Madison school holds Mass to open academic year, marking 175th anniversary

St. Vincent Martyr parish and school in Madison joined together on Sept. 10 for a Mass to open the 2023–24 academic year, which also marks the 175th anniversary of St. Vincent’s, the oldest Catholic elementary school in New Jersey.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated the liturgy in the parish church. Estab­lished in 1848, St. Vincent’s, a pre-K–8 school, currently educates 460 students.

Concelebrating the Mass were Msgr. George Hundt, St. Vincent’s pastor and administrator of St. Gerard Majella Parish in Paterson; Father Krzysztof Liwarski, St. Vincent’s parochial vicar; and Father Yojaneider Garcia, director of the diocesan Office of Catechesis and Faith Formation. Assisting were Deacon Robert Morton and eighth-graders from the school as altar servers.

In his homily, Bishop Sweeney praised Msgr. Hundt for his enthusiasm for Catholic education and thanked the parents for choosing to send their children to Catholic school.

“Father Bernard J. McQuaid, the school’s founder, said the future of the Church lives in Catholic schools. We are continuing that legacy,” said Sister of Charity Noreen Holly, principal. “We have educated generations of families at St. Vincent’s.”

At the Mass, St. Vincent’s was honored by Madison Councilman John Hoover, who presented a proclamation on behalf of Madison Mayor Robert Conley. The town recognized the school’s long history and contributions to Madison.

St. Vincent’s was originally located in the basement of a church on Ridgedale Avenue. In 1866, it was moved to a new structure on Park Avenue. After, a brick school was built on Park Avenue, which later became the site of the Knights of Columbus. Lay teachers conducted the school until 1860, when the local Sisters of Charity took over.

Later, a school was built on Green Village Road with five classrooms and then expanded. In 1960, a new structure was opened next to the older structure that was demolished.

The two upper grades were closed in 1993 due to enrollment challenges and space limitations that prevented expansion.

By early 2005, St. Vincent’s had grown to more than 400 students. The school community expressed a need and desire to once again expand the school to include 7th and 8th grades. The first new class of 8th graders graduated from St. Vincent’s in 2011. A new two-story, six-room wing was added to the school to accommodate the burgeoning middle school and was dedicated in 2016.