 Early History of Holy Eucharist ...... |
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Church of the Holy Eucharist in Tabernacle, NJ Little did John Brainard, a young Christian missionary from Indian Mills, realize that the establishment of a one room church in 1778 would lead to the eventual name for a growing Township. This small church built on the present site of the Tabernacle Cemetery at the corner of Chatsworth and Hampton Gate Road was organized for the North Eastern section of what was then Shamong Township. The church became known as “Tabernacle In The Wilderness”, both Indians and white settlers worshipped in it. As the population grew, a Catholic identity began to take shape even though numbers were few. In 1940 the faithful worshipped at Saint Ann’s in the Pines, Browns Mills and Sacred Heart in Mt. Holly. In 1943 a missionary church began in Medford Lakes. It was known then as The Log Cabin Church. Fr. Paul Greco eventually became the first pastor. Catholic school children first attended Sacred Heart School in Mt. Holly and later Our Lady of Good Counsel in Moorestown. Anthony Russo shuttled the children to and from Moorestown on one school bus. CCD was taught in the Russos’ home by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Newark from 1946 to 1955. The need for a Catholic school became apparent and St. Joseph’s School, located on Rt. 70 in Medford, opened its doors in 1956. The parish continued to grow and shortly after Fr. William Campbell’s arrival in 1958, plans were made for a new church. St. Mary’s of the Lakes was dedicated in 1966. By the summer of 1981, St. Mary’s of the Lakes had become the largest geographical parish in New Jersey After the census of 1981, Fr. John Campoli of St. Mary’s of the Lakes realized a need for Mass to be held at an additional location. Tabernacle Middle School became the site for these services. The first Masses were held at 9:30 and 11:00 A.M. and began in the summer of 1982. The weekly attendance grew to 500. It became apparent to Bishop Reiss that a church in Tabernacle would be both a spiritual and practical benefit to the people in their attendance at Mass and all other forms of worship. The announcement was received on Sept. 17, 1982 that the new parish - Holy Eucharist - would begin operation on October 1, 1982. The bounds of the parish include these townships: Shamong, Southampton, Tabernacle, and Woodland. Twelve and a half acres of farm land was purchased on November 18, 1983 from Anthony Russo. The property had been in the Russo family since 1970 when it was purchased from Mervin Fletcher. Originally this land was owned by Frank Earl Haines. An architect, Henry Jung, A.I.A., was engaged in early August 1983. Among his many accomplishments are the Air Force Academy Chapel in Colorado, the United Nations Chapel in New York and sixty other churches around the country. Contracting bids thru our Building Committee for our new church were accepted in January 1985. E. Allen Reeves Inc., of Abington, PA, was awarded the general contract. After all necessary approvals were received, ground was broken on April 19, 1985. Actual construction began in June of 1985 and was completed in the summer of 1986. Dedication of the Church was September 7, 1986
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