Our Lady of Good Counsel Church (Moorestown, New Jersey)

Last updated
Our Lady of Good Counsel Church
Sanctuary OLGC.jpg
View of the sanctuary of the main church at the Parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Moorestown, New Jersey
Our Lady of Good Counsel Church (Moorestown, New Jersey)
Location42 West Main Street, Moorestown, New Jersey
CountryUnited States
Denomination Catholic
History
Founded1832
Dedication Our Lady of Good Counsel
Architecture
Style Mid-Gothic Romanesque Revival
CompletedJuly 14, 1895
Administration
Diocese Trenton

Our Lady of Good Counsel Roman Catholic Church is a church of the Catholic Diocese of Trenton in the Mid-Gothic Romanesque Revival style and is located at 42 West Main Street in Moorestown Township, New Jersey, United States. While the title "Our Lady of Good Counsel" is generally applied to a painting showing Mary comforting the child Jesus the parish has adopted its name from another event—the wedding feast at Cana at which Mary gave the waiters the "good counsel" recorded in John 2:5 that they should "do whatever he [Jesus] tells you." The current church building is the oldest building [1] in the downtown part of Moorestown, an area which, in 1990, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [2] The outside of the church is marked by a 1,150 pound statue of Mary, [3] holding the infant Jesus—placed there to mark the centenary of the church building. It was designed by Carl LaVitch of Pennsauken, New Jersey.

Contents

History

Outside of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Moorestown, New Jersey Vertical OLGC Sanctuary.jpg
Outside of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Moorestown, New Jersey

The parish grew out of a mission on the farm of a Catholic family which had settled in Fellowship, New Jersey in 1832; they established a mission chapel named “The Chapel of Our Lady and St. Patrick” at which Mass would sometimes be celebrated by priests traveling from the parish of Immaculate Conception in Camden, about ten miles to the southwest. At that time, the parish was in the Philadelphia Diocese and, as the Catholic population of the area grew, Bishop John Neumann of the Philadelphia Diocese in 1852 ordered that Mass be celebrated at the chapel monthly.

After a fire destroyed the chapel in 1866, a straw purchase (used because of the antipathy towards Catholics in the town at the time) gained the congregation the land for a new church on the main street of Moorestown and the building, a brick church, opened in 1867. By 1879, the Bishop of Newark Michael Corrigan changed the status of the church from "mission church" to a parish—meaning it would be served by a resident priest.

The current church, built of Stockton stone, was erected after the original structure was damaged in a wind storm in the early 1890s and was completed sixteen months after the cornerstone was laid on July 14, 1895. [4]

School

In 1927, the parish grade school opened with four classrooms for eight grades, staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill, who remained at the school until 1986. In 1962, the school was expanded, allowing two classes for each grade level. The school won the National Blue Ribbon Award for excellence in 2015.

Current population and status

Photo of the Crypt Chapel at Good Counsel Church Lower Church at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Moorestown, NJ--January 2010.jpg
Photo of the Crypt Chapel at Good Counsel Church

As of mid-2013, the parish, which included most of Moorestown and a portion of Mount Laurel, consisted of more than 5,800 Catholic families. Since 2017, the school enrollment was about 420 students from PK3 to Eighth Grade and a Religious Education program provided religious instruction for more than 1,500 Catholic students who attend public schools. [5] School students are not limited to families of parishioners. The school principal is Dr. Carla Chiarelli.

The current administrator is the Reverend Christopher Picollo. The current Mass schedule is (for Sabbath Masses) at 5 p.m. on Saturday and at 8:00, 10:00 a.m. and noon on Sunday, while daily Masses are at 9 a.m. from Monday through Saturday in the Crypt Chapel. In addition there is Confession of sins on Saturday afternoons at 3:30 p.m. in the chapel. [6] The Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses can be viewed live on the parish website, which also contains an archive of selected past services.

The upper church is accessible to wheelchairs via a ramp at the front entrance on Main Street.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church</span> Catholic church in Raleigh, North Carolina

Saint Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic Jesuit church located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady Immaculate and St Joseph Church, Prescot</span> Church in Merseyside, United Kingdom

Our Lady Immaculate and St Joseph Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Prescot, Merseyside. It was built in 1856-57 by the Society of Jesus, and is now in the Knowsley deanery of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. It is a Grade II listed building, designed by Joseph Aloysius Hansom, and is next to the Church of St Mary on Vicarage Place in the centre of Prescot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Edmund's Church, Bury St Edmunds</span> Church in Bury St Edmunds, United Kingdom

St Edmund's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1763 and the current church was built on that site in 1837. It is situated on Westgate street in the centre of the town. It is administered by the Diocese of East Anglia, in its Bury St Edmunds deanery. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Joseph and St Francis Xavier Church</span> Church in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom

St Joseph and St Francis Xavier Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Richmond, North Yorkshire. It is situated between Newbiggin and Victoria Road to the south of Richmondshire Cricket Club. The church was built in 1868 and was designed by George Goldie. It was founded by the Society of Jesus and it is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Austin's Church, Wakefield</span> Church in Wakefield, England

St Austin's Church is a Roman Catholic Church building in Wakefield, England. It is situated near where Northgate meets Marsh Way close to the city centre. It was founded in 1827 by the Society of Jesus and is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael and St John Church, Clitheroe</span> Church in Clitheroe, United Kingdom

St Michael and St John the Evangelist Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Clitheroe, Lancashire, England. It is situated on Lowergate road close to the centre of the town. It was endowed in 1799 by the Catholic philanthropist Thomas Weld and staffed by members of the Society of Jesus. When the original building became St Michael and St John's Catholic Primary School in 1850, the church moved next-door to the school. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Leeds</span> Church in United Kingdom

Our Lady of Lourdes Church is a Roman Catholic church in the parish of St Jeanne Jugan, Leeds. It was built by the Society of Jesus in the 1920s and it is situated on Cardigan Road in Burley, Leeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady Help of Christians Church, Portico</span> Church in United Kingdom

Our Lady Help of Christians Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in the Portico area of Prescot, Merseyside. It was founded in 1790 by the Society of Jesus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Rhyl</span> Church in Denbighshire, United Kingdom

Our Lady of the Assumption Church, also known as St Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Rhyl, Denbighshire. It was founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus and was rebuilt in 1973. The original foundation was the first church the Jesuits built in Wales after establishing St Beuno's College in 1848.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Winefride's Church, Holywell</span> Church in Flintshire, Wales

St Winefride's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Holywell, Flintshire. It was founded by the Society of Jesus and was until recently the first church in the United Kingdom to be administered by the Vocationist Fathers now since departed as the parish returns into diocesan hands. It is Grade II listed building. It was the first church the Jesuits built in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corpus Christi Church, Brixton</span> Church in London, England

Corpus Christi Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Brixton, part of the Archdiocese of Southwark within the London Borough of Lambeth. It was previously under the administration of the Society of Jesus whilst remaining part of the Archdiocese. It was founded in 1886, was designed by John Francis Bentley and is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annunciation Church, Chesterfield</span> Church in Chesterfield, United Kingdom

Annunciation Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1854. Located in Spencer Street, near Saltergate and off-Newbold Road, it was designed by the architect Joseph Hansom and is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Edmund Church, Godalming</span> Church in Surrey , United Kingdom

St Edmund's Church is the Roman Catholic parish church of Godalming, a town in the English county of Surrey. It was built in 1906 to the design of Frederick Walters and is a Grade II listed building. The church stands on a "dramatic hillside site" on the corner of Croft Road just off Flambard Way close to the centre of the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Ransom Church, Eastbourne</span> Church in East Sussex, United Kingdom

Our Lady of Ransom Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Eastbourne, East Sussex. It was founded as a mission in 1869, built from 1900 to 1903, and had extensions completed in 1926. It is situated on the corner of Meads Road and Grange Road, opposite Eastbourne Town F.C. in the centre of the town. It was designed by Frederick Walters and is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary Magdalene's Church, Bexhill-on-Sea</span> Church in East Sussex, United Kingdom

St Mary Magdalene's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, England. It was founded in 1893 and built in 1907 in the Gothic Revival style. Dedicated to Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene, it is situated on the corner of Sea Road and Magdalen Road opposite Station Road and Bexhill railway station in the centre of the town. It was designed by Arthur Young and is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacred Heart Church, Petworth</span> Church in West Sussex, England

Sacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Petworth, West Sussex, England. It was built in 1896 and designed by Frederick Walters. It is situated on Angel Street to the north of Petworth Cottage Museum in the centre of the town. It is a Gothic Revival church and a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady and St Peter's Church, East Grinstead</span> Church in West Sussex, England

Our Lady and St Peter's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in East Grinstead. It was built from 1897 to 1898 and designed by Frederick Walters. It is situated on the London Road close to where it becomes Station Road, north of East Grinstead railway station. It is a Romanesque Revival church and a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Lowestoft</span> Church in Lowestoft, United Kingdom

Our Lady Star of the Sea Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Lowestoft, Suffolk. It is situated on Gordon Road in the centre of the town. It was founded by the Diocese of Northampton in 1881 and it is now administered by the Diocese of East Anglia. The church is in the Arts and Crafts style, the architects were George Baines and F.W. Richards, and it is a Grade II listed building. It is the most easterly Catholic parish church in the entire British Isles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady and St Michael's Church, Workington</span> Church in Workington, England

Our Lady and St Michael's Church also known as Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Michael's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Workington, Cumbria, England. It was built in 1876 by the Benedictines. It is located on Bank Road and Banklands to the south west of the town centre. It was designed by E. W. Pugin in the Gothic Revival style and is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady and St Peter's Church, Bridlington</span> Church in Bridlington, England

Our Lady and St Peter's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was built from 1893 to 1894 in the Gothic Revival style. It is located on the corner of Victoria Road and Wycliffe Lane, close to the town centre. It is a Grade II listed building.

References

  1. ↑ "The Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel - Moorestown, NJ - This Old Church on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2013-07-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ↑ "Rpinet.com". www.rpinet.com. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  4. ↑ "Parish History - Parish". www.olgcnj.org. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15.
  5. ↑ "Mission Statement/History - School". www.olgcnj.org. Archived from the original on 2011-06-18.
  6. ↑ "Mass and Confession Schedule - Parish". www.olgcnj.org. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15.

39°57′49″N74°56′52″W / 39.96351°N 74.94779°W / 39.96351; -74.94779

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.