Saint Joachims Church Celebrated 100 Years in 2001

St. Joachim's celebrating 100 years
Trentonian, The (Trenton, NJ) - Sunday, September 30, 2001
Author: TONY PERSICHILLI, Staff Writer

For the people of Chambersburg , maintaining the ways of their
forefathers, many of whom came from Italy, is a very important
part of who they are. And, for the past 100 years, St. Joachim's
Church has been helping them do just that.
"Here at St. Joachim's," said Father Jeff Lee, the pastor of the
parish tucked away in the northwest corner of the 'Burg, "we're
fostering not just worship, but a sense of community and tradition."
That sense of community and tradition will be put on display
today when St. Joachim's celebrates its Centennial Gala honoring
the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the parish.
Today's Centennial Mass and gala reception will be the highlight
of a year's worth of activities that include, among other things,
the Bacio del Bambino in January, the Festa de la Madonna di
Casandrino in September and the singing of "Tu Scendi Dalle
Stelle" during the Christmas season.
For St. Joachim's, that legacy started in 1901 when Bishop James
McFaul established the parish and named Father Aloysius Pozzi
to serve as pastor.
Services originally were held in Centennial Hall on the
corner of Hudson and Genesee streets. Through the efforts of
Pozzi, property was purchased on Butler Street and two years
later, on Aug. 15, 1903, the cornerstone for a new church was laid.
The first Mass was celebrated there on July 16, 1904.
The parish was founded to serve the needs of the thousands of
Italian immigrants who settled here and worked in the city's steel
mills, rubber and pottery factories but who were treated like
outsiders because of their inability to speak English and their
steadfast adherence to the traditions of the "old country."
And it was at St. Joachim's where they continued those traditions.
"To Italians and Italian-Americans," said Mercer County Executive
Bob Prunetti who grew up a St. Joachim's parishioner, "traditions
are very important.
"It's a way for us to connect with our past. To remember who
we are and where we came from."
Which, in the case of St. Joachim's, is from all over Italy.
At it's height, there were about 3,500 families in the parish.
Currently there are about 1,500 families in the parish which,
according to Lee, extends far beyond the boundaries of the Burg.
"We have the third, fourth and even the fifth generations of
families who still come to church here. It gives a sense of
continuity to their lives." Lee is the perfect example.
Although he was born and raised in Hamilton Township, Lee
was baptized at St. Joachim's, went to school at St. Joachim's
and was confirmed at St. Joachim's.
He is one of 20 men from St. Joachim's who were ordained
priests, the most influential of whom was Monsignor Emilio
Cardelia. "Monsignor Cardelia," Lee said, "may have been the
most significant person in the history of our parish.
And it has been a part of the lives of literally hundreds of
thousands of people in this area for 100 years.
"I can't imagine what my life would be like without St.
Joachim's," said Mercer County Clerk Cathy DiCostanzo.
Memo: Perhaps no section of the city is more dedicated to
holding onto the traditions of their ancestors than Chambersburg .