Before 1872, Catholics in the Farmingdale area had to travel by horse and wagon or on foot to Freehold to attend Mass at St. Rose of Lima Church. Then the Reverend Frederick Kivelitz began a mission of St. Rose for this area and on September 9, 1872, the first Mass was said in the home of John C. Mahoney of Asbury Road.

By 1892, the Catholic community had outgrown the capacity of Mr. Mahoney’s house and services were moved to Red Men’s Hall, where they continued to be held for the next twenty years. In 1904, St. Catherine’s became a mission of St. Dorothea Church in Eatontown where Monsignor Aloysius A. Quinlan was pastor. Also, during the early 1900’s, the desire for a church building grew and many efforts were made to secure funding and donations for an actual church. Then, as of January 30, 1912, Monsignor Quinlan had St. Catherine’s Church incorporated and the present St. Catherine’s Chapel on the corner of Main and North Main Streets, with a capacity of 140, was completed that same year. Remarkably, the Church was completely finished with available funds, leaving absolutely no debt.

In 1913, the parish of St. Catherine was made a mission of St. Denis’ in Manasquan, where the Reverend James Gough was pastor. St. Catherine’s remained a mission of St. Denis’ until 1939 when it became an independent parish with the Reverend Joseph A. Sullivan presiding as the first resident pastor. The parish of St. Mary’s in Colt’s Neck, once a mission of St. Dorothea’s, now was made a mission of St. Catherine’s.  A house on North Main Street, near the church, was rented, later purchased for a Rectory, and is still used as the pastor’s residence. In 1941, Father Sullivan was transferred and on September 17, 1941, Reverend Joseph Donnelly became the second resident pastor. Father Donnelly remained until 1947, and during that time, the Mass schedule was expanded to two Sunday Masses.

Reverend Joseph Brzozowski, the next pastor, arrived on June 10, 1947 and during his term as pastor many significant changes took place in the parish and the church. During the summer of 1951, St. Catherine’s was completely renovated with a new altar, Stations of the Cross, statues, and candelabra and the interior was repainted. Improvements were also made in the basement social hall. The Rosary Altar Society and the Holy Name Society were organized to help the church with fundraisers and to handle charitable works. Father Brzozowski also helped to set up Religious Education Programs, as well as a unit of the Blessed Mother Sodality for single girls and young women.

During the late 1940’s, a population growth took place in the area of Howell known as Freewood Acres. As a result, a mission parish to St. Catherine’s was formed in that area and in 1950, St. Mary of the Assumption Church laid its corner stone. This Freewood Acres church continued as a mission of St. Catherine’s until 1962. Father Brzozowski was transferred in 1956 and the Reverend James Coyle became the pastor of St. Catherine’s and its two missions.

Reverend Mitchell Cetkowski, the next resident pastor, served for only two years, from 1960 to 1962. During that period, the need for a separate parish for Freewood Acres was identified and St. Veronica’s Parish was formed. St. Mary’s became a mission of St. Veronica’s Church, which is a much larger church located further south on Route 9, and Father Cetkowski was made pastor of St. Veronica’s.

During the time that Reverend Stephen Bielen, the next pastor, was here, the parish membership was approximately 250 families and a third Mass was celebrated each weekend. While Reverend Raymond Griffin, who arrived in 1968, was pastor, twelve and one-quarter acres, (12 ¼ acres) on Asbury Road in Howell was purchased for $11,000, which was one-half the market value at that time. This purchase is now the site of St. Catherine of Siena Parish Center.

Reverend John Grabowski briefly served as pastor in 1972 and was followed by Reverend Michael F. Venutolo who was pastor from 1972 to 1987. In July of 1987, Reverend Michael S. Vona became the next resident Pastor. In addition to making many cosmetic changes within the original Church, Father Vona had the basement refurbished, making it very acceptable for parish committee meetings and social events. He also had the grounds beautifully landscaped, which is not only a tribute to St. Catherine’s, but to the entire community of Farmingdale.

As the parish continued to grow, both the Church and the basement were being used for Masses. In the basement, televisions were set up and the Masses televised from the Church upstairs. In order to serve the needs of this rapidly growing parish, in 1995, plans were made to build a Parish Center, which would include a larger Church, Religious Education classrooms, meeting rooms, and parish offices. Located on Asbury Road on a parcel of the Mahoney property, which was purchased while Father Griffin was pastor, the groundbreaking ceremony took place in June of 1996. The Dedication of St. Catherine of Siena Church & Parish Center by Most Reverend John M. Smith, Bishop of Trenton, was held on Saturday, August 29, 1998. The Parish Hall was constructed in the year 2000 and dedicated on November 4, 2001.

Also in 2001, the families of St. Catherine of Siena adopted a sister parish in Ripley, Mississippi, which they helped both monetarily and spiritually for several years. In September of 2002, St. Catherine’s Nursery School opened with two classes.

On October 23, 2007, a Church Bell Tower was installed outside the Church.  Three bells strike the hour from 9 AM until 9 PM, with the Angelus at Noon & 6 PM, and tolling 5 minutes before each weekend Mass. They also are used for funerals, weddings and other special occasions.

On July 1, 2011, Rev. Angelito I. Anarcon, assigned by Most Rev. David M. O'Connell, Bishop of Trenton, became the 13th and current pastor of St. Catherine's Parish. In 2012, the parish held a centennial year in celebration of the incorporation of St. Catherine's and the building of the original church, the current chapel, which was completed in 1912. Centennial activities included a Mass celebrated by Bishop O'Connell, the development of a centennial booklet, and a potluck supper.

Under Father Angelito's leadership, many new ministries have been added. We now have a Parish Pastoral Council, a Respect Life Committee, a Buildings & Grounds Committee, the Legion of Mary, the Knights of Columbus, an Annulment Advocate, a Hospitality Committee, a Men’s Prayer Group, and the All-Ministry Council in addition to an active religious education program as well as a wide variety of other ministries. New parish activities include an annual parish picnic, the Christmas Carol Festival, a Children’s Choir that performs monthly at the 11:30 A.M. Mass and greater involvement of parishioners with the parish website.

2014 saw some significant events in the parish. Deacon Dan Sakowski, who began his diaconate journey under Father Vona's sponsorship, was ordained a permanent deacon in May and the nursery school and kindergarten ended their tenure at St. Catherine's in June. A ministry fair was held in September and the second annual parish picnic was scheduled for October.

In 2016, the rectory on North Main Street was sold and early in 2017, Father Anarcon moved into the new priest’s residence located on Asbury Road, part of the main church complex. The same year, as part of the Faith in Our Future effort, St. Catherine of Siena Parish become a part of Cohort 11, collaborating with St. William the Abbot Church and St. Veronica Church and Father Anarcon’s term as pastor was extended for another six years.

Four Masses are celebrated each weekend for the approximately 900 registered families, on Saturday at 4;30 pm and on Sunday at 8:00, 10:00 and 11:30 am (over 40% use weekly envelopes and another 6% take advantage of Parish Pay, the online method of supporting the parish, implemented while Father Vona was pastor).

Information about individual ministries and the parish in general are located on the parish website at www.sienachurch.org .

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