Hay bales to pews: St. Luke’s celebrates 40 years

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP  Founding parishioners of St. Luke’s in the Long Valley section of town fondly recall Masses 40 years ago being held in a local real estate office and Long Valley Middle School. Christmas Masses were celebrated in a barn with bales of hay for pews.

There they were in 1982 — Msgr. Peter Doody, St. Luke’s founding pastor, and 200 families eager to build up a faith community in their growing area out in the country — with much hard work, sacrifice, and love. One of those founding parishioners, Jo-Ann Gay, was thrilled to celebrate all those past efforts — and work today — at a Mass on Oct. 15 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Morris County parish.

Former and current members of St. Luke’s filled the “country church” for the Mass, celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. It was concelebrated by five priests, including the three priests who served the parish as a pastor: Msgr. Doody; Father Michael Drury, who served for 25 years; and Father Owen Moran, St. Luke’s pastor since June 2019.

“Back then, we were young people, who worked together and pitched in with whatever needed to be done,” said Gay. She noted that the parish church was dedicated in 1989. “We came from nothing to having a flourishing community of faith with three pastors who have a deep faith and are dedicated. It’s been a rewarding experience,” she said.

The Mass also marked a new era for St. Luke’s when Bishop Sweeney blessed and dedicated renovations to the church over the summer. They included a new wooden altar with an onyx top that the bishop consecrated that Saturday afternoon for its first use in a Eucharistic celebration at the parish, Father Moran said.

“In the past few years, the number of parishioners at St. Luke’s has grown, especially young families. Mass attendance and prayer life are stronger. We have more young families,” said Father Moran of the 800-family parish. “Our country church is nestled in nature and in faith. I’m grateful for all the people who sacrificed to build it.”

Also growing at St. Luke’s is its full array of outreaches, including a monthly food drive for the poor of Paterson, a Special Needs Ministry, and outreach to veterans. The parish also has a preschool and a retooled religious education program that holds classes after families attend Mass, Father Moran said.

The renovations also included new curved pews, a presider’s chair, and an ambo. The former tabernacle in the chapel was replaced with an older gold tabernacle found in the rectory basement, now at the center of the worship space. The interior also was repainted.

During Mass, Bishop Sweeney said, “It’s a beautiful day to celebrate St. Luke’s 40 years of living the faith and to rededicate the church. We pray that God continues to bless the parish.”

St. Luke’s has grown along with the population of the town, served by two other parishes: St. Mark and Our Lady of the Mountain, which donated 10 acres of land for the prospective parish. Bishop Frank Rodimer established the parish on Oct. 18, 1982, St. Luke’s feast day. Msgr. Doody bought a house three miles away for the rectory, parish offices, religious education, and daily Mass in the garage converted into a chapel, according to St. Luke’s history.

Father Drury oversaw the completion of the church in 1989. It has a main 450-seat worship space and a sloping roof like an early farm building. In 2003, a religious education center was dedicated. After Father Moran arrived in 2019, he sold the former rectory building and bought a house abutting St. Luke’s property as the priests’ residence, the parish history states.

Among the parishioners with young families who attended the 40th anniversary Mass was Kevin Daily, a married father of three, ages 5–10, and parishioner for a year.

“The kids are excited about going to Mass. They like sitting in the front row. After Mass, we talk with the kids and families from their baseball teams. St. Luke’s is a welcoming experience,” Daily said.