Saint Katharine DrexelPastoral Council
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Parish Life Center
REVEREND JOHN J. VIGNONE - Pastor

New parishioners are always welcome!  Please bring the
Registration Form with you to any Mass.

Parish Mission Statement

The Church of Saint Katharine Drexel is a Roman Catholic Parish which hopes to be responsive to the needs of the community it serves. The proclamation of the Gospel of Christ Jesus is our sacred purpose. We seek to witness to the Catholic Christian Church and Jesus' Presence in the world through Word, Worship and Service.

Mass Times
Parish Office
Saturday
Sunday
6075 West Jersey Avenue
5:30pm
  8:30am
Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234
10:30am
(609) 645-7313
5:30pm

New parishioners are always welcome!  Please bring the Registration Form with you to any Mass.


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.