History

St. Joseph Parish was established in 1880 to serve a congregation predominantly made up of Irish immigrant families who had arrived in High Bridge to escape famine and oppression in their native land. Many lived in "Irishtown" located at the northern end of Mine Road and labored in the local iron mines and in construction of the railroad which united New York and Scranton, Pa. In 1853, Pope Pius IX had established the Diocese of Newark for the Catholics who then numbered only a few thousand in all twenty-one New Jersey counties. High Bridge had no Catholic church and the resident Catholics' spiritual needs were attended to by priests who occasionally visited from Pennsylvania or New York. In 1859, the parish of St. Ann's in Junction (now Hampton) was established and for many years its pastor was able to minister to High Bridge Catholics. However, the nearest mass was celebrated in a small church in Clinton.

The first church edifice of any kind in High Bridge was built in 1854 by the Albright Methodists on the southwestern corner of Church and Mill Streets. When that congregation disbanded, the site was renamed the "Union Church" and used by a number of Protestant denominations. In 1871, the property was deeded to the Methodist-Episcopal Congregation and for a period, the building was used by the High Bridge Catholics. Within a few years, the property for the Albright/Union church structure was sold to the Central Railroad to be used as a spur between High Bridge and Dover. The "High Bridge Branch" has long since been abandoned and the western end is now the Columbia Trail Park.

Since the Church Street site was no longer suitable, the Catholics determined to purchase the largest remaining vacant plot on Main St. owned by Abram Cregar. However, the local Protestant population did not look favorably on the growing numbers of Irish and Roman Catholics and the Cregar property was purchased under the guise of becoming the site for the Central Jersey Wire and Fencing Company. Fr. Francis O' Neil, then pastor of St. Ann's, initiated the land purchase through an intermediary. The plot was 100 ft. on Main Street X 125 ft. deep. (In 1890, another 10 ft. X 125 ft. was added and in 1911 and 1949 the parish property was expanded to the current dimensions.)

StJosephChurch1880s (16K) The former Albright/Union church building was purchased and moved from Church Street to the new site in 1879 and covertly erected as a church rather than a factory.

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The local Catholics desire for their own parish had increased and they had petitioned the Bishop of Newark to support that desire. Bishop Corrigan made good the promise he had given to the congregation by sending them a resident pastor, Rev. John Brady, who arrived in High Bridge July 3, 1880. The new church was dedicated on November 25, 1880; the Baptism of Francis Boyle performed by Fr. Brady on November 12, 1880 was the first in the new church; and the marriage of John Peter Gilroy and Anne Connolly on November 24, 1881 was another "first." A few years later, a rectory was built next to the church.

On July 9, 1898 a disastrous fire that began in a bakery on Main Street raged though High Bridge destroying many buildings. Both St. Joseph Church and its rectory were completely destroyed. The church was soon rebuilt and the current rectory building followed.

For more information about the 1898 High Bridge Fire, click here.

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The new St. Joseph Church design was larger than its forerunner and was influenced by St. Ann's Church in Hampton, being proportionally smaller than St. Ann's which had been built in 1866. However, St. Joseph Church contains a unique feature. StJosephChurch1911 (25K) The cornerstone is marked "St. Joseph Church 1879" and "Rebuilt 1898." However, beneath that is another stone from the ruins of St. Brigid's Abbey near the River Bride in County Cork, Ireland. In 1874, that stone was shipped from Ireland to Junction by Dr. T. M. A' Heron whose ancestors (Ahern) were from Britway, County Cork. Before it left County Cork, Dr. A' Heron had the stone engraved with a Celtic Cross and the legend, "St. B. ABBEY 724" to commemorate its origin from one of the many abbeys established in Ireland during the 8th century and plundered by Viking raiders during the 9th and 10th centuries. In 1874, the land on which the abbey ruins stand was among the many properties under the control of the 5th Duke of Devonshire. Initially, he was miffed when he learned of "his" stone's removal but was later mollified when he learned of the intended use for the stone. The purloined cornerstone and the subterfuge employed by Fr. O' Neil and the early parishioners to build a church "under the noses" of somewhat hostile neighbors are fine examples of Irish resourcefulness and anchor forever the Irish roots of our parish.

Conerstone2 (15K) For more information about the Cornerstone, click here.

The church underwent substantial renovations in 1927. The St. Joseph window was added above the altar and the crucifix that currently hangs over our altar arrived. Interior truss work was removed, wall tile and oak interior panels added, new pews installed and the basement converted into a parish hall. Building renovations also occurred during the late 1930's and early 1950's, when the rectory was modernized.

A Centennial celebration in 1980 resulted in refurbishing windows, pews, Stations of the Cross and other improvements. In the early 1980's, the Madonna and Child Chapel was erected, with labor supplied by the men of the Holy Name Society. The front vestibule was also added to the church during that period.

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In the late 1990's, the Reconciliation Room was added to the church, the current Memorial Garden was established and a total renovation of the church basement produced the current Parish Hall. ChurchInterior-Current (24K) In 2001, the parish acquired a new priest's residence and the rectory building was converted to offices. In 2002, the parish garage was rebuilt, replacing an early 20th century structure. In preparation for our 125th anniversary in 2005, the church interior was again restored, with new pews replacing the eighty-year old pews, new paint, paneling and other improvements.

RESTORATION OF ST. JOSEPH CHURCH

During 2006, the "RESTORING TODAY . . . FOR TOMORROW" campaign was completed, with the restoration of our century-old stained glass windows, the addition of air conditioning in our church, improvements to the parish offices, the gift of a new meeting room by the Knights of Columbus,"the Upper Room," and numerous other improvements.

For information about our 2004-2006 Restoration, click here.

PASTORS OF ST. JOSEPH CHURCH

Between 1880 and 2004, there have been twenty-six Pastors and Administrators of the parish serving the parish for periods as brief as two weeks and as long as twenty-four years. Early pastors were called upon to attend to churches in Clinton and Flemington until 1902 when a resident pastor was sent to the congregation in Flemington who would also serve Missions in Clinton and Stockton. The Immaculate Conception Church (formerly, "St. Mary's Church") in Clinton was later re-annexed to St. Joseph and remained a Mission Church until 1947 when it became a parish. Several later Pastors and Assistant priests became Chaplains at the Annandale Farm for Boys (now the Youth Correctional Institution) and Clinton Farms for Women (now the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility). Resident priests were assisted in parish duties during various periods by Franciscan Fathers from New York, Benedictine Fathers from St. Mary's Abbey, Morristown, and Franciscans from Butler. At times, the Sisters of St. Joseph from their Regional Convent in Washington, NJ and Sisters of Mercy from North Plainfield assisted with catechetical teaching.

For a complete list of our Pastors & Administrators, click here.

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2004-Church (30K) The Parish itself has also evolved, as immigrants from many other countries arrived in Hunterdon County and as Catholic influence increased in New Jersey. In 1881, Pope Leo XIII created the Diocese of Trenton, carving it out of the Diocese of Newark. The new Diocese of Trenton included fourteen counties and covered two-thirds of the area of New Jersey. It had about 35,000 Catholics in a general population of over 400,000. Hunterdon County remained in the Diocese of Trenton for one-hundred years until 1981, when that diocese, then with a Catholic population of 850,000, was divided again to establish the Diocese of Metuchen with over 400,000 Catholics, to include the counties of Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren. The Parish has continually adapted to societal changes and each shepherd of our parish has left a legacy that continues to evolve. Fr. Richard Ewing, who served the parish for more than 24 years until he retired in 1989, was very popular in the community and embraced ecumenism. He is still well-remembered by many parishioners. Fr. Len Rusay initiated the stewardship spirit and stimulated many parishioners to become engaged in parish life and fostered a strong sense of parish family. More recently, Fr. Maurice Carlton has built upon that foundation and has begun to concentrate on spiritual renewal and renewed interest in the scriptures and liturgies.

St. Joseph Parish history is substantial, our future is promising.

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