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The History of Holy Cross Church
Preface
 The
year was 1883 and Chester A. Arthur had succeeded James
Garfield as President of the United States. The Northern
Pacific Railroad had been completed, followed shortly by
Southern Pacific. Lines were then to cross the prairies,
plains and mountains of our country letting in a population
which brought frontiers to an end.
The War of the States was over but the
divisions – racial, economic, regional and social – were
still polarizing the nation. An ever-expanding number of
people were still coming to the North, both as immigrants
and Catholics. It was the population which would soon make
its impact on the newly developed and affluent Jersey Shore.
A rail line, completed in 1865, brought
New Yorkers to the Great Barrier Beach, now known as Sea
Bright, and encouraged them to construct summer cottages and
seek the fertile farm lands of Rumson on which to build
summer estates. All of this gracious living required large
staffs, many of whom would be drawn from those new settlers
to our shores.
Blending with the existing population
which was primarily Protestant, Baptist and Methodist, this
new group, Irish and Catholic, brought with them the values
of their forefathers. As with all races and religions who
have made their place in the American system, their hope of
a better life, their sometimes meager beginnings and most of
all their love of God, soon became absorbed into the very
fabric of the American way of life…
The
Beginning
In 1883, the increasing Catholic
population in the Sea Bright and Rumson area cited the need
for the formation of a new parish. In May of that year,
Bishop Michael J. O’Farrell commissioned the Reverend John
H. Fox of St. Joseph’s Church, Bound Brook, to organize a
parish in Sea Bright, New Jersey.
In search of a site, Father Fox rented
the Knights of Pythias Hall in the River Side Hotel from
Peter A. Poppinga for two hundred dollars a month. The hotel
was located at the steamboat landing between South and River
Streets, Sea Bright. Father Fox sought lodgings in a private
home for which he paid nine dollars a month in rent.
The hall was the site of the first
Mass, which was celebrated on June 17, 1883. The combined
plate and door collection amounted to fifty-two dollars and
eighty-six cents. By the first week in August, the new
pastor was able to purchase two hundred stools for his
congregation in the amount of fifty-eight dollars and build
a new altar for eight dollars.
However, Father Fox was determined to
have a new church. He was met with equally determined
support from parish members who donated a total of $817.97
and by August 31st, an additional $483.75
stipulated as a “Subscription for Furnishing House.”
Meanwhile, the parish life continued
and Mary Abbe McCarron, the daughter of Hugo and Margaret
Nolan McCarron born on June 24, 1883, was baptized on July 7th;
the first child to be baptized in the new parish. The first
recorded marriage was that of Patrick J. Aylward and Joan
Carton, which took place on October 31, 1883.
During the summer of 1883, Father Fox
had the help of an assistant priest whose name could not be
found. However, in 1884, two newly ordained priests, the
Reverend William H. Lynch and Reverend John W. Murphy
assisted the pastor at different times during the next two
years.
The recently organized parish was
incorporated on March 3, 1884, with papers filed on March 4th.
The corporate name was “The Church of the Holy Cross, Sea
Bright, N.J.;” a name which continues to this day, even
though the church itself is now located in Rumson.
The
New Church
 As
early as August 15, 1883, plans were underway for a new
church. According to the Red Bank Register of that date
(Vol. IV, No. 8) “the Sunday collections is for the
benefit of a new Catholic Church. The building will be
situated on a high bluff on the south side of Rumson Road
and just west of the draw bridge. He plans are being
drawn.”
However, it was not until the spring of
1885 that Father Fox had definitely decided on the Rumson
location. On May 5th, there was the initial
purchase of the former R.W. Rutherford property. But the
property proved inadequate in size, being only eighty feet
wide, and a subsequent exchange and purchase of property
from the neighboring S.H. Hartshorne estate was executed
later in August.
The contract to build the church was
awarded to John Burke of Asbury Park for the sum of $8,440
and the architect was Charles Keely. On August 30, 1885, the
cornerstone was laid and while the initial cost was only
$27.87, the enthusiastic pastor received donations amounting
to $626.00 from a collection taken right at the ceremony!
His enthusiasm was shared by others, Catholics and
non-Catholics alike. One of the first donors was Clinton B.
Fisk, a member of the Methodist faith and a presidential
candidate who was then residing in Rumson.
The new church was dedicated on June
27, 1886 by Bishop O’Farrell, who saw the fruition of his
first commission to Father Fox only a few years previous.
Shortly after the dedication, the Bishop made another visit
to the Parish of the Church of the Holy Cross; this time to
administer the sacrament of Confirmation.
The
section above was taken from the Holy Cross Centennial
Newsletter.
Today, Holy Cross Parish, continues to
be an extraordinarily vibrant community. The Parish is
blessed with a community of 1,556 families at the present.
In addition to fostering Catholic education through its
elementary school and numerous religious education programs,
the parish continues to expand as a faith community, a sign
of God’s kingdom here on earth. Holy Cross is blessed with
25 ministries, including the Altar Guild, Lectors, Respect
Life Committee, Ushers, School Advisory Council, Bereavement
Ministry and Social Concerns Committee to name a few. Over
100 Holy Cross parishioners are involved in Weekly Renew
type prayer groups and volunteer committees. Over 400
parishioners donate their time and talents to serve the Holy
Cross Parish family throughout the year.
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