CHURCH OF SAINT KATHARINE
DREXEL
The Church of Saint Katharine Drexel was established on June
1, 2000, by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and the Board of Consulters.
The new parish boundaries were drawn from sections of seven
surrounding parishes very symbolic of the Seven Hills of Rome.
The founding pastor, Reverend Joseph R. Ferrara, was appointed
June 20, 2000. In December of 2004, our second Pastor, Rev.
John J. Vignone was appointed by Bishop Galante.
The history of the Church of St. Katharine Drexel begins with
John McKee born 1821 in Alexandria, Virginia. John McKee was
the son of slaves and worked as an apprentice to a bricklayer
through his teens. Throughout his life he worked hard and
acquired many pieces of property which included 4,000 acres
in Atlantic County, of which 2,500 are in Egg Harbor Township.
Much of the property acquired in Egg Harbor Township became
known as McKee City. Colonel John McKee died in 1902 before
his dream city was finished. At the time of his death his
obituary read, Colonel McKee is said to be the wealthiest
colored man in the United States. In his Last Will and Testament,
he bequeathed the remainder of his estate to the Most Reverend
Patrick John Ryan, Archbishop of Philadelphia and his successors
in Office, to be used for various uses and trusts.
The Diocese of Camden, under the Leadership of Bishop DiMarzio,
began work on creating this new parish in collaboration with
Egg Harbor Township officials. After establishing the parish
in March 2000, the next step was to obtain this property from
the Philadelphia Archdiocese. The property (#of acres)was
conveyed by the Archbishop of Philadelphia to the Bishop of
the Camden Diocese by Court Order dated March 9, 2001; thus
the Church of Saint Katharine Drexel began its own distinct
ministry as the 141st parish in the Diocese of Camden.
In little more than five years, the Church of St. Katharine
Drexel has grown to over 1,028 families with 3,825 members.
The parish family has built a Rectory, which includes the
Pastors residence, a meeting room, and a chapel. In 2004,
the Parish Life Center (PLC) was completed. It consists of
Drexel Hall, 3 offices, and 8 Instr. /Mgt. rooms.
We are a vibrant, worshiping community, which celebrates the
presence of Christ Jesus through liturgy, many ministries,
and an extensive religious education program. The future looks
bright as we continue to Build Gods House; Build Our Home!
Status of Parish
The Church of Saint Katharine Drexel was established on June
1, 2000. We celebrated our first set of weekend Masses on
July 29/30, 2000 at the Intermediate School in Egg Harbor
Township. We moved into our Parish Life Center with the "Walk
of Faith" May 28, 2004 and celebrated a dedication Mass
with Bishop Galante June 1, 2004. During our first five years,
we have....
Experienced:
+the canonization of our patron saint on October 1,2000
(Pope John Paul II, Vatican City, Rome)
+the institution of a "Strategy Team" to organize
and plan
+the installation of our first "Pastoral Council"
+the completion of our "Parish Residence & Annex"
+the creation of our "Parish Chapel"
+moving into our new "Parish Life Center"
+the formation of our "Finance Council"
+the installation of our present "Pastoral Council"
+the celebration of our "Fifth" Anniversary
The Future: Family
and Community
The Church of Saint Katharine Drexel is a parish for the third
Christian era. Our parish is dedicated to the family and the
community at large. Through the intercession of our patron,
St. Katharine Drexel we hope to live out our baptismal calling
through the parish mission and vision statements.
We are committed to each and every family within our boundaries
and parish registry. We are in constant catechesis to assist
our people in becoming well informed Catholic Christians in
this new age. We are companions on the journey, sharing all
that we have with one another to prepare ourselves for the
time when we are with God in the Kingdom.
Gift is our blueprint to carry out this call
and live out our faith. Let us be Gift now
and forever.
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