A Welcoming Catholic Parish on the Delaware
The Church of the Sacred Heart sits in a quiet neighborhood along the Delaware River at 103 Fourth Street in Riverton, New Jersey, and it has long been the spiritual home of Catholics in this small Burlington County town. Parishioners describe their community with a single line that runs throughout the parish's life: "Together we foster a welcoming spirit of unity while honoring our diversity which leads to a graced harmony among us since Christ is the center of all we are and do." That sentence is the parish's own mission statement and shapes everything from Sunday liturgy to the smallest Bible study that meets in the Family Center.
Sacred Heart is part of the Diocese of Trenton and serves the people of Riverton, a community where neighbors know one another and where the parish operates as a steady presence. The church building anchors the parish, with the Family Center across the street providing space for choir rehearsals, small groups, and parish gatherings. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, and is closed on Holy Days.
Mass Schedule and Confession
The parish offers Mass every day of the week. On weekends, the Saturday Vigil is celebrated at 4:00 PM, and Sunday Masses are offered at 7:30 AM, 9:30 AM, and 11:30 AM. During the week, daily Mass is celebrated at 8:00 AM Monday through Saturday, with one important exception: Wednesday morning is a Communion Service only at 8:00 AM, not a Mass.
Confession is heard every Saturday afternoon from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM, and appointments can also be made by contacting the rectory. Two regular devotions extend the rhythm of daily prayer. On Tuesdays, the Novena to the Miraculous Medal is prayed from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM. On Fridays, a Holy Hour with Eucharistic Adoration is held from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM. The Rosary is also prayed after each daily Mass at 8:30 AM.
For visitors planning their first visit, the parish notes that there is no dress code beyond modesty and respect. Everyone is welcome at Mass, including children of all ages, and no one is expected to put money in the offering. There are envelopes in the back of the church for those who wish to give, and online giving is available as well.
The Seven Sacraments
Sacred Heart celebrates the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church and provides formation and preparation for each. Baptisms are scheduled by contacting the rectory as early as possible. Parents are required to attend a baptism workshop to prepare, parish registration must be confirmed, and godparents must provide eligibility certificates from their own parishes. Call Mary at the rectory to begin the process.
Reconciliation, the Eucharist, Confirmation, Holy Matrimony, the Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Orders are all part of parish life. The parish teaches that in Reconciliation, God forgives sins committed after Baptism and the penitent is reconciled to God and the Church. The Eucharist is celebrated daily at Mass and is described as "the source and summit" of Christian life. Confirmation deepens baptismal grace and calls the confirmed to be missionary witnesses of Christ in their families, neighborhoods, and the world.
Couples preparing for Holy Matrimony attend a Pre-Cana session, which is arranged through the parish. The funeral liturgy is coordinated through the family's funeral director, who then contacts the church; a parish funeral minister meets with the family at the church to plan the liturgy. Families seeking the Anointing of the Sick for a loved one at Wynwood are invited to contact the pastor, Father Chuck Schwartz.
Faith Formation for Children and Teens
The parish's faith formation office serves children in Kindergarten through Grade 8, including a "We Can" program designed for children with special needs. Classes are supported by a Director of Religious Education, Bonnie Campbell, and a Religious Education Secretary, Joanne Moore. Registration is open each year for the new academic cycle. Sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation is woven into the religious education program and accompanied by parish-based formation for both children and parents.
The youth ministry at Sacred Heart is built around several age-specific groups that meet regularly through the school year. Little Flowers is a girls' club and Blue Knights is a parallel club for boys, both under the coordination of Ashling Ehrhardt. God's Followers is the junior youth ministry for students in Grades 3 through 6, meeting on the third Friday of each month from September through June, with Erin Foley and Lea Colbert as contacts. Teens Need Truth, or TNT, is the high school and junior high youth group led by Erin Foley. The parish also runs a CYO Basketball program for boys and girls, and a summer Vacation Bible School.
Young adults ages 18 to 39 gather for faith, fellowship, and service. For the youngest children and their parents, Moms & Tots offers a regular opportunity for faith and friendship at the parish.
Becoming Catholic: OCIA
Adults interested in exploring the Catholic faith join the parish through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. OCIA welcomes the unbaptized, Christians from other traditions baptized in another denomination, and baptized Catholics who have not yet received First Communion or Confirmation. The process is described as "a journey that involves a conversion of the heart and becoming a disciple of Jesus within the Catholic community." Matthew Bove coordinates OCIA at Sacred Heart, and inquiries can be directed to the parish office.
Beyond OCIA, adult faith formation includes Bible studies, a Family Faith Matters program, and ongoing adult education led by the Pastoral Associate, Bridget Iwaszczenko. The diocese also points adults to a resource called Formed, an online library of Catholic movies, study programs, and audio content that parish families can access at no cost.
Music Ministry
Music at Sacred Heart is led by Susan Barnett, the Director of Liturgical Music Ministries, and is shaped by four overlapping ensembles. The Adult Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM in the Family Center and leads the music at the 11:30 AM Sunday Mass, as well as at Christmas, Easter, and other major liturgical celebrations. Cantors lead the assembly in song at weekend and daily Masses, and new cantors are always welcome.
The Sacred Heart Guitar Ensemble has been part of the parish for more than forty years. From September through May, the ensemble leads the music at the 9:30 AM Mass on the first, third, and fifth Sundays of the month, and also leads music at Christmas and Easter. A Bell Choir rehearses on Tuesday evenings and adds to the parish's musical texture. Instrumentalists who wish to share their gifts are invited to contact the music director.
Small Groups and Adult Faith
Small groups are described as the place "where our big church gets small." Groups typically include six to twelve people who meet weekly to discuss faith, go deeper in Scripture, and support one another. The parish frames small groups around five purposes: building friendships among believers, fostering genuine fellowship, inspiring growth in discipleship, providing community for member care, and encouraging a healthy, respectful atmosphere of accountability.
Several specific adult faith groups meet on a regular rhythm. Women of Faith gathers weekly to discuss Catholic life and recently finished a study on Edward Sri's "When You Pray." Walking with Purpose brings adult women, young adult women, and girls together for Catholic Bible study on Thursday evenings from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM in the Family Center. The Men's Fellowship and Bible Study, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 7:00 PM in the Deacons' Room in the Lower Church. The Saint Monica Club, for anyone praying for the conversion of family or friends who are estranged from the Church, meets on the second Thursday of each month at 2:00 PM in the Family Center Meeting Room.
The parish also runs a Pre-Cana program for engaged couples, a Rosary Guild that meets on Thursdays at 6:00 PM in the Family Center to craft rosaries, and a Willing and Able group that meets Tuesday afternoons from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM in the Family Center for parish service projects.
Pastoral Care and Outreach
The Pastoral Care office keeps the parish connected to those who cannot easily come to Mass. Deacon Mike Stinsman coordinates ministry to the sick and homebound, and brings Communion to residents of Riverview Estates. The Bereavement Ministry has been meeting with small groups in a support setting for more than fifteen years, with a mission "that no one would have to grieve alone." Interested families can call or text Bridget Iwaszczenko for information.
The Share-a-Meal Ministry cooks and delivers meals to families going through difficult life events such as a birth, an illness, or a loss. Volunteers are matched with families who need support, and the parish welcomes anyone who likes to cook and wants to help. A Heart to Heart Outreach, a Respect Life Ministry, and a Legion of Mary group round out the parish's service and prayer commitments.
Catholic Daughters and Knights of Columbus
Sacred Heart is home to Court #2124 of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, which meets on the second Thursday of each month at 3:00 PM in the Family Center. The court supports local and national charities, administers scholarship programs, and pursues the order's mission to be "helping hands where there is pain, poverty, sorrow or sickness." The court also collects baby items year-round for First Way of Burlington County, with a bassinet kept near the ramp entrance of the church for donations of diapers, wipes, formula, baby clothes, and other essentials.
The parish's Knights of Columbus council is St. Joseph, #1984, with Grand Knight Joe Threston. The Knights sponsor the Men's Fellowship and Bible Study, run regular hoagie sales, host a Knights of Columbus car show each year, and offer Catholic men an order-wide opportunity to lead with faith, protect their families, and serve others. Knights of Columbus members ages 18 and older are welcome to join.
A Parish Shaped by Sacraments, Music, and Service
From the children's choirs and the long-running Guitar Ensemble to the Pre-Cana couples and the grieving men and women of the Bereavement Ministry, Sacred Heart's life is built around sacraments, prayer, and the slow work of forming disciples. Bridget Iwaszczenko, the Pastoral Associate and a lifelong member of the parish, oversees much of this day-to-day work, alongside Father Chuck Schwartz, Deacons Mike Stinsman and Bob Bednarek, and a staff that includes a Business Manager, a Secretary, a Facilities Manager, and the Directors of Religious Education and Liturgical Music. Volunteers lead nearly everything else: lectors, altar servers, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, cantors, ushers, the decorating team, parish dances, and the coffee-and-donuts social after Mass.
The parish offers additional online resources for daily faith, including links to prayers of the rosary, the Mysteries of the Rosary, the St. Michael prayer, the Guardian Angel prayer, the prayer of Spiritual Adoption, and a printable novena to St. Therese. Coloring pages and activity pages for families are available, and the parish continues to mark special moments in the wider Catholic calendar, including the Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi running from January 2026 through January 2027.
Anyone interested in joining the parish can complete a parish registration form online, and visitors are warmly invited to fill out an information form to receive a welcome packet. The parish's commitment to safety is anchored in the Diocese of Trenton's observance of the U.S. Bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, with an Abuse Hotline at 1-888-296-2965 for anyone who has been sexually abused by a member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic Church. Newcomers are asked to be aware that scammers sometimes impersonate parish staff by email; the parish will never request money or gift cards through email.
Whether someone arrives at the Fourth Street church for the first time or returns for a weekday Mass in the quiet of the morning, Sacred Heart offers the same promise: a Catholic community that welcomes everyone, prays together, and walks with its people through every season of life.