History of the Shrine
-
-
- The Shrine Chapel is the oldest church structure in the Diocese of Metuchen and was formerly the Parish of St Bernard of Clairvaux.
- In 1843 a mission station was established here, the first one in Somerset County. The mission was known as the Somerville Mission, as Raritan did not yet exist. It was part of the Diocese of New York. In the early years of the parish, it was not uncommon for Catholics to walk to Raritan as far away as Flemington to attend Mass.
- In 1856 (some sources say 1858) the present structure of the Shrine was erected by Catholics, most of whom were of Irish descent.
- 1876 the beloved Rev. Joseph Zimmer became Pastor of St Bernard's (Now the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament)
- The year 1883 marked a great influx of Italians and Slavs into the parish. This growth in population continued for several years and was the springboard for establishing the parishes of St Ann (Italian) and St Joseph (Slovak), both also located in Raritan, which makes the Shrine the historical Mother of Faith in the surrounding areas.
- Built in 1897 where the Italian Bakery is today, was the founding of the building that would serve as St. Bernard’s Parochial School and hall. The building functioned as the parish’s social center. Downstairs were classrooms for grades 1 through 8. Nuns taught two grades in one classroom. Upstairs was the hall. Over the years social events and meetings were held there.
- 1923 The Beloved Rev. Joseph Zimmer dies while saying Mass at the Altar. The whole town of Raritan mourns his death.
- Shortly after his arrival he made improvements to the church adding new altars and statuary. Just before his arrival the property for a cemetery was purchased. So, he oversaw the growth of that. Under his leadership at St. Bernard’s the rectory was built.
- During the 1930's and 1940's much renovation took place in the Shrine. The walls and ceilings were decorated, the pews and altar rail were installed; brass ceiling lamps, stained glass windows and crucifix were put in place.
- When the parishioners of St Bernard's built their new church in Bridgewater in 1988, the Bishop of Metuchen Edward Hughes, designated this (current Shrine) building the Shrine Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.
- On August 11, 1989 the Diocesan Eucharistic League was established to encourage Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.
- The Shrine was staffed by a Spanish order named Society of Jesus the Priest until the early 2000's when it was taken over by diocesan priests.
- In 2019 The Raritan Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, at the request of the Bishop of Metuchen, took over the administrative and pastoral care of the Shrine Chapel as well as St Ann, St Joseph and Holy Trinity.
Rectory and Church buildings
Original St Bernard's School and Parish Center
Fr Zimmer with students
Image of Church and Rectory
Image of Church
-
- The Altar was brought from Spain by the Spanish order Society of Jesus the Priest and is over 200 years old.
- The Saints depicted on the altar are (from left to right):
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Bernard and Saint Augustine.- The center stained glass of Jesus with the wording "Magister Adest et Vocat Te", "The Teacher is here, and He is calling you".
-
The Holy Relics contained on the altar are:
Saint Francis Xavier OSSIB, Oss. B. Jo. Neumann, S. P X Papae C, Saint Teresiae a Jesu Eccl. doctoris
-
Explanation: Since the shrine is dedicated as a place of quiet and prayer and used for all day adoration of the Blessed Sacrament the principal charge, a gold (yellow) sun, alludes to the vessel used to display the consecrated Host called a monstrance or ostensorium. Such liturgical vessels are often decorated like a radiating sun. The silver (white) roundel at the center recalls the pure white Host displayed in the monstrance and that Host is decorated with the blue moline cross taken from the coat of arms of the Diocese of Metuchen since the Shrine serves all the people of that diocese. The wavy bar near the bottom alludes to the Raritan river from which the borough where the Shrine is located takes its name. The black field is from the arms used by St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Prior to the designation of the church as a Shrine Chapel the building served until the 1980s as the parish church of St. Bernard parish.
-
-
- Father Zimmer 1876-1923
- Father Zimmer Life
- Saint Joseph Statue & Plaque
- Saint Joseph Statue & Plaque
-
by Bruce Doorly-Raritan Breeze
His first name was Joseph. He was born in 1846 into a prominent family in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.
In 1876 he was then assigned to Raritan in what was supposed to be a temporary assignment. Initially his pastorate also included Somerville, Bound Brook, and Millstone. When he first arrived in Raritan the congregation of St. Bernard’s was about 25 years old. With their church building itself being built around 1858. (Sources vary.)
It is interesting to note that his sister was also an important religious figure. She was a nun who was known as “Mother Immaculata” - as she headed the Ursuline Order in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx.
Joseph Zimmer was well educated. At age twelve he entered a college prep school. For college he initially attended St. Vincent’s College in Pennsylvania in 1861 where he remained for two years. From there he went to St. John’s college at Fordham, New York for 4 years. He then attended the Theological Seminary at Seton Hall. As a college student he spent quite some time at Raritan with the priest at the time Father Kaeder. After completing his studies, he was ordained in 1872.
In his first year he had short assignments in New Brunswick and Hoboken. Then he spent three years in Paterson where he was chaplain in St. Mary’s and St. Joseph Hospital.
He got to work quickly. Shortly after his arrival he made improvements to the church adding new altars and statuary. Just before his arrival the property for a cemetery was purchased. So, he oversaw the growth of that. Under his leadership at St. Bernard’s the rectory was built.
One of his most significant additions was the founding of the building that would serve as St. Bernard’s Parochial School and hall.
Built in 1897, where the Italian Bakery is today, the building functioned as the parish’s social center. Downstairs were classrooms for grades 1 through 8. Nuns taught two grades in one classroom. Upstairs was the hall. Over the years social events and meetings were held there.
In later years that building would serve as a VFW hall before it burnt down in 1988.
Surviving newspaper archives show Father Zimmer served as the priest at countless weddings and funerals.
One quote about him from the Somerset Messenger Gazette said he was “affable in manner, gentle in spirit, sweet in disposition, benevolent, kind, and charitable.”
Father Zimmer played a role in the creation of the annual festival of St. Rocco. While this tradition is today associated with St. Ann’s church – it was the Raritan Italians of St. Bernards, starting in 1896, that sponsored the event.
His travels were tracked by the local newspapers. Among the places that he visited were the West Indies, Bermuda, and Europe.
On one occasion he traveled to the Vatican to meet with the Pope. As a sign of respect, upon his return from this meeting hundreds of Raritan residents greeted him at the train station.
Father Zimmer was an accomplished musician who sometimes entertained his congregation with his piano playing. This was greatly appreciated as it was an era when music was live or not at all. One newspaper article said that if he had not been a priest he could have been a successful musician.
His 25th, 40th, and 50th anniversaries as a priest were celebrated at St. Bernard’s Hall with well-attended dinners - where testimonials praising his service to the community were given.
He recognized that various ethnic groups would want their own church. First in 1903, he was helpful in the Catholic Italians of Raritan to establish their own church - St. Ann’s. For the record, the St. Ann’s congregation first met at 74 West Somerset in a vacant storefront until their first church was built in 1906 on Anderson Street.
Later in 1914, he was again helpful to the Catholic Slovaks of Raritan to establish St. Joseph’s Church.
In October of 1923, after more than 50 years as a priest, 47 of them in Raritan, Father Zimmer fell ill - fainting on the altar. Two months later he would pass away at the age of 77.
The “Central Jersey Home News” summed it up best as the headline for his obituary read “Father Zimmer – was Beloved by Everyone.”
Articles for Anniversary Celebrations
Local Obituary Articles
Fr. Zimmer obituary
-
When walking past the “Shrine Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament” at 52 West Somerset Street in Raritan I have always noticed the plaque that is mounted on the front of the church that reads:
Original Article on Statue & Plaque
IN MEMORIAM
REV. J. J. ZIMMER
PASTOR
1876 – 1923
While this author is familiar with most of the historical publications on Raritan, I have only found Rev. Zimmer referenced briefly a couple of times. So, I set my research to finding out who Rev. J. J. Zimmer was and why the town of Raritan felt that he should be honored. In 1925, two years after his death, the town of Raritan honored him by mounting a plaque and a statue of St. Joseph that we still see today.
This author did not realize that the plaque and statue went together until doing the research for this article.
It is not known why St. Joseph was chosen, but it was probably simply because Father Zimmer’s name was Joseph. The statue, made in Italy, is five feet tall and eighteen inches thick. It was hand carved and made of white Corona Italian marble. Parishioners of St. Bernard’s Church raised the $500 needed. On March 22nd 1925 a well-attended ceremony was held marking the unveiling.
