The white Victorian-era Church of the Precious Blood stands at the intersection of Riverdale Avenue and Beach Road in Monmouth Beach, a quiet borough along the New Jersey Shore. The parish has served the community since the church was dedicated on June 21, 1891, and today it remains the focal point of Catholic life in town. A former pastor, Fr. Robert Kaeding, once wrote that the parish "stands as the center of the Monmouth Beach community and its history reflects a wonderful spirit exhibited even to this day in the inhabitants of the community." Because the building sits close to the shore, off-shore winds and high tides occasionally flood the surrounding roads, an occurrence so familiar to locals that the parish regularly posts a notice when weekend Masses may be affected. The church's parking lot is reached by turning left onto Riverdale Avenue from Beach Road and then immediately right into the lot.
A Parish Born from a Summer Colony
Precious Blood began as an answer to a practical problem. In the late nineteenth century, Monmouth Beach was a summer colony for affluent visitors, an era when seven U.S. presidents kept homes in nearby Long Branch and the Patten Steamboat Line and the Central Railroad of New Jersey brought vacationers in large numbers. The borough's many estates, each staffed by ten to fifteen employees, and two large hotels, the Monmouth Beach Club and the Green Inn, employed even more. Many of these workers were Catholic, but there was no Catholic church for them and their families in Monmouth Beach, and travel to Star of the Sea in Long Branch was the only option for Sunday Mass. Monmouth Beach was therefore made a mission of Star of the Sea.
Those employees, joined by a small group of permanent residents, began raising money through card parties, raffles and dances to build a church of their own. John Maney, whose property adjoined the site on Wesley Street, donated the land to Rev. James A. McFaul, then pastor of Star of the Sea. On June 21, 1891, Bishop Michael J. O'Farrell of the Diocese of Trenton dedicated the new Church of the Precious Blood. A recreation hall was also built on the property and used in summer months for fundraising social events. The church remained a mission of Star of the Sea until 1910, when Precious Blood was formally established as a parish by Bishop McFaul.
The congregation suffered during the severe coastal storms of 1913 and 1914, when many summer homes were damaged or destroyed and the church, still without central heating, was closed in winter and made a mission of St. Dorothea's in Eatontown. By the early 1930s the parish had grown back, central heating was installed, and the church stayed open year round. In 1946 Bishop William A. Griffin reestablished Precious Blood as an independent parish and assigned Rev. Francis J. Dwyer as its pastor. Father Dwyer established his rectory in the Burns Cottage at Riverdale and Griffin Street.
In 1952 Rev. Walter H. Green became pastor, oversaw construction of a new rectory, and purchased property behind the church from Mrs. Beatrice Ennis to provide for future needs. The 1950s also brought an expansion of parish territory to include the Port-au-Peck area of Oceanport and the northeast section of Long Branch. A pilot diocesan program asked parishes without schools to establish a center for religious instruction, and Pastor Msgr. Maurice P. Griffin received permission to use the Borough Hall and public school for religious education as an interim measure while raising funds for a permanent building.
His successor, Rev. Earl A. Gannon, established a pledge system and introduced regular Bingo games to retire the debt, paying off the Catechetical Center's mortgage within a few years of his arrival in the mid-1960s. On Sunday, November 5, 1961, Bishop Ahr dedicated the Center as the first of its kind in the Diocese of Trenton. An unusual chapter in the parish's history followed during the tenure of the Rev. Ronald Becker, when Rev. Robert Pearson, formerly associated with St. James Episcopal Church in Long Branch, was instructed in the Catholic faith and in 1989 received authorization to begin saying Masses at Precious Blood, one of only a handful of Episcopal ministers known to have converted to Catholicism.
Rev. John Kielb was appointed administrator on July 8, 1989, and became pastor on September 1, 1989, serving for twenty-one years. In September 2010, Bishop John M. Smith appointed Rev. Robert F. Kaeding as Parochial Vicar to assist Fr. John, whose health was failing, and Bishop David M. O'Connell appointed Fr. Bob as pastor in March 2011. He was formally installed on July 16, 2011, and at that time a Parish Ministry Team was established that included Fr. John J. Testa as Parochial Vicar, a Director of Religious Education, a Pastoral Associate focused on Parish Ministries, and a Director of Music Ministry.
Masses, Reconciliation and Livestreamed Liturgies
Weekend Masses at Precious Blood are celebrated on Saturday evening at 5:30 PM and on Sunday morning at 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 AM. Daily Mass is offered Monday through Friday at 8:30 AM from Ash Wednesday through Christmas. During the quieter weeks between Christmas and Ash Wednesday, mostly January and February, there is no daily Mass. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered on Tuesday and Friday mornings, immediately after the 8:30 AM daily Mass, in keeping with the seasonal daily Mass schedule.
For those who cannot attend in person, weekend and special Masses are livestreamed and recorded on the parish YouTube channel, which also archives past liturgies and hosts playlists of opening, closing, preparation, psalm and Communion songs used at parish funerals and other liturgies. Parishioners and visitors are welcome to register online, and online giving is available through the parish's secure giving page. Weekly bulletins in PDF form are also posted for at-home reading.
Joining the Worship: Liturgical Ministries
The Mass at Precious Blood is supported by a deep bench of volunteer liturgical ministers, organized through the parish's Liturgy Committee under the leadership of Beth Henderson. Lectors proclaim the readings at Mass; extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist assist with distribution of Holy Communion; hospitality ministers greet worshippers as they arrive; and an altar linen team maintains the sacred linens. A separate Music Ministry, under the Director of Music Ministry, leads the parish in sung worship.
Younger parishioners are served by the Children's Liturgy of the Word, and a team of video technicians manages the livestreamed liturgies. A Ministry to the Homebound brings Holy Communion to parishioners who are unable to attend Mass in person. For families arranging a Catholic funeral, the parish offers detailed Funeral Liturgical Planning, with downloadable planners, lists of approved readings, and song selections drawn from the parish's YouTube playlists for opening, closing, preparation, psalm and Communion songs. New volunteers are welcomed in any of these roles and may reach out to the Liturgy Committee chair to begin.
Faith Formation Across the Lifespan
Religious Education for children is the backbone of parish faith formation. The program, directed by the parish Deacon and Director of Religious Education, walks school-age children and their families through Catholic teaching, with the parish's tagline inviting all to "discover God together." For adults interested in becoming Catholic or completing the Sacraments of Initiation, the parish offers the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, OCIA (formerly known as RCIA). This year-round process culminates with the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil, and parishioners are invited to serve as sponsors walking alongside candidates on the journey.
Baptism Preparation for Parents is required by the Diocese of Trenton. Sessions run from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM on select dates in the Parish Center, with godparents welcome to attend alongside parents. The parish's linked parish, St. Dorothea in Eatontown, holds its Baptism Prep on alternating months, and parents may attend either parish's session.
Ongoing adult formation revolves around small faith-sharing groups and retreats. The Men's Faith Sharing Group meets every Saturday morning from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM via Zoom, while the Men's Annual Retreat Weekend has been held each year since 2013 at the San Alfonso Retreat House in Long Branch, typically the last weekend in January, drawing about eighteen to twenty participants. The Women's Retreat Weekend, typically the third weekend of January at San Alfonso's, brings together twenty to twenty-five women. Lenten and Fall Faith Sharing Groups meet seasonally, with the Spiritual Life Committee organizing small groups that allow parishioners to pray, study and share together.
Couples preparing for marriage take part in Pre-Cana, a Catholic marriage preparation program offered twice a year under the direction of Steve and Dee Bulvanoski. For families experiencing loss through death, illness, divorce or separation, the parish supports a Rainbows Program, directed by trained facilitators. The Spiritual Life Committee also maintains the parish Spiritual Books Library in the Francis Room, a converted garage behind the parish house entered through an enclosed porch and breezeway, with categories covering Scripture, biographies of the saints, pastoral ministry, catechetical ministry, history of the Church, the popes and spirituality. Outside, beside the north end of the Parish Center, a prayer labyrinth invites quiet meditative walks on the parish grounds.
Human Concerns: Service and Outreach
The parish's Human Concerns Committee, chaired by Simone Cooney, oversees an unusually broad set of outreach programs that reach into the local Monmouth Beach community and beyond. Helping Hearts is a monthly collection of frozen casseroles for individuals and families in need. The Diaper Drive collects diapers and baby supplies twice a year, supplemented by baptismal gifts received at each scheduled Baptism, for agencies supporting mothers and babies. The parish also collects food bimonthly to support the St. Dorothea Food Pantry in Eatontown.
On Holy Thursday, personal hygiene products are gathered at the Mass offertory for individuals and families in need. The Support our Troops program collects care packages each Memorial Day Weekend for active-duty military members at home and abroad. The annual Backpack and School Supplies Drive partners with Charity Kings, a local outreach agency, to outfit students returning to school. A parish Blood Drive is held through COHORT Blood Drives in the Parish Center, supporting organizations that provide safe blood products to patients in need.
Other ongoing efforts include the Jesse Tree Advent and Christmas program, which provides gifts through local agencies to individuals and families in need at Christmas; an annual Coat Drive in partnership with the YMCA of the Jersey Shore and Lunch Break; and a bi-annual collection for Grupo Manhattan, a New York City-based Drug Addicts Anonymous (DDA) fellowship. The parish also directs parishioners in need of food, housing, addiction, mental health, domestic violence or immigration assistance to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Trenton. Committee contact information is available for each program leader, and most programs operate year round with adjustments made in response to local needs.
An LGBT Faith Sharing Ministry, led by Dena Walter Reger and Patti Forsman, welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics, along with their families and friends, for prayer, fellowship, social justice and dialogue. The parish's Social Committee complements all of this with fellowship events including an Annual St. Patrick's Day Dinner Dance, an Annual Italian Night Dinner Dance and Gift Auction, Parish Beach Masses and Picnic, 2nd Sunday Socials and a yearly Baptism luncheon. Together these ministries give parishioners many ways to put faith into action beyond the church walls.
The Seven Sacraments at Precious Blood
As a Catholic parish, Precious Blood celebrates all seven sacraments instituted by Christ: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Penance (Reconciliation), Anointing of the Sick, Marriage and Holy Orders. The parish's catechetical pages on each sacrament draw on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
For Baptism, the parish teaches that the sacrament ushers the faithful into divine life, cleanses from sin and initiates them into the Christian community. Water is poured in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the newly baptized is anointed as priest, prophet and king, and a white garment is placed upon them as a sign of Christ's victory over death. The baptismal candle is lit from the Paschal candle, and oil and water together recall Jesus' own baptism in the Jordan. In case of necessity, any person with the right intention can baptize by pouring water and saying the Trinitarian formula.
Confirmation completes Baptismal grace by conferring the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the anointing of chrism oil and the laying on of hands by the bishop. The Sacrament of Penance, also called Reconciliation or Confession, is one of the two healing sacraments. Reconciliation is a time to reflect on the mercy and love of God, to examine one's conscience and to grow closer to God, rather than a moment to dread. Anointing of the Sick, broadened by the Second Vatican Council beyond the moment of death, brings strength and support to anyone struggling with illness and is ideally celebrated communally within the Eucharist.
Marriage is understood as a covenantal union that images the relationship between Christ and the Church, a bond that is unitive, indissoluble and open to the gift of children. Holy Orders, conferred through the laying on of hands, includes the three degrees of bishop, priest and deacon. The parish prepares couples for marriage through Pre-Cana, supports those discerning ordained vocations and welcomes inquiries about consecrated life.
What Catholics Believe
Precious Blood's teaching summarizes the Catholic faith in the language of the Nicene Creed: belief in one God, Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth; in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son, who for our salvation came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man; in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life; in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church; in one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins; and in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Catholics at Precious Blood hold that the Mass is the source and summit of Christian life, that the Risen Jesus is truly and substantially present in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine through transubstantiation, and that the seven sacraments are the ordinary channels of God's grace. The parish points to the corporal and spiritual Works of Mercy, the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit and the Four Marks of the Church, one, holy, catholic and apostolic, as guides for daily Christian living. The parish also walks the universal liturgical calendar through Advent, Christmas, Lent, the Triduum, Easter and Ordinary Time, with Solemnities, Feasts and Memorials marking special events and saints throughout the year.
A Linked Parish Partnership
Precious Blood shares its ministry with St. Dorothea Catholic Church in Eatontown, its linked parish within the Diocese of Trenton. The two parishes cooperate on Baptism Preparation (held on alternating months), Religious Education, retreat programs, mission events and many fellowship activities. Weekend Mass at St. Dorothea is offered Saturday at 4:00 PM and Sunday at 8:30 and 10:00 AM, with daily Mass Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 12:15 PM and Tuesday at 7:00 PM. Reconciliation is heard at St. Dorothea on Tuesday after the 7:00 PM Mass.
Parishioners are encouraged to worship, serve and form community across both campuses, and the work of Precious Blood is supported by an active Parish Council with committees on Liturgy, Spiritual Life, Social, Finance, Building and Grounds, and Human Concerns. The Parish Office, at 72 Riverdale Avenue in Monmouth Beach, is open daily from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and the pastor and parish staff welcome calls, emails and visits throughout the week. Whether one is a year-round resident, a summer visitor, a new arrival in the area or someone considering the Catholic faith, the parish opens its doors, its programs and its history to all who wish to share in its life.