By: centraljersey.com
SPRINGFIELD – St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church is gearing up to celebrate its 130th anniversary.
On Sept. 12, festivities will begin with a family Mass at the Monmouth Road church in the Jobstown section of the township.
Bishop John M. Smith will be in attendance to consecrate the new altar and bless the new icon, and then everyone will head down to Veteran’s Memorial Park for an afternoon of fun and fellowship.
For $5 per person ($25 for families of five or more), attendees will get picnic food and children will be able to participate in games. With 200 children among the congregation’s 450 families, kids and adults should be able to find plenty of companionship.
The Rev. Joseph Hlubik, the priest of the church, is one of many with a long connection to the parish and the building – his grandmother lived next door to it.
"That’s really a treasure to me, to be ministering the parish that was my grandmother’s parish," he said. "I sort of feel that she has something to do with that. I think a lot of people are connected (to the church) by their loved ones from the past."
"We’ve also got a lot of youth and a lot of energy and it’s really nice for me to be ministering in this community because there’s just a lot of people that are involved and love their faith and love their church, so it’s a very spirited community," he added.
The Rev. Hlubik said the parishioners who bring groceries every week to help the less fortunate in Mount Holly are just one example of the caring nature of his community.
"There’s a tradition of helping, of always giving a helping hand," he said.
The church was built in 1880 at a cost of $2,400, according to the parish’s website.
It was a mission of Sacred Heart until about 1920, when it became a mission of St. Mary’s in Bordentown.
It returned to Sacred Heart in 1945 and stayed with it until St. Andrew’s became an independent parish of the Diocese of Trenton just two years ago.
The building has also changed over the years. Originally, the church had a barn for parishioners’ horses and carriages, but it was removed around 1930.
In 1979, indoor plumbing replaced an outhouse in preparation of the church’s 100th anniversary, and in 1988 a hall area also was added to increase the church’s capacity.
"I’m very pleased to be the administrator at St. Andrew’s parish and grateful to Bishop Smith for his willingness to come and celebrate with us our 130th anniversary as a parish community," the Rev. Hlubik said.
To learn more about the church, visit www.standrewsjobstown.org.
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