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MIDDLESEX — When Father David V. Skoblow began his journey as a newly-ordained priest and parochial vicar at Our Lady of Peace Parish, Fords, in 2015, he told a reporter that his primary responsibility was the salvation of souls, which, pursuant to canon law, is “the supreme law of the Church.” Seven years later, it remains the focus of his ministry as he assumed the office of pastor of Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish.
Several days after he was formally installed as shepherd of Our Lady of Mount Virgin, Father Skoblow, who had been appointed administrator of Our Lady of Mount Virgin in 2018, said “I was thrilled when the Bishop [James F. Checchio] took me aside to tell me that he was appointing me as pastor. The appointment as pastor brings stability both to me and to the parish so that we can get on with the challenges that face the parish, both spiritual and financial.”
As pastor, Father Skoblow is in charge of the spiritual and pastoral needs of about 5,700 registered parishioners, living in 2,400 households. “Since Middlesex is about 40 percent Catholic [like the rest of New Jersey],” he noted, “the parish has the ability to reach out directly to virtually all the local Catholics.
“Unfortunately,” he added, “we have only been seeing about 1,200 parishioners at Mass, and that was pre-COVID. Our challenge is to reach out to the other 80 percent of Middlesex Catholics who are not active and provide them with a clear and compelling case for returning to an active participation in the Church.
“At my installation Mass, I swore an oath of fidelity to be loyal to the magisterium of the Church, without compromise and without diluting the faith. The spiritual challenge is to present the faith clearly and authentically in a way that resonates with my flock, and to faithfully celebrate the sacraments with the mind of the Church.
“Like many parishes,” he added, “we also have financial challenges. While I’ve told my parishioners many times that I am more interested in seeing parishioners in the pews than I am in seeing money in the bank, I am firmly convinced that with the former will come the latter. And with a more spiritually vibrant parish, I hope to also see more vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate, and the religious life.”
Like most priests, Father Skoblow’s path to Holy Orders, and now Our Lady of Mount Virgin, is unique. He was raised in Queens, N.Y. As a resident of the borough’s Jackson Heights section, he was a member of St. Joan of Arc Parish, where he served as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. His church affiliation changed when he joined the choir at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan in 1981, a position he held for 31 years.
After attending the Bronx High School of Science, Father Skoblow earned a bachelor’s degree in history at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Penn’s Wharton School of Finance. From Penn, Father Skoblow went on to earn a master’s degree in international relations at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., a law degree at Georgetown’s law school, and then a masters in law at the London School of Economics.
In 1999, Father Skoblow began the journey that would eventually lead to priestly ordination by enrolling in a program based out of the Maryvale Institute, Birmingham, England, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in divinity and 2004 and a master’s degree in theology in 2011. Because the Archdiocese of New York at the time had a policy of not accepting anyone over 50-years-old for the priesthood, Father Skoblow looked for another diocese that would accept him. At a dinner for the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in September 2011, Father Skoblow, who is also a Chaplain of the Order of Malta, met Msgr. Sylvester J. Cronin. During their conversation, Father Skoblow told Msgr. Cronin about New York’s policy and asked him, “How does your bishop feel about delayed vocations?” Within a few weeks, Father Skoblow met with now Bishop Emeritus Paul G. Bootkoski; Msgr. Randall J. Vashon, director, diocesan Office of Vocations; and Msgr. Edward C. Puleo, director, diocesan Office for Priest Personnel. Father Skoblow’s application was accepted, and he began his formation to the priesthood at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary outside of Boston.
Father Skoblow believes that his extensive academic background and his work experience heading the legal department of an international bank gives him important skills that he brings with him to the administration of the parish. “The challenge is to balance good administration with solid ministry, which, of course, is the overriding priority. In addition,” he added, “I have a diverse background that helps me to more readily identify with a variety of people and situations. While I am a cradle Catholic, my father was Jewish. I’ve always attended public schools. I’ve also travelled to 66 countries. My hope is that I can continue to put all this to good use for the benefit of the parish and the glory of God.”
In his homily, Bishop Checchio, who presided at the liturgy and Rite of Installation, said that among Father Skoblow’s many responsibilities as pastor will be “to teach, sanctify and shepherd this community; but the most important and joyful of all the things he does, is to lead you in the celebration of the Eucharist, and it will feed him for all his other responsibilities. It will help him to exemplify in his life the meaning of the sacred ministries which he celebrates.”
“May our mother, Mary, wrap her mantle around Father David and lead him and all of you closer into the heart of her blessed son, Jesus Christ, who loves us so much that He poured out His own Blood to save us,” the bishop said, adding, “I thank you for making the Eucharist an important part of your lives. It certainly encourages me to see your love of the Lord and His Eucharist. Praised be Jesus Christ.”
According to the parish’s website, it was named after the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Virgin near Avellino, Italy. In 1924, Luigi and Filomena Curcio donated the property and promised to provide the altar and statues if a church could be built in Middlesex and named for the church they remembered and loved in Italy. The original mission church was completed in 1925. The parish was erected in1943, and the present church was completed in 1971.
