Christ Church Woodbury has stood on Delaware Street in the heart of downtown Woodbury, New Jersey since 1857, a stone Gothic Revival landmark whose spire still rises above the borough's rooftops more than a century and a half after its consecration. The parish belongs to the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey and the worldwide Anglican Communion, and it has been known from its earliest years for a tradition that blends High Church ritual with rich liturgical worship, strong Christian education, and mission-minded outreach to the wider Woodbury area.
A Building "Solid in Stone"
The church was designed by John Notman, the Scottish-born architect who emigrated to Philadelphia in 1831 and became one of the early pioneers of the Gothic Revival style in America. Notman's Philadelphia churches include St. Mark's on Locust Street, Saint Clement's on Cherry Street, and Holy Trinity on Rittenhouse Square, but the Woodbury commission was no less ambitious. The Right and Lord Bishop George Washington Doane, the second Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, consecrated the building on Thursday, September 17, 1857. The next year, at the diocesan convention, he described it as "solid in stone, and 'beautiful, exceedingly,' and fitted for all sacred uses" and "the very gem of the Diocese." The lot on Delaware Street had been purchased in 1855, and the church and rectory were erected during 1856.
The building carries visible signs of the parish's Anglo-Catholic identity. The sanctuary lamp, installed in 1926 to signal the Blessed Sacrament's presence in the Aumbry on the east wall on the Gospel side of the altar, marks the parish's sacramental focus. A stained-glass window depicting Saint David, patron of Wales and a memorial to one beloved rector, sits next to the pulpit. Adjacent to it, a memorial window based on William Holman Hunt's painting The Light of the World honors a successor's ministry. Elegantly old-fashioned fixtures and posts, placed outside in 1990, line the walk to the door. A chair lift in the parish house, installed as part of a 2017-2018 renovation, makes the upper floors accessible.
From Temperance Hall to the Jubilee Garden
The parish was organized in 1854 when Bishop Doane commissioned the Reverend William Herbert Norris as Missioner to the newly formed borough of Woodbury. Norris was an adherent of the Oxford Movement, the nineteenth-century Anglo-Catholic revival that swept the Church of England and the Episcopal Church. He had already alienated some of his previous parishioners at St. John's in Carlisle, Pennsylvania with innovations such as wearing a surplice and stole and placing a cross and candles on the altar. His Woodbury Mission held its first services in the "Upper Room" of the local Temperance Hall on Whitsunday 1854, the very site where the parish's Jubilee Garden now stands.
Norris's Anglo-Catholic convictions shaped the parish in two lasting ways. Holy Eucharist was celebrated every Sunday, with daily prayers much of the year, and the parish operated as a "free pew" congregation, dependent on freely given donations rather than pew rents. Although Norris is considered the first rector, the parish was not yet legally incorporated and his actual title was "Missionary in Charge." He led the congregation for nineteen years before resigning for health reasons in 1873.
The decades that followed brought a succession of rectors and recurring financial challenges. Under William H. Lewis Jr. (Rector 1873-1878), the parish was incorporated on April 10, 1874, but a Low Churchman, Lewis sought to scale back the weekly Eucharist in favor of Morning Prayer on some Sundays, and tensions between "Lewisites" and loyalists to his predecessor marked his tenure. Howard E. Thompson (Rector 1884-1895) returned the parish firmly to an Anglo-Catholic course, beginning to wear Eucharistic vestments on Advent Sunday 1884 and introducing the Brotherhood of Saint Andrew. A processional cross was among the practices some parishioners found too High Church. During the rectorate of James O. McIlhenny (1906-1908), the choir was vested for the first time.
The Welsh-born Robert G. Wynne Williams arrived in 1918 and brought an unprecedented forty-two years of stability to the parish, guiding it through the Depression, the Second World War, and the Korean conflict. He founded the parish's endowment fund in 1920 and oversaw a 1951 rebuilding of the organ and the relocation of pulpit and lectern to their present positions. A stained-glass Saint David window was installed in his memory in 1965. William V. Rauscher Jr. began a thirty-six-year rectorate at twenty-seven, immediately renovating the buildings, installing a new organ in 1968, air-conditioning in 1970, and instituting healing services in 1965. He also invited Alcoholics Anonymous to hold meetings in the parish house, a hospitality the parish continues.
Douglas E. Anderson began his seven-year rectorate in 1997 and resumed the trajectory of Anglo-Catholic advance. He introduced incense, Sanctus bells, and paid choral scholars, and replaced the plain brass cross and two candlesticks with a crucifix and a matching set of eight candlesticks. He also founded the Jubilee Garden in 1999 and renovated the parish house education wing in 2000. The Rev. Brian K. Burgess served as Rector from February 2005 until his election as Bishop of Springfield, Illinois in December 2021. He initiated the Saint Florian's Day observance, an Advent Lessons and Carols service with ecumenical participation, and the major 2017-2018 parish house renovation. After an interim period, the Rev. Lawrence Civale was called as Priest-in-Charge beginning August 1, 2023, and currently serves as Rector.
Worship Across the Week
The parish gathers for Mass every day of the week except Tuesday. On Sundays the day opens at 8:00 a.m. with a quiet Holy Eucharist, followed at 10:00 a.m. by the principal Choral Mass with the adult choir and choral scholars. Wednesdays bring a 10:00 a.m. Healing Mass that includes the Rite of Healing. Thursdays carry a 6:30 p.m. Mid-Week Mass (suspended during the summer months). Friday Evening Prayer is prayed at 5:30 p.m., and the Saturday Vigil Mass is celebrated at 4:30 p.m. Prayer Book Holy Days are observed as announced, sometimes transferred to the nearest Wednesday or celebrated on their actual day, with details in the Parish Service Sheet.
Child Care and Pre-School Classes are provided for children from birth through age four during the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass and as designated for other observances. The rector, the Rev. Lawrence Civale, may be reached through the parish office for baptisms, weddings, the Reconciliation of a Penitent, Holy Unction, and arrangements for Christian Burial. Confessions may also be heard by appointment at any time, anywhere. Wedding preparation at Christ Church Woodbury includes regular attendance at worship and the completion of premarital counseling.
Sacred Music
The choral program is a celebrated expression of prayer and thanksgiving at Christ Church Woodbury. The adult choir provides the music for the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Eucharist and for special services throughout the year, including the Advent Lessons and Carols. Students in fourth grade and above may join the youth choir, which sings for special festivals and feasts. Choristers study music theory, singing posture, tone production, and proper participation in liturgical worship.
A team of paid Choral Scholars supports the principal Sunday liturgy. Current scholars include soprano Grace Mazzola, a graduate of The Hartt School at the University of Hartford; alto Rebecca Ruescher, who holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College; tenor Arturo Tapia-Minchez, a voice performance and composition major at Rowan University; and bass Andrew Owens, also a Rowan vocal performance major. Matthew Glandorf serves as Organist and Choir Director. Raised in Germany, Glandorf received early instruction at the Bremen Cathedral with Wolfgang Baumgratz, entered the Curtis Institute of Music at sixteen as a student of John Weaver and Ford Lallerstedt, and pursued graduate studies with McNeil Robinson at the Manhattan School of Music. He is Artistic Director of both the Choral Arts Philadelphia and the Bach Festival of Philadelphia and serves on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music. Recordings are available through the parish's SoundCloud channel.
Christian Education for Every Age
During the academic year, children from pre-Kindergarten through high school gather for Sunday School classes led by dedicated volunteers. The program uses the Sparkhouse curriculum, which follows the Sunday lectionary and invites students into discussion, discovery, and activities. Cindy Scales, a fourteen-year elementary educator and four-year Sunday School teacher, serves as Sunday School Superintendent, supported by a long roster of volunteer teachers. Children preparing for First Holy Communion complete one full semester of religious education, are regular in their Sunday Mass attendance, and participate in a second consecutive year of Sunday School.
Adult Forum meets on Sundays during the academic year in the upper assembly room of the parish house following the 10:00 a.m. Mass, ending around noon. Past topics have included the Holy Scriptures, the ways and means of the Church, Christian ethics, liturgics, Christian stewardship, and Church history. Youth in grades nine through twelve are invited to the Youth Group, which meets on the first Sunday of each month from September through May in the Goodfellow Lounge on the third floor of the parish house. Monthly activities combine fellowship and outreach: camping, skiing, bowling, movie nights, dance parties, and laser tag alongside walkathons, community clean-ups, and preparing and serving meals.
Brotherhood, ECW, and Acolytes
The Brotherhood of St. Andrew is the parish's men's ministry of evangelism and mission within the Episcopal Church. Founded in 1883, the Brotherhood has committed itself since its inception to the disciplines of prayer, study, and service. At Christ Church Woodbury, the Brotherhood meets monthly from September through June for Bible study and projects that benefit the wider community. The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) gather on the third Tuesday of every month from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the upper assembly room of the parish house. Activities center on spiritual development and service to others, with proceeds from fundraisers, annual dues, and parish donations supporting organizations that assist those in need.
Acolytes from fourth grade through high school assist bishops, priests, and deacons at the altar and for special feasts and fasts. The parish describes the ministry as "highly recognized" and "extraordinary," inviting dedication, discipline, and reverence. Acolytes undergo training and retreat, including an annual Acolyte Retreat and Training event held at the parish.
Sacraments of Healing, Marriage, and Burial
The parish welcomes all the sacramental milestones of the Christian life. Holy Baptism unites the baptized with Christ's death and resurrection and admits them as members of Christ's Body, the Church. Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation of Faith are available for those who wish to make a mature commitment to Christ and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop. Holy Matrimony is celebrated for couples who have completed premarital counseling and are regular in their worship attendance.
The Reconciliation of a Penitent is available as announced and by private appointment with the rector. Holy Unction is offered in time of sickness or grave need. Christian Burial is offered for communicants in good standing, members of the parish, and family of those who constitute Christ Church Woodbury. Each All Souls' Day (November 2), a solemn Requiem Mass is offered for all "those we love but see no longer," with names remembered before the altar during the Prayers of the People.
The Wider Community
Outreach to the broader community is part of the parish's identity. Alcoholics Anonymous has been meeting in the parish house since the 1960s, when Canon Rauscher extended the invitation; today the parish hosts several weekly AA gatherings, including a Monday evening meeting called "Dignity and Grace," a Tuesday noon meeting, a Tuesday evening meeting, and a Thursday evening meeting with Zoom access. The parish also opens its doors for an annual Saint Florian's Day observance with a blessing of fire apparatus and local firefighters, followed by a procession in full dress uniform accompanied by bagpipes to the church for choral Evensong. The Jubilee Garden, established in 1999 on the site of the original Temperance Hall, hosts the annual St. Francis Day Blessing of the Animals.
Parish governance rests with the Vestry, which is legally responsible for finance, property, and maintenance. The Vestry includes the Senior Warden, the Junior Warden, the Treasurer, and the Clerk, alongside nine elected members who serve three-year terms. Eight commissions (Buildings and Grounds, Communications, Evangelism, Hospitality, Mission, Outreach, Programs and Activities, and Stewardship) guide the parish's work.
What the Parish Believes
Christ Church Woodbury is orthodox in belief, traditional in worship with rich ceremonial and liturgical music, and grounded in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church. The parish confesses belief in the Triune God (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) and in the Bible as the inspired Word of God. It accepts the interpretation of the Bible as given by the whole Church through the historic Creeds and Councils, believing Tradition to be the best guide to interpreting Scripture's meaning. "Praying shapes believing" is an ancient conviction the parish holds and seeks to live out through its daily offices, weekly Eucharist, and sacramental life.
Visiting Christ Church Woodbury
The church stands at 62 Delaware Street in downtown Woodbury, New Jersey, with the parish office open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Visitors are warmly welcomed at any of the regular services. Sunday worship begins at 8:00 a.m. with Holy Eucharist and continues at 10:00 a.m. with the Choral Mass. Parking is available at the parish, and the building is accessible by way of a chair lift in the parish house. Recordings of services are available on the parish's YouTube and Vimeo channels, and music is published on SoundCloud. Giving is supported through a PayPal giving link and a stewardship form available from the parish office.