A Stewardship Parish on Wayside Road
The Church of Saint Anselm sits on a 23-acre tract along Wayside Road in Tinton Falls, a quiet stretch of Monmouth County where the suburbs of the Jersey Shore meet older parishes first established a century ago. From its founding in 1972, the parish has described itself as a stewardship community, one in which members share their Time, Talents, and Treasure with one another and with neighbors in need. That simple phrase, repeated by three pastors across fifty years, captures what people mean when they say Saint Anselm feels different. It is the kind of parish where a new administrator can be welcomed as warmly at the back door of the church as at the altar, and where the same volunteers who plant the Peace Garden in spring are still helping to fold the collection envelopes each Sunday in fall.
What the parish is best known for, beyond its Mass schedule and its many ministries, is the way it weaves worship, service, music, and care for creation into a single fabric. Bishop George W. Ahr and the Diocese of Trenton established Saint Anselm on May 31, 1972, carving sections out of St. Mary in Deal, St. Jerome in West Long Branch, St. Michael in West End, St. Dorothea in Eatontown, Holy Spirit in Asbury Park, and Holy Innocents in Neptune to bring Catholics west of Route 35 to one central place of worship. That founding vision of gathering people from many small parishes into a unified community is still the work of the parish today.
From a School Cafeteria to a 750-Seat Worship Center
The first Mass of the new parish was celebrated on Saturday, June 17, 1972, in the cafeteria of Wayside School, just down the road from where the church now stands. A rented home at 6 Pine Lane in Eatontown served as the first rectory, meeting place, and center for the religious education program, and daily Mass was said there as well. One hundred and thirty families were registered at the start.
Founding pastor Fr. Joseph Miele recalled that the principal of Wayside School was gracious in offering the cafeteria free of charge, but the fledgling community knew it would have to build. Because the diocese was starting five new parishes at the same time, it could not provide large amounts of financial help. The parishioners voted to take on the construction themselves, and the resulting church was dedicated on November 2, 1975, in a Mass at which Bishop Ahr presided.
Fr. Miele also sat on the Diocesan Liturgy Committee charged with implementing the changes of Vatican II, and he made sure Saint Anselm embraced those reforms from its earliest days. "By implementing these changes, we attracted people and they became active, offering their time, talent, and treasure," he said. "People knew it was their parish, and that they had to work together for it to survive." That decision, to involve every baptized member in the work of the parish, set a tone that the parish still seeks to honor.
The 1980s brought a second pastor, Fr. Robert (Bob) Kaeding, in June 1984. Fr. Bob focused on stabilizing the parish's finances, hiring staff, and launching a formal stewardship program along with a Communications Committee. Under his leadership, the RENEW program of small faith-sharing groups took root, and a string of committees took shape: Community Outreach (COR), Human Concerns, Bereavement, Welcoming, and Communications. The Peace Garden was planted for the parish's fifteenth anniversary, and the first live manger appeared at Christmas.
By the late 1980s, the parish had outgrown its original buildings. The number of registered families had more than tripled since the Parish Center was built, and 350 children were enrolled in religious education. In 1992, ground was broken for a major expansion: more seats in the worship center, a new chapel, eight classrooms, a 100-seat auditorium, and offices for the parish staff. Fr. Bob's successor, Fr. Gene Vavrick, who arrived in 2005, inherited a parish known across the diocese as "a unique parish, an inclusive parish, where everyone had a place."
The parish faced harder chapters, including the loss of many members after the closure of Fort Monmouth and the long suspension of activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community spirit and God's grace brought it through. Just before Christmas 2022, Fr. Brian T. Butch was assigned as temporary administrator; at a standing-room-only Mass on June 25, 2023, Bishop David M. O'Connell formally installed him as pastor. On July 1, 2026, Fr. Carlo Calisin became administrator after Fr. Brian moved on to other duties in the diocese. Fr. Carlo had already been presiding at weekend and weekday morning Masses in the months leading up to his appointment, and the parish family welcomed him warmly.
Masses, Confessions, and the Shape of the Week
Saint Anselm offers Mass three times on the weekend and three times during the week. Saturday evening Mass is celebrated at 4:30 pm, and Sunday Masses are at 9:00 am and 11:00 am. Weekday Masses are offered at 9:00 am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Confessions are heard on Saturday afternoons from 3:00 to 4:00 pm and at other times by appointment through the Parish Office.
Each Mass is supported by a team of liturgical ministers, all of them volunteers. Ministers of Hospitality greet worshippers, distribute song booklets, take up the collection, guide the congregation in procession for Communion, and pass out the weekly bulletin. Ministers of the Indoor Environment care for plants and flowers, arrange seating and altar displays, assist with liturgical art, and decorate the worship area and chapel for the great feasts of the year. Ministers of the Word, or Lectors, proclaim the Sacred Scriptures after careful personal preparation. Eucharistic Ministers assist with the distribution of Holy Communion. Sacristy ministers launder the altar linens and keep the worship spaces in order.
Mass Servers, drawn from young people in the fifth grade and older, set the Eucharistic table, assist with the details of the Mass, and serve at weddings and funerals. A separate group, called Christopher Ministers, brings the Eucharist to parishioners who reside in nursing homes or who can no longer leave their homes to join the community for worship; visits can be arranged through the Parish Office.
Coming for the First Time
The parish has a long tradition of welcoming newcomers, and a dedicated page for first-time visitors spells out the small details that can make a new church feel less intimidating. Saint Anselm is casual about what people wear. Many in the parish family dress for comfort, and others still put on their Sunday best. The only request is that clothing be respectable and avoid offensive images or slogans.
Visitors can park in the lined spaces in either of the parish lots, with spaces set aside near the entrance for those with physical limitations. Children of every age, from infants through great-grandparents, are welcome to sit together in the Worship Area. If parents are worried about a fussy child, the Mass is live-streamed into the Learning Center, a large multi-purpose room at the rear of the Worship Area, where families can follow along with more room to move.
Those who are not Catholic are invited to follow the lead of the parishioners around them. Worship aids are handed out as people arrive, and they include the order of the Mass, the hymns and chants, and the words of every prayer. Those who do not receive Holy Communion are welcome to come forward in the Communion procession with their hands crossed over their chests for a special blessing. Visitors are not expected to put anything in the collection basket; regular giving is for those who consider the parish their church home.
The parish also offers hearing assistance for those who need it. Visitors can ask any Minister of Hospitality for the equipment.
The Music Ministry
Music is one of the most distinctive things about Saint Anselm. The Music Ministry, directed by Michael Zorner, is built around the conviction that "a church without a choir is like a body without a soul," a line the parish attributes to composer John Rutter. The program includes choirs for nearly every age and season.
The Parish Choir meets on Thursday evenings from 7:15 to 8:45 pm in the chapel, sings at three weekends of Mass each month along with Holy Days and special occasions, and rests in July and August. It is open to anyone in high school or older, and no experience is necessary. Instrumentalists are welcome as well.
A Youth Choir, made up of students in second grade and up, sings for the Christmas Eve Mass at 3:00 pm and the Easter Sunday Mass at 11:00 am, with rehearsals in the four weeks before each liturgy. A separate Summer Choir carries the music through July and August, with the 9:00 am Mass in July and the 11:00 am Mass in August supported by a choir that rehearses forty-five minutes before Mass in the Learning Center. The Summer Choir is a popular way to try out choir membership without a long-term commitment.
Cantors, drawn from within the choirs after an audition and basic training, lead congregational singing, proclaim the Responsorial Psalm, and sing the Gospel Acclamation. The parish currently keeps a roster of twelve cantors, with openings filled from the ranks of the Parish Choir. Instrumentalists, including guitar, bass, drums, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and trumpet players, are welcome to audition.
The Music Ministry also prepares couples for weddings and supports families at funerals. The Wedding Music page lists more than a hundred suggested hymns, psalms, and songs with links to recordings on Spotify and YouTube, organized by their place in the ceremony: processional, gathering, responsorial psalm, Gospel acclamation, preparation of the gifts, Eucharistic acclamations, communion, and recessional. Fees for weddings are: $250 for the music director, organist, or pianist; $200 for a cantor; $200 for each additional instrument; a $50-per-hour rehearsal fee for approved outside musicians; and a $200 bench fee when all musicians are from outside the parish. For funerals, a cantor and organist or pianist are provided, with additional musicians available when possible, at a fee of $150 per musician, typically handled through the funeral home.
Becoming Catholic and the OCIA Process
Those who are not yet Catholic and want to explore the faith are invited into the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, or OCIA. The parish describes OCIA as a process of apprenticeship in Christ that is unique to each person and that takes into account each person's particular faith journey. Formal classes run from September through Easter, though the parish says there is no set beginning or end to the journey.
Catechumens and candidates for full communion meet weekly to reflect on the Sunday readings from Mass, on ways to serve the world today as disciples of Christ, and on the Catholic customs of prayer, devotion, and service. Those who are unbaptized can begin the conversation at any time of year by calling the Parish Office.
Religious Education for Children and Teens
The Office of Religious Education, directed by Fran Burke, supports continuing education for parishioners of all ages. Programs include Pre-CANA marriage preparation, infant baptism preparation, faith formation, OCIA for adults, youth groups, and adult education. The parish runs classes for children from kindergarten through eighth grade, a two-year First Eucharist preparation in first and second grades, a family program called GIFT (Gathering in Faith Together) for children in grades three through six, Confirmation preparation for eighth graders, a Junior Youth Group for students in grades seven and eight, and a High School Youth Group.
Confirmation preparation is open to eighth-grade students and concludes with the celebration of the sacrament in late spring or early summer. Students prepare by regularly attending Sunday Mass, completing sixty hours of service each year, attending monthly grade-level meetings, and practicing stewardship within the parish.
The Seven Sacraments
The parish prepares members for each of the seven sacraments, with its own pages and contact information for each one.
Infant Baptism is celebrated on the first and third Sundays of the month at 12:30 pm, but not during Lent. Parents may begin the registration process at any point during pregnancy. Parents requesting Baptism are asked to be registered in the parish, and both godparents are expected to be fully initiated, practicing Roman Catholics. Children over the age of seven follow the OCIA for Children process, which normally takes at least two liturgical years.
Reconciliation, or Penance, is offered on Saturday afternoons from 3:00 to 4:00 pm and by appointment. The parish describes the sacrament as stressing the Christian's need to acknowledge sin and to ask for God's forgiveness, with the priest acting as the instrument of pardon and peace.
First Eucharist is prepared in the two-year religious education program. The parish's Eucharist page links to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' 2021 document "The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church," and to external resources from Catholic Answers and the Patheos blog of theological writer Henry Karlson.
Confirmation, as noted above, is prepared in the eighth grade and celebrated in late spring or early summer.
Matrimony preparation begins at least one year before the planned wedding date. The parish follows the Common Policy of the Church in New Jersey, and the preparation includes Engaged Encounter or Pre-Cana plus consultation with the pastor or deacon.
Holy Orders are supported through the diocese. The parish's page on vocations links to the Diocesan Ministry of Vocations, which provides discernment opportunities, encouragement, support, education, and resources for those considering the ministerial priesthood.
Anointing of the Sick is described by the parish as a sacrament of healing that may be received as often as a person desires, and not only in dire circumstances. Arrangements can be made through the Parish Office, and the parish encourages families to request the sacrament before a planned hospital procedure rather than after.
Funerals and Memorials
When a loved one has died, families are asked to have their funeral home contact the Parish Office to arrange wake and funeral services. The parish's Bereavement Ministry works closely with the family through the planning process, and the Music Ministry prepares a set of music for the Mass. The Funeral Music page includes a list of approved songs with Spotify and YouTube links, along with twelve pre-planned selections grouped by theme: general traditional, general contemporary, after an illness, comfort, eternal life, peace, and a funeral for a child. Memorial Masses can also be arranged by calling the Parish Office, and Mass cards marking a specific date can be requested by calling the office on weekdays between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.
Stewardship and the Sharing of Gifts
Stewardship at Saint Anselm is not a program with a beginning and an end; the parish describes it as a way of life, in which members recognize that they are administrators, not owners, of what they have. The Stewardship Committee identifies, analyzes, and recommends strategies for long-term pastoral ministries and invites parishioners to share their time, talent, and treasure so that the Good News of Jesus Christ may be shared with those who do not know him.
The parish offers several ways of making a weekly offering: envelopes, online giving through the WeShare service, and other options on the Stewardship page. Online giving is available to registered parishioners, and visitors are not expected to contribute.
Community Outreach, the COR Ministry
Community Outreach, or COR, is the parish's main vehicle for helping neighbors in financial crisis. The committee helps parishioners and members of the local community when they face emergencies caused by the loss of a job, cutbacks in hours, a health crisis, or other circumstances beyond their control. People in need are encouraged to contact the Parish Office.
The Social Justice Ministry complements COR with longer-term efforts. The parish has been partnering with "From Hearts to Hands," a food pantry initiative serving area residents in need, and accepts non-perishable food donations at the Tinton Falls Municipal Building on weekdays and at St. Thomas AME Zion Church in Tinton Falls. The Social Justice Ministry is also building an email list for those interested in food assistance opportunities and soup kitchen volunteering.
Creation Care and the Social Justice Ministry
Care for creation is woven into the life of the parish. The Social Justice Ministry follows the principles of Catholic social teaching: the dignity of each person, the common good, rights and responsibilities, the option for the poor and vulnerable, stewardship of God's creation, and the promotion of peace. Its mission is twofold: to provide assistance and care for the needs of the more vulnerable in the parish and local community, and to identify, publicize, and educate parishioners on current social justice issues.
The ministry has organized study groups on Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si' and Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. In 2026, the parish is observing the Jubilee Year of St. Francis proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV to mark the eight hundredth anniversary of St. Francis's death, with prayer walks, garden blessings, and partnerships with neighboring churches. The parish has also hosted discussions on the New Jersey Green Amendment, community solar, beach cleanups, microplastics surveys, and seasonal events like the Blessing of the Animals.
The Social Justice Ministry's work is rooted in the conviction that the climate crisis is a pro-life issue, and that advocacy on behalf of creation is inseparable from advocacy on behalf of the poor. The ministry maintains an email list and welcomes newcomers through its online survey.
Parish Life, Faith Sharing, and the Knights of Columbus
The Parish Life Committee plans the social events that build community within the parish, from coffee and donuts after Sunday Mass to the parish picnic, the parish camp-out, formal and informal gatherings, and the St. Patrick's Celebration. The committee also oversees the Welcoming Party for new members, held at the Parish House.
Beyond social events, the parish supports a number of small faith-sharing groups, including a Women's Faith Sharing Group and a Men's Faith Sharing Group, both of which have been featured in recorded interviews on the parish's homepage. The Knights of Columbus Council 816 meets at the parish and partners with the Social Justice Ministry on a range of service projects. A parish garden ministry tends the grounds and grows native plants.
Youth Sports: Track and Field and Basketball
Saint Anselm is also known for its youth sports. The Track and Field program, directed by Athletic Director Fran Burke, runs from kindergarten through eighth grade with age-appropriate events: 50-meter, 100-meter, and 300-meter races for the youngest runners, adding 200-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1200-meter events, relays, long jump, and high jump for the juniors in fifth and sixth grade, and 100-meter through 1600-meter races, relays, long jump, shot put, and high jump for seniors in seventh and eighth grade.
The St. Anselm Hawks Basketball program fields teams in the Northern Monmouth County Parochial League. The parish's annual fundraiser for the athletic program is the pre-Father's Day 5K, held at Joe Palaia Park in Oakhurst. The program also maintains a branded store, with a portion of each sale supporting parish athletics.
Sacred Music for Weddings and Funerals
Music at Saint Anselm follows a careful set of guidelines, both for weddings and for funerals. The parish insists that sacred music is an expression of the church's prayer and praise to God, and that the music used at any ceremony or Mass must be sacred in nature and liturgically appropriate. Trained parish musicians play at all weddings. The minimum requirement is a cantor and a pianist or organist, with optional strings, flute, oboe, trumpet, guitar, or drums available. Outside musicians may be approved by the music director and pastor, with additional fees that may apply.
For funerals, the Music Ministry works closely with the Bereavement Team to plan the liturgy. The Funeral Music page includes a list of more than fifty approved songs, with Spotify and YouTube links to each. Twelve pre-planned music lists help families select a complete set without having to make every decision themselves. When selecting music, families are asked to choose from the published list and to identify a backup song for each part of the Mass, since the parish is only able to use songs approved for Catholic worship. If a family does not wish to make these choices, the Bereavement Team will choose appropriate music on their behalf.
Protecting God's Children and the VIRTUS Program
The safety of children is taken seriously at Saint Anselm. Following diocesan guidelines, anyone who works with parish youth, including the youth group, sports, and the garden ministry, must complete VIRTUS training and fingerprinting. The parish's Protecting God's Children page links to the New Jersey State Central Registry, where anyone with reasonable cause to believe a child has been subjected to abuse is encouraged to report, anonymously if they wish, by calling 1-877 NJ ABUSE (1-877-652-2873), with TTY available at 1-800-835-5510. April is observed as Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the parish marks the occasion with information and reminders each year.
Communications and the Live Stream
The Communications Committee manages the many channels through which Saint Anselm stays in touch with its members and the wider community. The committee publishes the parish website, maintains the parish's presence on Facebook and Instagram, prints the weekly bulletin, manages bulletin boards, prepares parish mailings, and captures photographs and video of parish events to build a parish history. The committee also produces the live stream of the weekly Mass on YouTube, a ministry that began with a simple iPhone during the climate talks of 2019 and grew into a full streaming production during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mass is live-streamed each week, with an archive available on the parish's YouTube channel.
Becoming Part of the Parish
Anyone interested in joining Saint Anselm is invited to register through a form on the I'm New Here page, or to speak with a Minister of Hospitality at any Mass. Those who want to volunteer for one of the parish's many ministries can fill out the Volunteer Form, and a member of the parish leadership team will follow up. The parish describes its ministries as the backbone of community life, and asks simply: "God is calling. Will you answer?"
Parish Office hours are Monday through Thursday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The Parish Office can be reached at 732-493-4411. Deacon Bill Zapcic can be reached at 732-539-7507.