Scotch Plains Church Celebrates 75 Years With Event Series

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ - 75 years looks good on St. Bartholomew The Apostle, the Roman Catholic church standing at 2032 Westfield Avenue. The church, first established in 1948, has performed nearly 11,400 baptisms, 10,700 first communions, 10,000 confirmations, 2,900 weddings, 3,800 funerals and countless masses throughout its seven-decade run.

To celebrate 75 years of St. Bartholomew serving the Scotch Plains-Fanwood community, the parish is slated to host several events in 2023, starting with a “First Friday” mass and luncheon featuring a guest speaker on Friday, March 3 at 11 a.m., the church said in a statement.

All seniors are welcome to attend this event and must sign up at stbartholomewchurch.org/seniors.

A prayer service honoring St. Bartholomew’s Knights & Dames will continue the festivities on March 5 at 2 p.m. in the church. This year’s honorees are:

• Jack Cirrito
• Darlene Coronato
• Kelly & Christine Dencker
• The Fenandoe Family
• John Paul & Brooke Hamel
• Deacon Donald Hessemer
• Shirley lovino
• Michael & Sharon LaForge
• Martha Marino
• Andrew MacDonald
• Michael & Otilia Michalisin
• The Nitro Family
• Rev. David Santos
• Daniela Sellinger
• Kelly Watson

Other celebrations during the diamond jubilee year will include a Golf Outing on May 8, a Parish Picnic on June 11, the Faith Based Speaker Series (various dates) and the 75th Anniversary Gala Celebration on Nov. 17.

The final celebration of the 75 anniversary of the church will be a 75th Anniversary Mass at the church on Nov. 19, and will be celebrated by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of the Archdiocese of Newark.

A news release from the parish explained a brief history of the site:

“After many years of not having a place of worship within their own town, Roman Catholic Scotch Plains & Fanwood residents turned to the Archdiocese of Newark hoping for a parish to be established within their hometowns,” the release reads.

“On July 10, 1946, intense efforts began to establish a Roman Catholic parish in Scotch Plains beginning with a “Letter of Appeal” to the Most Reverend Thomas Joseph Walsh, the Archbishop of the Newark Diocese at that time. Nearly two years later, on June 4, 1948, Archbishop Walsh granted their request and issued a “Letter of Establishment” … on November 21, the “groundbreaking ceremony” took place and the rest is history.”

For more information regarding the parish and these 75th anniversary events, you can visit the St. Bartholomew the Apostle Church’s website at stbartholomewchurch.org.