A Roman Catholic Parish at 200 Windsor Avenue
Christ the King Catholic Church stands on Windsor Avenue in Haddonfield, New Jersey, just across the river from Philadelphia, and serves Roman Catholics in Haddonfield and the adjacent parts of Cherry Hill and Haddon Townships. The parish also looks beyond its immediate neighborhood through a two-year mission partnership with the Sisters of Saint Joseph Neighborhood Center in Camden. Walking through the doors for Mass, families pass beneath cross-shaped stained glass and a sanctuary refreshed through the Catholic Strong campaign. Pastoral care is shared among a pastor, a parochial vicar, a deacon, and a deeply layered team of directors, catechists, cantors, and volunteers.
A Sanctuary Refreshed Around the Kingship of Christ
Inside the nave, the altar serves as the focus of the second half of Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The church includes two confessionals: the priest enters through the door nearest the sanctuary and the penitent through the other, and a wall with a sliding screen divides the interior so confessions can be heard privately or face to face. A 2021 renovation funded by donors to the Catholic Strong campaign repainted the walls, refinished the floor, added new pews, installed new confessionals, and replaced every sanctuary furnishing, including the altar and the ambo.
Above the choir loft, a cross-shaped stained glass window fills the back wall, and the coats of arms of the bishops of Camden adorn the ceiling. The stained glass around the nave honors the kingship of Christ through a series of titles: King of the Universe, King of the Priesthood, King of Children, King of Youth, King of Women, King of Men, King of the Home, King of the Soul, King of the Parish, King of Those Who Suffer, Christ the King Crucified, King of Saints and Angels, and King of Heaven.
Below the church, Morgan Hall hosts fellowship, youth gatherings, and faith formation classes. The Parish Center across the campus houses all parish offices and a first-floor conference room. The Adoration Chapel can be reached directly from the outside using the ADA ramp on Hopkins Avenue.
Sunday Mass and the Liturgical Calendar
The regular Mass schedule runs from mid-September through mid-June. Saturday brings the anticipatory Mass at 5:00 PM. Sunday Masses are celebrated at 7:30 AM (the smallest congregation), 9:00 AM, and 11:00 AM, with both later Sunday Masses offering Children's Liturgy of the Word and drawing a congregation that is nearly a third young people. During the summer, from late June through Labor Day, Saturday remains at 5:00 PM and Sundays shift to 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. Holy Days of Obligation are observed at 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM. Weekday Mass is celebrated Monday through Friday at 8:00 AM, with a 9:00 AM Mass on Thanksgiving Day. Mass is livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person through the parish's livestream page.
The Seven Sacraments at Christ the King
The parish celebrates all seven sacraments recognized by the Catholic Church. Infant baptisms are held throughout the year on the first three Sundays of each month after the final Mass, with no more than four children per ceremony so that each remains reasonably personal. Parents complete a baptism inquiry form and a 60-minute Kerygma Session led by clergy, staff, and fellow parishioners, with refreshments, a keynote reflection, a personal witness, and small-group conversation. Each family also identifies two sponsors.
Children from age eight through eighth grade prepare through two years of parish religious education and receive baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil. High school students and adults typically prepare through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA), meeting weekly from September through April.
Marriage preparation at Christ the King includes three meetings with a priest, a Pre-Cana course led by trained married couples, the FOCCUS Pre-Marriage Inventory, and the Kerygma Session. Weddings may be celebrated on any day and time, depending on church availability, either as a ceremony or nuptial Mass. The parish wedding fee is $500, with an organist and cantor available at $250 each. The parish deacon can officiate for couples who cannot use a CTK priest, and outside priests and deacons may also be invited.
Funerals are usually scheduled Monday through Saturday at 10 or 11 AM, with a viewing or visitation possible beginning at 9 AM. The bereavement ministry guides families through music selections, Scripture readings, eulogy, the placement of the pall, and the offertory procession. Christ the King provides an organist and cantor; recorded music cannot replace them. Cremation is permitted, though the Church clearly prefers burial of the body beforehand, and cremains should be buried or entombed in a cemetery, with a Catholic cemetery preferred.
Anointing of the Sick is available for those who request it, and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion bring the Eucharist to parishioners who are homebound. First Communion and Confirmation preparation for children is coordinated through the religious education office, while adults and youth over age seven can speak with Dolores Mozzillo.
Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, and the Rosary
Confessions are heard on Sundays at 8:45 and 10:45 AM from Labor Day through June 30, and at 9:45 AM from July 1 through Labor Day. Confessions can also be arranged by appointment with Fr. Jon. The Adoration Chapel is open on Mondays from 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM, and parishioners can sign up to spend an hour in prayer. A Rosary Room inside the church and a weekly Rosary after Mass round out the parish's devotional rhythm.
Faith Formation for Children
The 9 AM Mass from the first Sunday of October through May is the parish's Family Mass, featuring high school ushers and lectors, the youth choir, and a child-friendly homily. After Mass, fellowship for all parishioners and an activity for children takes place in Morgan Hall.
Children's Liturgy of the Word offers a child-friendly presentation of the Sunday Scriptures in Morgan Hall during the first half of Mass. Open to children ages 4 through 7, the program runs from October through June at the 9 and 11 AM Masses (except the 9 AM Family Mass on the first Sunday of the month) and is led by trained adults. Children in grades 3 through 8 can sing in the Youth Choir, which performs at the monthly Family Mass. Little Disciples is a monthly gathering of young children and their parents after the 11 AM Mass during the school year, meeting at the Christ the King School playground when weather permits.
Religious Education serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade, supported by more than fifty catechists and volunteers. Christ the King Regional School, located on the parish campus, serves as another path of faith formation for parish families.
Youth Ministry: Teen Mass, Project Serve, Blaze, and Strive
High school students gather monthly for the Teen Mass and Hangout during the school year. Mass begins at 6 PM, followed by a fellowship organized by young married couples and other young adults. Parents are welcome to attend the Mass itself; only high school students and the young adult organizers attend the fellowship.
Project Serve brings middle and high school students to Morgan Hall after the 11 AM Mass six times throughout the school year, with service projects benefiting the Sisters of Saint Joseph Neighborhood Center in Camden. Middle school girls can join Blaze, a 12-week Christian formation program meeting in Morgan Hall during the school year, led by adults and high school girls and offered through Walking with Purpose. Middle school boys can join Strive, meeting in the Christ the King School gym for eight mostly consecutive weeks late in the school year. The first-year Strive curriculum follows the theological and cardinal virtues; the second year is built around male saints.
Adult Faith Formation: Walking with Purpose, Monday Bible Study, and More
Walking with Purpose is a weekly Bible study for adult women of all ages. Based in the Catholic tradition though open to women of all faiths, it aims to bring women into a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ through daily personal Scripture and weekly small group sharing. Small group leaders gather around the parish for that work.
The Monday Night Bible Study returns each fall for a season that opens in the New Testament with 1 Corinthians, including St. Paul's clearest statement on the Eucharist, and then traces the Eucharist through Church history and Vatican II. From February through May, Fr. Jon steps back and staff and parishioners lead a study of a book about the Mass.
Young at Heart unites maturing adults of faith for fellowship, inspiring speakers, helpful programs, and lunch. Mary Undoer of Knots is for adults aged 21 to 50, with gatherings dedicated to the intercession of Mary in life's tangled moments. The parish also describes an offering specifically for men as coming soon.
Small Groups Around Haddonfield
Small groups meet in homes near the parish to explore the Sunday Gospel and how God is present in daily life. Groups gather on Sundays at 7:00 PM (led by Debbie Troy and Jen Coelho), Wednesdays at 9:30 AM (Veronica Spilker), Thursdays at 9:15 AM (Megan D'Antonio and Genna Grabbe), Thursdays at 6:30 PM (Mary Rose Martino), Wednesdays at 3:30 PM (Merri Votta), and Tuesdays at 6:30 PM (Mary Ann and Mary). Most groups are currently full; the Director of Evangelization can connect newcomers to a group that fits their schedule.
Music, Liturgical, and Hospitality Ministries
Abigail Walsh directs the parish's Liturgy and Music ministry, working with cantors, the Adult Choir, the Youth Choir, the CTK Ringers handbell ensemble, and the Teen Mass Band. The church provides an organist and cantor for every Mass.
Altar Servers from 4th through 12th grade assist at Sunday Masses and other liturgies, with high school seniors receiving special training to lead other servers and assist as masters of ceremony. Lectors proclaim the readings at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days after attending the diocese's School of Liturgy. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist with distribution at Mass and to the homebound after completing the same training. Ushers welcome parishioners, help with seating, take the collection, and hand out bulletins at the end of Mass.
The Hospitality Ministry provides decor, table design, food, and bartending for parish events. Sweet Blessings delivers home-baked goods to sick, elderly, and homebound parishioners. The Knit, Crochet, Pray ministry has donated more than four hundred comfort pieces since 2023 to local organizations including a cancer treatment center, a food pantry, and the Sisters of Saint Joseph Neighborhood Center. Parish Nurses organize CPR training, blood pressure readings after Mass, and health presentations.
Mission Partnership with the Sisters of Saint Joseph Neighborhood Center
Christ the King's local mission centers on a two-year partnership with the Sisters of Saint Joseph Neighborhood Center (SSJNC) in Camden, an organization working to foster community connection among neighbors who often experience isolation. More than sixty parishioners serve at the Center. On Giving Tuesday, parishioners raised over $18,000 for SSJNC, and the Christmas Giving Tree added another $8,000. Nearly one hundred meals were prepared and delivered between September and December.
The Christmas Giving Tree loads the parish tree with gift card tags during Advent rather than pre-wrapped gifts, empowering SSJNC neighbors to choose items that fit their families. The Rosary Making Ministry provides a handmade rosary to every baby baptized at Christ the King and to every First Communicant.
Outreach: Saint Vincent de Paul, CTK for Life, and Health Ministry
The Christ the King chapter of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society reaches out with compassion to neighbors in financial need, helping with rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, and car or medical expenses for those needing temporary assistance. CTK for Life supports organizations that serve women and their babies who choose life, witnessing to the dignity of the human person. The Health Ministry, made up of retired and active healthcare professionals, organizes CPR training, blood pressure readings after Mass, and health presentations. Remembering the Innocent offers prayer and healing for those who have suffered the loss of a child in utero, infancy, or early childhood.
Clergy, Staff, and Parish Leadership
Fr. Jon Thomas, ordained in 2010, is the pastor. He previously served as pastor of the citywide Parish of Saint Monica in Atlantic City, and as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Lindenwold and Christ Our Light Parish in Cherry Hill. He studied philosophy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and theology at The Catholic University of America, and serves on the diocesan Finance Council. Fr. Carlo Santa Teresa serves as parochial vicar, and Michael Scott is the parish deacon.
Dolores Mozzillo, Director of Religious Education, leads religious education and sacramental preparation and has served in the Diocese of Camden for more than twenty-five years. Abigail Walsh directs Liturgy and Music. Michael Martin is Director of Stewardship and Sherine Green is Director of Evangelization. Cort Hrivnak serves as Assistant for Communications. The Pastoral Council is led by Chair Jennifer McHugh-Barker, Vice Chair Andrew Miller, Secretary Peter D'Antonio, Trustee Theresa-Rose Woodward, and members Sal Moffa, Mariann Gilbride, Colleen Hirst, and Jennifer Coelho, who serves as liaison to the Haddonfield Council of Churches.