New Pastor Announced for St. Joseph's Church

By Jd Watson
The Patch
March 20, 2012

http://tomsriver.patch.com/articles/new-pastor-announced-for-st-joseph-s-church



Rev. John P. Bambrick, pastor of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Toms River, has requested and been granted a transfer by the Most Rev. David M. O'Connell, bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, Bambrick announced to parishioners on Sunday.

Rev. G. Scott Shaffer, pastor of St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church in Jackson, has accepted a transfer to become the 11th pastor of St. Joseph's, the parish where he first served as a priest 20 years ago.

The transfers will occur July 1, 2012.

Bambrick's announcement, included within the weekly bulletin distributed to parishioners after Sunday Mass, concluded, "it has been a privilege to serve as your pastor and I am deeply grateful to God for allowing me to share this part of faith's journey with you."

Of his stay at St. Joe's, which began in June 2008, Bambrick said, "When I became the pastor four years ago, it was with the knowledge and express agreement the term would be for no more than five years. The bishop gave me a specific charge to fulfill," that being to get the parish's finances, which Bambrick described as "grave," in order.

"I did what I needed to do in 3-and-a-half years," Bambrick explained.

"Everything else in the parish was in good shape but, like any non-profit, you require a good financial footing. If the foundation is not solid, the other good works you do don't matter. My responsibility was to ensure the long-term future of the parish," which, with more than 7,000 families, is the largest in the Diocese.

"The survival of the schools was very important," he added.

Bambrick has had a notable career. He was widely hailed for his efforts at St. Thomas More in Manalapan, unifying his parish after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. A victim of sexual abuse at the age of 15 by a priest and mentor, Bambrick tracked down his abuser and arranged for him to be removed from the priesthood. Bambrick went on to confront other abusive priests, becoming a champion for the rights of the sexually abused.

Still, some in the parish will not regret the end of Bambrick's pastorate which, at times, has been contentious, a term Bambrick "categorically" denied.

Some have questioned his high-handed labor negotiations with teachers at the parish's two schools looking to organize. Others have complained to the bishop's office regarding Lee Samaha, a teacher at Monsignor Donovan High School who was placed on administrative leave after he responded to an email from Rev. Patrick McPartland, the high school's chaplain, concerning Bishop O'Connell's letter to parishioners regarding the inclusion of contraception in health care coverage.

Neither Bambrick nor Samaha chose to comment on the situation as the case is still under appeal.

Although Rayanne Bennet Executive Director of Communications for the Diocese of Trenton declined to comment on the number or nature of complaints about Bambrick, an online petition at the website change.org urging the reinstatement of Samaha to his teaching duties and the removal of Bambrick from the parish has more than 1,000 signatures.

Bambrick said after he is transferred, he will be on Sabbatical until January 1, 2013. Three months of that time will be spent studying in Rome. "I look forward to the rest and study the Sabbatical affords," Bambrick wrote on Sunday.

Bambrick explained a priest may request a Sabbatical every ten years, noting this is the first he had requested since his ordination nearly 21 years ago.

Bambrick said he did not know what his duties might entail when he returns from his Sabbatical. He is due to report back to the bishop on January 1, 2013.

Shaffer said, while he anguished over the decision to leave St. Aloysius, he was excited to face the challenge of his new parish and return to St. Joe's, where he was first ordained and served as a Parochial Vicar and the high school's chaplain from December 1989 to May 1994.

"The bishop asked me who might be a suitable candidate to be pastor here," Bambrick said. "I had one name, Father Scott. He's a good pastor."