St Thomas the Apostle - Oak Ridge NJ - Roman Catholic Churches on Waymarking.com

From St Thomas' website:

There had been an early mission in Cozy Lake attended by Father Vogt. When the gasoline restrictions of World War II made it difficult for Catholics in that area to drive to Butler or to Echo Lake, Mr. And Mrs. Edward Gorman offered Father Vogt a store which they owned in Milton, inviting him to celebrate Sunday Masses there.

In the meantime, however, Bishop McLaughlin had made the area a mission of the diocesan priests at Sacred Heart Church in Rockaway. Father Vogt referred the Gormans to Father Romanak, the pastor of Sacred Heart. Father Romanak gladly accepted Mrs. Gorman's offer, and during the summer of 1942 he celebrated Mass in this store on Cozy Lake Road, Milton. The building still stands. Later it became Frieda's Delicatessen, which is today a private home near Camp Nyota.


From 1943 to 1947 summer Masses in Milton were held in the Cozy Lake Club House, but, unfortunately, the building caved in during a blizzard in the winter of 1947.


During 1948 and 1949, Mass was celebrated during the summer months in Demski's Tavern in Oak Ridge; today this is the Eastern Propane Garage near the Oak Ridge Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Harry Demski's generous offer of her tavern involved not a little sacrifice and work on her part. Because the dance hall section was used for Mass, Mrs. Demski and her daughters had to transform the hall every Saturday night after dancing was over. They screened off the bar with drapes and worked hard and long every Saturday after midnight to make the room ready for Sunday morning Masses.


By now Milton was growing, and it seemed more promising than Marcella for the location of a new church. So Father McKenna sold a parcel of land which the parish had purchased in Marcella and purchased four-and-a-half acres at the corner of Berkshire Valley Road and Milton Road for $3,900.


At this point, the Mission of St. Thomas the Apostle in Milton, subject to St. Simon the Apostle in Green Pond, was established. This was mid-1949.

Type of Church: Church Status of Building: Actively in use for worship Date of organization: 06/06/1949 Date of building construction: 04/13/1969 Archdiocese: Newark Diocese: Paterspn Address/Location: 5635 Berkshire Valley Rd Oak Ridge, NJ usa 07438 Relvant Web Site: [Web Link] Dominant Architectural Style: Not listed Associated Shrines, Art, etc.: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/01/2010 79scouts visited it