Our Catholic Heritage

The earliest Catholic presence recorded in the area is a Mass celebrated in the summer of 1852 by Father Edward Brady. From 1864 until 1999 the area was part of the territory of Immaculate Conception Church.

Our Church

In 1990, the Diocese of Metuchen acquired property on Whitebridge Road with a view to long-term population growth in the area. The following year local residents John W. and Catherine Raymonds made a gift of a new church to the Catholic families in the area. Construction began on October 21, 1991 and the foundation stone was laid on April 29, 1992. The church was solemnly consecrated by Bishop Edward Hughes on October 13, 1993 under the patronage of St. Catherine of Siena.

Our Parish

St. Catherine of Siena Parish began as a mission church of Immaculate Conception Parish in Clinton. On June 15, 1999, Father Peter Suhaka was installed as the first resident priest and pastor. Canonically erected by Bishop Edward T. Hughes on September 25, 1992, the boundaries of the parish include the major part of Franklin Township as well as substantial sections of Alexandria and Union Townships. Our community welcomed Fr. Chester Zalubski, SBD as Parish administrator in the Spring of 2011. Father Chester was installed as Pastor of the community by Bishop Bootkowski at the 20th anniversary celebration of the church in April of 2012.

Our Parish Center

To meet the needs of our growing community, the parish purchased a building on Perryville Road in Hampton, NJ in August of 2008 to serve as our Community Center. Since the property was first purchased, many of our parishioners and local businesses have donated their time, talent and treasure to renovate the building. The center has a large worship space, a kitchen, office space, a choir loft and restroom facilities. The interior space has been updated with new floors and fresh paint. The altar area has been enhanced with wooden mouldings salvaged from other church facilities. This allows us to close off the altar when the space is used for meetings and recreational activities.

The exterior of the building has been enhanced with a stone facade and landscaping. A much needed shed was provided by one of our Eagle Scouts -- one of many such projects undertaken by Scouts in our parish community. The final and most extensive part of the project was the expansion of the parking lot. This work was completed in September of 2010.

Mass was first held at the center the weekend of September 18th and 19, 2010. The parish community gathered together for a Mass of thanksgiving and celebration on Sunday October 31, 2010 at the 11:45 a.m. Mass. Bishop Paul Gregory Bootkoski presided over the Mass blessing both the altar and the center. Bishop Bootkoski recognized the many gifts of stewardship and the dedication of St. Catherine's parishoners which made the new center a reality.