History

History of the Diocese of Trenton

Pope Leo XIII created the Diocese of Trenton in 1881, carving it out of the Diocese of Newark, which then covered all of New Jersey. The new Diocese of Trenton, with Bishop Michael J. O'Farrell as its Chief Shepherd, included 14 counties and covered two-thirds of the area of New Jersey. It had about 35,000 Catholics in a general population of 413,693, with 51 priests.

In its nearly 125-year history, the diocese has been divided twice to establish new dioceses and today includes four counties with a Catholic population of over 798,000 in a total population of more 1.9 million. The diocese now has 297 priests in the diocese, 275 permanent deacons, 117 parishes, 48 Catholic elementary schools and 11 high schools. Roots The roots of Catholicism in the area of the Trenton Diocese go back more than 250 years, and its history is characterized by tremendous growth.

Jesuit Father Joseph Greaton arrived in Philadelphia in 1729 and built Old St. Joseph Church, on Willings Alley at Fourth St. About 1732, he took charge of the West Jersey mission territory extending from Trenton to Cape May. A few years later, visits to the widely scattered Catholic families were recorded by Father Theodore Schneider, another Jesuit, who visited the iron furnaces in the southern part of the state in 1744. Traveling on horseback, by stagecoach and riverboat, the energetic Jesuit covered all of south and central Jersey, as well as parts of eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. When Father Schneider died in 1764, Father Ferdinand Steinmeyer, another Jesuit, succeeded him. Also known as Father Ferdinand Farmer, he traversed the state from Philadelphia to New York twice yearly visiting scattered Catholic families. He continued the ministry until his death in 1786. When the dioceses of New York and Philadelphia were established in 1808, West Jersey, the southern part, came under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the bishops of Philadelphia.

When the Diocese of Newark was established in 1853, all of the state was in its jurisdiction. About 1804, records show, Mass was celebrated in the printing office of Isaac Collins at Queen and Second Streets (now State and Broad Streets) in the heart of the Trenton business district. From 1811 to l8l4, Mass was celebrated in the Federal St. home of John Baptist Sartori, a consular official who represented the commercial interests of the Papal States in Italy. When the number of Catholics coming to Mass became too much for the Sartori residence, it was decided to purchase land for a church to accommodate the growing congregation. With the encouragement of Bishop Michael Egan, the first Bishop of Philadelphia, Sartori and John Hargous bought a plot at Lamberton and Market Sts. A small brick church was erected and dedicated to St. John in 1814. The congregation was the first Catholic parish in the state. Some time later, a new parish church was built on South Broad St. Following a devastating fire in 1883, a new church was erected and dedicated to the Sacred Heart. That makes Trenton's Sacred Heart Parish, the oldest Catholic parish in New Jersey.

As the population of Trenton grew, new churches were built in Bordentown and Lambertville. In the 1860s, Father Anthony Smith saw the need for a new parish in the northern section of the city and, in 1865, purchased land where St. Mary Cathedral stands. The site of the Cathedral is the place where Col. Johann Gottlieb Rall, commander of the Hessian troops, had his headquarters in December 1776 during the Battle of Trenton. Construction of the church took five years and it was finally dedicated by Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley of Newark on Sunday, Jan. 1, 1871. In 1860, there were 25,000 Catholics in New Jersey and, by 1880 there were 130,000. In 1881, Pope Leo XIII established the Diocese of Trenton to serve the Catholics of the southern part of the state and named Father Michael J. O'Farrell of New York as its first bishop. At the time, the diocese had 68 churches, 23 parochial schools and 51 priests. New Jersey's Catholic population continued to grow with immigration from Italy and eastern Europe. By 1910, it had grown to 440,000 and it climbed to 1,050,000 in 1930.

In 1937, Pope Pius XI created the Diocese of Camden to serve Catholics in the six counties in the southern part of the state, under Bishop Bartholomew Eustace. The now smaller Diocese of Trenton had a Catholic population of 210,114 in eight counties with 212 diocesan priests, 121 parishes and 70 parochial schools. Much of the growth of the Catholic population in the Trenton Diocese took place during the episcopacy of Bishop George W. Ahr, from 1952 to his retirement on June 23, 1979, an era in which the Catholic population grew to more than 800,000. Bishop Ahr established more than 50 new parishes and blessed more than 250 new buildings, including 100 new churches and parish centers and 90 schools and school additions. In the midst of the tremendous growth, tragedy struck March 14, 1956, when fire destroyed St. Mary' Cathedral and claimed the lives of Msgr. Richard T. Crean, the rector, and two housekeepers. In a diocese that was growing and a world that was changing, Bishop Ahr took part in all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council and guided implementation of the council's decrees in the diocese.

Bishop John C. Reiss, who had been auxiliary bishop of the diocese since 1967, succeeded Bishop Ahr on April 22, 1980, and led the celebration of the diocesan centennial in August 1981. Just a few months later, on Nov. 24, the diocese, now with a Catholic population of 850,000, was divided again to establish the Diocese of Metuchen, which included the four northern counties of Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren. Following the split, the Diocese of Trenton had a population of 447,915 Catholics in Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties, with in 119 parishes served by 193 diocesan priests and 105 religious priests. back to top New Millennium After initiating the Emmaus program of priestly spirituality in 1982, Bishop Reiss implemented the Renew process for lay spirituality, which brought parishioners together in small faith-sharing groups in five seasons from 1985 through 1987.

In 1986, Bishop Reiss approved a new vicariate structure for administration of the diocese. On Jan. 13, 1991, he opened the Fourth Diocesan Synod during a Mass in St. Mary's Cathedral. It came 60 years after the Third Synod. On June 30, 1992, Bishop Reiss launched Faith-In-Service, a diocesan capital and endowment fund campaign, to ensure the financial stability of diocesan services. The campaign had a goal of $32 million and raised more than $38 million in gifts and pledges. In 1982, Msgr. Edward U. Kmiec, who had been master of ceremonies and secretary for Bishop Ahr and later for Bishop Reiss, was named Auxiliary Bishop of Trenton. Ten years later, Bishop Kmiec was appointed Bishop of Nashville, TN. On Nov. 21, 1995, Bishop John M. Smith was named Coadjutor Bishop of Trenton, to one day succeed Bishop Reiss as bishop of the diocese. Bishop Smith, a native of the Newark Archdiocese and a former Auxiliary Bishop of Newark, at the time was Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee, FL. On reaching the age of 75, Bishop Reiss submitted his letter of retirement to Pope John Paul II. The letter was accepted, effective July 1, 1997, and that day Bishop Smith became Chief Shepherd of the Diocese of Trenton.

On June 4, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Father David M. O'Connell as Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton. When the Pope accepted the resignation of Bishop Smith on December 1, 2010, Bishop O'Connell automatically succeeded him as the 10th Bishop of Trenton. Bishop O'Connell was ordained as a priest of the Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission, also known as the Vincentians, in May 1982. In 1998, Father O'Connell was named the 14th president of The Catholic University of America. Among the many highlights of his presidency was the opportunity to serve as a member of the planning committee for Pope Benedict XVI's pastoral visit to the United States in April 2008 and to host the pope at CUA, where he delivered an address to Catholic educators.

History of Corpus Christi Church

With young married couples purchasing their first homes faster than they could be built in Levittown (Willingboro), there was a growing demand by Catholic families for a local church and a school. On April 29, 1959, the Diocese of Trenton addressed this need by establishing the parish of Corpus Christi. The Diocese purchased an eleven-acre site at the corner of Sunset and Charleston Roads in order to construct a complete campus including a school, church and convent. Reverend Francis Coan, who for some time had been celebrating Mass at a nearby public school building, was appointed the first pastor.

In the summer of 1959, three new homes on Sylvan Lane were purchased to serve as school, convent and rectory. Undaunted by meager funds and facilities, three Sisters of Saint Francis arrived from the Mother House in Glen Riddle to teach the students. On September 9, 1959, ninety first, second, and third grade students arrived at the house on Sylvan Lane followed that fall by over 400 students in our first religious education program. On Sunday, November 1, 1959, a ground breaking ceremony for Corpus Christi School was officiated by our pastor, Father Coan, and the principal, Sister Edward Paul. By the start of the next school year, a fourth grade had been added and 400 students were enrolled at Corpus Christi School.

With great fanfare, the new school building was officially blessed and dedicated on Sunday, October 16, 1960 by Bishop George W. Ahr. Since a church had not yet been constructed at that time, Masses were celebrated in the gymnasium and in the cafeteria. In the fall of 1964, a new convent on the parish grounds had been built thanks to the generosity of our parishioners following a year-long fund raiser.

With the addition of grade levels and increasing student enrollment, a new wing was added to the existing school building in 1964. It was during this time that Father Coan resigned due to continued poor health as pastor. Monsignor Charles E. McGee, a retired Army chaplain, was appointed as pastor and served the parish of Corpus Christi until his reassignment in 1968.

By 1968, the Corpus Christi parish community had grown to over 16,000 parishioners. Twelve Masses were celebrated each weekend including two Masses at Memorial Junior High School. In the face of this challenge, Reverend Henry Bogdan was named pastor of Corpus Christ parish on October 10, 1968.

Father Bogdan's first priority was the renovation of the church building from a converted gymnasium environment to an area of worship. In September 1974, the redesign began with the installation of stained glass windows. During the next four years, the sanctuary (altar), sacristy, and general church interior were upgraded with the addition of carpeting, the refinishing of the pews, and the installation of air conditioning.

Paralleling our physical growth, the Catholic Christian community had entered into a liturgical renaissance. The Second Vatican Council reminded us of the role of lay people in the early church as an integral part of its ministerial function. On May 14, 1977, our first permanent deacon was ordained and in July 1978, for the first time in the history of the parish, a religious Sister was commissioned as a Minister of the Eucharist. In November of that same year, thirty-four men and women were commissioned to distribute Communion. Throughout the seventies to the present day, lay participation in the liturgy has become a Corpus Christi Church tradition.

Upon his retirement in 1994, Monsignor Bogdan eliminated the church mortgage and was named Pastor Emeritus. The school cafeteria was designated "Bogdan Hall" in his honor. Associate pastor, Father Stanley Lukaszewski was installed as pastor in September 1994. Father Stas fulfilled a promise to his predecessor by further upgrading the church building which was formally dedicated by Coadjutor Bishop John Smith in 1997. Heralded by trumpets, many of the priests and sisters who had previously been assigned to our parish, entered the front door of the church and, with the parishioners, celebrated the rebirth of Corpus Christi Church. On November 29, 1998, the first Sunday of Advent, this same entrance way was blessed by Bishop Smith and designated the Jubilee Holy Door, a symbol of passage into a new and eternal life with God.

Bishop Smith refers to Corpus Christi Church as "the singing parish" as anyone passing the church on a Sunday morning can clearly hear voices raised in songs of praise. In July 1982, the choir raised funds to aid in the purchase of a new organ. A carillon system was later added to ring bells before each service calling the community to worship. In 1993, the choir was invited to sing at the annual diocesan pilgrimage to The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Inspired by their performance, the choir submitted tapes to the Vatican and was selected to sing before Pope John Paul II in Rome.

Father Daniel J. Ryan was installed as pastor on May 9, 1999 to shepherd Corpus Christi parish into the new millennium. Father Ryan was among several individuals named March 2006 Courier-Post Champions of Diversity for their appreciation of cultural and religious differences and their devotion to those they serve. As pastor, Father Ryan has ministered to a diverse group of parishioners who have ventured from West Africa and Europe to settle in Willingboro. Father Ryan's devotion to the parish encouraged him to fight for political asylum for four Liberians. Four times each year, Father Ryan lead a special Mass celebrating Catholic ethnicity.

Fr. Ryan died unexpectedly on Christmas eve in 2012 while in residence at the parish. He maintained a fondness for his childhood neighborhood of Parkchester in the Bronx, NY where he was born on December 14, 1951. After his graduation from St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, he was ordained to the priesthood in May 1989. Fr. Ryan was devoted to the parishioners at Corpus Christi Church. Rev. Joseph A. Jakub, Catholic chaplain at Rider University and Notre Dame High School, both in Lawrenceville, was welcomed as pastor on July 1, 2013, following the assignment of Rev. Alberto W. Tamayo, who served the parish for six months as administrator pro tempore upon Father Ryan's death, to St. Anthony of Padua Church in Red Bank.

Nearly fifty years have passed since the first spade of soil was turned to give rise to a magnificent structure that would embody the spiritual, educational and social needs of the Catholic community of Willingboro. From its birth in 1959, the parish has grown steadily thanks to the generosity and dedication of people who have contributed their time and talents and continue to this day to donate their energy and resources. Pastoral Associate, Sister Robert Marie, serves the parish by coordinating activities for senior citizens, by visiting the sick, by bringing the Eucharist to those individuals in need at home or at the hospital, and by helping to arrange funerals.