Immaculate Conception celebrates 125th anniversary
By James McEvoy
Staff Writer
SOMERVILLE — Reflecting on the symbolism of the cross, and the parish’s commitment to carrying that cross, Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski celebrated a Mass Sept. 14 in honor of the 150th anniversary of Immaculate Conception Parish.
In his homily, Bishop Bootkoski said it was appropriate that the Mass fell on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, given that “for 125 years, you have proclaimed the mystery of Jesus’ cross.”
He pointed to the cross on the top of the church as public display of the parishioners’ pride in their faith.
Bishop Bootkoski also described the irony that the cross, a sign of death, has become a sign of “victory,” one that the parishioners wear as a “calling to task.”
Additionally, Bishop Bootkoski reflected on the storied history of the parish, including the establishment in 1909 of one of the oldest New Jersey chapters of the Knights of Columbus.
He also described how members of other Christian faiths and denominations came together with Immaculate Conception to assist in relief efforts during the Great Depression, characterizing the cooperation as a sign of the spiritual relationship between Christian faiths.
“We can call them brothers and sisters and can walk with them,” he said.
He mentioned the contributions of the parish to the Red Cross during World War II and drew a parallel to the parish’s contemporary efforts assisting and supporting troops today.
Bishop Bootkoski additionally spoke of the several contributions of the Immaculate Conception School and Immaculata High School.
He also described the beginnings of youth education in the parish and the efforts of Father Eugene Kelly to successfully solicit the assistance of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Bishop Bootkoski added that through several correspondences, it was the third request by Father Kelly as well as Bishop George Ahr’s petitioning that finally brought the sisters to Somerville.
“The high hat is sometimes effective,” Bishop Bootkoski joked.
Excited and renewed parishioners
Among the 3,500 registered families at Immaculate Conception, parishioners at the Mass were happy and proud to be a part of history.
Sheila Walsh has been a parishioner since early 1980s and identified the members of the parish as the reason the church has endured so much.
“The people are the parish,” she said.
Her daughter, Robin Wild, also a proud member of the parish, said that in the last four or five years, the church has “flourished.”
Wild added that Immaculate Conception remains a tremendous parish with many great works and ministries.
“It’s exciting to be here today,” she said.
Wild’s son was one of the altar servers for the anniversary Mass.
“I’m so proud of him,” she added.
Jack and Anita Vara are two dedicated parishioners who have been attending Masses at Immaculate Conception for 40 years.
In fact, the first Masses they attended were in gymnasiums as the old church had burned down two years prior to their arrival.
Jack recalled how with hard work, the parish again had a dedicated place to worship.
“[Now] we have this beautiful church” Jack said.
Anita shared in her husband’s enthusiasm on the historic day, speaking highly of the parish, its parishioners and the ministries of the church.
“They do a lot of good,” she said, adding “people are very friendly here.”
Anita said she was also excited to see many young people attending the Masses recently.
Keeping up the good fight
Msgr. Seamus Brennan described the parish’s 125th anniversary as a year-long celebration and to that end, the parish held a luncheon in April to honor parishioners who had been members long enough to have attended Mass in the original church.
Msgr. Brennan felt the luncheon was an appropriate way to “thank and honor those people who have been with the church for a long time,” he said.
He described those parishioners as pillars “because they have supported the church.”
The parish also sponsored a pilgrimage in June to several Catholic shrines France, including Lourdes, where there was another significant anniversary being celebrated.
In Lourdes, there was a commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to St. Bernadette.
Msgr. Brennan said he was personally inspired to sponsor the pilgrimage and was convinced when he received a letter from the bishop whose jurisdiction included Lourdes, describing the forthcoming 150th anniversary celebration.
Although, he knew he wasn’t the only to pastor to receive the letter, he still felt “it was a happy coincidence.”
Msgr. Brennan enthusiastically detailed the parish’s ministries, which number more than 50.
In addition, many activities and ministries are taking place at the parish including a recently instituted bereavement support group called “Journey through Grief.”
He said the participants “support each other” and reach out to parishioners who have recently lost a loved one.
Additionally, last year the parish began a New Evangelization Council with the purpose of organizing a new adult catechism series.
Msgr. Brennan described the young adult ministry as “just really getting started” but also said the group already had a few events during the summer.
Ongoing activities at the parish include several weekly Bible studies.
Brushing up on some history
Parishioner Carl Ganz, Jr. researched and wrote “The History of Immaculate Conception Parish 1883-2008.” The book details a great deal of information about the parish, including the conditions which necessitated its creation.
Immaculate Conception Parish was born just as President Chester A. Arthur was beginning his tenure as the 21st president of the United States and the nation was still reeling from the assassination of its previous commander in chief, James Garfield. Elsewhere, the French were making early attempts at building the Panama Canal.
In 1882, Immaculate Conception Parish’s first Mass was held in Somerset Hall on West Main Street. Father Martin van den Bogaard was the celebrant.
According to Ganz, those in the Somerset County area were ministered by missionary priests. As several parishes were built in the Somerville/Raritan area, the people were ministered by priests who lived there.
In November 1882, the announcement came that there would be a new parish built to address the spiritual needs of those residing in the Somerville and Millstone communities.
The cornerstone of the new church was laid personally by Bishop Michael O’ Farrell in June 1883. The first Mass was held on June 1, 1884 in the church basement. The church was dedicated in September 1890.
Several times, during its storied past, the parish has arisen from the ashes of disaster, sometimes quite literally.
A fire destroyed the original church in January 1965. Fires also destroyed financial records held in St. Mary Cathedral in Trenton. The destruction of the records impeded the building of a parish school in the late 1950s.
The parish ultimately recovered from both tragedies, and the school was eventually constructed in 1957, followed by Immaculata High School in 1962. The present church was dedicated on Dec. 8, 1975.
Ganz described the research process, which entailed reading approximately 3,000 issues of local newspapers between 1882 and 1945 as well as back issues of diocesan newspapers, interviewing more than two dozen people (including priests, parish employees and parishioners) and retrieving original letters and bishop diaries from Archdiocesan archives at Seton Hall University, South Orange.
Ganz’ book is available for purchase for $20 a copy. Despite already selling 300 copies, more are still available.
To obtain a copy of “The History of Immaculate Conception Parish: 1883-2008,” contact Anna Ruede-Barrie, chairperson of the parish’s Historic Committee at (908) 725-1112.
