Parish celebrates 75 years of faith, family, generosity

A sign on Main Street in front of Annunciation Church, Bloomsbury, welcomed Bishop James F. Checchio, parishioners and guests – a visible example of the pride and excitement parishioners felt as they celebrated the 75th anniversary of the founding of Annunciation Parish on Sept. 24.

Bishop James F. Checchio, who served as principal celebrant and homilist for the anniversary Mass, was assisted by Father Roberto D. Coruña, pastor, who served as concelebrant.

Bishop Checchio welcomed each member of the congregation as they entered with, “Happy Anniversary!”

Annunciation Parish is the successor to the parish of St. Joachim that was built in 1874 to serve the Catholic railroad workers working on the Musconetcong Mountain tunnel in Bethlehem Township. That church burned down in 1944 and the Diocese of Trenton dedicated the present church in September, 1948.

Similar to the earlier church, it was originally a mission of St. Ann Parish, Hampton. In 1982 with the appointment of its first resident pastor, Father Raymond V. Attanasio, it became an independent parish under the newly erected Diocese of Metuchen.

As the Jubilee Mass began, Bishop Checchio and the other minsters were led to the sanctuary by Helen Fitzpatrick, a parishioner for 50 years, who carried a statue from St. Joachim Church, the only surviving item from the 1944 fire.

In his homily, Bishop Checchio reflected on the Gospel parable of the generous landowner who paid all his workers a full day’s wage, even those who were hired only for a few hours. Some grumbled about the unfairness of having to work a full day to earn what others were given for an hour or two. The parable, said the Bishop, reflects our relationship to God.

Bishop Checchio reminded the congregation that to follow Jesus is an honor, not a burden; to be invited to the Lord’s Supper, to live our Christian dignity. “But how quickly honors can become burdens. That happens when we think we are doing God a favor rather than acknowledging it is God who always favors us. We don’t have a right to be his servants. Jesus wants servants who come in from the vineyard and say thank you, not looking for a reward. Our Lord is asking us today to serve our bothers and sisters.

“Gratefully the parish of Annunciation has been generous for 75 years and more,” the Bishop said. He enumerated many examples of the food and clothing drives that the parish and their various organizations have organized, on local, diocesan, national and international levels. “I want to thank you for your generosity these past 75 years,” the Bishop said.

According to David Dalrymple, a lay trustee who served as an usher for the Mass, “Given the size of our parish many of us wear a number of different hats, but fortunately we all enjoy working together.”  He credits this spirit of cooperation largely to Father Coruña, “He is the warmest hearted person you’ll ever meet.”

Father Coruña has been the pastor of Annunciation Parish since 2004.  He was born in the Philippines where he completed his studies for the priesthood and was ordained in 1977.  Prior to coming to Bloomsbury, Father Coruña served as parochial vicar in Our Lady of Victories, Sayreville, and Our Lady of Fatima,
Piscataway.

Although it is a small parish with about 175 registered families, Father Coruña remarked it has a strong family base.  He said, “It is a pleasure to see that even when the children leave for college or move away, if they are back home for any period of time, the families attend together.”

Following the Mass, parishioners were invited to a reception in the Mountain View Chalet, Asbury, with an opportunity to review photos, videos and mementoes of the parish’s history on display.