St. Rose of Lima Parish, Freehold, going strong after 150 years
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
St. Rose of Lima Parish, Freehold, will celebrate its 150th Anniversary Mass Sunday, Oct. 26 at 3 p.m. in the old church.
The anniversary will include the rare ritual of the Consecration of the Altar by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., according to ancient ritual replete with sacred chrism and incense. Relics of St. Rose of Lima will be placed into the altar.
The parish community will continue its celebration with a dinner dance following the Mass in South Gate Manor, South Street, Freehold. Tickets are $85 per person.
It is sure to be an “important and singular event in the history of St. Rose of Lima,” said Dr. Steven Olson, director of religious education and member of the anniversary committee.
St. Rose of Lima Church was first founded as a mission in 1854, 160 years ago, when Father John Scollard, the pastor of St. Paul Parish, Princeton, came to Freehold each month.
St. Rose of Lima Church was incorporated on October 14, 1864. Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley of Newark assigned Father Frederick Kivelitz as the first pastor in 1871. At that time the parish encompassed 225 square miles, which included Jamesburg, Bradevelt, Colts Neck, Farmingdale, Manalapan, Perrineville, Marlboro, Englishtown, Lakewood and Hightstown.
The parish was just four years old when a one-story school building was purchased and moved to the church property on Randolph Street. It opened in 1875 with 60 children and one teacher. The following year a second floor was added to serve as a convent. In 1878, the Sisters of St. Francis began their ministry of education.
The parish community still worships in the church which had its cornerstone laid Sept. 11, 1881. The Trenton Diocese had just been formed a month earlier on Aug. 11, 1881.
Under the guidance of Father John A. Kucker, the second pastor who served the parish for 56 years, major renovations were made on the church structure in the 1930’s.
In accordance with the decrees of the Second Vatican Council and with the recommendations of the liturgical commission of the parish, the church was again renovated in the 1970’s under the care of Father Thomas A. Coffey, the fourth pastor, to create a more conducive setting for participation in the new order of the Mass.
To accommodate for the growth of the Catholic community in Freehold, a new contemporary-style chapel was built in 1980, and a pipe organ was added in 1983 during Father Coffey’s pastorate. Together, the St. Rose Church and Chapel can seat 1,150 people.
Continued growth led to the parish’s purchase of the Freehold YMCA, which was subsequently used as the new parish center, a site for many spiritual, social and ministerial services for the parish and neighborhood. On April 20, 1997 Bishop John C. Reiss dedicated the building.
In recent years, the parishioners have banded together to keep the 133 year-old church in remarkable condition. In 2011, they completed a massive renovation of the church.
In addition to the installation of a new ambo and the installation of black onyx on the baptismal font, the slate roof and outside woodwork of the church were repaired, all the interior walls were repainted, and new carpeting and pews were installed. About $1.5 million, or 99 percent of the costs for the renovations, was raised by parishioners.
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., rededicated the renovated church, along with a new mausoleum on the grounds of St. Rose of Lima Cemetery on Freehold Englishtown Road, Oct. 29, 2011.
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St. Rose of Lima Parish, Freehold, will celebrate its 150th Anniversary Mass Sunday, Oct. 26 at 3 p.m. in the old church.
The anniversary will include the rare ritual of the Consecration of the Altar by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., according to ancient ritual replete with sacred chrism and incense. Relics of St. Rose of Lima will be placed into the altar.
The parish community will continue its celebration with a dinner dance following the Mass in South Gate Manor, South Street, Freehold. Tickets are $85 per person.
It is sure to be an “important and singular event in the history of St. Rose of Lima,” said Dr. Steven Olson, director of religious education and member of the anniversary committee.
St. Rose of Lima Church was first founded as a mission in 1854, 160 years ago, when Father John Scollard, the pastor of St. Paul Parish, Princeton, came to Freehold each month.
St. Rose of Lima Church was incorporated on October 14, 1864. Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley of Newark assigned Father Frederick Kivelitz as the first pastor in 1871. At that time the parish encompassed 225 square miles, which included Jamesburg, Bradevelt, Colts Neck, Farmingdale, Manalapan, Perrineville, Marlboro, Englishtown, Lakewood and Hightstown.
The parish was just four years old when a one-story school building was purchased and moved to the church property on Randolph Street. It opened in 1875 with 60 children and one teacher. The following year a second floor was added to serve as a convent. In 1878, the Sisters of St. Francis began their ministry of education.
The parish community still worships in the church which had its cornerstone laid Sept. 11, 1881. The Trenton Diocese had just been formed a month earlier on Aug. 11, 1881.
Under the guidance of Father John A. Kucker, the second pastor who served the parish for 56 years, major renovations were made on the church structure in the 1930’s.
In accordance with the decrees of the Second Vatican Council and with the recommendations of the liturgical commission of the parish, the church was again renovated in the 1970’s under the care of Father Thomas A. Coffey, the fourth pastor, to create a more conducive setting for participation in the new order of the Mass.
To accommodate for the growth of the Catholic community in Freehold, a new contemporary-style chapel was built in 1980, and a pipe organ was added in 1983 during Father Coffey’s pastorate. Together, the St. Rose Church and Chapel can seat 1,150 people.
Continued growth led to the parish’s purchase of the Freehold YMCA, which was subsequently used as the new parish center, a site for many spiritual, social and ministerial services for the parish and neighborhood. On April 20, 1997 Bishop John C. Reiss dedicated the building.
In recent years, the parishioners have banded together to keep the 133 year-old church in remarkable condition. In 2011, they completed a massive renovation of the church.
In addition to the installation of a new ambo and the installation of black onyx on the baptismal font, the slate roof and outside woodwork of the church were repaired, all the interior walls were repainted, and new carpeting and pews were installed. About $1.5 million, or 99 percent of the costs for the renovations, was raised by parishioners.
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., rededicated the renovated church, along with a new mausoleum on the grounds of St. Rose of Lima Cemetery on Freehold Englishtown Road, Oct. 29, 2011.
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