Pastoral visit to Parsippany parish

PARSIPPANY  Bishop Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Peter the Apostle Parish here where he celebrated the vigil Mass marking the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time on Oct. 24.

St. Peter the Apostle Parish was formed in 1938 to serve the needs of a summer resort community that was quickly turning into a year-round one. The first Mass was celebrated in the Lake Hiawatha Firehouse. In 1939, the parish bought a tract of Diocese-owned land for the price of $1 and a church was built in 1940. Among the milestones since then are completion of the Shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes in 1955 and construction of a parish school in the late 1950s, now All Saints Academy. The growth of the parish required a new church building, and in 1988, the present church was dedicated.