St. Joseph's Church

59 Main Street
High Bridge, NJ 08829
(908) 638-6211

"A small country church with a big heart"

Rev. Maurice T. Carlton, Pastor
http://home.comcast.net/~sjchb/Index.htm

Brief History: for a complete history, visit the Church's website

Between 1880 and 2004, there have been twenty-six Pastors and Administrators of the parish serving the parish for periods as brief as two weeks and as long as twenty-four years. Early pastors were called upon to attend to churches in Clinton and Flemington until 1902 when a resident pastor was sent to the congregation in Flemington who would also serve Missions in Clinton and Stockton. The Immaculate Conception Church (formerly, "St. Mary's Church") in Clinton was later re-annexed to St. Joseph's and remained a Mission Church until 1947 when it became a parish. Several later Pastors and Assistant priests became Chaplains at the Annandale Farm for Boys (now the Youth Correctional Institution) and Clinton Farms for Women (now the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility). Resident priests were assisted in parish duties during various periods by Franciscan Fathers from New York, Benedictine Fathers from St. Mary's Abbey, Morristown, and Franciscans from Butler. At times, the Sisters of St. Joseph from their Regional Convent in Washington, NJ and Sisters of Mercy from North Plainfield assisted with catechetical teaching.

The Parish itself has also evolved, as immigrants from many other countries arrived in Hunterdon County and as Catholic influence increased in New Jersey. In 1881, Pope Leo XIII created the Diocese of Trenton, carving it out of the Diocese of Newark. The new Diocese of Trenton included fourteen counties and covered two-thirds of the area of New Jersey. It had about 35,000 Catholics in a general population of over 400,000. Hunterdon County remained in the Diocese of Trenton for one-hundred years until 1981, when that diocese, then with a Catholic population of 850,000, was divided again to establish the Diocese of Metuchen with over 400,000 Catholics, to include the counties of Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren. The Parish has continually adapted to societal changes and each shepherd of our parish has left a legacy that continues to evolve. Fr. Richard Ewing, who served the parish for more than 24 years until he retired in 1989, was very popular in the community and embraced ecumenism. He is still well-remembered by many parishioners. Fr. Len Rusay initiated the stewardship spirit and stimulated many parishioners to become engaged in parish life and fostered a strong sense of parish family. More recently, Fr. Maurice Carlton has built upon that foundation and has begun to concentrate on spiritual renewal and renewed interest in the scriptures and liturgies.

St. Joseph's parish history is substantial, our future is promising.