‘Small parish with big heart’ celebrates major milestones

On Oct. 16, St. Stephen Protomartyr Parish celebrated major milestones at a Mass: its 115th anniversary; the 100th anniversary of the current church edifice, and the 15th anniversary of the founding of its Hispanic ministry that has revitalized the faith community.

Bishop James F. Checchio presided at the Mass and gave the homily.

“The people of St. Stephen’s knew that the needed the Eucharist if they were going to be the disciples Jesus called them to be, and hence sacrificed much to start this parish” the bishop said in his homily.

“The Eucharist is so important in helping us to be persistent in prayer and to be disciples who take on the eyes and heart of Jesus in responding to those in need. I certainly want to thank you for persevering in prayer and for your continuing to strive to pass on the faith and build the kingdom of God here in South River.”

St. Stephen Protomartyr Parish was formed in 1907 to meet the needs of Hungarian immigrants to the South River area. The original all-wooden church was dedicated in April that year at the first Mass celebrated in it.

Fourteen years later, the original church burnt down. But that same year, the present church building was completed at a cost of $19, 987.

In 1961, the parish was at its largest until now, with 451 families and 298 children enrolled in religious education.

The Sisters of Divine Charity from Hungary served at the parish from 1942-1955.

In 1956, the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul came to the parish, where they served until 1976.

In 1978, as the influx of immigrants from Europe slowed, Mass in the Hungarian language was discontinued.

In 2007, John J. Szczepanik, a native of Poland who was ordained to the priesthood in 1988, was named pastor. Prior to that, he had served as a parochial vicar at parishes in the diocese.

In a telephone interview several days after the Mass, Father Szczepanik said when he arrived St. Stephen’s was “a dying parish.” At the time, 195 families still attended Mass, many of them elderly, and only 23 children were enrolled in its religious education program.

Within a few months of his arrival, Father Szczepanik created a ministry to serve Spanish-speaking parishioners because he was aware of the number of immigrants of Hispanic descent in the town. When he celebrated the first Mass in Spanish, only one person attended. But he persisted, walking around the neighborhood to talk with people and visiting homes, inviting Hispanic immigrants to attend Mass at St. Stephen Church, where they found a welcoming home.

Remarkably, he had begun preparing for this ministry well in advance, thanks to a spiritual experience he had a few years after his ordination. On pilgrimage to the Basilica Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia in Higüey, Dominican Republic, Father Szczepanik was praying silently when he heard “a strange voice in my heart” urging him to turn toward the Hispanic community.

He taught himself Spanish and earned a master’s degree in the history of the Church from Seton Hall University, South Orange. He went on to study at Oxford University; University of Washington, D.C., and in Salamanca, Spain, earning a doctoral degree in the history of the Church, particularly the history of the Church in Latin America.

The parish was reinvigorated by the presence of Spanish-speaking Catholics, increasing membership from 195 active families in 2007 to 455 active families in 2021. Currently, 121 children are enrolled in religious education.

About 70 percent of the parish consists of Spanish-speaking parishioners, Father Szczepanik said.

“By having introduced the Hispanic ministry at the same time, I think I was doing the will of God and saving the parish from disappearance,” he said.

In 2016, Bishop Checchio blessed a shrine to Our Lady of Mariapocs next to the church. The shrine honors the Hungarian roots of the parish. Our Lady of Mariapocs is the title given to a Marian icon that is reported to have “wept” miraculously while in the town of Mariapocs, Hungary, in 1696.

“With God’s help and with the help of many good people, both American parishioners and Hispanic parishioners, we have been able to bring this parish back to life and make it continuously grow,” Father Szczepanik said.

In 2018, the church underwent a major renovation paid for by the Spanish-speaking community of St. Stephen’s, including new flooring, repainting, new kneelers and refurbished pews. Many parishioners have shared their skills, working to complete renovations with their own hands.

“God works in great ways,” said Father Szczepanik. “It is a very small parish, but with a very big heart.”