Pastoral Visit to St. Francis deSales Parish

Bishop makes pastoral visit to Sussex County parish

VERNON  Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Francis deSales Church in the McAfee section of Vernon July 5. During his visit, he celebrated Mass for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The history of St. Francis parish began when St. Monica Parish in Sussex established a mission in McAfee in 1963, when a former school was purchased on Route 94 and renovated for a church. In 1965, St. Francis became a mission of the new parish, Our Lady of Fatima, in Highland Lakes. Bishop Rodimer advanced the mission to parish status in 1979. A new church was built on Route 517 in 1986.