Mary, Mother of God Church, Hillsborough NJ

Parish History

Our beginning is traced back to 1916 when Sunday Mass was celebrated each week in the McHugh home in the Flagtown section of Hillsborough. At that time, we were a mission parish of Immaculate Conception Church in Somerville.

Property was purchased on South Branch Road in Flagtown from Mrs. Mary McHugh and Miss Nora Bergen for $750. Ground was broken on March 17, 1931, and during the difficult times of the Depression, our first church was built. On Sunday afternoon, July 10, 1932, the Church of Mary, Mother of God was officially opened. The old church accommodated about 144 people, and had no indoor plumbing until the 1960's. In the summers, Father Petrocelli, a visiting priest, led processions honoring the Blessed Mother on Zion Mountain. We continued as a mission parish for 17 more years.

Bishop William A. Griffin, the Bishop of Trenton, constituted us as a parish during Holy Week of 1948; Rev. Joseph Kurtz was assigned as our first pastor. Because there was no rectory, Fr. Kurtz took up residence on the Noll farm in Belle Mead. Mr. Hayes became the first president of our Holy Name Society and Eleanor Noll was installed as the first president of our Rosary Altar Society. It was during this time that we began our annual crowning of the Blessed Mother, Christmas Midnight Mass, and our Religious Education instruction for both grammar school and high school students.

In May 1950, Fr. Anthony Pluta was installed as our second pastor. Father purchased the Van Doren residence diagonally across from the church, which became the old rectory. He also purchased a new organ, and in 1964 began the CYO. Looking to the future growth of the community, Fr. Pluta purchased 90 acres of land on S. Triangle Road for $120,000 from the late John and Anna Piskorowski, which is the site of our present church, parish center, and rectory.

Father John Sullivan became our third pastor in June of 1966. It was under Fr. Sullivan that the various reforms of Vatican II were introduced. Fr. Anthony Kramarz was installed as our fourth pastor in June 1969, and Father Eugene Schellberg became our fifth pastor in July 1980.

Father Schellberg organized a Building Comittee and fundraising efforts which initiated the process leading to the building of our present church and parish center. The new church building, surrounding grounds and parking area would occupy 13 acres, and the remaining 77 acres of land was sold to help defray the cost of construction. The original church building was 14,000 square feet and would hold 500 people, and the adjacent St. Joseph Cupertino Hall (now called Schellberg Hall) would hold another 500 people. Ground was broken on June 28, 1981, and Mass was celebrated less than one year later, on the eve of Palm Sunday 1982. On September 12, 1982, the present Mary, Mother of God Church and Parish Center became the first church dedicated by Bishop Theodore E. McCarrick in our newly formed Diocese of Metuchen. The old church building on South Branch Road was sold in 1983, and is presently a children's day care center. Our current rectory, office and St. Francis Hall were completed in 1987. In 1988, Father Gene initiated an expansion program which would add room for another 250 people, raising the church's capacity to 750. Father Gene also initiated Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which continued for several years. It continues today on weekends from Friday (after the 8:30am Mass) through Sunday 12 Noon.

In March 1993, Father Liam Minogue was appointed our sixth pastor. Fr. Liam initiated a collaborative ministry program within the parish by implementing what continues today as the Pastoral Council. Father also began our pre-school program in September 1994, and organized our parish's St. Vincent De Paul Society. In March 2004, he was elevated to the title of Monsignor. Msgr. Liam also initiated the building campaign which, completed in December 2004, added 16 permanent CCD classrooms, a child care center, and the gymnasium; this addition has been named "The Msgr. Liam Minogue Parish Center." Msgr. Minogue passed away on March 6, 2007.Father Sean Broderick has been named Administrator for a three year term.

The Meaning Of Our Stained Glass Windows
by Father Eugene Schellberg, 1992

Our stained glass windows are meant to tell the story of the history of salvation and the part Mary played in it. It begins with the back window on the right hand side as viewed from the altar. The story of salvation begins with Abraham about to sacrifice his son Isaac with the Angel stopping Abraham. Included in this window is a tablet that denotes the twelve tribes of Israel.

The next window shows the Jewish Passover represented by the bread and cup, and the Exodus (both are Cardinal Dogmas of the Old Testament), and Moses parting the Red Sea which delivered the Israelites from Egypt. This is the beginning of the Mosaic Covenant. Water here is the great symbol of life. It is through the water that the Israelite people have lived and become a great nation.

Window number three shows the lamb and the lion lying down together in peace. Isaiah, the greatest of the Israelite prophets, prophesied a period of peace and fulfillment with the coming of the Messiah which is portrayed by the lamb and lion lying down together. Isaiah also prophesied the Virgin Birth, which leads us to the main window.

The main window behind the altar depicts the Annunciation to Mary that she would be the Mother of God. The other part of the window is the Visitation of Our Blessed Lady to her cousin Elizabeth who is carrying her child, John the Baptist. John was the forerunner of Jesus, and he is portrayed in the next window as one coming out of the wilderness and standing in the Jordan River looking to the Messiah, depicted here by the lamb.

The next window has the remembrance of the Last Supper where Jesus instituted the Eucharist and gave us His Body and Blood. We also see Judas with his bag of silver coins after his betrayal of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The last window on the left depicts the Resurrection. We must keep in mind that no one saw Jesus rise from the tomb; so we have the empty tomb and Peter and John running to the tomb after Mary Magdalene told them that the tomb was empty.

Looking from the altar at the rear door windows from left to right, we have the events in the life of Mary depicted through symbols. The first window is the Nativity with the symbols being the Manger and Star.

The second window shows the Flight into Egypt. Chi-Rho (XP) stands for Christ, J&M for Joseph and Mary, and the pyramids and palm trees symbolize Egypt.

Next we find the window representing the Presentation in the Temple. The symbols are the two Doves being offered.

The next window depicts the Finding of Jesus in the Temple, symbolized by the lamp and scroll.

Next is Mary at the Foot of the Cross with the Lily and the Monogram of Mary.

The last window has the main window behind the Altar of the original Church of Mary, Mother of God in Flagtown.

The windows in the Day Chapel complete the story of Salvation with the Post-Resurrection Emmaus event where Jesus met the two disciples on the road and they finally recognize him in the breaking of the bread.

The last window is the Pentecost window showing the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles and Our Blessed Mother in the Upper Room.