Gloucester City PD Issues Road Closures/Parking Restrictions for St. Patrick\’s Parade

February 25, 2020

On Sunday, March 1

. the 5

. annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will begin on Johnson Blvd. at Monmouth Street at 1:00 pm.

The parade will proceed west on Monmouth Street to King Street, then south on King Street to Cumberland Street.

In order to accommodate the parade, the following road closures/ no parking will be in place from 10:30 am until the Highway Dept. finished sweeping the parade route following the parade. When viewing the attached maps, all streets highlighted in yellow are closed to traffic and parking.

Streets highlighted in pink are open, but parking is prohibited.

Monmouth St. closed from Johnson Blvd. to King St.

Johnson Blvd. closed between Highland Blvd. / Klemm Ave. and Bergen St.

Brown St. closed between Somerset and Bergen Sts.

Somerset St. closed at Johnson Blvd.

Kathryn St. closed at Johnson Blvd.

Frances St. closed

Highland Blvd. closed between Baynes Ave. and Greenwood Ave.

Klemm Ave. closed between Johnson Blvd. and Rosalind Ave.

E. Brown St. closed between Frances St. and Sparks Ave.

Sparks Ave. closed

Baynes Ave. closed between Johnson Blvd. and Barnaby Ave.

S. Railroad Ave. closed at Monmouth St.

N. Railroad Ave. closed at Monmouth St.

Library Parking Lot closed at Monmouth St.

Champion Rd. closed at Monmouth St.

Sussex St. closed at Monmouth St.

Burlington St. at Monmouth St.

Willow St. closed at Monmouth St.

The following parking restrictions will be in place from 10:30 am until 3:00 pm:

Klemm Ave. between Rosalind Ave. and Sylvan Ave.

Rosalind Ave. between Klemm Ave. and Highland Blvd.

Baynes Ave. between Market St. and Barnaby Ave.

King St. between Monmouth St. and Cumberland St. (west side only)

Signs will be posted and we appreciate everyone’s cooperation.

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Ash Wednesday Services at Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez

will be the main celebrant and homilist at the Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Wednesday, February 26, 2020.

Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent for Christians throughout the world. Lent is a 40-day penitential time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving from Ash Wednesday through Holy Thursday in preparation for the Easter celebration.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

12:05 p.m.

Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Faithful across the Archdiocese will receive blessed ashes on their foreheads, marked in the sign of a cross, reminding them to repent and believe in the Gospel as the 2020 Lenten Season begins. In addition to the celebration of Mass with the distribution of Ashes, there will be Celebrations of the Word of God and the distribution of Ashes in each of the nursing facilities within the parish boundaries on Ash Wednesday.

The Cathedral Parish offers the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation on weekdays beginning at 11:30 a.m. for the Lenten Season in addition to other scheduled times. Alternative dates and times for this Sacrament are available at individual parishes throughout the Archdiocese.

The Bishops of the United States prescribe that all Catholic persons who are fourteen years of age and older should abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent. Further, all persons eighteen years of age and older, up to and including their fifty-ninth birthday, are bound to fast by limiting themselves to a single full meal on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday, while the other two meals on those days are to be light.

Coming This Sunday, March 1, Saint Mary\’s Parish/Gloucester City Irish Parade

Monsignor Bill Hodge performing the Mummers Strut in front of St. Mary\’s Church, 426 Monmouth Street.

(2018 photo by Gus Danks)

GLOUCESTER CITY NJ –Monsignor William Hodge, Pastor of St. Mary Parish, Gloucester City, along with Charlie Kain, President of the New Jersey Irish Society, and Mayor Dan Spencer remind residents that the Fifth Annual St. Mary Parish St. Patrick’s Parade will be held this coming Sunday, March 1, at 1:00 PM sharp.

THERE IS NO RAIN/SNOW DATE.

Registration is now open for all organizations, clubs, Irish groups, dancers, churches, businesses, and all who would like to march and participate in this festive parade and day of events. We welcome all towns and groups from all over the Delaware Valley to participate, so spread the word! Registration forms are available at the St. Mary Rectory office from 9-3 pm, Monday to Friday or by calling 856.456.0052. The registration fee is $25.

The parade will take the same route as last year, forming and staging at the Martin’s Lake area, marching on Johnson Blvd. to Monmouth Street, up Monmouth Street to King, and dispersing at the former Coast Guard Base parking lot.

The parade includes the award-winning Champions of the 2020 Mummers Parade the South Philadelphia String Band along with their First Prize Champion Captain Denny Palandro. Also the Quaker City, Fralinger, Woodland, Avalon, Duffy, Durning String Bands, along with the Gloucester City String Band. Pipes and Drum Bands include the Camden County Emerald Society, the Second Street Emerald Society, and the Atlantic City Sandpipers Band. The Broken Shillelaghs, The Misty Dewers, Irish Dance Groups, and don’t forget the Two Street Stompers and many, many more…………

Fox29 TV News Celebrity Grand Marshall Bob Kelly will be here to march in the parade and do some MC duties and participate in some Irish shenanigans! Look for a JAMO with Bob Kelly.

Ed Beckett, a longtime educator, and Principal at Gloucester Catholic High School is this year’s Grand Marshall of our parade. Congratulations Ed and well deserved. We look forward to a big showing from the Gloucester Catholic Family and Alumni marching with Mr. Beckett in the parade.

Gloucester City’s own radio disc jockey Kathy Townsend Suckiel from the B101.1 radio station will be here along with the B101 mascot; Buzzbee!

The parade is the brainchild of Monsignor Bill Hodge (photo above) with Grand Marshal Bishop Dennis Sullivan at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 2016. The Monsignor and Bishop are looking forward to seeing everyone again this year along the parade route. (image courtesy of South Jersey Observer)

For further information please contact Dan Spencer at 856.456.0052

The Perfect Combo –

Gloucester City Irish Parade 2018 Photo Album

published Gloucestercitynews.net

Behind The Diocese Of Harrisburg Bankruptcy

By Bill Donohue | CNBNews Contributor

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on

the decision of the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to declare bankruptcy

In 2018, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro unethically released a grand jury report on Catholic priests and lay people who were accused of sexually abusing minors decades ago—most were never found guilty and some successfully contested the public release of their name (the Catholic League filed an amicus brief in this victory in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court)—the result of which was to spur a debate over suspending the statute of limitations.

The debate has been just as political as the cherry picking of the Catholic Church in seeking a grand jury probe. Last year a state appeals court allowed a case to go forward against the Altoona-Johnstown diocese despite the fact that it was time barred by the statute of limitations. The case is currently being appealed but in the meantime similar cases are being filed.

Similar cases against which institutions? Pennsylvania Rep. Mark Rozzi, who is leading the charge to suspend the statute of limitations, is quoted in the Washington Post as saying it is not just priests who have victimized minors. He mentions \”Amish and Mennonite abusers, schoolteachers, pediatricians, Boy Scout leaders, Penn State\’s Jerry Sandusky, Bill Cosby.\”

Rozzi\’s list is incomplete. He left out many other secular and religious institutions, and he never mentioned the fact that most sexual abuse occurs in the home. And what exactly has he done about it? For example, why has he not lobbied to remove the obscene protections afforded the public schools in Pennsylvania? They are shielded by the doctrine of sovereign immunity: a student has to make a claim within 90 days of the alleged abuse, otherwise the clock runs out.

There are discussions now to include the public schools, but why didn\’t Rozzi demand they be included years ago? Just as important, where are the claims being made against the public schools now that an appeals court is saying that students who were victimized decades ago can proceed in court?

Shapiro is quoted in the Washington Post as saying the Catholic Church \”has refused to reform.\” That is a bald face lie: no institution has undertaken more reforms, with more positive results, than the Church.

When Shapiro released his grand jury report, we found that in the Diocese of Harrisburg, 71 persons were named: 42 were dead and four were missing. Most of those who were still alive were no longer in ministry. In August, the diocese paid 106 people $12 million in compensation; five more settlements have since been reached.

There is a reason the Diocese of Harrisburg filed for bankruptcy the day after the Boy Scouts of America did: both have been targeted by lawyers who have a profound hatred of institutions that promote traditional moral values. It is incontestable that no religious organization is known for doing this more than the Catholic Church, and no secular organization can rival the Boy Scouts on this score.

Beginning in the mid-1960s, both the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts dropped their guard and succumbed to a more secular vision of sexuality; it lasted roughly until the early-1980s. They both paid a big price for it. But other religious entities were just as guilty, to say nothing of the public schools. Why are they not filing for bankruptcy? This has nothing to do with kids not being raped by teachers: it has to do with politics. There is no comparable animus against these organizations.

The hypocrisy is serious but not as serious as the injustice: to single out the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts is moral profiling. This is no less invidious than racial profiling.

*Gloucester City St. Patrick\’s Parade, Sunday, March 1

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ– The NJ Irish Society presents events and initiatives year-round as part of paying tribute to our strong history of tradition. Based in the heart of Gloucester City, NJ Irish Society was formally founded in 2019 after serving the community as a whole for decades, with our event roster featuring the sensational

“can’t miss” Irish Parade

and growing series of cultural programming and festivities.

The New Jersey Irish Society is vested in sustaining a vibrant community with excellent quality of life for the residents and visitors. Gloucester City has a rich history of Irish heritage dating back to the 1600’s when Irish Quakers first settled in the Town of Gloucester, now known as Gloucester City. That tradition continues today with the City ranking 9th in the nation for Irish American population.

The New Jersey Irish Society is working closely with the City of Gloucester, Camden County, area businesses, community groups and residents to keep these traditions alive in our community. \”We began in 2016 with our inaugural St. Patrick’s Day parade, which brought thousands to the City and its businesses to celebrate the holiday. We are thrilled to be celebrating our 5th Anniversary as South Jersey’s not-to-be-missed parade extravaganza, featuring the best in entertainment!\”

This year\’s parade is being held on Sunday, March 1, 2020 starting at 1PM. The parade route begins at Martin\’s Lake, Johnson Blvd and Baynes Avenue to the end of Monmouth Street ending at King Street.

The Irish of Gloucester City Celebrate The 100th Anniversary of Irish Independence

Sunday, March 06, 2016

UPDATE SEE MORE PHOTOS Photo (s) Credit CNBNews Staff The Most Reverend Dennis J. Sullivan, Bishop of the Camden Diocese, (center) and Monsignor William Hodge, (left) Pastor of St. Mary\’s Parish, Gloucester City lead the…

Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) Rice Bowl

PHILADELPHIA, PA–For the 45th consecutive year, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will kick-off Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) Rice Bowl, the nationwide Lenten program that provides people of all ages with ways to put their faith into action through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Friday, February 21, 2020

11:00 a.m.

Our Lady of Hope Food Pantry (Rectory Basement)

5200 North Broad Street

Philadelphia, PA 19141

Most Reverend John J. McIntyre, Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia, will preside over this year’s Rice Bowl blessing and kick-off. In addition, Ms. Anne H. Ayella, CRS Diocesan Director, and Ms. Maureen McCullough, CRS Regional Director and Ms. Ella Guimond, CRS Relationship Manager will be joined by Mr. James Amato, Secretary for Catholic Human Services, and Ms. Lizanne Hagedorn, Executive Director of Nutritional Development Services, in offering remarks regarding Rice Bowl’s impact locally and globally.

Through CRS Rice Bowl, participants are invited to devote their Lenten prayers, fasting and alms to change the lives of those who suffer in poverty. Lenten alms donated through CRS Rice Bowl support the humanitarian response and development programs of CRS in nearly 100 different countries each year. Twenty-five percent of all donations to CRS Rice Bowl benefit Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (NDS) supporting hunger and poverty alleviation efforts locally.

Making The Knights of Columbus More Appealing

Written by Peter G. Sánchez/

The Camden Diocese

BRIDGETON, NJ–Don Olbrich is nothing if not persistent.

Wherever he goes, he carries with him Form 100s, which are membership documents for the Knights of Columbus. Which is not surprising, as he is Grand Knight of his council, Liberty Council 1910 out of Bridgeton’s Parish of the Holy Cross.

“I took a Form 100 to my doctor’s office,” he says, but it wasn’t blank.

“I had already filled out his name and phone number, all I needed was his address,” he continues.

And then there was the time he tried to get his son, D.J., to join the council.

“He kept telling me no, so I told some of my brother Knights that if they could get him to sign up, I’d give them $100. It worked,” he says, laughing.

Olbrich’s methods have no doubt rubbed off on his brother Knights. From July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019, his council gained 40 new members, 800% of their recruitment goal. The effort made Liberty Council 1910 second in the country in recruitment for any Knight’s council.

Today, the 101-year-old council is 113 men strong, in ages ranging from 19 years old to the mid-80s, Olbrich says.

“We set monthly membership goals,” he says in explaining how the council achieved the milestone.

His doggedness and determination speak to his love of the church where he has been a Knight for 10 years.

“It’s all about helping the parish,” he says.

The Liberty Council Knights are a constant presence around the Holy Cross community, be it cooking for the annual fall parish festival, organizing a donation drive of baby wipes and diapers for single mothers and their children, or repainting lines in the church parking lot.

Olbrich was thankful for the leadership and guidance of Holy Cross pastor, Father Matthew Weber, who has shown “tremendous support” for the council.

“The Knights have been a wonderful blessing,” says Father Weber, himself a Fourth Degree Knight.

In addition to “stepping up” to help the parish in whatever needs to be done, such as helping out with maintenance issues or being extra hands at parish events, the Knights of Columbus are “leading men to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, and with each other,” he says.

As well, he is pleased that the council reflects the diverse nature of his Bridgeton parish — a bilingual community with a faithful and collaborative mix of Anglo-Saxon and Hispanic members.

“The Knights have been a beautiful bridge” between these communities, he says,

“I’m glad this council has blossomed. These men are pillars of charity, fraternity, unity, and patriotism,” Father Weber said, echoing the Knights of Columbus’ mission.

Following the call from Supreme Director Carl Anderson to make the Knights more appealing, the Bridgeton Knights will hold a public initiation ceremony after the 4:30 p.m. Mass at Saint Mary Church, Rosenhayn on Saturday, Feb. 22, with a spaghetti dinner afterward. All are welcome.

Home

Catholic Schools Still Different Where It Counts

Celebrate Catholic Schools Week came to a close on Saturday, Feb. 1. Throughout the Diocese of Camden, schools sponsored open houses; special liturgies and prayer services; academic competitions and showcases; meals for seniors, volunteers and other special people; events to celebrate diverse cultures;

activities to foster community spirit; and an onslaught of service projects.

Catholic schools are known for these activities and more throughout the year, so why the need for a concentrated week? For Sister Sheila Murphy, principal at Cape Trinity Catholic School in Wildwood, it’s all about tradition. She remembers the first Catholic Schools Week, 1974.

“‘Different Where It Counts.’ That was the first tagline and I’ve always loved it. It stayed with me,” said Sister Sheila. She said she thinks about the tagline at the opening Mass every year, a Mass that could not happen outside a Catholic school community, the perfect example of how Catholic schools are different where it counts. According to Sister Sheila, this year’s Mass was particularly special because it was also the conclusion of the parish mission at the school’s primary parish, Notre Dame de la Mer. Turnout from school families was high, and Mass was followed by a parish lunch.

Service is the other element of Catholic Schools Week Sister Sheila cherishes. Like many other schools, Cape Trinity Catholic honors local first responders during the week. Students bring items for gift baskets, which are hand-delivered by families to several police and fire stations. Toiletry bags are also assembled by students and delivered to The Branches, a center in Rio Grande that cares for individuals who are homeless.

“We do some things just for fun, too,” said Sister Sheila, citing the teacher-student volleyball game as a highlight.

For anyone who might have missed the chance to visit during Catholic Schools Week, no worries. The doors to South Jersey Catholic Schools are open for visits, and students are welcome to shadow and discover the difference in a Catholic school education. Find a school near you at

www.southjerseycatholicschools.org

*Shamrock Celebration Honoring Principal Ed Beckett

Please join us for a fun-filled evening honoring Gloucester Catholic Principal Ed Beckett, whose exemplary guidance and direction has ushered in the next generation of our community leaders.

**Music will be rocking with a live performance by

The Broken Shillelaghs

**Lovely, lively Irish dance by Jordan – Hunt School of Irish Dance

**Delicious traditional dinner, as well as dessert selection and cold beer! Full cash bar with extensive selection, including Irish Coffee in commemorative glass mug, will be available.

**The event will also feature an “Irish Auction” with gift baskets, 50/50, and door prizes, as well as our Queen of Ireland Specialty

Imports Shop!

Friday, March 6, 2020 – 6:30 PM. $25

Elizabeth’s Ballroom

419 Highland Blvd, Gloucester City, New Jersey 08030

Tickets:

Purchase tickets

online

, or in person at

St. Mary’s Rectory

Carr’s Hardware

Sunshine Flowers and Gifts

PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE

NJ IRISH SOCIETY, 420 MONMOUTH STREET, GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ, 08030

Long-Time Gloucester City Resident and Vietnam War Veteran Needs Our Help

By CNBNews Staff

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (February 11, 2020)(CNBNewsnet)

—Bob Kotter, who was born and raised in Gloucester City, needs some help from his friends and residents of the community. Bob is battling stage 4 prostate cancer. A U.S. Marine, Bob fought in the Vietnam War. He believes his cancer was caused by Agent Orange which was dropped on the jungles of Vietnam by U.S. planes and helicopters to kill the heavy vegetation.

Bob Kotter (2018 CNBNews photo)

Recently his chemotherapy was increased to four times a week as cancer has spread to his bones.

For a decade or more Bob lived in the family home in the 400 block of Market Street taking care of his elderly parents. He cooked their meals, kept them and the house cleaned, and made sure they got to the doctors and received their medications. After his mother died the house was sold and he was left without a roof over his head.

\”A community activist,

I first met Bob in 2006-07 when he was trying to get the City of Gloucester City to clean up their parking lot at Fifth and Powell Street,\” said Bill Cleary Sr., editor of CNBNews. \”The lot was being used by junkies to shoot up. Empty needles and glassine bags were thrown around the lot in plain view. It was also an eyesore as a result of the trash and broken down cars on the lot.\”

From the 2007 article:

The city property was once the site of the Quaker Food store and the former Sand Bar. The City tore down the properties in the 1980s, paved it with asphalt, and put up an 8-foot high cyclone fence.

Kotter said during the interview,“that was the last time we saw the City. The fence has been decaying for the past several years. People used the vacant property to store their unlicensed vehicles and for changing the oil in their cars.”

Gloucester City Public Parking Lot is an Eyesore & \”Drug Den\”

In 2016 Bob fought against the terrible odor that was coming from the Blueknight Energy Partners asphalt plant on Water Street, home to eight million barrels of asphalt. Kotter told the Philadelphia Inquirer, \”Sometimes the fumes burn your eyes,\” he said. \”My elderly parents who lived four blocks from the plant have been putting up with it for years. But nobody does anything about it even though I have complained to numerous environmental agencies.\”

Gloucester City Residents are Fuming Over Fumes

Bob loved to walk through the city. He wore a wide brim light green hat with a US Marine emblem. You could tell by his walk he was military. He would start from his parent\’s home on Market Street head west to the riverfront and cover the entire city ending back at Market and Powell Streets. When he saw that the old GAF power plant was being demolished he was concerned that the property wasn\’t properly sealed, and, was worried the asbestos inside would spread to the nearby residential neighborhood.

\”As a result of his tip, we discovered some interesting history about the GAF power plant that we and the public would never have known if it wasn\’t for him,\” said Cleary.

Demolition Work on the 111-Year-Old GAF Power Plant

He loved Gloucester City and it upset him to see what was happening to certain neighborhoods in the community. He was quick to point out faults in the hopes by doing so improvements would be made. Take for example in 2018 when he wrote a letter to CNBNews about the condition of the entrance to the city on South Broadway, along with the pot holes on Jersey Avenue, two main highways coming in and out of the city.

\”I have attached some photos showing the deplorable road conditions on South Broadway when you enter Gloucester City from Brooklawn and the pot holes on Jersey Avenue from South Broadway to King Street,\” said Kotter.

\”These streets are so bad that if you hit some of the bumps doing the speed limit it will throw you right out of your vehicle\’s seat. I can\’t imagine what it does to the front end of your car/truck. Year in and year out these conditions have been allowed to exist. It is a disgrace. I give the person a thumbs up for the nice job he/she did in painting the new yellow lines on the street. However, painting dividing lines in the street before you repair the potholes is just plain stupid. \”

Deplorable Streets Need to be Repaired

\”Bob\’s heart was always in the right place\”, said Cleary.

\”He had no ulterior motive. He wasn\’t running for any political office. Nor did he have an ax to grind. If he saw something wrong he tried his best to fix it because of his love for Gloucester City. Please keep him in your prayers as he needs our help now both spiritually and financially.\”

Send your check to Runnemede VFW,

℅ Tim Salamatin, 13 East Sixth Street, Runnemede, NJ 08087. Make the check payable to Bob Kotter.

You can also send a Get Well card to Bob at the same address.

(published Feb. 11, 2020) https://www.gloucestercitynews.net

)