BY JOHN DUNPHY
Staff Writer
MIGUEL JUAREZ staff The Rev. John Brundage recently arrived at Corpus Christi Church after spending many years at a Bridgewater parish. SOUTH RIVER — The Rev. John Brundage may be arriving in the midst of a relatively turbulent year at the Corpus Christi Church, but he’s ready for the challenge.
Brundage, who officially took over as pastor earlier this month, said his goal is to bring the Roman Catholic church and school together as one cohesive parish community.
Originally from the Monmouth County Shore town of Avon-by-the-Sea, Brundage attended St. Mary’s Seminary College in Baltimore to study philosophy and for postgraduate studies in theology and pastoral training.
He was ordained in 1970 and has spent his longest ministry at St. Bernard of Clairvaux in Bridgewater, where he served from 1981 to 1998.
Brundage also has experience in counseling and special ministries.
He comes into a fairly unusual and challenging situation at Corpus Christi. In January, many parents of the 140 children at the K-8 school on David Street unified to oppose a decision by the Diocese of Metuchen that would shut down the school after 43 years due to declining enrollment and a lack of funding.
Due to the efforts of parents and a diocese review of demographics, finances and physical conditions at the school, the decision was reversed in February.
Brundage, who previously served at St. Matthias in Somerset, said he is aware of the challenge he is stepping into.
“There was a bit of upset over the school, whether it would remain open or whether it would close,” he said, “so I was sent here with the idea of making a real concerted effort to keep the school open. And the people know that’s why I’m here, as well as [to serve] the parish.”
Brundage takes over for the Rev. Kevin Duggan, who has been on medical leave since March 6. Some parents had expressed an interest in separating Duggan from the school, saying that he had not been as involved in the affairs of the school as he should have been, choosing to focus more attention on the church.
But Brundage said that prior to Duggan’s term, the church was in serious need of repair.
“Father Duggan did an absolutely magnificent job in terms of renovating the church,” he said. “He has made that part of my ministry very simple. It’s absolutely beautiful.”
The Most Rev. Paul G. Bootkoski, bishop of Metuchen, in February addressed speculation as to why Duggan was leaving, saying it was a “mutual decision” and was largely because of health concerns, as Duggan had not fully recovered from two back operations and also suffered from a staph infection. The school’s staying open, Bootkoski said, will mean increased pastoral responsibilities that could have had an adverse effect on Duggan’s health.
The parish was on the verge of bankruptcy when Duggan arrived nine years ago. In addition to stabilizing its finances, Duggan oversaw exterior improvements at the church and the restoration of its interior, the bishop said.
Thanks to the renovations completed under Duggan, Brundage said he will now be able to focus on bringing all aspects of the community together.
“That’s the one main area that I wish to work on: to bring the school community and the church community together and see them as a blending,” he said. “You can’t have one without the other.
“My focus will always be to the parish, and the school is a part of the parish,” the priest added.
After a week in his new position, Brundage said he received nothing but positive input, not just from parishioners but also from parents at the school.
“Their enthusiasm is a bonus for me,” he said. “I don’t have to build that up, it’s there. All I have to do is join forces with them and guide them and make sure that those decisions that are good for the school are also good for the parish, and vice versa.”
A public reception was held March 10 to welcome Brundage, who had the chance to speak about his plans as the new pastor, as well as to give the schoolchildren an opportunity to welcome him in style.
“There was quite a turnout,” he said. “The kids were preparing a reception for me. They did a couple of songs. It was really great.
“I’ve just been getting very positive feedback, which I’m very happy about, from both the school community as well as the broader parish community.”
Some plans currently on the table include the refining of Corpus Christi’s pastoral council, as well as the establishment of a School Advisory Council (SAC), which will be made up of parents and other interested members of the community, with Brundage and school Principal Susan Chesakis overseeing its operation.
“Tremendous resources are available to our school that have not yet been tapped into,” Brundage said. “Laboratories, language departments, science, library. … There are a lot of different government grants for these types of things so that we don’t have to spend our own money.”
Should it be able to use all potential resources, the school will be better off. Funds raised through parent-run programs such as raffles and carnivals could then be used in areas such as maintenance and updating textbooks.
Brundage said another goal is to bring the large Portuguese community, which uses the Corpus Christi facilities for religious services, further into the overall Corpus Christi fold.
Overall, Brundage said he is excited about the wealth of opportunities for a vibrant and successful parish community at Corpus Christi.
“There’s no denying the fact that this is indeed a challenge,” he said. “I’m up to it. I’m very enthusiastic and very excited about the possibilities of this parish as well as this school.”