"For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.."
Matthew 18:20
Celebrating our past and envisioning our future.
The parish of Incarnation-St. James was created when the two parishes – the Church of the Incarnation in Ewing and St. James the Lesser on East Paul Avenue in Trenton – were merged. Combined we hold the history of more than 175 years of catholic service to the Trenton and Ewing communities.
The Story of the Church of the Incarnation
Incarnation was established as an independent parish on Nov. 14, 1947 to meet the growing needs of the emerging suburban community moving into the rural county following World War II. The first Mass was celebrated on June 20, 1948, in a relocatable steel structure at the site of the present church. The church was dedicated in the fall of 1951. The original building became the Catholic Youth Organization building, serving as a parish center for the next 25 years. Incarnation School was opened in 1956, staffed by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, from Immaculata, PA. A convent and rectory were built in 1961. The church was renovated in 1986, and the school in 1989. In 2003 a parish center, complete with a large gymnasium and meeting rooms, was dedicated. READ MORE Chapter 1: Beginnings
The Story of the Church of St. James the Lesser
St. James Parish began its history as Holy Family Mission of St. Joachim’s Church on Butler Street in Trenton for the growing number of Sicilian immigrants and their families in North Trenton. In 1916, the Reverend Griffin, Pastor of St. Joachim’s, realized there was a growing spiritual need among the ever increasing number of Italian immigrants in North Trenton. In 1918, he brought this matter to the most Reverend Thomas J. Walsh, the third bishop of Trenton. Bishop Walsh recognized the need and purchased a property on East Paul Avenue. READ MORE Chapter 1: Holy Family to St. James