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Parish Bulletin |
CHURCH HISTORY
The
roots of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish are found in the mission
church of St. Edmund’s, established in 1895 when Bishop McFaul of
the Diocese of Trenton appointed Fr. John O’Leary to organize a
parish in Gibbsboro and be its first pastor. During those early
days Mass was celebrated in the homes of various parishioners until
the first public Mass was said in the old Gibbsboro school.
On October 25, 1896 Bishop McFaul laid the
cornerstone of the new church and on July 4, 1897 he dedicated the
church building which was located on Berlin Road at the foot of Gibbsboro Road. The parish was first a mission of St. Lawrence
Church, Laurel
Springs, and then of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Berlin, when that
parish was established in 1903.
On
February 9, 1963, Archbishop Damiano of the Diocese of Camden
restructured the area community and directed that Gibbsboro and the
greater portion of Voorhees
Township were to become a separate parish under the patronage of
St. Andrew the Apostle. The Archbishop also directed that Fr. John
P. Corrigan was to be the first pastor of this parish community.
The small mission church served as a place of worship for two years.
The area was growing rapidly and it was evident that larger
facilities were necessary to take care of immediate needs and the
future growth of the parish.
On
June 28, 1963, a 15-acre tract along Kresson-Gibbsboro Road was
purchased to serve as the future site of St. Andrew’s Church. The
present Parish
Center was the church-hall, dedicated in May 1965.
During the ensuing years, Fr. John Daneri and Fr. Thomas Jarka each
served terms as pastor, and plans were formulated and eventually led
to the addition of eight class/meeting rooms, offices and storage
space. In 1977 the rectory building was completed with the present
office complex as the parish chapel. In 1980 Monsignor Glendon
Robertson became the fifth pastor of St. Andrew’s.
After twenty years of worshipping in the Parish Hall, accelerated
population growth of the area forced the parish to assess its needs
and desires for the future. In early 1984 the parish community began
a process which culminated in the dedication of the parish’s new
church building on June 4, 1989.
The Building Program, crafted by the faith community of St. Andrew
the Apostle Parish, states that “our new church should speak to us
about the goodness and beauty of creation and our call as disciples
of Jesus to join together in community to fashion God’s ongoing
creation.”
In June 2010 Monsignor Louis A. Marucci became the seventh
pastor of our community and strengthened the foundations of faith
left by his six predecessors.
Over the years St. Andrew the Apostle Faith Community has been
renowned for its strong emphasis on liturgy, educational
opportunities for all ages, and lay participation. Faith
experiences are many and varied.
As the community continues in the 21st century, plans are
underway to add classroom/meeting space to the existing Parish
Center. The community has supported two members through ordination
to the Permanent Diaconate and a third is in formation.
The formation of young people includes programs from
Pre-K through Junior High and a varied high school program called
Galaxy. Adult opportunities include speakers, a parish mission,
retreats and international travel groups. Music and liturgy mesh
each weekend as our children’s, teens’, adult, Contemporary
and Handbell choirs celebrate with the faithful.
St. Andrew the Apostle truly embraces all the worshipping faithful
and reaches out to serve all God’s people.
MISSION STATEMENT
Rooted in the vision
of Church proclaimed by the Second Vatican Council, the
faith community of Saint Andrew the Apostle seeks to live to the
fullest the gospel values of Jesus Christ through:
community:
building and nurturing the community of believers.
message:
proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.
worship: giving praise and
thanks to the Creator.
service: reaching out to
those in need in the community and beyond.
CLERGY OF ST. ANDREW'S
Rev. Msgr. Louis A. Marucci,
Pastor
Rev. Allen Lovell, Parochial
Vicar
Rev. Howard Muhlbaier,
Senior Priest
Mr. Vincent Okoro, Deacon
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