Demolition of the second St Joseph's Church in Keyport began on Friday 27 July 1973 and was nearly completed by Tuesday 31 July, according to the 1 August 1973 edition of The Independent.
The first building was erected in 1854 in spite of anti-Catholic sentiment in the area, according to "Upon This Rock," a history of the Diocese of Trenton (1993), as cited at Rootsweb. The second building was erected in the same spot and dedicated on 27 June 1879. The first church became a school with two classrooms. It was also demolished in 1973.
The third and current house of worship was built at the same location on Main Street. The first Mass in the new building was said on 8 December 1976.
the old one is much nicer then the current one
ReplyDeleteThis was my church until they decided to build a new one. We had the Latin Tridentine Mass in the auditorium for about a year. My Mom took us out of the new church of Vatican II due to the Latin Mass being replaced with the Novus Ordo. or so we thought it was abolished but found out otherwise through Archbishop Lefebvre who founded the SSPX.
ReplyDeleteA good book on the Novus Ordo is "The Suicide of Altering the Faith In The Liturgy" by Fr. Paul Kramer.
Do you have any pictures of the inside? Thanks for the picture. I agree with Bri's comment!
The Society of St Pius X (SSPX) has long been outside full communion with the church at Rome. Negotiations with the Holy See are technically ongoing, with the hope of bringing former members back to the fold, but the SSPX leadership seems reluctant to accept Rome's terms.
ReplyDeleteThe Tridentine Mass was last celebrated in the Roman Catholic church in December 1969, several years before the old building at St Joseph's in Keyport was torn down and nearly seven years before the first mass in the current edifice.
I'd be interested in a few more details about the three years between the building being torn down and the new one opening for worship. Was Tridentine held in the auditorium during that time or immediately after the church stopped it in 1969? Was a faction of the congregation organizing this Mass or was it sanctioned and conducted by the priests of St Joseph's.
I have no photographs of the inside of the previous two St Joseph's churches. If you or a friend have such photographs, can scan them into jpg files and email them to me, I'd be glad to add them to this article.
To be sure, I'm not Roman Catholic and am interested in this as a local historian.
For those who may wish to comment on this article, please note that I review comments prior to publication. I cannot edit them, only accept or reject them.
Just a note to tell you that we attended Mass in the auditorium and it was the Latin Tridentine Mass. Not sure about the date it was stopped. We left St. Joseph's shortly after the New Mass (Novus Ordo) replaced the Latin Mass. I was thinking of contacting St Joseph's to see if they have photos of the inside of the old church that was demolished. Perhaps you have already done so and found there are none, I don't know. I would think they would have some pictures and history showing the inside of the church.
ReplyDeleteI've not pursued photographs but would be happy to feature them in an article if you can find some. My blog focuses on Aberdeen and Matawan, so while I write occasionally on Keyport and Hazlet and Old Bridge, et al, I tend not to dig too deeply and rely on residents of those places to provide me with materials to augment anything I might venture.
DeleteI suspect such photographs are going to be in private hands, local libraries, or county and state collections. The Alexander Library at Rutgers University has an excellent collection of histories of local churches in New Jersey. The Monmouth County Historical Association in Freehold might also have some photographs. The public library in Keyport might be a good place to start. I'd love some better shots of the outside of St Joe's, as well as some nice images of the sanctuary, significant priests in the parish's history, the school, etc. But as I said, Keyport isn't the focus of my writings and I'm not looking to branch out. ;-)
I WAS RAISED IN OAK SHADES NEW JERSEY AND I ATTENDED THE OLD CHURCH THERE WHEN I WAS A KID AND I ALSO WATCHED THEM RIP IT DOWN WHEN I WAS A KID. TO THIS DAY I HAVE A PART OF THE MARBLE STONE WORK PUT AWAY SOME PLACE AND A OLD PLATE OF THE CHURCH. SADLY MY FAMILY SOLD THE HOME THERE WHEN I TURNED 17 AND NOW THAT I AM GOING TO BE 50 SOON I AM NOW LIVING IN OHIO. I SURE DO MISS NEW JERSEY BUT I CAN NOT AFFORD TO COME BACK HOME TO OAK SHADES AKA GASTON STREET ABERDEEN TWP EVER AGAIN UNLESS MOTHER MARY PLEADS WITH JESUS TO MAKE AWAY FOR ME AND MY FAMILY TO GET BACK TO NEW JERSEY. I DO NOT WANT TO DIE IN OHIO OH MY.
ReplyDelete