About The Parish of the Holy Cross/St. Mary's Church · Rosenhayn, New Jersey
St. Mary's Church in Rosenhayn, New Jersey is one of five historic worship sites that together form the Parish of the Holy Cross in the Diocese of Camden. Tucked into Cumberland County's farming country, St. Mary's traces its roots to 1913, when a small frame mission was raised for the Catholic families of Rosenhayn and named in honor of St. James the Apostle. Within a year it had been renamed St. Mary's and was chartered as its own parish — today it serves English-speaking Catholics of the area alongside Spanish-speaking parishioners from across the merged parish. After a new, larger St. Mary's was dedicated in April 1980, the Rosenhayn church became, in 2010, one of the founding congregations of the new Parish of the Holy Cross, a recently merged Roman Catholic community that covers much of Cumberland County and a portion of Salem County in southern New Jersey.
- Established
- 1914
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary's); originally dedicated to St. James the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. Matthew R. Weber (Pastor) — with Father Schned Bruno (a priest of the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince, Haiti) appointed by Bishop Williams as administrator beginning July 1, 2026; Father Weber will then take an interval for rest and recuperation before returning as Parochial Vicar.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Camden (Bishop Joseph A. Williams, ninth Bishop of Camden)
Why belong here
St. Mary's offers a small, family-sized Catholic community in rural Rosenhayn with bilingual (English and Spanish) parish life, weekday and weekend Mass, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and the regular Saturday Vigil and Sunday schedule that makes it easy to worship close to home. As one of five worship sites of the merged Parish of the Holy Cross, parishioners also benefit from the broader sacramental, faith-formation, and outreach resources of a multi-site parish — including PREP religious education, OCIA for adults, Catholic burial in the parish cemetery on Bridgeton Avenue, and a school affiliation with Bishop Schad Regional School.
Mass times at The Parish of the Holy Cross/St. Mary's Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
St. Mary's Church, Rosenhayn
St. Mary's is the Rosenhayn worship site of the five-church Parish of the Holy Cross. Located in the rural Rosenhayn area of Cumberland County, it serves the Catholic families of the surrounding farming community with a bilingual (English and Spanish) parish life, daily Mass Monday through Wednesday, a Saturday Vigil, and a Sunday morning Mass. Its present church was built and dedicated in April 1980 after the original 1913 wooden church proved too small and too old for the community. Although St. Mary's now belongs to the merged Parish of the Holy Cross, it retains its own identity, traditions, cemetery, and worship schedule.
- Weekend Mass: Saturday 5:00 PM (English) and Sunday 9:30 AM (English)
- Weekday Mass: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday at 8:00 AM (English)
- Confessions: Saturday 4:00–4:45 PM or by appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration: Wednesday 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- Address: 732 Morton Avenue, Bridgeton, NJ 08302
- Parish mailing address: 46 Central Avenue, Bridgeton, NJ 08302
- Parish phone: (856) 455-2323; after-hours sacramental emergencies: (856) 301-0109
Parish History
Rosenhayn's Catholic roots go back to 1913, when priests from Sacred Heart Parish in Vineland built a small frame church in the area and dedicated it to St. James the Apostle. Within a year the mission was renamed St. Mary's, and in 1914 it became its own parish with Father Ferdinand Capresi as the first pastor listed in the baptismal register. A rectory was added in 1922, making Father John B. Prosseda, C.M. the first pastor in residence. The original wooden church was refaced with stone in the 1940s and, by the 1970s, was outgrown and structurally aging. The present St. Mary's was dedicated in April 1980, a new rectory was finished in 1994, and in 2010 St. Mary's was one of five congregations that merged to form today's Parish of the Holy Cross.
- 1913: original frame church built and dedicated to St. James
- 1913–1914: mission renamed St. Mary's
- 1914: St. Mary's formally established as its own parish; Father Ferdinand Capresi first recorded pastor
- 1922: first rectory built; Father John B. Prosseda, C.M. first resident pastor
- 1940s: stone added to exterior of wooden church
- April 1980: new St. Mary's Church dedicated
- 1994: new rectory completed
- 2010: St. Mary's becomes one of five founding churches of the merged Parish of the Holy Cross
Traditions & Treasures
St. Mary's carries forward several distinctive traditions and treasured physical artifacts from its long history. Its annual spaghetti dinner is a community fundraiser that has run since the 1940s — though the original parish dinner served ravioli, not spaghetti. Inside the church, the stained-glass windows are a defining feature: crafted in France by the Maumejean atelier, they were originally installed in the old wooden church and were carefully moved into the new building in the late 1970s. When the original church was demolished, the historic bell was saved, stored for 25 years, and eventually restored by the Buono family before being mounted in its present location across the church entrance.
- Annual spaghetti dinner (dating to the 1940s; originally a ravioli dinner)
- Stained-glass windows by Maumejean of France — moved from the 1913 church into the 1980 church
- Historic church bell restored by the Buono family after 25 years in storage
Parish Staff & Clergy
The Parish of the Holy Cross is served by a bilingual pastoral team of priests, deacons, and religious sisters, supported by lay staff in the parish office. The current pastor is Father Matthew R. Weber, who is concluding ten years of service to the parish; on July 1, 2026, Bishop Joseph A. Williams will install Father Schned Bruno (a priest of the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince, Haiti) as the new administrator. Father Ruben Valdes Arias serves as Parochial Vicar, with Deacons William Johnson, Christopher D. Nichols, and Robert Rodriguez assisting. Religious life is led by the M.D.P.V.M. sisters — Sr. Maria de Jesus Herrera (Superior and Coordinator of Religious Education), Sr. Vera Maria Retamozo, and Sr. Ricarda Garza Martinez — who live in the Bridgeton convent at 64 North Street.
- Pastor: Rev. Matthew R. Weber (ext. 305)
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Ruben Valdes Arias
- Deacons: William Johnson, Christopher D. Nichols, Robert Rodriguez
- M.D.P.V.M. Sisters: Sr. Maria de Jesus Herrera (Superior, CRE), Sr. Vera Maria Retamozo, Sr. Ricarda Garza Martinez
- Secretary: Sarah Krug (ext. 300)
- Communications & Cemeteries Coordinator: Alejandro Martinez (ext. 301)
- Bookkeeper: Maria De Jesus Lopez (ext. 302)
- Liturgy Coordinator: Patricia Borgese (ext. 308)
- Religious Education Administrator: Melissa Kiessling (ext. 309)
Sacraments & Faith Formation
Parish Religious Education (P.R.E.P.) and OCIA (Order of Catholic Initiation for Adults, formerly RCIA) form the backbone of sacramental preparation at the Parish of the Holy Cross. First Holy Communion is normally received by age 8 after two years of PREP instruction, while Confirmation is celebrated at the end of 8th grade after a two-year 7th–8th grade PREP program that includes a retreat. Older children, teens, and adults who need Baptism, Communion, or Confirmation are directed to the parish OCIA program. Penance & Reconciliation is offered at St. Mary's on Saturday afternoons and by appointment; Anointing of the Sick is arranged through the parish office; and Eucharistic Ministers bring Holy Communion to the homebound and to patients in local hospitals and nursing homes.
- First Holy Communion — 2-year PREP for children (typically grades 1–2); OCIA for older students and adults
- Confirmation — 2-year PREP for grades 7–8 with retreat; OCIA for teens and adults
- Baptism — contact Parish Office
- Penance & Reconciliation — Saturday 4:00–4:45 PM at St. Mary's or by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick — by request through the Parish Office
- Marriage — preparation arranged through the Parish Office
- Eucharist for the homebound — Eucharistic Ministers visit hospitals, nursing homes, and homes
St. Mary's Cemetery
The St. Mary's Cemetery at 875 Bridgeton Avenue in Rosenhayn is the second oldest of the Parish of the Holy Cross cemeteries, and remarkably it was already in use before the parish itself was formally established — its first recorded burial is from 1908. At the time of that first burial the parish was still known as St. James, but the cemetery was already named St. Mary's, and it is this name that the parish eventually adopted. The cemetery is divided into an 'old' section and a 'new' section; no new graves are currently available in the old section, but graves in the new section may be purchased for $1,000 each through the parish office.
- Address: 875 Bridgeton Ave., Rosenhayn, NJ 08352
- First burial recorded in 1908
- Two sections: 'old' (no new graves available) and 'new' ($1,000 per grave)
- Hours: dawn to dusk
- Contact: Parish Office, (856) 455-2323, Monday–Friday 9 AM–5 PM
The Parish of the Holy Cross
St. Mary's is one of five worship sites that together make up the Parish of the Holy Cross, a recently merged Roman Catholic parish covering a large portion of Cumberland County and a part of Salem County in southern New Jersey. The merged parish was formed in 2010 to pool pastoral resources while preserving each church's identity, schedule, and community traditions. The parish is bilingual (English and Spanish) and is supported by the Missioneras de la Divina Providencia y de la Virgen María (M.D.P.V.M.) religious sisters, an affiliated regional Catholic school (Bishop Schad Regional School), and a free parish subscription to FORMED — the Catholic video, audio, and e-book streaming service.
- Formed in 2010 from five congregations in the Bridgeton area
- Covers much of Cumberland County and a portion of Salem County
- Bilingual parish life in English and Spanish
- M.D.P.V.M. religious sisters based at 64 North St., Bridgeton
- Affiliated with Bishop Schad Regional School
- Free parish subscription to FORMED Catholic media (sign up using parish zip 08302)
Visiting & Contact
Visitors and parishioners can reach the parish through the main St. Teresa Office in Bridgeton, by phone, or through the parish website and Facebook page. The parish notes a dedicated after-hours phone line for sacramental emergencies only. The St. Mary's worship site is at 732 Morton Avenue, Bridgeton, NJ 08302, with parish mailing handled at 46 Central Avenue, Bridgeton, NJ 08302.
- Parish office phone: (856) 455-2323
- After-hours sacramental emergencies: (856) 301-0109
- Office hours: Monday–Friday 9:00 AM–12:30 PM and 1:30–5:00 PM (closed 12:30–1:30 for lunch)
- Parish mailing address: 46 Central Avenue, Bridgeton, NJ 08302
- Website: https://parishholycross.org (St. Mary's page: /churches/77-st-mary)
- Facebook: Parish of the Holy Cross (Bridgeton, NJ)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Ferdinand CapresiMay 1914 –
First pastor listed in the baptismal register when St. Mary's was established as its own parish.
- Rev. John B. Prosseda, C.M.from 1922
First pastor actually in residence when the rectory was built; a Vincentian (Congregation of the Mission) priest.
- Rev. Matthew R. Weberto June 30, 2026
Pastor of the Parish of the Holy Cross for ten years; departing for a period of personal renewal before returning as Parochial Vicar.
- Rev. Schned Brunofrom July 1, 2026
Appointed by Bishop Williams as Administrator of the Parish of the Holy Cross; a priest of the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince, Haiti who speaks Creole, French, English, Spanish, and German.