed in a few years at a cost of $5,000.

The mission was cared for at various times by St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, St. John the Evangelist, Dunellen and St. John the Evangelist, Bound Brook, now both part of the Metuchen Diocese.

On Jan. 21, 1894, St. Alphonsus became an independent parish, receiving its first resident pastor, Father Joseph Keuper. Over the years, with additions such as the lovely stained glass windows which illuminate the church, the building has stood as a beacon of faith on the landscape.

Over the years, the parish became known for its support of worthy causes. One of those causes was the nearby St. Michael’s Home for Orphans built nearby in 1898.

Records show that the pastor of St. Alphonsus Church, in fact, devoted so much time and attention to the orphanage that “the parish became the orphan.” The orphanage was closed and finally demolished in 1973.

The beautiful leaded stained glass windows which can be seen today were installed in 1921 by Father John West, then the pastor.

The rectory was built in 1940 at a cost of $12,101.95, completely free of debt. Parish records note the joy parishioners expressed that they had ready access to their pastor as he was in residence there.

As the parish flourished, many organizations were formed which are still in existence. The Altar and Rosary Society, a mainstay of parish life throughout the decades, was responsible for donating the Carrera marble statues of “Our Lady of Lourdes and Bernadette” which are the focus of the Tennessee stone grotto erected and donated by the Catholic Men’s Club in 1956.

In 1977, the St. Alphonsus Senior Citizen Club held its first meeting. Today, this club is as active as ever and meets in the church hall where it welcomes seniors of many area denominations as the Hopewell Valley Leisure Club.