St. Mary’s Church in Barnegat had its beginning through an error in train connections. The Bishop of Trenton arrived in Barnegat instead of his intended destination at Barnegat Pier. Thomas Galvin, who was at the station, engaged him in conversation and informed him of Catholic families living in the area who were not able to attend Mass, particularly Mr. John Mac Ameal who had boys from a Catholic home living with him. Mr. Galvin, being a railroad man and having relatives in Lakehurst, was able to take his family there at intervals.
As a result of this conversation and the contacting of the families by Mr. Galvin and Mr. Mac Ameal, Mass was celebrated in the home of Thomas Galvin on Railroad Avenue on March 15, 1907. Father Powers of the Abbey in Newark became the celebrant. Fourteen people attended this Mass.
The appointments, except for the vestments, chalice, and other items which were brought by the priest, were of the crudest. The altar was constructed of saw horses and planks, the altar cloth was a tablecloth, and the bell was a glass and spoon, and the collection plate was a soup bowl.
From this small beginning the congregation grew until it was necessary to empty two rooms of furniture instead of one. With the opening of a glass factory in the town, more Catholic families moved into the territory and the house became too small to accommodate the crowd. Mass was then celebrated in the Opera House, the present movie theater of Barnegat, with Father Whalen of Beach Haven celebrating the Mass.
This continued until 1909 when a private school was purchased and remodeled. This was the church that was located on West Bay Avenue in Barnegat and then eventually moved to Memorial Drive after the start of the construction of the new St. Mary’s Church in Barnegat.
Regardless of St. Mary’s incorporation date in the Diocese of Trenton, the early days of the beginning of St. Mary’s started as a personal story by Mary Galvin. Here is a letter by Mary Galvin, daughter of Thomas Galvin, on her recollections on the early church Mass celebrations in Barnegat:
“St. Mary’s Church was started some years before in a very small way. For ten years the family of Thomas Galvin was the only Catholic family in the town and according to the reports of my parents they were uneasy about the lack of a Catholic church in Barnegat. We were invited to attend both the Methodist and Presbyterian churches, but since my parents were Irish Catholic they declined the invitations. My father was a railroad man so on Saturday night we took the train to Lakehurst and spent the night with my grandmother returning to Barnegat on the Sunday train after having attended Mass there.”
“In the course of time a civil war veteran by the name of Mac Ameal moved to Barnegat with his wife and several children from a Catholic home. My father became acquainted with Mr. Mac Ameal. They were concerned that the families’ children especially the boys that the Mac Ameal’s were taking care of that they were unable to attend Mass. The subject of church came up. There was agreement between them that the Catholic boys Mr. Mac Ameal was attending to should attend Mass.”
“In the course of time, by an error, the Bishop of the Trenton Diocese was given the wrong train connection and he arrived in Barnegat instead of Barnegat Pier which was his destination. My father was at the station and of course spoke to him. He told the Bishop of the situation here, and he became concerned for the boys attending Mass.”
“After some more time elapsed, the Bishop notified us that a priest would be here to say Mass if we could find a place to hold it. The first Mass was said in our home on Memorial Drive, originally Railroad Avenue, and was on the east side of the street in the house that is now two houses below the post office.”
“Those were really pioneering days. Each Sunday my mother would prepare breakfast for her family of six, dress us children for Mass, while my father and Mr. Mac Ameal removed the furniture from our dining room, set up the altar (which consisted of two saw horses covered with planks, and a linen tablecloth) and we were ready for the priest who came from Toms River on the twelve o’clock train.”
“At the first Mass there were three families. The Mac Ameals, the Jablonskis, and the Galvins. Mr. Mac Ameal served using a glass and a spoon for a bell and a soup bowl for the collection. After Mass my mother gave the priest his breakfast. The furniture was returned to the dining room and dinner was prepared.”
“Those were the days when children remained dressed up and took a walk or sat on the porch on Sunday. Our porch sitting, from then on, became catechism instructions with the priest hearing our lessons. He stayed with us all day, had supper, and then took the 6:30 train. Some of the priests who came were teachers who had come from Massachusetts to help in Toms River in the summer.”
“More people moved into town and Mr. Mac Ameal and my father rode around to find out who was Catholic. The congregation filled the dining room, and then overflowed to the parlor and porch. The services were then moved to the “Opera House’ which was situated on North Main Street about the place where the liquor store now stands.”
“In later years the present church was purchased and St. Mary’s became a mission church of Beach Haven.”
“Happily my father lived to see St. Mary’s become a parish with a resident pastor.”
Signed, Mary Galvin
