Old St. Bridget's Church.
1 2018-12-09T20:40:05+00:00 Sarah McClure c3ca59acae49b0786c9789492e237e547d9500d8 31 1 A photo of the old St. Bridget's church building, built in 1882. It was eventually demolished when the new church was built across the street in 1963. The place where it stood is now a parking lot. plain 2018-12-09T20:40:05+00:00 Sarah McClure c3ca59acae49b0786c9789492e237e547d9500d8This page is referenced by:
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St. Bridget's Catholic Church
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This small Irish Catholic Church has grown to become the home of a faithful and diverse group of worshipers.
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An Irish Origin
The congregation began with a group of 20 families. The mission was led by Fr. James Daley, Pastor of St Mary’s, Gloucester. Although not Catholic, Mr. Whitney donated the land for the church, located on the northwest corner of University Boulevard and Harvard Road (39.707529, -75.129538). The parish’s Irish origin lead to the church being called St. Bridget, the second patron saint of Ireland.
Many of the parishioners worked at the local Whitney Glassworks. The walk from the glassworks to the church was long and tiresome. So to accommodate, the church decided to move. In 1882 the land was purchased for the new church on Church St. and construction began.
As the construction began, there was a breakdown causing the church to be left on the railroad tracks. Since the passenger trains were done for the day the moving of the church was halted till morning. However, the freight train schedule was still occurring with the church dangerously sitting on the tracks. Fortunately, a trainman alerted the train and a group of off-duty rail workers moved the church off the tracks preventing a collision. The construction of the church was finished by the same year.
In 1963 a new church was built across from the previous location on 125 Church St. The old church was demolished in 1964 and was paved over to become a parking lot for the church.
Reflections on St. Bridget's
Currently, I am an active member of the church. Although I never experienced the past of this church I can see the remnants along with the memories and experiences of the members. Now that Rowan has become a focal point in Glassboro the church has added a 6 P.M. mass on Sundays for university students. Many of these students use the parish as a local church for their short stay in Glassboro as many students are from outside town. In many ways, the dynamic changes to the church are just as apparent in its past as the present. The Latinx community is also very present in the church with masses spoken in Spanish. The increasing diversity of the parish shows the evolving story of a singular location. Overall this church has a sense of community and faith which has created a great sense of place and spirituality.
