About Our Lady of Pompeii/ St. Padre Pio Parich/ · Vineland, New Jersey
Saint Padre Pio Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Camden, based in East Vineland, New Jersey. It was formed in January 2003 by the merger of Our Lady of Pompeii Church and Saint Mary Church, taking its name in honor of Saint Padre Pio just six months after the saint's canonization. The parish is served by Our Lady of Pompeii Church (4680 Dante Avenue, which also houses the parish office) and the Church of Saint Mary (736 Union Road). Father Joseph F. Ganiel was formally installed as pastor by Bishop Dennis Sullivan on October 20, 2024, and the parish is also a center of devotion to Saint Pio of Pietrelcina: Bishop Sullivan decreed on September 23, 2018 that Our Lady of Pompeii Church would be raised to a Diocesan Shrine of Pio of Pietrelcina.
- Established
- 1909 (Our Lady of Pompeii); parish merged into Saint Padre Pio Parish in January 2003
- Patron
- Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio); also Our Lady of Pompeii
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph F. Ganiel
- Diocese
- Diocese of Camden
Why belong here
Saint Padre Pio Parish is the spiritual home of East Vineland's Italian-American Catholic community and, since 2018, an official Diocesan Shrine of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina in the Diocese of Camden. Parishioners can pray the weekly Saint Padre Pio Novena on Thursdays at 7 PM, spend quiet hours in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the daily-open Holy Child Chapel, and walk the outdoor Mount Calvary Stations of the Cross. The parish also runs faith formation for children and adults (RCIA, First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation), ministries for seniors (Senior Citizens Club), men's and women's societies (St. Joseph Society, Altar Rosary Society), and a Knights of Columbus council, all rooted in more than a century of Italian Catholic tradition.
Mass times at Our Lady of Pompeii/ St. Padre Pio Parich/
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 – 4:45 PM at Our Lady of Pompeii
- Any time by appointment (contact the parish office at 856-691-7526)
Adoration times
- Tuesdays 9:15 AM – 3:00 PM (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, closing with prayer and Benediction) at Our Lady of Pompeii
- Holy Child Chapel open daily 9:15 AM – 3:00 PM for visitation
Parish History — From Italian Immigrant Farm to Diocesan Shrine
The parish story begins in 1904 with four Italian immigrant farmers who had settled in East Vineland around 1892. After three years of grassroots fundraising they broke ground at Dante and Cornucopia Avenues in 1908; Bishop McFaul dedicated the first church on July 5, 1909. A parish cemetery was added in 1909 (the original lots sold for $10 each) and the parish grew steadily through the mid-century, adding a Grotto of Lourdes (1938), the Mount Calvary Stations of the Cross (1946), Rosary Social Hall (1952), and a mission church in Milmay (1955, later sold in 1999). The Augustinian Fathers staffed the community from 1928 to 1994, after which it returned to the care of diocesan priests. A new Our Lady of Pompeii Church was built in 1968, the original was demolished in 1969, and in January 2003 the parish merged with Saint Mary Church to form Saint Padre Pio Parish, named for the recently canonized Capuchin stigmatist. On September 23, 2018 Bishop Dennis Sullivan raised Our Lady of Pompeii to the status of a Diocesan Shrine of Pio of Pietrelcina.
- 1904: Four Italian immigrant farmers begin fundraising
- 1908: Ground broken at Dante & Cornucopia Avenues, East Vineland
- 1909: First Mass celebrated July 5; Bishop McFaul dedicates the church
- 1938: Grotto of Lourdes added
- 1946: Outdoor Stations of the Cross (Mount Calvary)
- 1952: Rosary Social Hall built
- 1955: Mission church of St. Mary's, Milmay constructed (sold 1999)
- 1968: New Our Lady of Pompeii Church built; old church demolished 1969
- 1928–1994: Parish staffed by the Augustinian Fathers
- January 2003: Merger with Saint Mary forms Saint Padre Pio Parish
- September 23, 2018: Bishop Sullivan decrees Our Lady of Pompeii a Diocesan Shrine of Pio of Pietrelcina
Devotion to Saint Padre Pio
Devotion to Saint Padre Pio lies at the heart of parish life. Each Thursday evening at 7:00 PM the parish gathers at Our Lady of Pompeii for the weekly Saint Padre Pio Novena, asking the saint to intercede for personal intentions. On the 1st and 4th Thursdays of each month, the novena takes place before the celebration of Mass. The parish also extends the prayer of the novena 'perpetually' as part of its Diocesan Shrine identity, and a Mass in honor of the patron saint is celebrated on the first Thursday of each month. The parish embraces Padre Pio's well-known motto: 'Pray, Hope and Don't Worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.'
- Weekly Saint Padre Pio Novena — Thursdays 7:00 PM, Our Lady of Pompeii
- 1st and 4th Thursday: Novena before Mass
- 1st Thursday: Mass in honor of Saint Pio
- Perpetual Novena to Saint Padre Pio (Diocesan Shrine initiative)
- Annual Saint Padre Pio Festival (week-long, culminating September 23)
Faith Formation & Sacraments
Felicia Morris serves as the parish's Director of Life Long Faith Formation, coordinating religious education for children and adults. The parish runs the standard sacramental preparation tracks — Reconciliation, First Communion, and adult initiation (RCIA) — and joins the broader Vineland Catholic Collaborative in pooling faith-formation resources across the city so families can access a wider program (children's classes on Tuesdays, adult sessions Tuesday evenings, youth ministry options, etc.).
- Director of Life Long Faith Formation: Felicia Morris
- Children's Faith Formation: Tuesdays 6:30 PM
- Adult Faith Formation: Tuesdays 7:30 PM
- RCIA (adult initiation)
- First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation
- Vineland Catholic Collaborative shared faith-formation program
Parish Schools & Cemetery
The parish is closely affiliated with Saint Mary Regional School in East Vineland, a Pre-K3 through 8th-grade Catholic elementary school serving multiple local parishes. Its mission statement reads: 'Minds at Work, Hearts with God, and Lives of Service,' and it runs a STREAM Academy (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, Math). On its own grounds the parish continues to maintain the Our Lady of Pompeii Cemetery, one acre of which was purchased by the first pastor on August 29, 1909; Carmine Amico is the parish's cemetery contact.
- Saint Mary Regional School (PreK3 – Grade 8)
- STREAM Lab, Learning Commons, Innovation Lab and Maker Space
- Carmine Amico — parish Cemetery coordinator
- Historic parish cemetery founded 1909
Parish Societies, Knights of Columbus & Outreach
Lay leadership is a defining mark of Saint Padre Pio Parish. The active organizations include the Knights of Columbus (with Carmine Amico as the council's K of C liaison), the men's St. Joseph Society (3rd Tuesday of each month), the women's Altar Rosary Society, and a Senior Citizens' Club for adults 55 and older (2nd Monday at 11:00 AM). Parishioners are encouraged to bring personal prayer intentions to the prayer list ([email protected]), volunteer as altar servers, sing in the parish choir, and take on leadership roles through the Pastoral Council and Finance Council.
- Knights of Columbus — Carmine Amico, liaison
- St. Joseph Society (Men's Club) — 3rd Tuesday each month
- Altar Rosary Society (Women's Club)
- Senior Citizens' Club (55+) — 2nd Monday at 11:00 AM
- Parish Choir — rehearsals 2nd & 4th Thursdays, 7:00 PM, Rosary Hall
- Altar Servers
- Prayer List — [email protected] (entries remain eight weeks)
- Pastoral Council & Finance Council
Parish Staff & Pastoral Leadership
Father Joseph F. Ganiel serves as Pastor and Rector of Saint Padre Pio Parish, having been formally installed by Bishop Dennis Sullivan on October 20, 2024. The lay staff includes a Business Manager, two secretaries, a Buildings & Grounds custodian, a Cemetery coordinator, and a Director of Life Long Faith Formation, with parish office hours Monday–Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM. The Pastoral and Finance Councils and the Pastoral Planning Committee provide parish governance.
- Rev. Joseph F. Ganiel — Pastor/Rector
- Matthew Preziosi — Business Manager
- Barbara Bailey — Secretary
- Mannetta Bylone — Secretary
- Felicia Morris — Director of Life Long Faith Formation
- David Saglimbeni — Buildings & Grounds
- Carmine Amico — Cemetery
- Pastoral Council (President: Ken Pustizzi)
- Finance Council (President: Joan Richmond; Vice President: Donna Wagoner; Secretary: Linda Tiemann)
- Pastoral Planning Committee (David Davidow, Paul Trivellini, Matthew Preziosi, Laurie LaTorre)
Vineland Catholic Collaborative (VCC)
Saint Padre Pio Parish participates in the Vineland Catholic Collaborative (VCC), a ground-breaking multi-parish planning effort within the Diocese of Camden that brings together the parishes of Vineland to study ministries, pool resources, share faith formation, and strengthen Catholic presence across the city. Among other initiatives the VCC hired a single director of Lifelong Faith Formation for all of Vineland, allowing children, families, and youth across the city to access a richer combined program while controlling parish expenditures.
- Multi-parish collaboration within the Diocese of Camden
- Shared Lifelong Faith Formation director across Vineland parishes
- Joint study of ministries, finances, and sacramental participation
- Pastoral Planning Committee liaisons: David Davidow, Paul Trivellini, Laurie LaTorre, Matthew Preziosi
Parish Identity & Devotion to Our Lady of Pompeii
The parish retains its original Marian identity in its full name — Our Lady of Pompeii / Saint Padre Pio Parish — and Our Lady of Pompeii Church remains its historic anchor and the legal site of the Diocesan Shrine. Devotion to the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii is interwoven with devotion to Padre Pio, both Italian-rooted Catholic devotions in a parish that remains Italian-American at heart more than a century after its founding.
- Official name: Parish of Our Lady of Pompeii / Saint Padre Pio
- Our Lady of Pompeii Church remains the Shrine site
- Italian-American Catholic identity
- Grotto of Lourdes on the Pompeii grounds (1938)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph F. GanielInstalled October 20, 2024 (current)
Installed as pastor by Bishop Dennis Sullivan on Oct. 20, 2024.
- Rev. Robert SinatraPastor at time of 2018 Diocesan Shrine designation; through at least 2024
Led the effort, with Capuchin Father Fortunato Grottola, to have Our Lady of Pompeii named a Diocesan Shrine of Pio of Pietrelcina.
- Augustinian Fathers (Order of Saint Augustine)1928 – 1994
Staffed Our Lady of Pompeii for 66 years; parish then returned to the care of diocesan priests.