First Mass

August 15, 1830

Documentation

• Diocese of Camden — Diocesan History

Notes

The present entry concerns the August 15, 1830 dedication of St. Mary's Church at Pleasant Mills—the fourth Catholic church erected in New Jersey and the first in the Diocese of Camden's present territorial bounds. Though this is a church dedication rather than a first Mass, Garraghan's documentation of Schneider's earlier ministry (evidenced by baptismal registers from 1742–1744) anchors Catholic presence to the colonial era. The region remained under Baltimore's jurisdiction until 1808, when it passed to Philadelphia. This entry came out of a search of the Diocese of Camden's own website, whose diocesan-history page states that 'Bishop Francis Kenrick dedicated the St. Mary's Church in Pleasant Mills on August 15, 1830, the fourth Catholic church in New Jersey and the first in the present-day Diocese of Camden.' Further sources: Gilbert J. Garraghan, S.J., "Catholic First Things in the United States," Mid-America: An Historical Review, vol. 21 (1939) — https://archive.org/details/midamericahistor21unse/