LAURENCE HARBOR — Because of the COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic, many events and celebrations had to be postponed over the past 15 months. Religious celebrations were no exceptions to that disruption: marriages, baptisms, first holy Communions and confirmations were all impacted. The installation of pastors at parishes in the diocese also had to be rescheduled.
At the beginning of the Mass of Installation of Father Mark F. Kehoe as pastor of St. Lawrence Parish, July 25, Bishop James F. Checchio greeted the congregation and welcomed them to, “the most postponed pastor installation in Metuchen.”
In his homily, Bishop Checchio, principal celebrant, quoted Pope Francis, who said, “The first task of a priest is to be what he is, a believer, and someone his people can believe with.
“The parishioners of St .Lawrence know Father Kehoe,” the bishop continued, so he and they realize, that he “is a priest they can believe with.”
During the Rite of Installation, Father Kehoe, who was appointed administrator of the parish in 2018, was formally introduced to the parish’s clergy and staff, Finance Committee, Pastoral Council and Trustees. The new pastor then gave his Oath of Fidelity to the Church and Bishop Checchio.
Carrie Ann Csapo, a Trustee who had welcomed Bishop Checchio and the congregation to the Mass, said she has worked with Father Kehoe for three years and believes he has done an excellent job leading the parish. She noted that during the early days of the pandemic when churches were closed, “the arrangements Father Kehoe instituted for the celebration of the Mass in the parish center at that time made the experience as close to normal as was possible.”
Deacon Michael Abriola added that when it was necessary to move the celebration of the Mass from the church to the parish center, “Father took great care to arrange the seating carefully so that while families and couples could sit together those who wished to separate could be socially distant and comfortable in the environment.”
Deacon Abriola, a member of the parish for more than 20 years, has exercised his ministry at the parish since he was ordained in 2012. He said he enjoys working with Father Kehoe very much and on many levels. “It is obvious that Father Kehoe is a very spiritual person. He is a good, holy priest and has great devotion to and reverence for the Mass.”
Father Kehoe was born in Bristol, Pa. the son of Jerome P. Kehoe Sr. and the late Marian A. Kehoe. He was raised in Pennsylvania, where he attended Catholic schools throughout his entire education. After graduating from St. Mark Ephrem School, Bristol, he attended Bishop Egan High School, Fairless Hills.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religious Studies at Holy Family College, Philadelphia.
After college, Father Kehoe taught religion and English. In 1995, having discerned that the Lord was calling him to the priesthood, he entered Holy Apostles Seminary, where he earned a Master of Divinity Degree.
Reflecting on his journey to the priesthood, he said that he was always very impressed by the parish priests he knew growing up and he especially credits a former pastor, Msgr. Martin O’Halloran, as having a strong impact on his vocation.
In May 1999, Father Kehoe was ordained to the priesthood by the late Bishop Vincent De Paul Breen at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen. Prior to his assignment as administrator of St. Lawrence Parish in 2018, he served as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Peace Parish, Fords; Sts. Philip and James Parish, Phillipsburg; St. John the Evangelist Parish, Lambertville; and St Mary Parish, Alpha.
The new pastor believes that his most memorable moments as a priest have been when, “comforting and anointing those who are sick and dying. These can be very sad moments, but they are also edifying to a priest.”
After the Mass, Father Kehoe expressed his gratitude to Bishop Checchio for the opportunity to serve the parishioners of St. Lawrence and for installing him as their pastor. “When you are planning an event like this you think of all the things that could go wrong, but I believe it all came together,” he said. He also believes that after the past year with all the disruptions and confusion, “this was a very happy experience, not just for me, but for the parish as well.”
Parishioner Linda Focolaro, the lector for the Mass, noted that Father Kehoe is blessed with a great sense of humor. “This makes him very effective in dealing with the young members of the parish,” she added.
Father Kehoe had given an example of his sense of humor when, at the end of Mass, he thanked Bishop Checchio and all who were present. He specifically acknowledged and thanked his brother and family for attending the Mass and especially noted he was grateful that his nephews “had remained awake during the entire celebration.”