The final forum for
church at crossroads
Lengthy hearing on Holy Cross ends without a vote
By jane waterhouse
Staff Writer
‘I

didn’t expect to get a front row seat," said a Rumson resident, slipping into the last chair in the crowded courtroom.

"Nobody wants one," replied the man behind him. "That’s where the missiles fly overhead."

Richard Kaneissler squeezed into a place at the end of the table reserved for board members.

"That’ll teach me not to come late next time," he said.

"Hope there won’t be a next time," board President George McCarter responded with a sigh.

A moment later, McCarter rapped the gavel, opening the ninth Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting on an application to expand the Holy Cross church and school.

The special meeting, paid for by the church, was a continuation of hearings that began in December 2001 for a $7 million, 19,000-square-foot addition to Holy Cross church and school.

Over the next 2 hours and 10 minutes, members of the parish and the public were given a final opportunity to voice opinions on the plan.

"Guess whose side I’m on?" the Rev. John Higgins of Holy Cross Church said with a smile.

He told the board the Rev. Joseph Hughes, pastor of Holy Cross, was "trying to carry the church kicking and screaming into the 21st century" and went on to suggest that the structure should have been refurbished years ago.

"Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Highlands replaced their old wooden church in ’53, and St. Agnes in Atlantic Highlands replaced theirs in ’54," Higgins said. "To try to stop change is futile. History has shown that when change is due and progress is needed, it will come."

The 80-year-old priest’s words were echoed in what appeared to be an organized show of support by more than 20 parishioners speaking in favor of the plan — each expressing an opinion from a different thematic perspective.

Walter Cuje of Avenue of the Two Rivers, who is employed by a local funeral company, discussed how the expansion would enhance the process of holding funerals.

"At the mass for Thomas Manning, we had 100 to 200 people sitting on folding chairs outside the church, having to listen on loudspeakers — the same as with 9/11," Cuje said.

Sheila Martello of North Ward Avenue, whose husband was killed in the World Trade Center tragedy, said the Holy Cross community had sustained her family in their hour of need.

"We need to stay strong and not divide," she urged fellow parishioners.

William Oberdorf of Wardell Avenue likened the application process to an affront on religious freedom.

"I can’t believe a public institution is debating our right to worship," he told the Zoning Board.

Richard T. Wurth of Ward Avenue said there were no divisions at Holy Cross.

He criticized a poll conducted by the Concerned Parishioners Committee as "unscientific."

The committee, formed in March 2001, sent a survey to all 1559 registered parishioners. Of the 580 replies, 486 said they were against the expansion plan and 60 said they were in favor in of it. Wurth suggested that the survey was meant only "to seek fertilizer for the seeds of dissent they were sowing" and that he was "only surprised they managed to trick 85 percent of the loyal parishioners."

Several Holy Cross employees — including Fr. Hughes’ personal secretary, the principal of Holy Cross School, and the director of the CCD program, as well as members of the Building and Planning Committee appointed by Hughes — described facilities that were antiquated, uncomfortable and overcrowded.

In contrast, Patricia Sullivan of Bingham Avenue said, "I go to mass every Sunday. I get there 10 minutes ahead of time and I’ve never had to stand — and that includes Christmas and Easter." Sullivan suggested that Hughes’s practice of accepting families from outside the parish had placed an undue burden on Rumson residents and taxpayers, and would jeopardize the borough’s master plan. She read a list with the names of 19 existing Roman Catholic churches within a 10-mile radius that celebrated the same sacraments.

Shrewsbury resident Mary Thurber said she had experienced "the pain of a parent whose child was put on the school’s waiting list." When Kaneissler asked if there were other churches in her parish, Thurber replied in the affirmative, but added that her daughter had ultimately been admitted to Holy Cross.

This exchange went to the crux of the argument put forth by Rosemary Hulse of Rosalie Avenue. Apologizing to the board because her voice wasn’t strong enough to speak in public, Hulse asked that a neighbor, Nancy Banta of North Rohallion Drive, be allowed to read her written testimony into the record.

In it she cited a Feb. 4, 1996 letter from Fr. Hughes to parishioners, confirming that only those who live in Rumson and Sea Bright are within the Holy Cross parish boundaries. "Other Catholics can be members of Holy Cross Parish if they seek permission from the pastor in which they are geographically located and have the permission of the pastor of Holy Cross," Hughes wrote. "If the pastor determines that he can serve the spiritual, educational, etc. needs of the family requesting admission to Holy Cross, he can create a waiting list and/or accept the registration if he can serve their needs."

Hulse said that of the 1,559 families registered at Holy Cross in 2000, nearly one third lived outside the parish. By giving these families permission to register and accepting responsibility to meet their spiritual and educational needs, Hughes’s critics say he deliberately created the overcrowded conditions that would justify expansion.

Addressing the issue of families registering from other parishes, Maria McGloin of Monmouth Beach defended the pastor, saying, "Our church is not an exclusive country club."

Others pointed out the adverse ripple effect the open-door policy has had on other Catholic communities. According to the statistics cited by Hulse, among those registered from other parishes are 38 families from Atlantic Highlands and 16 families from Highlands. Outside the meeting, one opponent to the expansion stated that churches and parochial schools in those parishes are struggling to stay open due to diminished attendance. Ironically, these are the same churches that Fr. Higgins referred to in his opening statement as having already modernized by replacing their original wooden structures.

Preservation advocate Mary Lou Strong of Locust voiced concern that a similar fate might befall the old country gothic wooden church and its historic windmill. "Holy Cross is no. 32 on the Rumson master plan," Strong said. "It’s located in the heart of the largest concentration of historic sites, at a key spot on the Rumson Road scenic corridor, in an extremely sensitive area."

She concluded by urging the church leaders to continue their "distinguished stewardship" of the site by working toward a compromise.

The specter of another church — Holy Rosary — appeared several times during the course of the meeting. Around the same time that Fr. Hughes was adding families from neighboring communities to the registry, he arranged to sell the River Road mission church, citing it as a drain on manpower and finances.

"I don’t know who’s telling the truth," said Francis Reynolds of Park Avenue. "I know the church isn’t a democracy, but this is America and I sure would like to have seen some sort of public forum." He added, "I got a letter in the mail talking about the money being spent to expand, and then I saw in the paper about this church getting sold on account of a broken boiler. And I’m thinking, man, I could get a great deal on a boiler for seven million bucks."

Reynolds went on to say that in Jersey City, where he came from, you had to have a letter from the bishop to attend a church in another parish.

Jay Harbeck of North Rohallion Drive, a deacon at the church, stated in his testimony that the process of applying to a parish had changed since the Second Vatican Council. "And Vatican II even applies to Jersey City," he said with a wry smile.

Diana Deraska of Navesink Avenue expressed reticence about speaking out in public, saying she "feared social and religious repercussions." Deraska, who said she had received numerous "slick, glossy mailings" promoting the expansion, went on to say, "Our sanctuary should not be razed in the name of a Catholic Church that’s suffering a crisis of clergy. People have been generous [in donating to the expansion], but there are plenty of people suffering in this community and serving their direct needs is much more important than building this behemoth structure."

At times, the discussion was heated. When Zoning President McCarter asked Michael Winchell — a member of the Building and Planning Committee who resides in Navesink — to refrain from summarizing previous expert testimony, Winchell responded, "I’m entitled to my 15 minutes." Groans went up throughout the meeting room. The hands on the large wall clock had edged up to 9:45 p.m. and tempers were fraying.

Board member Jack Doremus asked Winchell, "What’s the bottom line?"

"I’m for the application," Winchell replied.

"Well, thanks," said Doremus, "Now you can sit down." "That’s not fair!" someone shouted. "Let him talk!" People shifted in their seats. "They do this to us all the time," a woman muttered — although it was unclear which side she was on.

But by the time Fr. Hughes was recognized to speak, the crowd had once again settled into attentive silence. Hughes began by stating that — although he was disappointed by the controversy — Holy Cross was alive and well. "Our ancestors in the town and church looked ahead and it’s my job as an administrator and priest to look ahead," he told the board. "I know it’s been difficult, but this expansion is a spiritual vision. In this day and age we should all be thrilled that we’re here because a church and a school need more room."

After the conclusion of his remarks, supporters gave the pastor a standing ovation. Their applause only grew stronger as McCarter brought down the gavel for order.

At 10:23 p.m. the public forum was formally brought to an end, clearing the way for the closing arguments of the attorneys which followed after a 5-minute break.

The board’s final decision will be announced at a meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 10.