Fresh from the desk of our "pastor," Fr. Edward Namiotka, comes this "bright idea. Here is another example of why we continue to fight to save St. Mary's. Over the past two years and, arguably, since the 1970s, more and more strange ideas in the name of "Catholicism" have been made, and so many have been suggested in the past two years by the Diocese of Camden. But never you fear! Rest confidently that this particular innovation is the brain power of a Sacred Heart High School administrator. Is it just a way of getting you to part with your cash, or is it a new-fangled spiritual practice? You be the judge. However, we wouldn't recommend you try this at home. Let us give you some background, first.

Father says in his Jan. 3 bulletin that since the light bulbs in St. Michael's Minotola need to be replaced, members of this parish ought to sponsor a light bulb ($25 a bulb). Apparently the labor cost of changing light bulbs is into the thousands. He calls this the "Guiding Light" project. In the interest of spirituality, he says that light bulbs are just like votive candles. Ya know, candles give light and so do light bulbs. Yeah, we see the similarity. We quote:

It is not that far removed from the practice that we have of lighting candles in a church in memory of someone. And these light bulbs should radiate in the church for a significantly longer amount of time than a candle--potentially a couple of years or more. [emphasis his]

However, from our point of view, as Fr. Namiotka has previously pointed out that nothing is permanent, including our churches, and that they are nothing more than just buildings, we're not sure we understand the point in making that sort of an investment. A light bulb that lasts two years? Gee wizz. All things are changing, right? As he pointed out a few bulletins back, our churches could get bombed out tomorrow just like the ones in Europe during World War II (or, alternatively, stolen by a bishop and his conspirators). Therefore we're not sure that kind of investment is warranted. A more practical approach might be for each of us to just bring our own flashlights to mass. Heck, that might be fun, like a camp out, but we digress. Father goes on, imploring us to think:

Think about it. Every time you enter the church you can look up and think of someone who shone like a light for you. Hopefully it will help you to remember them and to pray for them. [again, emphasis his]

Ummm, I could remember my loved one or I could go blind from staring into a lightbulb. Uh-huh!

Then he goes on to say, and we could not possibly make this up, that there are "three mouths to feed in our rectory household while the weekly collection has not increased proportionately." Ain't that cute? They're like hungry little kittens who've come scratching at our back doors or something. Remember to put out a bowl of chow!

Some of us have lost our jobs, are struggling during this recession, have families to feed, and don't own Rolex watches, nor do we have our auto insurance, rent or mortgage, gas, utilities, and other life expenses paid for us by our employers. No one shops for us, cooks our meals, or cleans our houses, either. To top it all off, they're threatening to steal our churches away from us, but that's not enough. They want more, more, more. Their mouths need feeding.

The pastor's hungry? Well cry me a river. We've made you pierogies, taken you out to eat, and had you over for dinner. Not enough? We'll set an extra place for you any night of the week at our dining room table. Come on over. Open invitation. Again, we've digressed from the light bulbs. Sorry.

We're supposed to mark our envelopes "Guiding Light" and bring our contributions, along with the names of our dear departed loved ones, to the rectory. In the spirit of the "Guiding Light" project, we have furthered the innovation. A natural extension of the prayer rock, we now have the prayer light bulb, intended to remind us to pray for our loved one.

Step 1: Select a bulb.

This is a continuation from Parts I & II.

An outcome of so much of the Vatican II fallout, says Davies, is that mass is no longer an experience of peaceful reverence for many Catholics, but instead "going to Mass has become a misery for them, they come away disturbed and distressed." For many it is a chore rather than a joy. Naturally many of us have witnessed this fact. Still worse, many thinking Catholics find themselves in situations in which they "quite reasonably wonder whether the sacraments they are receiving are valid." In retrospect, I wonder the same thing about some places I have visited.

Davies believes that we are living through a period in Catholic history not dissimilar to the time of St. Athanasius in which heresy--in our age, modernism--is rampant. Even the age old mass, now known as the Tridentine mass, was unjustly outlawed until our current pope, the Lord bless him, corrected and clarified this error in his Motu Proprio only a few years ago. And so we find ourselves at a crossroads in American Catholic history, a time in which tradition is roundly and summarily dismsissed, our "church buildings" not far behind.

Never before in the entire history of the Church has there been such an abrupt and violent breach with Tradition and established custom. We can say with St. Thomas: "It is absurd and a detestable shame that we should suffer those traditions to be changed which we have received from the fathers of old."

I believe that the forcible closing of our churches in favor of what can be reasonably looked upon as "the new church" both physically and spiritually may fall under the heading of "an absurd and detestable shame." The very structure of a traditional Catholic church is under attack. In a "traditional" Catholic church we all face forward, not in a circle or semi-circle so that we may stare at our "community" during "the liturgy" (even the term, "mass" is apparently, by many, considered a relic of the past). We have kneelers, holy water fonts, stations of the cross, and, typically, stained glass and other art that educates and illuminates the faithful, as well as many other things. Perhaps most importantly, the tabernacle containing Our Lord's precious body is front and center, where it should be, for the purpose of proper dignity and worship!

In the case of St. Mary's, we are also blessed with an altar rail which clearly delineates the space where the Holy Sacrifice takes place. In addition, the choir loft an organ are in the rear of church, where they belong. In a traditional Catholic church, the mass is not a show, therefore we need not see the musicians. The music is meant to elevate our souls to God, who comes to us body, blood, soul, and divinity via the priest who stands in persona christi.

To be continued in Part IV.

We thought it would be a good time to remind people of the History section of the Save St. Mary's website. This history was written by a historian (an actual professional historian, now retired) and long time St. Mary's parishioner who now lives outside NJ.

It is interesting to note that we now live in a day and age where bigger is considered inherently better. One of the purposes of the destruction of our parishes and merger with others is that larger churches are considered by some to be superior. Why? Not sure. Our culture favors this model for most things these days, though, from stores to houses to cars. Churches are certainly not exempt. Part of it is human ego, we suppose. We can leave that to the sociologists.

In any case, historical perspective can lend a hand here. People tend to assume that once upon a time, there was a golden age of...fill in the blank. In the case of St. Mary's, there's the functioning assumption that once upon a time, St. Mary's was much larger. Well, that just isn't the case. Not really. St. Mary's has always been a tiny church and, when it became an actual parish, it became a tiny parish. I'll quote the history:

Completed in 1922, the new brick church could accommodate 150 worshipers.

If the people who built St. Mary's had needed a larger church, they would have built a larger church. And no, we cannot explain away its size by supposing there was more than one mass because there wasn't. Not until the 1950s was a second Sunday mass considered. The Saturday evening anticipated mass came even later.

Interestingly, the Bishop of Trenton (previous to the establishment of the Camden Diocese), Bishop Walsh,

voiced high praise for Monsignor James Bulfin, pastor of Sacred Heart...who directed the building of the church, and for the people of Malaga whose monetary sacrifices made it possible.

That was back at the opening mass in 1922, at which the bishop presided. Compare this to today's situation. We are now in a geographically smaller diocese with better transportation and an improved financial status. We have more parishioners today and more priests per capita, but our current bishop sees no need for St. Mary's or, for that matter, half the churches in the Diocese of Camden. Oh how far we have fallen in evangelical zeal!

St. Mary's didn't even have its own pastor or rectory until four decades later. So sharing a priest with another parish is nothing new to St. Mary's. In fact, it has been the case for about half its history, since it was a mission of Sacred Heart (Vineland) and then St. Rose of Lima (Newfield).

As for money, St. Mary's has always "lived" very frugally. Its less than affluent members sacrificed greatly to build the church and shortly thereafter experienced the Great Depression, the stress of which may have contributed to the death of its [shared] pastor, Fr. Jackson.

By the 1940s, St. Mary's had only about 100 families (compared to today's 250), although being farming families they were likely larger then the families most have today. Once the war and rationing were over, Fr. Naab (above), the pastor of St. Rose of Lima and St. Mary's, was able to obtain a car and visited every single family of St. Mary's. How many priests would do this today, even with better cars, better roads, lower gas mileage, and in a tiny parish?

It was also under Fr. Naab that our tiny parish commissioned its beautiful stained glass windows (right). Not shortsighted and despite the size of the parish, Fr. Naab knew how important a "church building," as so many refer to them today, is to a community. From the history:

Fr. Naab insisted on first-rate materials and workmanship. "The color in this glass will never fade," he said on numerous occasions.

In the 1950s a second mass was added and the church was enlarged. Yes, St. Mary's was once even smaller than it is today! In addition to enlarging the church, the organ and choir area were moved upstairs and a loft constructed. This added room for additional pews in the back.

In 1957 the land for the rectory was purchased, and finally in 1961 a third Sunday mass was added. (Saturday evening masses were unheard of previous to Vatican II.) This is also the year that St. Mary's became an independent parish (see photo top right). For almost a year, Fr. Zimmer, St. Mary's first pastor of its own, lived in the sacristy. And no, there was no bathroom in there just as there is no bathroom now. In spring 1962, the rectory was completed.

The religious education of its children was a primary and founding purpose of St. Mary's, but even in the 1980s, the all-time high of the CCD program peaked at only about 100 children. This year, even with the bishop's threat of closure hanging over our head and no nun volunteers as in the past (see photo above), we have around 60 students.

Our point? St. Mary's has never been big. It's always been small. We've shared priests and even had one live in the sacristy. Though our church has undergone many changes over the years, physically and otherwise, we must not fall into the trap of believing that because we are small today, we are somehow on a downward spiral. Nothing could be further from the truth.

What St. Mary's has that strengthens it is its small size! More people are always a welcome blessing, but a small parish enables us to know each other, and we like that. While some people may find larger parishes more to their liking, there ought to always be the option available to those who like a small church family. We're pretty uncomplicated at our church; we don't want anything big or fancy. We keep it simple at St. Mary's, and we think it's a blessing.

Sadly, our friend, Bob Walsh, died Tuesday night of complications stemming from his 10-month battle with cancer.  According to his son, Liam, he died in peace and without pain.  Leah and Kevin were able to visit Bob for about 10 minutes that night and prayed the Divine Mercy chaplet with him and his family, who were at his bedside throughout the past week. 

On a personal note, we would like to say that we feel privileged to have known Bob. He was a smart man, a kind man, a family man, a Godly man. He had a wonderful sense of humor. He was interiorly a man of great strength and conviction. We ask all of you to pray for the repose of his soul and the perseverance of his family. We know that Bob will continue to pray for us and for our churches.

The viewing will be at Kelley Funeral Home in Pitman (125 Pitman Ave) from 7 - 9 pm Friday, Oct. 30th and again from 9:30 - 10:30 am Saturday, Oct. 31st.  Mass will be at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Pitman at 11 am  Saturday.  Burial will be at Manahath Cemetery in Glassboro.

Robert John Walsh, age 60 died on October 27, 2009. Born in Philadelphia, he lived in Pitman since 1980. He formerly worked for Liteway in Bristol, PA and Mobil Oil. For the past two years he worked as an IT Consultant for J and R Consulting in Williamsport, MD. Bob was a member of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Pitman where he was a 7th grade CCD teacher. He was also a member and past president of the Commodore John Barry Division I, Ancient Order of Hibernians.

He was the son of the late John Charles William Walsh and Dorothy Rose Keenan Walsh and predeceased by his sister Geraldine Marie Walsh. He is survived by his sons Liam Patrick Séan Walsh of New York, NY, Collin Michael Thomas Walsh of Pitman, brother John of FL, sisters Carol Marazzi of FL, Eileen Jack of Wenonah and close friends Kathryn Yurchak and Charlotte Ryan.

Bob continually strove for peace and justice and a United Ireland. 

This was originally posted January 31, 2009. We thought it was worth republishing.

Catholic theology and Church teaching are not accidental. Holy Mother Church teaches unchanging, eternal Truths. Moreover, these Truths are all connected and interconnected. Like all systems, each Truth depends upon the other; they are the structures that support the building. We do not, after all, have an atomistic system wherein one truth may stand up as a pillar without the others. Generally speaking, it is not possible, nor is it logical, to accept one teaching of the Catholic Church and dispense with the others, as if one was unrelated to the next. Once we begin to do this, the structure loses its supports and comes tumbling down.

Take, for example, our church buildings and chapels. They are designed for the worship of Christ, the King of the Universe. They are supposed to give us a glimpse of heaven. They are to surround us with examples of how we should live (depictions of the lives of Christ and the saints), who we are and were designed to be (holy sons and daughters of Our Lord), and the physical and spiritual means of getting there.


As Catholics, we believe that Christ is truly and physically present in the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar and that his Eucharistic Presence resides in the Tabernacle. If the King of the Universe resides in the Tabernacle, it only makes sense that that Tabernacle be located in a prominent place, front and center.


If the King of the Universe in the Tabernacle is located front and center in our churches, it only makes sense that we reverently face Him. If the King of the Universe is located in the Tabernacle, front and center, and we are all facing His Majesty, it only makes sense that we be able to kneel before Him in humility and out of love and devotion to Him.


If we truly believe that Jesus Christ, King and Redeemer of our fallen race has come to be with us sacramentally in the Holy Eucharist and that He resides in our Catholic churches, then our souls and minds ought to be elevated, our whole selves reminded of Him while we are in church, whether mass is going on or not. Throughout most of human history, people have not been literate, and even today we need reminders of what it means to live the Christian life. God allows us to use our senses to know Him. To glorify God and for the help of our souls, we are given works of art in the form of paintings, stained glass windows, statues, and other things within our churches.


Consider this. When you have a guest coming to your house, you clean up. You make ready. You prepare. If you were to have an "important" guest come to your house, you would want it to look good. In this case we have an important guest--the most important Guest possible, our Creator--coming to be with us, so great is His love for us. We should want all around us to remind us of His loving and sacrificial Presence.

Says the Catholic Church of England and Wales:

A Church for us is more than a building - it is a Sacred Space, filled with God's presence. Everything within that space - the paintings, the statues, the stained glass - exists for a spiritual purpose.

This is to provide people with a focus for prayer and an insight into God: literally a 'glimpse of heaven'. The word 'Patrimony' describes the Church's cultural inheritance in terms of architecture, art and artefacts. All witness to our Catholic past: a history of persecution, struggle and ultimately, revival. We are just custodians, with a duty to preserve these sacred treasures for the future. Today we also create the Patrimony of tomorrow by commissioning high quality Sacred art.

But now, after roughly two thousand years of Holy Mother Church teaching us

• about the sacredness the church building,
• about how we must be ever vigilant of the possibility of sacrilege not only personally but also in our churches and shrines,
• about how Our Lord would be with us even until the end of time both spiritually and in the Holy Eucharist in our churches and sacred places,
• about Christians sacrificing all they had materially and even their own lives for the sake of their holy churches erection and continuation,
  
• to fall on our knees before God in our beloved churches,

now, in late twentieth and early twenty-first century America we are told to believe that our churches are "just buildings" and we ought not be attached to them. I don't know about you, but my mother taught me when I was just a child that this is one of the most important things that distinguishes us as Catholics from the protestants: our churches are open because we believe that they are holy places, that Our Lord is there, and that they are not just buildings. My mother was no liar.

Places where Our Lord has come to us sacramentally in His unbloody sacrifice, day after day after day, we are now told to believe are buildings like any other. That isn't Catholicism. That is materialism. And that, my friends, is precisely what the devil himself would have us believe. To believe our churches are only buildings would be to deny Our Lord's Eucharistic Presence, our ultimate and eternal destiny, and that for which we were created--the worship of God. In fact, to claim that our churches are just buildings would be to deny our spiritual nature, the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, and even our sacred baptisms and confirmations. To claim that our churches are just buildings is to deny the validity of their consecrations and blessings. To claim that our churches are just buildings is an insidious lie. And a lie is a lie no matter who says it.

By a decree of the Council of Trent (Sess. XXII), Mass should not be celebrated in any place except a consecrated or blessed church. Hence it is the wish of the Church that at least cathedrals and parish churches be solemnly consecrated, and that smaller churches be blessed (Cong. Sac. Rit., 7 Aug., 1875), but any church and public or semi-public oratory may be consecrated (Cong. Sac. Rit., 5 June, 1899). Both by consecration and by blessing a church is dedicated to Divine worship, which forbids its use for common or profane purposes. Consecration is a rite reserved to a bishop, who by the solemn anointing with holy chrism, and in the prescribed form, dedicates a building to the service of God, thereby raising it in perpetuum to a higher order, removing it from the malign influence of Satan, and rendering it a place in which favours are more graciously granted by God (Pontificale Romanum).  (From New Advent, the Catholic Encyclopedia.)

In the past, Catholics and Catholic buildings alike have been the targets of hatred and persecution. I need not list the litany of specific examples, but priests have been tarred and feathered, buildings blown up, altars desecrated, the Sacred Body of Our Lord maligned, churches vandalized. The history of anti-Catholicism in this country is well-documented and is, in fact, alive and well today. Of course in this country Catholics not even permitted to run for public office (and even when they were, there was serious doubt about their "patriotism"). Catholics have experienced horrible persecution in this and other countries, and by extension our houses of worship desecrated in the worst possible ways. Suffice it to say that many of you have likely heard the stories of your own ancestors and what they went through to preserve the faith, or even just to get to mass. I know I grew up hearing these stories of perseverance in the Faith, and my own family sacrificed much and for that I am so proud and so grateful. It is a great privilege to be born into a good Catholic family and to receive the benefits of our patrimony. The fruit of all that sacrifice is made real to us by virtue of worshiping in the places bequeathed to us by our ancestors and by the grace of God.


It is amazing that at this point in American Catholic history, instead of the Catholic Church being the object of hostile attacks from without, our church buildings and even the Church itself is being attacked from within. Sadly, our shepherds are leading their sheep astray, and many souls will be lost. Instead of protecting our churches, our patrimony, they are being closed (and often the contents sold on ebay) and when faithful Catholics hold tight to the timeless teachings of their Faith, they are called all manner of things from "disobedient" to "unchristian" and worse. Sometimes these attacks are leveled, shamefully, by their own priests and bishops. Yes, many of the very bishops who

• harbored child abusers, shuffling them from one parish to the next
• affiliate themselves and do business with the likes of criminals who would steal churches and schools right out from under unsuspecting Catholics
• allow the rampant sexual impropriety of priests in their diocese
• advocate such unorthodox doctrine as married, gay, and "womyn" priests; as well as downplay of the sacrificial nature of the mass and many other things
• repeatedly lie to the faithful in matters ranging from real estate transactions to canon law to theological Truth
  
• justify closing churches by claiming there's a "priest shortage" and then persecuting and sending away priests by the dozen...
  

...yes, some of the very same bishops would be so blind and arrogant as to criticize the faithful Catholics who merely want to worship their Lord and Savior in the manner they always have: in their own churches. This is an outrage, and it should not be tolerated by any thinking Catholic.

To those of you who missed out on The Snake Brothers and In High Gear, you really missed out on something great. No video clip can do either band justice. Luckily, you can still catch The Snake Brothers on Saturday August 29th at Estell Manor (the County Park) on Route 50 not far from Mays Landing. They are definitely worth coming out for. We will have all three of the Snake Brothers CDs for sale at the Feast tomorrow also, $15 each, but in limited quantity, so claim your copy quickly if you're a Snake Brothers Fan. I bought their live album.

Here is a tiny sample of the country/rock band In High Gear. They were a very good time. We recommend trying to catch them locally if you ever have the chance. They seem to have a following of people who came to the festivities today who had a good time dancing along to the music.
 

Here is a tiny sample of The Snake Brothers: (For more scroll down.)


Here is a tiny sample of a hayride. Yes, I turned my camera right-side up after a second! Woops. The hay rides are so much fun and they are only 50 cents a ticket!


Here is a tiny sample of the pony rides. They are $3 each and better than any pony ride I've seen at a fair this summer (and we went to quite a few). The woman you see leading the pony around has made her life's work about horses, so she doesn't just make the pony ride circuit.


This is just a video of my son and his little friend dancing.


Here is another tiny sample of The Snake Brothers.


And here is yet another tiny sample of The Snake Brothers. It is my single biggest regret of today (aside from asking that they play later in the day when there was a bit more of a crowd) that I did not get this entire song on video. It is on none of their CDs that I could find. It was my favorite of all the songs they performed today. They are so awesome and a bunch of truly nice people. THANK YOU to The Snake Brothers.

Here's what we have planned for the Feast of the Assumption, which begins tomorrow! Come join us, and for goodness sakes, remember to wear your special feast clothes (right).

Saturday Aug. 15th

• Mass 5:00
• The Snake Brothers (folk, country, do-wop, acoustic, awesome band), approximately 2:00-4:30pm (two sessions with a break in between)
• In High Gear ("country rock" band), approximately 6:00-10:00pm
• Shrimp & Clam Bar, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus
• Food, food, and more food: Sausage, hot dogs, roast beef sandwiches, pizza (made by a parishioner!), meatballs, and more!
• Beer Garden
• Wine by the glass from Plagido's, an award winning winery
  
• Inflatables and games
• Pony Rides
• Chinese Auction
• Farmers Market (local farmers, including parishioners)
• 50/50 Raffle
• Balloons for sale
  

Sunday Aug. 16th

• Mass 8:30 & 11:30, procession at 12:30
• Talent Show 1-2:30
• Mr. Tujays (band), 2:30-4:30
• Jukebox Rebiew (band), 5-8:00
• DJ Bill Mazza, throughout the day
• Chicken BBQ
• Shrimp & Clam Bar, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus
• Tons of food to choose from: Sausage, hot dogs, roast beef sandwiches, pizza (made by a parishioner!), meatballs, and more!
• Beer Garden
• Wine tasting and wine by the glass from Sharrott & Plagido's. Both are award winning wineries.
• Inflatables and games
• Pony Rides
• Chinese Auction
• Bake Sale
• Farmers Market (local farmers, including parishioners)
• 50/50 Raffle
• Balloons for sale
  

I received my most recent Coming Home Network International newsletter yesterday. In it, evangelical convert Keith Moore describes his journey into the Catholic Church. A combination of largely unchurched, Methodist, "nondenominational," and house church in background, he describes his first experience inside a Catholic church. He was visiting Washington state and attended mass at St. Aloysius, near Gonzaga University.

I will never forget walking into that beautiful Cathedral. I had never seen the Stations of the Cross. I had never seen such amazing stained glass windows, not just for their beauty, but for the stories they told of God's work in our lives. The statues were amazing...they suddenly seemed to me very important because of what they pointed to. I was almost trembling by the time we left that day.

St. Aloysius was built in 1911. How many "new" or modern Catholic churches have you seen that contain purposeful, beautiful, and inspiring art? I myself have seen almost none. That's not to say that it cannot be done, but that it usually is not.

What we have already in existence in the Diocese of Camden are churches that already have these things. St. Mary's, though small, has these things. It is not just a building, it is truly a house of God. It is through sacred art and the structure of a traditional Catholic church that we learn about the Faith. In and of itself, by virtue of its presence, it is a means of evangelization.

Beautiful churches draws in those who who know little about Catholicism, often without them even realizing why. In attempting to make our churches, and therefore our Faith palatable to those currently outside it, many have tried to lower the bar and create "spaces" that are less overtly Catholic and consequently less intimidating to those who do not understand the purpose of beautiful art inside a house of God. But in doing this we lose the very thing that makes our Church attractive to those who seek to join It. Our traditional Catholic churches are treasures that not only have historic merit, but serve an important purpose in our continual conversion.

When I am at mass at St. Mary's, I see all around me in the stained glass windows the saints who are interceding for us in Heaven, the angels who are witnesses at each and every holy sacrifice of the mass, and I am reminded of my place in God's order. Churches like St. Mary's should not be so flippantly dispensed with. They are God's silent tools of conversion.

Tonight I went to a farmer's market with my kids, my sister, and nieces. I just happened to be wearing my St. Mary's Malaga t-shirt (as seen on left). While checking out some of the great things one of the women at the market was selling, she asked me,

"Is your church one of the ones slated to close?"

I was taken by surprise because I forgot that I was wearing my St. Mary's t-shirt.

I replied, "Yeah, but not if we can help it."

She said, "Good for you!" and continued to express her general disapproval of everything that was going on in the Diocese. She said, "I'm just lucky that my church is not one of the ones he wants to close. They built a new one. It's ultra-modern on the inside and I'm not sure I like it."

I said, "That's why we love our church. People really sacrificed to build it. It's old and traditional, dating from 1922, it's got beautiful stained glass windows, and it's just gorgeous."

She said, "I hope they don't close your church."

I said, "We're fighting, and we'll take it all the way to Rome if we have to."

She nodded enthusiastically in agreement and said, "Yes! That's what you should do. It's not right."

We talked a little more before browsing more around the market. The woman was very nice, but she seemed a little depressed about the way things were headed in the Diocese, and what they'd done with her parish. My impression is that, for a lot of Catholics in the Diocese, churches like St. Mary's mean a lot to them, even if they aren't members there. They represent Catholicism as they know it. (Which is probably part of why we are being persecuted in favor of a "new catholicism.") Even to visit a church like St. Mary's helps them feel closer to God. I guess some of the larger, more sterile, "theater-in-the-round" churches (see below) just don't do the trick, so to speak, but it's what they've got.

As I said, I've had conversations almost identical to this any number of times. Not once have I heard someone say, "Well the bishop's probably got good reasons," or "Your church is too small anyway," or "There's a priest shortage you know," or anything like that.

A couple weeks ago a man who helps run a local pool where I took my son to swimming lessons found out I went to St. Mary's. He told me how much he loves that church, even though he's not a member there, and that I could return to the pool anytime I wanted, even though I'm not a member, just because he holds the church in such high regard.

A little over a year ago I visited a South Jersey historian who happened to be a Methodist. She said, "Well I'm not a Catholic, but there's just something special about St. Mary's. You can feel it when you walk in the door."

Without exception we have experienced popular support and, frankly, disgust over the bishop's intention to close our church and other churches. Most frequently, people disapprove of what they see as a discrepancy between church closures and diocesan real estate holdings, scandals, and, well, as one man put it to me the other week, "corruption and hypocrisy in the Church." Take the pulse of the people of the Diocese of Camden and the people on the street, and I think you'll find they are jaded to say the least. Evidently what people respond to are not grand "restructuring" schemes in which their churches are stolen from them, but bishops who obviously live the Gospel and love Jesus, who show that they really care about those entrusted to them, who are honest, and who are not politically involved. People are not stupid. They see right through all these things.

The point is, if these are the sentiments we are hearing expressed from people whose churches are not expected to close, and in many cases the sentiments expressed by non-Catholics or nominal Catholics, can you imagine what people think of the plan whose churches are in a limbo state (a la "secondary worship site," a status which supposedly no longer exists) or whose churches are supposed to get the ax? Maybe it's time for some more "listening sessions," huh?

On Sun. Aug. 16, 2009, Sharrott Winery of Winslow Township, NJ (not far from Hammonton) and Plagido's Winery of Hammonton, NJ will be hosting a wine tasting at St. Mary's Feast of the Assumption.

One ticket will allow feast-goers unlimited wine tasting throughout the day, plus a free souvenir wine glass. We also hope to be selling wine by the glass. Plagido's and Sharrott will have their wines available for purchase by the bottle as well.

Sharrott Winery won "Best Chardonnay" at a prestigious international wine competition. And having had Plagido's wines, I can tell you they are also very good! We are privileged to have two amazing wineries join our Feast!

Well known South Jersey band The Snake Brothers are scheduled to play at the Feast of the Assumption Festival on Saturday August 15th. They will also have CDs and things available for purchase! There are 3 CDs currently available, $15 each. You will not regret picking one up.

The Snake Brothers describe themselves as "South Jersey's own swingin', do-woppin', cowboyin', acoustic band." I think that about sums it up. I have their CD, South Jersey Waltz, and can tell you they are awesome. Do not miss it!

A huge thank you in advance to The Snake Brothers for your generous offer to play at our Feast! We are very much looking forward to it.

Other Feast News:
Remember, we also have 50-50 tickets ($10/ticket or if you'd like to try to sell a book let us know) and Chicken BBQ tickets for sale ($9). The Chicken BBQ, by the way, is reverting to the previous "BBQer" and barring any unforeseen hail storms (!!!) everything should be wonderful. In the past people have absolutely raved about how wonderful the BBQ chicken is. By the way, the chicken will be available on Sunday only. On Saturday we will have other food items that I'm sure will be delicious also. You may buy tickets before and after all masses as well as from Angela in the rectory. 856-694-2576

We will also be selling--but not in advance--tickets/bracelets for unlimited wine tasting. In addition, there will be wine by the glass. The wine is locally crafted from internationally award-winning South Jersey wineries. We will also have our beer garden. Please do not forget to sign up for the talent show. You do not have to be a member of the church to participate in the talent show! Call the rectory (or contact us) to sign up. 856-694-2576

These churches were built by our people so that they could be free, and so that we could be free, too.

At St. Mary's we have a truly united Catholic community. We love our church and have no desire to see it needlessly destroyed by those without God's will--not to mention history--in mind. The Catholic families who established St. Mary's long, long ago were primarily hard working, Southern Italian farming families. They didn't have much money. But they scrimped and saved what they had to give us the beautiful church we have today.

One of our parishioners' ancestors even took a horse and carriage all the way down to Atlantic City to obtain bricks and construction materials for the church. Can you imagine how long a trip that was back in those days? (Photo below: donor's list)

My own family did not help establish St. Mary's Malaga. My family comes from Sacred Heart in Vineland and St. Mary's (Union Rd, see photo below), East Vineland. My family on both sides came from the same small farming village near Genoa in Northern Italy. Neither family knew each other until they came to Vineland, both by way of New York City. I grew up hearing all the stories of hardships they had encountered.

My ancestors were so poor they sold paper flowers on the streets of New York. My great grandmother was a janitor in a school established by Mother Cabrini (ora pro nobis!) and she considered it a great privilege just to mop the floors upon which the great saint had once walked. Mother Cabrini was, of course, sent to the United States specifically to help the poor Italians in their struggles to make better lives for themselves in the New World. 

In addition to the hardships of poverty, they were badly persecuted, primarily by the Irish Catholics. What I always found ironic about this, growing up, was that one group of Catholics, not terribly long in this country themselves, would turn around and treat so horribly another group of Catholics. But the human memory is short, it seems. In any case, my family could not worship in the Irish Catholic church because they were unwelcome there.

One of my great grandmothers came to Vineland as a child as a "Fresh Air Kid." The Fresh Air Fund, which still exists, takes city kids and gives them some summer fun in the country. My great grandmother vowed that when she grew up she would move to Vineland. And that's what she did. Both sides of the family moved to Vineland and had big farms on which they raised, among other things, chickens, which my grandfather hated. (He said they were very stupid animals and did not even like to eat them. On the right is my great grandfather, Angelo.)

Apparently, on my grandfather's side at least, way back during Prohibition they did some running of bootleg liquor back and forth from NYC until it got "too dangerous." My grandfather's family also had a printing business in Vineland, which was once located on West Avenue, and later in the Industrial Park, called DeMarchi Printing. Although my grandfather dropped out of school by about sixth grade (he hated school as well as chickens), he was quite the businessman and farmer/gardener. He took over the family printing business, grew it, and much later on sold it as it got too big for him.

My grandmother was the first to attend college in our family. She went to Glassboro, although I believe it was called the "Normal School" at that time. She taught in a one-room schoolhouse in East Vineland, and I believe later at the school on Main and Oak in Vineland (see photo left). My grandparents worked very hard, were not extravagant, were nothing if not generous, and mended their clothing until it was unmendable. The money they had went to their church, their community, their family, and to charity. I owe them everything.

It was recently commented in the St. Mary's parish bulletin that we should "always cherish--and not take for granted--the many freedoms that we enjoy in this country." How ironic that after all those years of hardship and struggle to worship in peace in their own churches, that our families should once again find themselves persecuted by those who are part of the same Catholic Faith. Our families worked so hard to give us not just our Faith, but our Faith made tangible. By their own blood and sweat, they gave us churches to worship in--that was their gift to us. We do not take our freedom to worship in those churches for granted. Our religious freedom, in a very literal sense, was bought and paid for by our ancestors. May we once again have the true freedom that is the promise of this country.


Above photos: My mother Doris in her First Holy Communion dress, my grandmother Laura on the farm (she's on the far right), and a relative farming shot.

From the Bulletin:

It's getting to be that time of year again. We especially want this year to be a great success. Let us make it a truly special Feast for Our Lady. Let us put all our heart and soul in it. After all this is Our Tradition, something good to look forward to. Let us work together for Our Lady and Our Church! We all know the deal. We need everyone involved.

• Chicken BBQ tickets will be on sale after each mass.

• 50/50 raffle tickets will also be on sale after each mass. Both BBQ and raffle tickets may be purchased at the rectory.

• We will need baked goods, soda, and water -- name brands only. Look for volunteer sign-up sheets in church.

• Donations for Chinese Auction: Anything you can offer will be appreciated, including money for others to purchase auction items. See Joann Betz or call the rectory to participate. (You can also contact info@savestmarys.net for any of these.)
  

• Feast Talent Show will be August 16th. For sign-ups, please call the rectory or Mrs. Wilson: 609-774-1559. All musicians are required to bring their own instruments and sound equipment.

• We are also hoping for help to organize things like horseshoe tournaments, sack races, and corn or pie eating contests.

Not yet set in stone: By the way, it looks like we may have some awesome professional bands playing this year, from classic rock to bluegrass, including a surprise guest. We also hope to have two local wineries participating and a beer garden in additional to our normal activities. We will be selling tickets for the wine tasting and wine by the glass. Please make plans to come out, to help out, and make this feast the best one ever.

Read the Article by Clicking HERE
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Ms. Thomasello showed me a copy of the newspaper article and relayed to me the group's interest not in changing anything at the church or shrine, but in finding out what it once looked like and helping to fix it up. Many in this group have contributed plants, stonework, and a heck of a lot of labor. All this they gave from their own time and effort without any expectation of repayment, just because they wanted to. Strangely, they have encountered much resistence to their efforts from the pastor, Rev. Pham. In their attempts to win his heart, they purchased from their own pockets a lovely statue of St. Bernadette, now the center of this seemingly ridiculous controversy, and had it sent to the rectory as a gift. Of course this strikes us as really odd since people donate things to St. Mary's all the time, eveything from stained glass windows to handywork to statues in the rosary garden to plants to small statues placed around the church. Our shrine room is bursting at the seems with beautiful statues, pictures, and relics of the saints.

Of course, Andy Walton has to chime in with a typically bizarre comment or two. "There's no history of that," (meaning no history of the shrine being dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes) as if he would have any familiarity with the histor of this parish anyway. (The man lives in Pennsylvania.) But isn't this beside the point? Whatever happened to courtesy? Why alienate the Catholic faithful by rejecting the gift of their time, talents, and gifts?

One has to wonder if the group of people involved were wealthy and influential, the Diocese would look quite differently upon them. With all this talk about wanting to transform the Diocese of Camden's churches into places that throb with "social justice ministries," it seems particularly ironic that they would allow a group of disaffected people to be treated so rudely. And all this talk about trying to win back lapsed Catholics, you would think a thing like this would warm the hearts of the Galante administration. Huh. Guess not.

Mr. Walton concludes with, "It's not her shrine." That's interesting. In my conversation with Thomasello she was mystified by the implication that she believed the shrine belonged to her. However it struck us that if in this "process" of "transforming" the Diocese was to be influenced by the "voice of the people," (which nobody I know truly believes,) then whose churches are they? Whose shrines are they? In the end, they ought to belong to the people who care for them, pray at them, and love them.

But of course, all this talk has nothing to do with politics or property value...


Article below:
 

By JULIET FLETCHER Staff Writer, 609-272-7251 | Posted: Monday, May 11, 2009 12:25 am

Here is a slideshow displaying the majority of the stained glass windows at St. Mary's. (And some other things, too.) I personally have traveled around the country and have lived and traveled in western Europe and can tell you that these stained glass windows are among the most beautiful I've ever seen. They are particularly beautiful when the sun is streaming through them in the morning.

As you may be able to see from the pictures, each window was paid for by a Society or a family. This was no small task for mostly rural people without much money. Nevertheless, these families, couples, individuals, and religious groups sacrificed so that today we could have the beautiful little church with which we are now so greatly blessed.

We give of ourselves to our local church out of love and devotion to Our Lord and His Mother. These stained glass windows were painstakingly designed, created, and installed so that when we attend Holy Mass we may sense God's presence and that of the saints and angels. Truly Holy Mother Church teaches us that the blessed angels hover around the altar at Mass! Surely the saints also look on during so great an event.

The descendents of the contributors of these windows intend them for use at St. Mary's and not to be sold off at some auction as if they were nothing more than any standard piece of household furniture. Let us not forget the importance of their lives and contributions to St. Mary's. It is because of our forbears that we have our Faith.



Created with flickr slideshow.

Since the Bishop's reconfiguration announcement, I have often wondered why so few parishes have really fought against their pending mergers. I think at least part of the reason is because people do not really understand the degree of harm these mergers will have on the faith of many parishioners. At St. Mary's, we know from our own experience and that contributes, at least in part, to the reason we will never stop fighting to keep our parish open.

St. Mary's history has not always been a pretty one, but it's important to share because it illustrates the magnitude of the impact of this type of "reconfiguration" on the salvation of souls. The information below is not intended as a criticism of the former pastors of St. Mary's, but simply to illustrate this point.

From its establishment as a mission in 1922 until it became a parish in 1961, St. Mary's did not have a resident pastor. A rectory was built when the parish was established and from that point on we have had a resident pastor.

One of our first resident pastors was a very personable German priest, who the parishioners loved very much. The only criticism that I've ever heard about him was that he drank a lot, and this did become a big problem. He installed a full bar in the basement of the rectory and, on weekends, he would go down to the docks in Camden or Philadelphia and bring groups of German sailors back to the rectory for rowdy parties. A friend of mine (and distant cousin) who grew up next door to the church remembers waking up on Saturday mornings to the sight of these sailors passed out on her front lawn. Large sums of money were taken from the St. Mary's bank account to pay for the alcohol and parties. At one point, one of the trustees took the checkbook from the pastor, but he apparently had another checkbook hidden somewhere and continued to spend the parish's money on alcohol.

I've heard stories of him being so drunk at parish functions that he could not even walk, but would have to crawl around on his hands and knees. The final straw, from what I'm told (this all happened before I was born), was when he was so drunk during some important, solemn Mass that he fell over backwards while saying Mass. At that point, a few parishioners complained to the Bishop.
 
The Bishop removed this German priest, and sent in an Irish priest to take his place as pastor. This new priest quickly alienated the entire parish. He made remarks from the pulpit that he "wasn't used to dealing with ignorant farmers," and that he was too educated to associate with the people of Malaga, because only two of St. Mary's parishioners had college degrees at that time.
 
He immediately disbanded all parish organizations, which included a very active St. Theresa's Society, Holy Name Society, and Knights of Columbus. In their place he allowed only the Legion of Mary (an organization of Irish origin). He seemed to dislike Italians, which would have included most St. Mary's parishioners at the time, and all things Italian. He began giving away (or at least trying to give away) the religious items of the church (including the tabernacle), most of which had been donated by parishioners, and replacing them with used items from inner-city Irish churches.
 
People believed he had been sent to St. Mary's by the Chancery as a punishment for having complained about the previous pastor, which everyone thoroughly regretted having done at that point. Everything came to a head when the reforms of Vatican II were implemented and the altar was relocated. This pastor wanted to cut a foot off the width of the marble altar, which the St. Theresa Society had purchased from Italy for more than $5,000 just a few years earlier, so that it would be easier for him to move around behind it. Parishioners sought help from the Bishop, but were told that they were attacking the church and that they were anti-Catholic, etc.  (Basically, the same lines we are hearing today.) Receiving no help from the Bishop and unable to reason with the pastor, one of the women from the St. Theresa Society finally just made the pastor an offer he couldn't refuse.
 
From that point on, he generally backed off, but the damage was already largely done. Disillusioned and feeling betrayed by this pastor, some parishioners left the Catholic Church altogether. Many others remained Catholic, but just quit going to church. Most of these have still not returned - this type of wound does not heal quickly or easily. In fact, the Treasurer of the St. Theresa Society, after it was disbanded, waited for approximately twenty-five years (until this pastor finally retired) before turning the Society's funds over to the church.
 
During the course of those twenty-five or so years, this pastor actually became very fond of St. Mary's and its parishioners. When he finally retired, he bought a house just a few streets down from the church. I remember back in 1997 or 1998, several years after he had retired as pastor of St. Mary's and shortly before his death, this pastor came back to say a Mass, during which he apologized for "nearly destroying the parish." At the end of the Mass, he knelt in the middle of the doorway and everyone had to touch his head on the way out of church as a sign of forgiveness. It was kind of weird, but I think it was good that he at least understood and tried to make amends for the damage he had done to St. Mary's and its parishioners.
 
The shame of the situation is that this pastor had driven so many people from the Church in the process of trying to "improve" the parish and implement his "vision" of what the parish should be. Yet even the scandal of his alcoholic predecessor did not cause anywhere near the amount of harm that he did by trying to improve the parish. Ironically, he is considered to have been a great priest by many people (mostly outside of St. Mary's) for really developing the Legion of Mary within the Diocese of Camden. While I have a great deal of respect for the Legion of Mary, this positive work that he did could easily have been accomplished without doing so much damage to the parish of St. Mary's.

I feel the same way about the Bishop's plan today. Many things can be done to "improve" the vibrancy of parish life without destroying parishes. If people lost their faith (at least in the Catholic Church hierarchy, if not altogether) because of the betrayal and marginalization felt when their religious organizations were needlessly suppressed and their religious items, donated by parishioners, were needlessly discarded, how much more so will it be when the parish itself is suppressed and the church itself is needlessly sold off. The previous blog post is just one example of how the faith of parishioners is being affected already.

The worst part is, for parishes like St. Mary's, which have already suffered at the hands of the hierarchy, closing the parish and church will just be the final nail in the coffin for so many of those who already left. The last attachment they have to the Church will be taken from them. No choir, however beautifully they sing, and no ministry, however convenient or useful, will fill that hole. Bishop Galante doesn't have twenty-five years to realize the harm he is doing - he won't have the opportunity to kneel in the back of the churches and ask forgiveness.

Despite St. Mary's difficulties over the years, however, we have persevered. No matter the challenges presented by pastors, obstacles imposed by bishops past and present, or even lack of parishioners' material wealth, St. Mary's remains. In fact, our willingness to fight for our parish, for our Diocese, and for our Faith epitomizes the difference between a weak parish and a strong parish.

My brethren, count it all joy, when you shall encounter various trials, knowing that the trying of your faith worketh endurance (James 1:3).

It has been a blessing to be strengthened by these tests of faith over the years:

Every one shall help his neighbor, and shall say to his brother: Be of good courage. The coppersmith striking with the hammer encouraged him that forged at that time, saying: It is ready for soldering: and he strengthened it with nails, that it should not be moved....Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee, and have not cast thee away. Fear not, for I am with thee: turn not aside, for I am thy God: I have strengthened thee, and have helped thee, and the right hand of my just one hath upheld thee. (Isais 41:6-10)

It is our belief that this most recent struggle is merely another chapter in the history of St. Mary's. In all of life's struggles we are blessed by God, and we offer our efforts to Christ Crucified, His Majesty, who is our Master. We certainly will not give up now. So we fight on!

I picked up a copy of the December 2008 newsletter "Presbytery Life" last night, which is "A Newsletter of the Regional Church of New Jersey in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church." Why? I'm a religion nerd, basically. When I got it home and took a look at it, I saw that on the front page is an article entitled, "Providence Glassboro Relocates." Same old story. Rowan expands, expands, expands, and a developer tries to buy them out.. The church is forced to find a new location. Quote [ironic emphasis mine]:

In early 2007 the developer asked a real estate agent to show us a Roman Catholic building in Mantua that had become available. Imagine what it was like for a group of devout Presbyterians to walk into a Roman Catholic church building trying to visualize what it would be like to worship in an auditorium that was presently adorned with several icons and crucifixes, and which housed three confessional booths in the back. There were several good points about the property, including the size of the main church building, a substantial parking lot located in a good residential area. However, the property also included a large church rectory with offices, six bedrooms and three large living rooms. We believed the entire property would not only be too costly for the developers to be willing to buy, but would be too costly for our congregation to maintain.

In January of 2008 the developer asked if we would reconsider the Catholic church property if they would purchase it for us and subdivide the rectory for a separate sale. In response to this offer, we noted that before it would meet our basic needs a number of things would need to be done by the seller and the developer to bring the building up to date....We submitted these items to the developer along with the request that they pay off the balance of our OPC Loan Fund mortgage on the Glassboro property.

After what had seemed to us a great period of uncertainty, the Mantua property was acquired in our behalf and we received the keys to the building in October of 2008. The building has a basement (something we did not have in Glassboro), auditorium has more than adequate pews for our present needs, and in addition a functioning carillon and an Allan Digital Organ. [The developer agrees to do a ton of upgrade work to the property which must easily total a hundred thousand dollars.] We began worshiping in Mantua on a regular basis on November 23, 2008.

...the Lord has taught us much....After all, a building is not the church, the body of Christ is the church.

While we still continue to struggle over our financial situation in maintaining our ministry, we, nevertheless, stand overwhelmed by the fact that the Lord has taken us from a property that was purchased in 1994 for $100,000 to a property that will have cost the developers close to $1,000,000.00! ...

Tax record information as to the transaction publicly available here.

As you may have already guessed, the church that was sold for $900,000 (according to tax records, anyway) was the original Incarnation parish, whose history you may find here. I have a friend who lived nearby Incarnation, where she used to attend daily mass. Apparently they  used to hold daily mass in the original, smaller church owing to its small size. I suppose it was considered a good location for smaller, more intimate gatherings. This friend of mine would not go to the larger, new church, built in 2002. As I understand it, many still loved the old church building and were sad to see it unnecessarily sold. The old church, after all, looked a lot like a...church. The new church isn't the ugliest I've ever seen. It is what it is, an auditorium-style church-in-the-round, 1970s style. But hey, for close to a million bucks, just how necessary is it to keep the old church?

While I feel glad for the Presbyterian congregation's good fortune, as they are merely trying to worship the Lord the best way they know how, it is nevertheless depressing to see the former location of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass stripped of altar, crucifix, stations, statues, etc. In the newsletter picture of the "new" church, you can see the alcoves that once held, presumably, statues of St. Joseph and Our Blessed Mother now empty. Get ready, folks, because this first symbolic act is just the tiniest foretaste of the atrocities about to be committed if the Diocese goes forward  What a great offense to Our Lord and His Mother, with all the angels and saints as witnesses.

The late John Updike wrote this:

There was a time when I wondered why more people did not go to church. Taken purely as a human recreation, what could be more delightful, more unexpected, than to enter a venerable and lavishly scaled building kept warm and clean for use one or two hours a week. And to sit and stand in unison and sing and recite creeds and petitions that are like paths warn smooth in the raw terrain of our hearts. To listen or not listen as a poorly paid but resplendently robed man strives to console us with scraps of ancient epistles and halting accounts hopelessly compromised by words of those intimations of divine joy that are like pain in that the instant they're gone the mind cannot remember or believe them. To witness the windows donated by departed patrons and the altar flowers arranged by withdrawn hands, and the whole considered spectacle lustrous beneath its patina of inheritance. To pay for all this no more than we are moved to give, surely in all democracy there is nothing like it. Indeed it's the most available democratic experience. We vote less than once a year. Only in church and at the polls are we actually given our supposed value, our arithmetic of equality, one equals one.

I thought there was something beautiful about this description of what a church experience meant to one important American writer and I wanted to share it with you. (Of course, St. Mary's is open every day of the week...)

Not so long ago, we were informed that the St. Padre Pio Shrine over in Landisville, which is a shrine erected on family property as an act of devotion by private citizens and not by the diocese, was turned over to the Diocese of Camden.


We do not have the details of the transaction, but have been aware for some time that Bishop Galante and Company have been after this property for awhile.


View Larger Map

As many of you are probably aware, lay Catholics have been erecting shrines, altars, and even chapels on their farms, in their homes, in their yards, on roadways, and elsewhere as long as the Catholic Church has existed. These private devotional areas have not typically been under the purview of the Church. This is nothing new. (link, link, link, link, great link)

Continuing in this ancient tradition, we could walk or drive down a residential street in just about any town in America and find statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Blessed Mother, St. Therese of the Child Jesus, St. Jude, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, heavenly angels, you name it.


In the case of my own neighbors, they have a shrine on a small hill in honor of St. Jude. This little shrine in their backyard was erected in thanksgiving. When the mother (and family matriarch) got sick with cancer, one of her daughters prayed for the intercession of St. Jude, saint of hopeless causes, in the hope of a cure. When the mother got well, seemingly miraculously, the daughter kept her promise to St. Jude that she would erect a shrine to his honor.


Here's another interesting little story about this family. The same daughter, whose first name is Rita, was thus named in thanksgiving to St. Rita. While fighting in World War II, her father was saved from gunshot by crouching behind a statue of St. Rita. He promised that if ever he had a daughter, she would have the honor of receiving this saint's blessed name.

When we thought of privately constructed shrines, strangely enough, what came to our minds was the "Chapel of Peace" located in Storybook Land in EHT. You may remember the 18 by 20 foot "Chapel of Peace" there and never gave it a second thought.
 

It was originally located in Vineland. It was built on private property (a farm) in 1885 by eighteen-year-old Andrew Cresci as a gift to his parents. It has a pipe organ inside, lovely stained glass windows, and mass was said there regularly.


According to the posted history, this chapel was never diocesan property. Eventually the chapel, along with a couple other small, historical buildings, was relocated to Storybook Land.
 

Undoubtedly many of you are familiar with other shrines and chapels whose stories are similar.

The point is, why is it that because a layperson or group of laypersons erects a shrine on private property, our current bishop feels that he has the right to it? Are all things Catholic now subject to "eminent domain?" Look out if your property is in a particularly desirable area. Worse still if he sees it as prime territory for one of his Quatholic McMegaChurches.

A question remains in our minds: If the elderly woman who helped build the Padre Pio Shrine had instead decided to open a pizza place, would Bishop Galante and Company have felt as easy approaching her for the "donation" of her property? Probably not.

Given the abundance of real estate wheelings and dealings and corporate ventures in which the Diocese of Camden has gotten itself involved, it seems that Galante and Company are now in the business of gobbling up not only churches but also private property to which they believe they have a right. This increasing corporatization of the Church leaves us with a very uneasy feeling. We are to be the Pilgrim Church on Earth, in the world and not of it. But perhaps those sentiments need only apply to the laity.

Please email us at info@savestmarys.net if you would like your name added to the petition. Thank you and God bless you!

I always made an effort to stress that the parish is not an accidental collection of Christians who happen tolive in the same neighborhood...Through careful listening to the word of Scripture and sound instruction in the faith they are enabled to experience their lives, and the life of the parish, as a dynamic sharing in the history of salvation. That experience, in turn, becomes a powerful motive for evangelization.
                                                                        -Pope John Paul II (1998)

We, the undersigned, strenuously object to the closing and merging of St. Mary's in Malaga and all other vibrant, viable parishes within the Diocese of Camden. In addition to providing the Sacraments and fostering out spiritual growth, our parishes have many active groups providing spiritual and material assistance to those in need in our communities. Closing and merging parishes in our neighborhoods is not only unnecessary and devastating to the parishioners, but it is also detrimental to many communities within the Diocese of Camden. Furthermore, we vigorously oppose the sale and future use of church properties for anything but that for which they were originally intended--the Catholic Christian worship of God. We pray you will reconsider your actions and reverse this decision.

                                                               NAME                                           TOWN

1	Al DeValerio	Newfield
2	Alberta Winkler	N. Vineland
3	Alex Benarba	Clayton
4	Alexia Farside	Vineland
5	Alexis Ramos	Malaga
6	Alice Obert	Clayton
7	Alicia Rivera	Clayton
8	Allen Kerski	Clayton
9	Allison Sieminski	Glassboro
10	Alysha Chambers	Elmer
11	Amanda Bosco	Malaga
12	Amanda Kelleher	Newfield
13	Amanda Rippel	Frankinville
14	Amee Muller	Clayton
15	Amy Chamberlin	Franklinville
16	Amy Ryan	Clayton
17	Ana Sales	Williamstown
18	Andrea Craig	Clayton
19	Andrea Marcellina	Williamstown
20	Andrew E. Kilroy	Malaga
21	Andrew J. Moore	Clayton
22	Andrew J. Moore, Sr.	Clayton
23	Andrew Kasper	Clayton
24	Andrew Nelson	Clayton
25	Andrew Schifano	Colts Neck
26	Andrew Vassallo	Newfield
27	Angel DeMaro	Glassboro
28	Angel Gaull	Clayton
29	Angel Lugo	Clayton
30	Angela Gaull	Clayton
31	Angela Ledzinski	Clayton
32	Angelina Rutkowski	Elm
33	Ann Waldman	Clayton
34	Anna Chamberlin	Franklinville
35	Anna Mackewick	Clayton
36	Anne Bauer	Clayton
37	Anne Hercy	Williamstown
38	Anne Teta	Clayton
39	Annette Rumph	Clayton
40	Annie Brunner	Clayton
41	Anthony DelPalazzo	Voorhees
42	Anthony M. Colache	Williamstown
43	Anthony Rizzo	Newfield
44	Anthony Roman	Franklinville
45	Anthony Yoworsky	Clayton
46	Anthony Ramos	Malaga
47	Antoinette Boylan	Clayton
48	Aracelis Acosta	Clayton
49	Ashley Lehman	Franklinville
50	Ashley Preine	Franklinville
51	B.T. Lilimore	Pittsgrove
52	Barb Liescko	Pittsgrove
53	Barbara Ann McCann	Pittsgrove
54	Barbara Carrigan	Williamstown
55	Barbara DeValerio	Newfield
56	Barbara Sage	Clayton
57	Benancio Espinal	Clayton
58	Bernie Blatt	Forest Grove
59	Betty Fischer	Malaga
60	Beverly Stiner	Clayton
61	Bill Boeckle	Glassboro
62	Bill Cipollone	Malaga
63	Bill Dalessandro	Malaga
64	Bill Laner	Franklinville
65	Bill Roberts	Clayton
66	Billy Cipollone	Malaga
67	Bob Raymond	Clayton
68	Brad Pantaleo	Malaga
69	Bradley Smith	Franklinville
70	Brandon Maynor	Millville
71	Brendan Kirby	Clayton
72	Brian Dean	Monroeville
73	Brian Dtari	Clayton
74	Brian Schifano	Colts Neck
75	Brittney Shaw	Clayton
76	Bryan Burkert	Franklinville
77	Buddy Craig	Franklinville
78	C. Daugherty	Malaga
79	Caitlin Brandon	Mantua
80	Cara Esposito	Clayton
81	Carleigh Gallardo	Pittsgrove
82	Carlo Profico	Clayton
83	Carmella Castelli	Malaga
84	Carole Trace	Malaga
85	Carolyn H. Gant	Franklinville
86	Casey Flory	Clayton
87	Cathy Culle	Clayton
88	Cecelia Trace	Malaga
89	Charles Chamberlin	Franklinville
90	Charles Schifano	Colts Neck
91	Charles Zanetich	Clayton
92	Charlie Bosco	Malaga
93	Chelsea Cossaboon	Newfield
94	Cherisse Watson	Clayton
95	Cheryl O'Hara	Clayton
96	Chris Colache	Williamstown
97	Chris Godfrey	Pitman
98	Christopher C. Sever	Clayton
99	Christopher Russell	Clayton
100	Christopher Senor	Franklinville
101	Chuck Esposito	Clayton
102	Chuck Grinnell	Clayton
103	Cindy Burgess	Franklinville
104	Cletus S. Beckel	Pittsgrove
105	Clifford Taylor	Malaga
106	Colleen Kohn	Clayton
107	Confesora Caban	Clayton
108	Corie Brandon	Mantua
109	Courtney McHale	Mullica Hill
110	Cynthia Merckx	Malaga
111	Cynthia Trasferini	Malaga
112	Cynthia Hetzler	Sewell
113	D.L. Marion	Turnersville
114	Dakoda Maynor	Millville
115	Damien Colache	Clayton
116	Dan Sommeling	Clayton
117	Dan Vassallo	Malaga
118	Danali Young	Clayton
119	Daniel Oyola	Clayton
120	Daniel Ramos	Malaga
121	Danielle Chamberlin	Clayton
122	Danielle McCord	Clayton
123	Danielle Pantaleo	Malaga
124	Danny Farside	Vineland
125	Dante Colache	Williamstown
126	Dave O'Brien	Pittsgrove
127	David Dowonta	Clayton
128	David Hughes	Clayton
129	Dawn M. Meyers	Clayton
130	Deb Ragone	Clayton
131	Debbie Iuliucci	Malaga
132	Debbie Sauer	Clayton
133	Deborah Luchay	Mullica Hill
134	Deborah Lugo	Clayton
135	Deborah Zanetich	Clayton
136	Debra A. Dougherty	Newfield
137	Denise Battle	Clayton
138	Denise Brandon	Mantua
139	Denise Miller	Clayton
140	Denise Morton	Clayton
141	Denise Shaw	Clayton
142	Dennis Zanetich	Clayton
143	Derek Flory	Clayton
144	Diane Hitzelberger	Clayton
145	Diane Trace	Malaga
146	Diane Vassallo	Newfield
147	Dick Hughes	Clayton
148	Dino Atencio	Clayton
149	Dino DiCastelano	Franklinville
150	Dolores Lafferty	Malaga
151	Dolores Pfeuffer	Erial
152	Dolores Podsiadlo	Elmer
153	Dom DiPetro	Glassboro
154	Domenic Russo	Clayton
155	Domenica Trace	Malaga
156	Donald Keppen	Clayton
157	Donna Andrea	Clayton
158	Donna Kirby	Clayton
159	Donna Wilson	Malaga
160	Doris DeMatteo	Malaga
161	Doris Ruppel	Malaga
162	Dorothea Bosco	Clayton
163	Dorothy Erwin	Clayton
164	Dorothy Horady	Franklinville
165	Doug Ramos	Malaga
166	E.T. Selinger	Clayton
167	Earl L. Prous	Williamstown
168	Edward Mackewick	Clayton
169	Edward Wisowaty	Clayton
170	Eileen Scholl	Franklinville
171	Eleanor Donato	Vineland
172	Elesio Vianlargo	Clayton
173	Emil Lettica	Clayton
174	Emilie O'Hara	Clayton
175	Emily Atkinson	Sicklerville
176	Enrique Caban	Clayton
177	Eric Barrett	Clayton
178	Erika Zaruba	Franklinville
179	Ethel A. Pozzi	Clayton
180	Ethel DeFeo	Malaga
181	Eugene Melnyk	Franklinville
182	Evelyn M. Acevedo	Vineland
183	Feyance Previtt	Clayton
184	Fr. Jerome Romanowski	Malaga
185	Fran Emmons	Franklinville
186	Fran Schultz	Malaga
187	Fran Zeilman	Malaga
188	Francine Repice	Malaga
189	Francis Kelley Heiland	Hammonton
190	Frank DiCicco	Clayton
191	Frank Obert	Clayton
192	Frank Richer	Newfield
193	Franny Papiano	Malaga
194	Fred Ronzo	Williamstown
195	Frederick H. Blauth	Vineland
196	G. E. Brusizaker	Clayton
197	G. J. Swanson	Clayton
198	G. T. Swanson	Clayton
199	Gabrielle Preine	Mullica Hill
200	Gail Perino	Malaga
201	Gary Eastlack	Clayton
202	Gary Smith	Franklinville
203	Gary Zanetich	Clayton
204	Gemma Vassallo	Newfield
205	Gene Melnik	Bluebell
206	George Steinfield	Newfield
207	Georgetta Bucci-Bruno	Newfield
208	Gina Bosco	Malaga
209	Gina Trasferini	Malaga
210	Glemin Fabey	Clayton
211	Glen Ruppel	Franklinville
212	Glen Scott Ruppel, Sr.	Franklinville
213	Glenn D. Moore	Clayton
214	Glenn O'Brien	Pitman
215	Grace Lawrence	Clayton
216	Grace Carlson	Mt. Ephraim
217	Greg Duva	Hammonton
218	Gregory Profico	Clayton
219	Gregory Sentz	Newfield
220	Haley Colache	Clayton
221	Hannah Flory	Clayton
222	Harold Sims	Malaga
223	Harry McGruray	Franklinville
224	Helen Durham	Clayton
225	Helen Kilroy	Malaga
226	Helen O'Hara	Clayton
227	Herb Pfeuffer	Erial
228	Holly A. Flory	Clayton
229	Holly Fabey	Clayton
230	Iesha Torreibeu	Clayton
231	Irene Mick	Franklinville
232	Isabel Furtan	Clayton
233	J. Jess	Franklinville
234	J. Wengert, Sr.	Franklinville
235	J.J. Ruppel, Sr.	Malaga
236	Jac-lyn Zeilman	Malaga
237	Jacob Keppen	Clayton
238	Jacqueline Hetzler	Sewell
239	Jake Baluch	Clayton
240	Jake Muller	Clayton
241	James A. Castrelli, Jr.	Vineland
242	James Castrelli	Vineland
243	James Chamberlin	Franklinville
244	James Kelleher	Newfield
245	James Sieminski	Glassboro
246	Jamie Smith	Clayton
247	Jane Bruno	Clayton
248	Janet Walker	Bridgeton
249	Janet Webekind	Newfield
250	Janice Bosco Tacka	Palmyra, PA
251	Janit Peilher	Vineland
252	Jared Pennisi	Sewell
253	Jason Lapin	Clayton
254	Jason Lipsett	Clayton
255	Jayme Zeilman	Malaga
256	Jean R. Liberto	Blue Anchor
257	Jean Wacker	Clayton
258	Jennifer Cipollone	Malaga
259	Jennifer Hetzler	Newfield
260	Jennifer Olsen	Clayton
261	Jennifer Rowedda	Clayton
262	Jerry DiCicco	Clayton
263	Jerry Velazquez	Newfield
264	Jessica Eastlack	Clayton
265	Jessica Kasper	Clayton
266	Jessica Kelleher	Newfield
267	Jessica Lincoln	Clayton
268	Jessica Parker	Malaga
269	Jessica Zeilman	Malaga
270	Jewel Sauder	Clayton
271	Jill Sommeling	Clayton
272	Jillian Fabey	Clayton
273	Jim Brown	Clayton
274	Jim Waterman	Mullica Hill
275	Joan Carrigan	Williamstown
276	Joan Goodwin	Williamstown
277	Joan Stone	Malaga
278	Joan Wokveck	Clayton
279	Jo-Ann Annie Zeilman	Malaga
280	JoAnn Betz	Vineland
281	Joann Halg	Pittsgrove
282	Joann Laner	Franklinville
283	JoAnn Mills	Malaga
284	Joann Young	Clayton
285	Jo-Ann Zeilman	Malaga
286	Joanna Vassallo	Newfield
287	Joanne Canken	Clayton
288	Joanne Esposito	Clayton
289	Joanne Ryan	Clayton
290	Jocelenn Zaya	Vineland
291	Jody Nelson	Clayton
292	Joe Bruno	Clayton
293	Joe Podsiadlo	Elmer
294	Joe Revelas	Swedesboro
295	Joe Sansalone	Malaga
296	Joe Young	Clayton
297	Joey Russo	Clayton
298	Johamil Salcedo	Clayton
299	Jo-hanna Zeilman	Malaga
300	John Bryozowski	Malaga
301	John Gravenor	Malaga
302	John Griffis	Clayton
303	John Hetzler	Sewell
304	John Jakymczuk	Malaga
305	John Morton	Clayton
306	John Sarill	Clayton
307	John Shaw	Clayton
308	John Tiffany	Clayton
309	John Trovati	Clayton
310	John-Anthony Hetzler	Sewell
311	Jon Lawrence	Clayton
312	Jonathan Shaw	Clayton
313	Jos. U. Dorys	Newfield
314	Jose Del Carmen Espinal	Clayton
315	Joseph Coleman	Clayton
316	Joseph Kelton	Malaga
317	Joseph Nardalli	Franklinville
318	Joseph P. Moffa	Malaga
319	Joseph Sparks	Mullica Hill
320	Josh Griffis	Clayton
321	Josh Parker	Malaga
322	Joshua DeQueter	Clayton
323	Joshua Vassallo	Alloway
324	Juan Oyola	Clayton
325	Juanda Fernandez	Clayton
326	Judith Pidgeon	Wilmington, DE
327	Judith Preine	Pittsgrove
328	Julia Hetzler	Sewell
329	Julia Roman	Clayton
330	Julia Trovati	Clayton
331	Juliana Sieminski	Glassboro
332	Julie DeMarchi Heiland	Hammonton
333	Julie Kirk	Clayton
334	Julie Lincoln	Clayton
335	June Cairone	Malaga
336	Justin Shaw	Clayton
337	Karen DeFrank	Clayton
338	Kat Roberts	Clayton
339	Kathie J. Ramos	Malaga
340	Kathleen Castelli	Vineland
341	Kathy DiStefano	Sicklerville
342	Kathy Mensinger	Franklinville
343	Katie Griffis	Clayton
344	Kellie Kasper	Clayton
345	Kenneth Zanetich	Clayton
346	Kevin Clinch	Franklinville
347	Kevin Kelton	Malaga
348	Kevin Lapin	Clayton
349	Kevin Pain	Clayton
350	Kristin Battestella	Franklin Township
351	L. M. Swanson	Clayton
352	Lance Knisely	Malaga
353	Lane McCord	Clayton
354	Larry Geltzer	Margate
355	Larry Storniola	Franklinville
356	Laura Camma-Resino	Williamstown
357	Laurel Fabey	Clayton
358	Laurie Lettica	Clayton
359	Leah Vassallo	Malaga
360	Len DeFrank	Clayton
361	Len Lapin	Clayton
362	Len Sarill	Clayton
363	Leonard Goodwin	Williamstown
364	Lesley Barrett	Clayton
365	Leslie McFall	Franklinville
366	Lily Kirby	Clayton
367	Linda Bryan	Clayton
368	Linda Persia	Newfield
369	Lisa Bekeshka	Monroeville
370	Lisa Eastlack	Clayton
371	Lisa Lugo	Clayton
372	Lisa Sauber	Clayton
373	Liz Ruggerie	Clayton
374	Loralie Kasper	Clayton
375	Lorenzo	Haddonfield
376	Loretta DiMeo	Franklinville
377	Lorraine Clapp	Clayton
378	Lou Anne Hughes	Clayton
379	Lou Brown	Clayton
380	Lou Kohn	Clayton
381	Lou Kohn, Jr.	Clayton
382	Lou Sgorlon	Vineland
383	Louis Cairone	Malaga
384	Louis Zanetich	Clayton
385	Lucy Davey	Clayton
386	Luis Oyola	Clayton
387	Luis Riviera	Clayton
388	Luis Riviera, Sr.	Clayton
389	Lydia Carrigan	Williamstown
390	Lynn Atkinson	Millville
391	M. Elaine Sware	Clayton
392	M. Geri	Franklinville
393	M. Metz	Clayton
394	Madeline Moffa	Malaga
395	Maegert Claro	Clayton
396	Manny Claro	Clayton
397	Manny Wokveck	Clayton
398	Marco A. Riviera	Clayton
399	Margaret Bryan	Clayton
400	Margaret Wallace	Franklinville
401	Marge Kirsch	Clayton
402	Marge Lapin	Clayton
403	Maria Bella	Clayton
404	Maria DiCicco	Clayton
405	Maria Espinal	Clayton
406	Maria Ronzo	Williamstown
407	Mariann Metz	Clayton
408	Marie Bancroft	Malaga
409	Marina L. Stewart	Newfield
410	Marisel Rivera	Vineland
411	Mark Atkinson	Millville
412	Mark Morton	Clayton
413	Mark Ramos	Malaga
414	Marlene Alston	Clayton
415	Marlene Castelli	Malaga
416	Martin Kelley	Hammonton
417	Mary Anne Sena	Vineland
418	Mary DeFeo	Vineland
419	Mary Ellen Waterman	Mullica Hill
420	Mary J. Quinn	Monroeville
421	Mary Johnson	Franklinville
422	Mary Marion	Turnersville
423	Mary Mignogna	Blackwood
424	Mary R. Colache	Williamstown
425	Mary R. Rabne	Vineland
426	Mary Sparks	Mullica Hill
427	Mary Velazquez	Newfield
428	Mary White	Newfield
429	Mary Yoworsky	Clayton
430	MaryAnn Fithian	Franklinville
431	Marybeth Boeckle	Glassboro
432	Marybeth Owens	Clayton
433	Matt Morton	Clayton
434	Maureen Butcher	Pittsgrove
435	Maureen Geri	Franklinville
436	Maureen Kelleher	Newfield
437	Maureen Starling	Pittsgrove
438	Maurice Young	Clayton
439	Megan McCauley	Vineland
440	Megan Pontano	Sicklerville
441	Megen C. Keury	Clayton
442	Melissa Holden
443	Melnyk Family	Franklinville
444	Michael A. Cianchetti	Elmer
445	Michael Beer	Clayton
446	Michael Bryan	Clayton
447	Michael Chambers	Elmer
448	Michael Griffish	Vineland
449	Michael Jenkins	Newfield
450	Michael Kelton	Malaga
451	Michael Magliocco	Newfield
452	Michael McHale	Mullica Hill
453	Michael Menginger	Franklinville
454	Michael Pagano	Millville
455	Michael Sarill	Clayton
456	Michelle Boylan	Clayton
457	Michelle Metz	Clayton
458	Miguel Griffish	Vineland
459	Miguelina Salcedo	Clayton
460	Mike Blatt	Forest Grove
461	Mike Gaull	Clayton
462	Mike Lopez	Clayton
463	Mike Lugo	Clayton
464	Mike Vassallo	Malaga
465	Miller Mills	Malaga
466	Molly Atkinson	Sicklerville
467	Mr. S. Velazquez	Newfield
468	Mrs. S. Velazquez	Newfield
469	Nadine Ambrico	Bellmawr
470	Nancy Godfrey	Pitman
471	Nancy Kane	Malaga
472	Nancy Pantaleo	Malaga
473	Nardelli Family	Williamstown
474	Natalie Persia	Newfield
475	Nate Thomas	Clayton
476	Nic Blauth	Vineland
477	Nicholas Deitz	Newfield
478	Nicolas Hrynenko	Newfield
479	Nicole Bacher	Clayton
480	Nicole Hoffer	Clayton
481	Nicole Sieminski	Glassboro
482	Nicolina Candela	Malaga
483	Nicolle Russo	Clayton
484	P. Sarill	Clayton
485	Pat McCauley	Newfield
486	Pat Schnenberg	Glassboro
487	Patricia A. Mimuy	Clayton
488	Patricia Duva	Hammonton
489	Patricia J. Blauth	Vineland
490	Patricia Lipshultz	Franklinville
491	Patricia Wight	Newfield
492	Patrick DeFeo	Bridgeton
493	Patrick Kelleher	Newfield
494	Paul A. Betz	Vineland
495	Paul Arey	Pine Hill
496	Paul N. Gant	Franklinville
497	Paula Dalessandro	Malaga
498	Paula Melnyk	Franklinville
499	Pauline Blatt	Forest Grove
500	Pauline Taylor	Malaga
501	Pearl Richer	Newfield
502	Peggy Lisinger	Elmer
503	Peggy Pennisi	Sewell
504	Philip Quinn	Monroeville
505	Phillip Colache	Clayton
506	Piera Gravenor	Malaga
507	Pilita Porlucas	Franklinville
508	Polly Sergenti	Clayton
509	Princess Lugo	Clayton
510	Rachel Luchay	Mullica Hill
511	Rachel Ramos	Malaga
512	Ralph Cleo	Frankinville
513	Ralph Travaglione	Franklinville
514	Ramona Sansalone	Malaga
515	Rashawn Previtt	Clayton
516	Ray Gonzalez	Clayton
517	Regina Arey	Pine Hill
518	Regina Farside	Vineland
519	Regina Sims	Malaga
520	Renata Colache	Clayton
521	Renee Hubbard	Newfield
522	Renee Maurer	Malaga
523	Rev. Gannon	Cherry Hill
524	Rich Albano	Clayton
525	Rich Kilroy	Malaga
526	Richard E. Doone III	Franklinville
527	Richard Krug	Clayton
528	Richard Lincoln	Clayton
529	Richard P. Craig, Jr.	Clayton
530	Richard Webekind	Newfield
531	Rickie Krug	Clayton
532	Rita Alvino	Franklinville
533	Rita Griffiths	Vineland
534	Robert Ambrico	Bellmawr
535	Robert Furtan	Clayton
536	Robert Godfrey	Pitman
537	Robert Johnson	Franklinville
538	Robert Lawrence	Clayton
539	Robert White	Newfield
540	Ron Iuliucci	Malaga
541	Ron Vassallo	Alloway
542	Ronald Vassallo	Newfield
543	Rosalie B. Moore	Clayton
544	Roselee Papiano	Malaga
545	Rossi Family	Franklinville
546	Rubea Luciano	Clayton
547	Russell Buck	Clayton
548	Ruth Sottile	Clayton
549	Ryan Jenkins	Minotola
550	Sam Campbell	Willimstown
551	Sam DiStefano	Sicklerville
552	Sam Lopez	Clayton
553	Sammy Steenland	Newfield
554	Sandy DelPalazzo	Voorhees
555	Sandy VanDelft	Clayton
556	Sara Melnyk	Franklinville
557	Sara Truluck	Clayton
558	Scott Bryan	Clayton
559	Scott J. Sievers	Vineland
560	Shannon Muller	Clayton
561	Sharyn Beckel	Pittsgrove
562	Shawn Krug	Clayton
563	Sheena Otto	Franklinville
564	Sheila Smith	Clayton
565	Shelby Patrick	Malaga
566	Shirley Rumph	Clayton
567	Shonna Cooper	Clayton
568	Somer Knisely	Malaga
569	Stacey Yenelli	Clayton
570	Stephanie Kelton	Malaga
571	Stephanie Starling	Pittsgrove
572	Steve Martin	Clayton
573	Steve Yoworsky	Clayton
574	Steven Velazquez	Newfield
575	Sue DiCicco	Clayton
576	Sue Griffis	Clayton
577	Sue Hofer	Malaga
578	Susan Benarba	Clayton
579	Syed Benarba	Clayton
580	T. M. Swanson	Clayton
581	T. Mick	Franklin Twp.
582	Taylor Trace	Malaga
583	Theodore K. Heiland	Hammonton
584	Theresa Borda	Glassboro
585	Theresa Carlson	Mt. Ephraim
586	Theresa Keppen	Clayton
587	Theresa Paleri	Clayton
588	Therese Rizzo	Newfield
589	Thomas Bosco	Malaga
590	Thomas K. Metz	Clayton
591	Tim Carlson	Mt. Ephraim
592	Timothy Trace	Malaga
593	Tina Hayden	Franklinville
594	Tina Young	Clayton
595	Tita Lugo	Clayton
596	Tom Luchay	Mullica Hill
597	Tom Profico	Clayton
598	Tony Bauer	Clayton
599	Tony Brown	Clayton
600	Tony Yoworsky	Clayton
601	Tony Ramos	Malaga
602	Traci Atencio	Clayton
603	Trevor Blauth	Vineland
604	Tyler McCord	Clayton
605	Valerie Schifano	Colts Neck
606	Vanessa Caban	Clayton
607	Vanessa Hughes	Clayton
608	Vannessa Omari	Clayton
609	Veneranda Ramos	Malaga
610	Vicki Taggart	Clayton
611	Vincent Paglioni	Clayton
612	Vincent Sware	Clayton
613	Virginia Wacker	West Collingswood Heights
614	Viva Mackey	Clayton
615	Vivian Hamilton	Clayton
616	Walter Schultz	Malaga
617	Walter W. Clapp	Clayton
618	Werfy Fernandez	Clayton
619	William F. Walker	Franklinville
620	William T. Steenland	Vineland
621	Yasmin Espinal	Clayton
622	Yohanny Salcedo	Clayton
623	Zac Gaull	Clayton
624	Zachary Farside	Vineland
625	Zory Caban	Clayton
626	Zuleyka Salcedo	Clayton

627

Edward Zeuner

Hainesport