Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic parish in Hoboken with two historic church addresses and a shared life stretching from the Willow Avenue church to the Monroe Street church. Its roots reach to 1851 and 1871, and its most distinctive features include English and Spanish worship, a 1909 Wirsching grand organ, choirs and a contemporary young-adult ensemble, and ministries that serve families, adults, older adults, and people in need. The two congregations merged in 2008, becoming one parish without losing either church building.
Two Historic Churches, One Hoboken Parish
Fr. Alexander M. Santora became the 16th pastor of Our Lady of Grace and administrator of St. Joseph in 2005. When the churches merged three years later, he continued as pastor of the combined parish. Santora established the annual FunFest, Flea Market and Used Book Sale, Spaghettiaoke, and musical concerts. A ministry to young adults began in 2006, and the Sunday evening Mass that followed has continued to welcome people of all ages.
Our Lady of Grace on Willow Avenue
Our Lady of Grace began in 1851 when Archbishop John Hughes sent Rev. Anthony Cauvin to New Jersey to care for the Mission of Hoboken. Its first church, named St. Mary's, opened in 1855, and the parish was incorporated under New Jersey law in 1864. Work on the present church began in 1874; Bishop Corrigan dedicated it in 1878. The building was entered on both the New Jersey and United States historic-place lists in 1996, and exterior and interior restoration began in 1998, including the consecration of a new altar.
Other dates show a long institutional history. The Society of the Living Rosary was established in 1856, a small school operated from 1859 to 1864, and another school opened in 1891. St. Mary Hospital was blessed in 1866, an orphanage was constructed in 1902, and a convent built in 1915 housed thirty-three Sisters of Charity who taught at the school and cared for the children. The original school building is known as Kelly Hall.
St. Joseph on Monroe Street
St. Joseph began with a Mass in a hall at Grand and Newark Streets in 1871 and was incorporated in 1874. In 1889 it became a territorial parish serving people regardless of national origin. The present church opened in 1897 and stands on 451 piles; the rectory followed in 1904, and a school and convent were built on Jackson Street in 1907. Under Fr. Eugene Zwahl in the late 1960s, an amalgamation of English- and Spanish-speaking communities began.
That bilingual history remains visible in the parish's worship and social life. In 2008 the two legally separate churches became The Church of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph, led by Santora and supported by a Parish Council formed in 2007. The parish maintains two historic church buildings, with a Parish Center at 411 Clinton Street and a School Hall at Fifth and Willow Avenue. Its combined identity is not a single building but two church homes joined by one Catholic community.
Fr. Santora works with weekend assistant Rev. Robert O'Hare, S.J., pastoral associate Maria Zoccoli, parish associate Christina Mueller, faith formation coordinator Samuel Seckler, and music director Kathleen McNally. Their work spans the parish's worship, formation, music, pastoral care, and social outreach.
Mass at Two Doors in Hoboken
Weekend Mass is celebrated in both churches, giving visitors a choice of morning, midday, and evening worship.
- Saturday: 5:00 PM Vigil Mass at Our Lady of Grace, 400 Willow Avenue.
- Sunday at Our Lady of Grace: 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM, and 7:30 PM Mass.
- Sunday at St. Joseph: 10:00 AM Mass in Spanish and noon Mass in English.
The 10:30 AM Mass at Our Lady of Grace generally features the adult and children's choirs from September through June. The 7:30 PM Mass began with the young-adult ministry and is served by the OLG Young Adult Ensemble, whose music has an upbeat, contemporary sound. It is popular with people of all ages. At St. Joseph, the 10:00 AM Sunday Mass is in Spanish and the noon Mass is in English.
Selected liturgical celebrations are livestreamed through the parish's YouTube channel, allowing members of the community to join from elsewhere.
A Chapel for Daily Mass and Reconciliation
The OLG Chapel at 411 Clinton Street is the center of weekday worship. Mass is celebrated there Monday through Friday at 12:30 PM and Monday through Thursday at 7:00 PM. The daytime schedule gives the parish a steady rhythm for weekday Mass, while the evening Mass serves those connected with parish life later in the day.
Confession is heard Saturday from 4:15 to 4:45 PM in Our Lady of Grace Church and is also available by appointment.
Sacraments in the Life of the Parish
The parish teaches the Catholic sacraments as central to Christian life. Baptism is the entrance into the Church and the basis of Christian life, cleansing a person through water and the word of God and beginning a baptismal covenant with Christ. The Eucharist, or Holy Communion, is an act of thanksgiving that unites believers with Christ in his Body and Blood and may be received repeatedly. Confirmation completes baptismal grace through the anointing and gift of the Holy Spirit. The other sacraments are Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders. Holy Orders continues the mission Christ entrusted to his apostles through the episcopate, priesthood, and diaconate.
Baptism for Children and Families
Infant and young-child Baptisms are scheduled at Our Lady of Grace on the first Sunday of the month at 3:00 PM or during any Sunday Mass there. At St. Joseph, they are scheduled during the 10:00 AM Spanish Mass or noon English Mass. Parents must be registered and active parishioners and should begin the preparation process at least two months in advance. At least one godparent submits a completed sponsor form from his or her parish before a baptism date and preparation session can be arranged. Adults seeking Baptism enter through the parish's RCIA process.
Becoming Catholic
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults welcomes unbaptized adults, adults baptized in another faith tradition who wish to become Catholic, and baptized Catholics who have not been confirmed. Its stages combine study, prayer, and rites at Mass as participants study the Gospel, profess faith in Jesus and the Catholic Church, and prepare for Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. The parish welcomes adults who need Communion or Confirmation, and preparation begins in the fall so candidates can join the Church at Easter. Adults preparing for sacraments also meet at Our Lady of Grace on Wednesdays at 7:30 PM.
Marriage
Marriage is approached as a sacramental vocation rather than a venue booking. The parish asks couples to worship regularly and become part of the community for six months before a date can be set, after which a date may be set one year in advance. Preparation places the Eucharist and the sacramental life at the center. A wedding may occasionally take place during a parish Mass, but the parish's teaching emphasizes that a wedding is one day and a marriage is a lifetime.
Healing, Funerals and Bereavement
Parish priests and some Eucharistic Ministers visit people who are sick or elderly at home, in hospitals, and in nursing homes, bringing Communion on a regular basis. A communal Anointing of the Sick is offered once each year, and individual requests may be made at any time. The parish also assists with funeral arrangements and provides bereavement resources.
Children Learn Where the Family Worships
Children in kindergarten through eighth grade, whether enrolled in public, private, or charter schools, take part in CCD religious instruction. The program runs September through May and combines Mass attendance with one hour of classroom study. At Our Lady of Grace the class is held from 9:15 to 10:15 AM Sunday, and at St. Joseph from 11:00 AM to noon, allowing families to attend Mass at either church. Lessons explore Scripture and the Gospel, prayers and traditions, and the Catholic faith. Children are prepared for Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation when eligible, and preparation for sacraments is expected two years in advance.
The children's choir welcomes singers age six and older because members must be able to read the lyrics. Young people may also serve as altar servers, while adults are welcome in the same role. These openings place children and youth directly within the Sunday liturgy rather than apart from it.
The Wirsching Organ and Music for Every Generation
Music is one of the clearest expressions of the parish's identity. Our Lady of Grace's Wirsching grand organ was installed in 1909 and renovated in 1980. Music Director Kathleen McNally oversees it and directs both the OLG Adult Choir and the OLG Children's Choir. The adult choir meets one night each week and generally performs at the 10:30 AM Mass from September through June, while the children's choir meets one afternoon each week and shares that Sunday Mass. The children's choir often provides special music for Communion and Church feast days.
Spanish music ministries support the Spanish-language worship at St. Joseph, and the OLG Young Adult Ensemble brings an upbeat contemporary style to the 7:30 PM Mass. New singers and musicians are welcome in the choirs and ensembles. The parish also welcomes people to serve as lectors, extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, greeters and ushers, and altar servers, with training available. Ushers generally serve at one Mass each Sunday, while other liturgical ministers may serve about once a month when enough volunteers are available.
Faith-Sharing, Friendship and Service
The Catholic Social Club, formerly the Our Lady of Grace Young Adult Group, gathers active adults for service, faith, fellowship, and fun. Its recurring activities include Adoration, Fireside Chats, In Jesus' Name Ministry, happy-hour socials, and game nights, all grounded in the group's values of faith, service, and community. LGBTQ@GRACE provides a separate faith-sharing community for LGBTQ individuals, family members, and friends based at Our Lady of Grace, and assists the parish each year with a Pride Mass.
Care for those who cannot easily reach the church is carried by parish priests and Eucharistic Ministers through regular visits to the sick and elderly. St. Joseph's Christian Mothers meet monthly for biblical reflection and dialogue, visit sick and homebound people, help at food pantries and shelters, and assist disaster victims. OLG Las Damas de Maria is a spiritual and social women's group that assists with Church celebrations and prepares food for special events such as FunFest. Both groups welcome new members.
The St. Joseph Flea Market opens every Friday from 10:00 AM to noon and every Sunday after the 10:00 AM Mass until the noon Mass begins. It offers clothing, accessories, household goods, decor, and seasonal items, and accepts donations of clean, gently used goods. Sunday shoppers can buy coffee and cake. The market entrance is through the alley between the rectory and church at 61 Monroe Street, with parking in the lot beside the rectory.
Parish life also reaches beyond worship through task forces assembled for projects involving business, finance, legal matters, maintenance, property, personnel, and human resources. The Parish Council works with the pastor on spiritual, social, civic, and educational affairs and meets monthly; the Finance Council advises on parish finances and meets every other month. These groups, along with liturgical volunteers, choir members, and ministry participants, make the two churches work as one parish.
Supporting the parish's two aging buildings is a shared responsibility. Weekly and holiday offerings, Mass intentions, remembrances, memorial gifts, a 50/50 raffle drawn on the last Monday of every other month, and giving through Venmo or Zelle are among the ways parishioners contribute. Online giving, offering envelopes, and the parish's other giving options are described together in the giving information.
Fr. Santora established the annual FunFest, Spaghettiaoke, musical concerts, and Flea Market and Used Book Sale as ways for people to encounter the parish. These recurring gatherings sit alongside the more formal worship and sacramental programs and have become part of the parish's local presence in Hoboken.
Joining the Parish
Parish membership begins with a registration form, regular attendance at Mass, and use of offering envelopes, checks, or online giving so attendance can be recorded. The parish asks people preparing for a wedding to worship with it for six months, parents seeking a child's Baptism for two months, and godparents or sponsors seeking certification for one month. Certificates are requested directly by the individual. These expectations place sacraments within an ongoing relationship of worship and community rather than treating them as isolated appointments.
Finding Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph
Our Lady of Grace and its rectory are at 400 Willow Avenue, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030. The Parish Center and OLG Chapel are at 411 Clinton Street, and the School Hall is at the corner of Fifth and Willow Avenue. Parking is available on the street where signs must be observed and in the lot beside the rectory. A parking garage stands one block away at 371 Fourth Street, on the corner of Fourth and Clinton. The directions and office hours cover both locations.
St. Joseph's church and office are at 61 Monroe Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, with parking in the lot next to the rectory. The Parish Center office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Monday through Thursday from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. The St. Joseph office is open Tuesday from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Selected Masses can also be joined through the parish's YouTube livestream.
Together, Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph keep two historic Hoboken churches, two worship schedules, and one Catholic community alive through the sacraments, prayer, music, education, service, and hospitality.