Our current church edifice is the former St. Mary's Church. St. Mary's Church in Rahway, NJ was founded in 1854 (as listed in the Archdiocese of Newark archives) but the red Gothic architecture edifice was not completed until 1888. It was designed by Jeremiah O' Rourke who is responsible for a couple of other church architectures within the state. It features a long nave lined with clerestory stained-glass windows on each side depicting significant events from the bible. The round entrance opening as well as the round windows are reminiscent of Romanesque influence on an otherwise Gothic structure. A parochial school was built next to the parish in 1867 which was ran by the Dominican sisters until it merged with St. Elizabeth of Hungary School in 2004. 

Prior to the current church being built, the parish has already been established by the diocese with Fr. Isaac P. Howell, then the pastor of a church in Elizabeth, NJ as its first pastor from 1846 to 1849. His work was not confined to just Elizabeth and Rahway but extended all the way to Perth Amboy. He was followed by Fr. Patrick McCarthy focusing on the parish closer to Rahway area. Fr. Thomas Quinn who was installed in 1853 as a pastor by then Bishop of Newark, Most Reverend James Roosevelt Bayley took residence in Rahway on April 1, 1854. Immediately upon his arrival, he erected  a church, school and rectory and purchased a property about two miles from the parish plant to establish St. Mary Cemetery. He engaged a lay teacher and the first school opened with 80 pupils. Fr. Quinn visited families in Woodbridge, Colonia, Iselin and the outlying districts to bring them the comforts of religion. After 19 years of labor, Fr. Quinn died in 1873 and was buried in the cemetery he established.

Fr. Sebastian Smith, D.D., a distinguished scholar and writer took over in 1873 and was its pastor for seven years continuing the work of Fr. Quinn and saw the parish grow. He was followed by Fr. Edward McKosker in 1880. A very energetic man, he had the church removed to the rear on the site of the present auditorium and made use of it for parish meetings and social activities. In 1882, he erected the present church and rectory which have served the faithful of Rahway since that time.

Fr. Bernard Bogan was appointed administrator in 1894 when Fr. McKosker was forced to resign due to illness. Fr. McKosker died in St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson in 1906.  In 1905, Fr. George F. Brown became pastor. He erected the school which today stands in the rear of the rectory and currently leased to Rahway Department of Education. Fr. Brown also renovated the church and many improvments were added. Fifty years had now pass and St. Mary's had taken its place among the leading parishes of the Diocese.

Fr. John O'Brian came to St. Mary's in 1910 and stayed for four years followed by Fr. Patrick Maher in 1914. Beginning 1917, the pastor was Fr. Cornelius CJ Kane. Fr. Kane was designated Monsignor  in 1923 by Pope Pius XII and remained at St. Mary's until his death in 1947, a period of 30 years. During this time the parish grew and new property and buildings were necessary. In 1923, the Bliss Estate was purchased and remodelled as a convent for the Dominican sisters. In 1925, the erection of a new fourteen classroom school and a beautiful auditorium adjacent to the church was completed. The church was renovated and decorations were completed in 1941. An additional plot of ground was acquired for the cemetery which was laid out in walks and roads. Alterations and an addition of three rooms to the rectory were completed in 1946. After 30 years on untiring service to his people, to his church, and to the community, Msgr. Kane passed to his eternal reward in 1947. Respected by people of all denominations in the community, revered by his parishioners and their children for whom he had accomplished so much, Msgr. Kane's memory will be treasured always in St. Mary's.

Fr. Michael Magnier came in 1947 as successor to Msgr. Kane. Under Fr. Magnier's direction, the Convent was enlarged and a new chapel for the sisters installed. The old school building in the rear of the rectory was rehabilitated; the first floor made into a cafeteria, affording lunch time facilities for the children and four classrooms occupied the second floor.

From 1954 to 1955, the pastor was Fr. John P. Sullivan. Fr. Magnier was transferred to Bloomfield in July 1953. Fr. Sullivan purchased new school furniture, the entire school was redecorated, as was the auditorium, and new stage and electrical equipment was installed. On October 4, 1954, a campaign for $150,000 was initiated for the erection of the school annex. During the church's centenary celebrations in 1954, Fr. Sullivan embarked on an intensive renovation and restoration program. The church was modernized and the interior paintings done by Richard Ilario Panzironi who by that time was already in his 90's. A new lighting system was installed. The rectory also saw two new additional rooms. One brief year after St. Mary's centennial celebrations in September 1955, Fr. Sullivan went to his eternal reward.

From 1955 to 1971, it was Fr. Joseph Murphy. His great interest in the youth of our parish immediately became evident when he arranged for the purchase of the property adjacent to the Convent, and in 1964 he completed a new gymnasium which provided up-to-date facilities for St. Mary's expanding athletic program. The entire parish was shocked by his sudden death in 1971.

From 1971 to 1977, it was Msgr. Anthony Connell. Continuing Fr. Murphy's work and with the good spirit of the parishioners, his campaign for increased parish support was eminently successful and resulted in a substantial increase in the income of the parish. These additional funds were put to work immediately in order to provide a completely air-conditioned church, an enlarged parking lot and a modernized lower hall beneath the gymnasium designed to provide classroom space for special education as well as meeting rooms for parish organizations. This hall was named Connell Hall in his honor.

From 1978 to 1988, it was Fr. Joseph M. Quinlan. Following Msgr. Connell's untimely death, Rev. Joseph M. Quinlan arrived at St. Mary's in 1977. He immediately began the task of renovating the school: every window in the school was replaced, a new roof was installed, and the the classrooms were fitted ith drop-ceilings. The school's electrical system was replaced and the gymnasium was outfitted with airconditioning. During Fr. Quinlan's time, new church pews were installed as well as the original Peragallo organ which was redesigned, relocated and installed in the fall of 1982. The original organ of 18 ranks was built by the Hall Organ Co., whihc is no longer in business. The three manual and pedal oak console is mounted on a movable parquest floor platform with the console featuring a silver contact system and electromagnetic controls. The organ is located in the apse. The exposed pipes are all playing pipes and are arranged in an attractive design of displayed functional pipe work featuring a Trompette en Chamade. Moved by his spirit, the generous parishioners of St. Mary pledged hundred of thousands of dollars to completely renovate the church. The church was renewed in the spirit of Vatican II while maintaining it's original beauty. Carpeting and a new sound system was installed and the are in the rear was remodeled and converted into a daily Mass chapel. The altar was moved closer to the people. The organ was restored and moved from the loft to it's current location. Fr. Quinlan then turned his attention to the rectory, installing airconditioning, completely renovating the rooms and tremendously expanding office space to meet the needs of the people of St. Mary's. Again, every window needed replacement, and even the garage was refurbished and sided, along with siding of the rectory. Spiritually, Fr. Quinlan began the RCIA process at St. Mary's and it was under his direction that the first Eucharistic Ministers and lectors were trained and commissioned. The first bilingual Masses and ministry to the Hispanic population in the area occured.

From 1989 to 2005, it was Fr. Michael J. Feketie. Proficient in Spanish, Fr. Feketie greatly expanded the parish ministry to the Hispanic community. Fr. Feketie took his retirement in 2005 after serving the people of St. Mary's for 17 years. Fr. Feketie was followed by Fr. Peter Vo in 2006 and then Fr. William Morris in 2008. In 2009, Fr. Dennis Kaelin was installed as pastor until its merger with nearby St. Mark's Church in 2010 to form the Divine Mercy Parish which he led until 2018.

Ther first pastor of the former St. Mark's Church is Fr. Albert Von Schligen in 1870 who at that time is also in charge of St. Michael in Elizabeth, NJ. He celebrated his first parish Mass at the home of George Andelfinger, one of the members of the lay committee that formed the parish to serve the German-American community of Rahway and its nearby towns.. The commitee purchased the property on which the church was built around 1871 -1872. He was followed by temporarily by Fr. Gregory Misdziol in 1873 who is travelled all the way from St. John the Baptist Church in New Brunswick, NJ to celebrate Mass for six months until the appointment of Fr. A. Bergmann in 1874. He was followed by Fr. Rhabanus Gutmann, OSB in 1876, Fr. Theodosius Goth, OSB, Fr. J.J. Schandel and Fr. Mauritius Kaider in 1877. The pastoral seat was vacant from 1879 to 1882 until Bishop Winand W. Wigger appointed Fr. Eugene Dikovich and became its pastor in 1883. He opened a parish school in 1883 that closed down in 1912. He was followed by Fr. Anthony Wirtner, OSB in 1884, then Fr. Hugo Paff, OSB in 1885. Fr.Leopold Hofschneider became its pastor in 1886. Fr. Hofschneider built the parish rectory and convent. He was followed by Fr. G.H. Muller in 1889. Fr. Henry Kruse was the pastor in 1892, followed by Fr. Philipp Hauke in 1893. Fr. John Baptiste Kayser became pastor in 1895 followed by Fr. Duckgeischel in 1903. Fr. Rhabanus Guttman came back as pastor in 1912 and stayed for ten years until his retirement at St. Vincent's Archabbey in Latrobe, PA. Fr. John B. Sheyer's became the next pastor with his appointment in 1922. He made significant parish improvments and saw the parish families increase from 65 to 130. In 1932, Fr. Louise P. Remmele became its pastor followed by Fr. Paul Dippold in 1938. Fr. Charles Buttner became pastor in October 23,1941 and stayed as its pastor until 1978. He was followed by Fr. Thaddeus F. Zuber who led the parish from 1979 to 1995. He was followed by Fr. Eugene Kasper in 1996 and Fr. William Morris from 2000 to 2008. He was followed by Fr. Dennis Kaelin who was installed as pastor of St. Mark's along with nearby St. Mary's Church until they were merged to become Divine Mercy Parish in 2010.

A new administrator Fr. Alexander Cruz was installed in early 2018. He became its new pastor on March 23, 2019. On July 1, 2019, Fr. Jozef Krajnak was assigned to our parish as our new resident priest to assist Fr. Alex Cruz with hospital chaplaincy duties and to serve the needs of our Hispanic speaking community. Under Fr. Alex Cruz leadership, a massive overhaul to the church heating system was initiated and completed in 2022. This was made possible due the generosity of our current parishioners. Other projects initiated and completed under Fr. Alex Cruz includes the installation of a much needed restroom for our parishioners as well as a new Adoration room within the church. The inside front doors were renovated as well as the confessional booths. The old bells of St. Mark's Church were placed in front of the rectory to serve as reminder of the previous church edifice that was an essential part of Divine Mercy Parish. During the years when Covid-19 was at its peak, Fr. Alex instituted virtual online Masses to keep the weary members of our parish attuned to their faith and to never lose hope despite the grim circumstances. More recently, a permanent live streaming equipment was installed in the choir loft which broadcast over the Internet our weekly 11:00 Sunday Mass for sick and elderly of the church who is unable to join us due to their physical limitations. The rectory roofing was replaced in 2023. This is just one of the many ways in which Divine Mercy Parish continues to thrive in its diversity and grow in faith as it reaches out to the Catholic population of Rahway, NJ and its surrounding communities as well as those seeking for a place to learn more about our Catholic faith.

Brief History of St. Mary's School

An important or rather essential adjunct of every parish is its parochial school. Whenever possible, the school is erected at the same time as the church. Thah thought animated the first pastor of Rahway, Fr. Thomas Quinn, for we learn from records that he erected a school, church, and rectory as his first work in the new parish of Rahway.

The first school was erected in the rear of the rectory and was staffed by lay teachers, In the year 1887, we have our first record of Sisters coming to the parish, the Sisters of St. Dominic from Caldwell. The records still existing in Caldwell mention Mother Avelline, Sister Theresa and Sister Bertrand. It further records the names of sisters who served at St. Mary's through the years. Some of them were stationed in Rahway for over 20 years - Sister Sebastian, Sister Lucy, Sister Miriam, and Sister Seraphine.

The original school was replaced in 1906 by a new building on the same sight in the rear of the rectory. Its opening day planned for Thanksgiving Day in 1905 was delayed because of strikes until February 5, 1906. The faculty of the school at that time included Sister Charitine, Sister Loyola, Sister Olympia and Sister Sebastian of the Dominican Sisters. Bishop John O' Connor, then bishop of Newark blessed the school on February 25, 1906 assisted by Benedictines, Fr. Wallace and Fr. Leo and then pastor, Fr. Brown. The community was growing and in 1923, Msgr. Kane purchased a new residence for the Sisters on Esterbrook Avenue and remodeled it for a convent. This was completed in 1925 and contained fourteen classrooms, principals office, a teacher's room and a library. This building served the schools needs until 1947 when Fr. Magnier renovated the old school building thereby adding four classrooms.

In 2004, the school was merged with St. Elizabeth of Hungary School in Linden, NJ. Both schools have been suffering from decreasing enrollment. The merged schools used St. Elizabeth's facilities and the new school is called Saints Mary and Elizabeth Academy. Eventually, the convent of the Dominican sisters was sold to Domus and a senior housing facility was built in its place.

**The complete list of pastors was provided to us through the generous help of Brianna LoSardo, the archivist of the Archdiocese of Newark.