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The Saint Andrew Parish Family
The Church of Saint Andrew is located in Westwood, New Jersey, a borough in Bergen County. Our parish serves the entire community through worship, social outreach programs, and catechetical programs. The parish family at Saint Andrew is multicultural, dynamic, and committed to living the Catholic faith. We offer worship and programs in both English and Spanish.
Our parish serves young families with children, teens, and retired couples; all are welcome We have an array of programs that fit the social and spiritual needs of all age groups! We welcome all to join us for our Sunday Liturgy as well as our social programs. Our parish family is committed to filling the needs of our brothers and sisters in our community through our weekly food pantry. We invite all our parishioners to join us in serving the community!
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St. Andrew Parish History
St. Andrew’s Parish traces its beginnings to the 19th century. The Catholic Directory first lists Westwood as a station at which Mass was celebrated in 1879. In 1887 The "Old Drill Hall" on Washington Avenue, the current site of the American Legion Hall, was purchased as a mission church. The structure, which contained 25 pews, was dedicated on June 17, 1888. The following year on February 4, 1889, St. Andrew's was officially incorporated as a parish.
As the congregation continued to grow, it became evident that a larger church was needed. Located on Washington and Fourth Avenues, a new church with a seating capacity of 225, was dedicated on October 8, 1905.
Providing a Catholic school education for area children was the next challenge for St. Andrew’s Parish. A house on Washington Avenue was remodeled to serve grades 1-5 and also provided a home for the nuns who would staff the school. The school opened on September 3, 1923, staffed by three Sisters of Charity. Eventually, a large brick building for grades 1 – 8 was constructed at the intersection of Washington and Irvington Avenues. The school was dedicated on November 23, 1931, and an addition was completed 25 years later and opened on January 15, 1956.
The present church, featuring stained glass windows by the renowned French designer Jean Barillet, was dedicated on December 20, 1964, and later renovated in 1988. Barillet has worked on some of the most famous stained glass windows in the world, including those of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.
The present Parish and Education Center rose out of the ashes of a devastating fire in 1998. The rebuilt building was dedicated by Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick on September 9, 2000, and houses classrooms for religious education, administrative offices, a gymnasium, and a chapel.
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St. Andrew- The First Called
Andrew the Apostle was born between 5 and 10 AD in Bethsaida, Galilee. Andrew, like his brother Simon Peter, was a fisherman. He became a disciple of John the Baptist, but when John pointed to Jesus and said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" Andrew at once left John to follow Jesus. Jesus knew that Andrew was walking behind him, and turning back, he asked, "What do you seek?" When Andrew answered that he would like to know where Jesus lived, Our Lord replied, "Come and see." Andrew had been with Jesus only a little time when he realized that this was truly the Messiah.
From then on, he chose to follow Jesus. Andrew was thus the first disciple of Christ. Next, Andrew brought his brother Simon (St. Peter) to Jesus and Jesus received him, too, as His disciple. At first, the two brothers continued to carry on their fishing trade and family affairs, but later, the Lord called them to stay with Him all the time. He promised to make them fishers of men, and this time, they left their nets for good. It is believed that after Our Lord ascended into Heaven, St. Andrew went to Greece to preach the gospel. He is said to have been put to death on a cross, to which he was tied, not nailed. He lived two days in that state of suffering, still preaching to the people who gathered around their beloved Apostle. Ultimately, he died as a martyr in 60 AD. The Cross on which he was bound is referred to as the crux decussata which is an "X" shaped cross, now known as "St. Andrew's Cross."
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