On Morris Avenue in Denville
The Episcopal Church of the Saviour stands on Morris Avenue in Denville, New Jersey, set back from the road in a small complex of worship and gathering spaces. Inside, the parish presents itself as a place to connect. Two Sunday Eucharists draw a steady congregation, and the building hums through the rest of the week with Centering Prayer on weekday mornings, choir rehearsals on Thursday evenings, a Bible-study community that meets with a neighboring parish, and a Saturday-morning outreach that supplies basic necessities to neighbors who need them.
The parish sits within the Diocese of Newark, led by Bishop Carlye J. Hughes, and is part of the broader Anglican Communion, the worldwide family of churches rooted in the Church of England. Members of the parish have come to know it as a place that is both rooted and welcoming, with a clear identity in Episcopal liturgy and a long-standing habit of hands-on service to the surrounding community.
Two Sunday Services, One Parish Family
Sunday worship is built around two Eucharists. At 8:00 am a small Said Eucharistic Service gathers in the Chapel, a quieter and more intimate setting for those who prefer an early hour. At 10:00 am the larger Eucharist Service with Music fills the main church, with the choir leading congregational song. Both services follow the Book of Common Prayer, the devotional core of Episcopal worship, and both are open to anyone who wishes to attend.
After the 10:00 am service, the congregation moves into the Parish Hall for Coffee Hour, a time of refreshments and conversation that has become one of the parish's most consistent rhythms. Coffee Hour is followed by Church School for children at 10:00 am, and the youth of the parish are welcomed into a monthly COTS Youth Group gathering on Sunday evenings. The 10:00 am service is also livestreamed on YouTube each Sunday, so members who cannot be present in person can still worship with the parish.
An Episcopal Welcome
Episcopalians follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and ground their common life in the Book of Common Prayer, which the parish describes as a treasure chest of devotional and teaching resources and the primary symbol of unity across a diverse church. The parish holds that God loves all people without exception and embraces a legacy of inclusion: people of all genders and sexual orientations serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in the Episcopal Church, and laypeople and clergy share leadership together.
Scripture is read from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. A lighthearted list of reasons for being an Episcopalian circulates among the members, ending with the line, "No matter what you believe, there's bound to be at least one other Episcopalian who agrees with you." The parish's name uses the spelling "Saviour," in keeping with the church's Anglican roots and the historical English spelling.
From Parishioner to Pastor: Fr. Jim's Story
The parish's rector is the Reverend James (Jim) Petroccione, who now serves in his fourth year at the church but whose history with the congregation runs far deeper. Almost twenty-eight years ago, Fr. Jim came to the parish as a new member when his husband was transferred back to New Jersey and the couple was searching for a new church home. He describes those early years as formative: the parish was welcoming, inclusive, and supportive, and it was here that he began to discern a call to ordained ministry. He was ordained as a priest in the Diocese of Newark and eventually returned to the Church of the Saviour as rector nearly twenty-five years later. He calls the journey nothing less than miraculous.
Serving alongside Fr. Jim is the Reverend Ken Boccino, the parish's deacon. The parish is governed as well by a Church Leadership Team (formerly the Vestry) of lay parishioners who share in the decisions that shape its ministry.
Children, Youth, and the Church School Year
Church School at the Church of the Saviour meets at 10:00 am on Sundays from September through June, beginning in pre-K and continuing through the older elementary grades. Volunteer parents and mentors lead the program, which combines Christian education with hands-on service projects. The calendar builds rhythm around the seasons: a Blessing of the Students in the fall, a Halloween celebration and parade, the assembling of Blessing Bags for the Morristown Mission, Advent wreath making, a Pancake Breakfast with Santa, Christmas Eve service participation, an Easter Egg Hunt, and a youth-sponsored Coffee Hour hosted by the older students.
Older youth, beginning in sixth grade, are invited into the COTS Youth Group, which meets about once a month on a Sunday evening for shared activity and continued formation. A 2025 Confirmation class is celebrated on the parish's news.
Centering Prayer Before the Day Begins
For members who want to begin the day in quiet attentiveness to God, the parish hosts Centering Prayer each weekday morning from 7:30 to 8:00 am on Zoom. The practice is described as the opposite of usual prayer: rather than talking to God, Centering Prayer opens a space of interior silence so that the pray-er can listen. Each session begins with a reading from the Psalms, followed by a period of silent Centering Prayer, and closes with a rereading of the day's psalm. Occasional and one-time participants are welcome; those interested are encouraged to reach out to the church office.
Regional Faith Community: Studying Together with St. Peter's
In September 2021, the Church of the Saviour joined with St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Mountain Lakes to form the Regional Faith Community, an intentional partnership that meets on the first, third, and fifth Wednesdays of each month from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, alternating between the two parishes. The COTS team leads the gathering when it falls at the Church of the Saviour on the first Wednesday of the month.
The first and third Wednesdays are given to Celebrations of the Word, in which small teams lead Bible study that follows a single topic through the Old Testament, the Prophets, the Epistles, and the Gospels. The fifth Wednesday is a celebration of the Eucharist and agape meal. The community is open to all, and newcomers can join at any time and at whatever level of participation they wish.
The Memorial Garden
At the heart of the property lies a quiet courtyard garden that grounds the parish in the beauty of creation while serving as a place to remember loved ones who have died. The Memorial Garden is maintained over the years by a roster of volunteer parishioners, and a virtual Garden Memory Wall records those whose ashes have been interred there. Families interested in interring a loved one's ashes in the garden are invited to contact the church office.
COTS Closet, Faith Kitchen, and Hands at Work
The parish's mission life centers on three practical ministries that bring members into direct relationship with neighbors in need.
The COTS Closet supports neighbors who need basic necessities not covered by programs such as SNAP/food stamps. Run in collaboration with Denville Social Services, the Closet opens on the first and third Saturdays of each month from 9:30 to 11:30 am, with entry through the red doors of the Parish Hall. Items regularly stocked include feminine hygiene products, cleaning products, shampoo and conditioner, bar soap, laundry detergent, tissues, deodorant, diapers and baby wipes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, mouthwash, toilet paper, and paper towels. Donations can be dropped off at any time on the bench outside the red doors, and monetary contributions and volunteers are always welcome.
The Faith Kitchen, first established in 1983, operates out of Trinity Lutheran Church in Dover and serves a free hot meal six days a week to anyone who needs nourishment and connection, typically feeding seventy to one hundred people a day. Twenty-two area churches from several denominations take turns cooking and serving. Members of the Church of the Saviour prepare, cook, and clean up a monthly Sunday meal and occasionally help serve patrons at the Dover site.
The Knitting & Crocheting group turns yarn and time into hats and blankets for babies in NICUs at local hospitals, and into prayer shawls for those in need of a spiritual hug. Periodically the finished pieces are brought to the church to be blessed and sent out into the world.
Women of St. Martha's Guild
St. Martha's Guild has a long history at the Church of the Saviour, with some current members who have belonged for decades. The group gathers monthly for fellowship and service, donating to a steady roster of community partners that includes Market Street Mission, Denville Social Services, the Interfaith Food Pantry, Nourish NJ, the Sharing Network, and JBWS (Jersey Battered Women's Services). New members are warmly welcomed.
The Choir and Music
Music is a living part of the 10:00 am Sunday Eucharist. The choir, led by Minister of Music Jared Baladamenti, rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 pm and warms up at 9:15 am on Sunday mornings before the service. The choir welcomes all voices; the only requirement is a desire to share in making music to praise God and uplift the gathered people. Those interested in joining are invited to contact the church office.
Parish Life and Coffee Hour
Fellowship is treated as a ministry of its own at the Church of the Saviour. The weekly Coffee Hour after the 10:00 am service anchors parish life, and a Parish Life Team organizes larger gatherings through the year: an Epiphany Luncheon, a St. Patrick's Day Party, a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, a Parish Picnic, and a Welcome Back Sunday each fall. The team is always open to new ideas and new helpers.
Weddings, Rentals, and St. Veronica's Studio
Weddings at the Church of the Saviour are officiated by Fr. Jim for Episcopal unions, and the parish is open to hosting Christian ceremonies officiated by a couple's home clergy when reception plans bring them to the Morris County area. Couples are encouraged to contact the office early in the planning process.
To support its missions, the parish also rents its spaces to the wider community. The Parish Hall, about 1,900 square feet with seating for 180 and an attached commercial kitchen, is available for meetings, small parties (twenty-five people or less), and larger gatherings. The church sanctuary, seating 300 with light from large east- and west-facing windows, can be used for concerts and other performance events. Off-street parking is available for guests.
Housed inside the building is St. Veronica's Photography Studio, the work of photographer Christopher Laccetti. A portion of every session's proceeds goes back to support the parish's ministries, and bookings can be made through the studio.
Getting Involved and Getting in Touch
The parish runs on volunteer service. Roles open at any given time include Church School teachers, lay readers, choir members, Eucharistic Ministers, greeters, the tech team that handles the sound system and the livestream, ushers, counters, the Altar Guild, the Coffee Hour Hospitality team, the Parish Life Team, and the Church Leadership Team. Seasonal "Blue Jean Sundays" in spring and fall gather volunteers for property projects. Those who have a particular skill to share are encouraged to let the office know.
The Church of the Saviour is open to visitors, seekers, and newcomers at every stage of the journey. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm, at 155 Morris Avenue in Denville. Sunday worship begins at 8:00 and 10:00 am.