IN THE BEGINNING…
…there was a need. The need was to best serve the Catholic population of Westville, New Jersey. The need was met when, through the efforts of several dedicated Catholic residents of the borough, St. Anne's Roman Catholic Church formed a parish in 1921.
Westville was a recently formed borough, having incorporated in 1914. The new borough was comprised of three distinct villages; one was Victoria, or South Westville, which was made up of the streets now known as Hazel, Elm, Olive, and Chestnut. Another was Newbold, the streets known as River, Summit, Highland and Woodbine. Both of these areas were part of West Deptford Township. The village was Westville proper, part of Deptford Township. This was the area from Timber Creek to Broadway and the railroad tracks, the area first populated when the town was know as Buck Tavern and was an important stage stop along the King's Highway (Broadway), which ran from Perth Amboy to Salem.
The new Borough was situated at an important point in New Jersey. It had long been a major crossroads for commerce, providing a link to the ferries that plied the Delaware. Early railroads passed through town and aided the farmers of Gloucester County in getting their produce to the markets in the cities of Philadelphia and Camden. There were important local industries, too, including gas manufacture and fisheries.
Gradually, because of its confluence of roads (Delsea Drive, Salem Pike and Crown Point Road), Westville became known as the "Gateway to South Jersey." Local businesses thrived. Westville also built schools; the borough's first was the old Newbold School which was built around 1885 (demolished in 1966). Houses of worship flourished. The First Methodist Church was found in 1860; in 1868 it brought a church building from the Presbyterian Society of Westville and still uses this facility on Broadway.
There was a summer tourist trade as well, with many families from the cities coming here for boating along Timber Creek, bathing on the Delaware View Avenue. Another attraction was the giant Washington Park, an amusement park that boasted the world's largest ferris wheel. Located in what is now the Coastal Company's woods along Swamp Martha, the Park was accessible by trolley from Gloucester City. It was this environment that the residents of Westville earned their livelihoods and raised their families.
By the time of incorporation, several churches existed within the borough boundaries, but the Catholic people of Westville had to leave town to worship. Some families belonged to St. Patrick's parish in Woodbury, seat of Gloucester County. This parish was founded about 1845. Others traveled to St. Mary's Church in Gloucester City, a parish which dates to 1848. As the number of Catholic families increased, some enlightened townspeople began discussion on the practicality of forming a Catholic parish in Westville. Around 1917, this effort was spearheaded by one Michael J. O'Brien. Born in Philadelphia in 1885, Michael O'Brien had moved to Westville with his German born wife, Kathryn, who was a convert to Catholicism. They were raising their family in a house on Summit Avenue. O'Brien worked as a proofreader at Curtis Publishing in Philadelphia.
Under
O'Brien's leadership, a meeting of about twenty people was held at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hassenforder at 400 River Drive. After thoughtful
discussion, this group agreed to pursue their goal of establishing a Catholic
community within Westville. The most immediately visible result of that
agreement was the celebration of the first (recorded) Mass in the Borough. This
Mass was celebrated at the Hassenforder home, where it was then held regularly
for the next year. The first Mass was celebrated by Father John J. Foley of St.
Mary's Church in Gloucester City. Reverend Foley also acted as a counselor for
the fledgling.Another priest from St. Mary's succeeded Father Foley in 1918, when Father Anthony K. Swartz came to celebrate Mass and offered spiritual care to Westville's Catholics. However, the great influenza epidemic of 1918 claimed Father Swatz's life, and the pastor of St. Mary's Church, Father Maurice Bric, found it necessary to suspend pastoral service to Westville until the raging epidemic subsided.
Once the flu epidemic had ended, the weekly Masses in Westville resumed at the Hassenforder home. It soon became obvious that the Catholic population of Westville had outgrown the big house on River Drive. Leaders of the group rented the Embassy Theatre on Pine Street in Westville. This stood on what is now the borough parking lot. (The theatre was destroyed by fire in 1963.) Missionary priests from Villanova, Pennsylvania assisted the Gloucester parish in providing services to Westville. Mass continued to be celebrated in the Embassy Theatre and the parish was designed as a mission of St. Patrick's Church in Woodbury, where Reverend Charles G. McCorriston was pastor.
During this time, Mrs. Hassenforder served as one of the first Sunday School teachers, with classes conducted in her home. Miss Mary Sheldrick, of the 400 block of Summit Avenue, played piano and taught choir in her home for many years.
December 6, 1920 was the date of the inception of the Catholic Club of Westville, which was formed at the home of William McKeever. Other founding members in this club included John Bowe, George Graham, Frank Lillig, Harry Souder, and Albert and Edward Waddington. (This club was later called the Men's Guild and then the Men's Club.) Its first officers were O'Brien, McKeever, Lillig and James Lodge. At the first meeting, it was unanimously decided that dues would be fifty cents a month "to be used as thought best be a majority of the members to further the cause of the Catholic Church in Westville." Another item of business was scheduling "arrangements for the welfare of the priest saying Mass" each Sunday; this was accomplished by rotating responsibility among the members of the Club.
Other items in the handwritten minutes of the Catholic Club indicate that the Club made arrangements to meet in Kraan's Hall (Prosperity Hall) for the rent of "$6.00 a month and a pro-rata light bill"; minutes of January 3, 1921 mention a Ladies' Auxiliary and that plans were being made for "Euchre, Pinochle and dance at Prosperity Hall on 1/24/21." At the January 17 meeting, Mr. Coursey "objected to the youth of some of the Sunday School teachers"; President O'Brien said that this matter "would be taken up with the Ladies." There is frequent mention of Father McCorriston, along with lengthy debate on whether any non-Catholics should be admitted to membership, other plans for raising money for the building fund, and formation of athletic teams.
During this formative period, plans continued for the establishment of a permanent church building in Westville. These plans came nearer to fruition when, in 1921, a man named Martin Maloneey from Belmar, NJ (Monmouth County) donated a plot of land to a small mission parish. This land was a 259 x 150 foot tract located on Highland Avenue, adjacent to St. Luke's Episcopal Church, for which Martin Maloney had also donated land (in 1904).
As noted above, fundraising for the building had already begun in earnest. The amount needed to begin construction was $10,000. Each Catholic family had been asked to make a pledge. There were also other fundraising activities such as "Parcel Post parties," sporting events and dances. There were some smaller scale activities, too, such as at the December 20, 1920 meeting of the Catholic Club, when, according to the minutes, "Mr. Stoudt donated a box of 100 cigarettes for which a rising vote of thanks was given. After spirited bidding, it was knocked down to Mr. Hogan for $1.10."
The minutes of February 7, 1921 show that Michael O'Brien reported that the Bishop had asked that four names be suggested for the new parish. The Bishop would consider the suggestions when selecting the final name. The Club's offering were Sacred Heart, Mother of Sorrows, St. George and St, Rita. There is no further notation as to how or when the name "St. Anne's" was conferred upon the parish, but the minutes of the meeting of September 12, 1921 referred to "St. Ann's" The variation in spelling of the patron's name continued through the years; editions of The Parish Monthly Calendar also spelled the name without the 'e'.