For more than 50 years Saint Philip the Apostle parish has worshiped as a vibrant community of faith. St. Philip’s history began immediately after World War II. The community then known as Saddle River Township experienced tremendous change. Farms were transformed into tracts of new homes, ready to welcome hundreds of young families moving to the suburbs. To meet the needs of these many young families, a new Catholic parish, St. Philip the Apostle, was formed in 1953.

A school building was built first. The parishioners gathered in the parish gymnasium for Sunday worship. Weekdays, parishioners worshiped in a small chapel which later became the school nurses office and hallway. Father Thomas J. Kenny, the founding pastor, gathered the new residents and the “old timers” into a parish community. In 1956 the church building was completed. This new church building accommodated 1000 worshipers and included a choir loft. Later pastors, Monsignor Paul Lang, Father Raymond Doll, and Monsignor Charles Stengle built on the foundation laid by Father Kenny, and helped nurture a community dedicated to passing on the faith to future generations through support for the parish school and parish religious education programs.

St. Philips School continued to grow which led to expansion projects in 1959 and 1969. Throughout these years the schools enrollment swelled to over 500 students. During the past 50 years more than 2000 boys and girls graduated from St. Philips School. As the longest serving, among the priests and religious, Sr. Mary Michele Croghan, of the Sisters of Charity provided 40 years of dedicated service to the school and parish. At the end of the 2003 school year, declining enrollment forced the closure of the school.

In 1984-1985 the St. Philip’s undertook a massive capital campaign to renovate the church building. The church was changed in many ways to reflect the post Vatican II Church. A major change was the relocation of the sanctuary, which moved the entrance of the church from Saddle River Rd. to the rear of the building. The renovation also included the addition of a Daily Mass Chapel, Chapel of Reservation and air conditioning.

For the newly renovated church, Mgsr. Stengel commissioned the Peragallo Organ Company to build a new pipe organ for the church. Designed by Joseph Wozniak, this instrument was installed at 24 ranks (24 sets of pipes) but has grown over the years through various private donations to 31 ranks. A beautiful set of harmonique flutes was installed in memory of Sr. Maureen Mahoney who taught music in the parish school for many years. Every summer St. Philips hosts a free summer concert series where both concert organists and local parish organists share their talents.

In September 1999, Tropical Storm Floyd dumped over 10 inches of rain in Saddle Brook. The Saddle River came through the parish grounds and traveled all the way to the Howard Johnson Hotel (now the Radison). Although the devastation to the parish plant was great, the spirit of the parishioners was greater. At all of the weekend Masses, the pastor asked parishioners to gather on Sunday afternoon to help clean. Well over a hundred people came together with the parish cleaning staff and removed every piece of furniture and equipment from the buildings. As volunteers moved through the building removing the mud, other volunteers worked outside cleaning the furniture. The school was open and operational within one week. The dedication of our people coupled with the generosity of the townspeople and organizations saved the parish.

In October 2004, following a three-year capitol restoration campaign, the main sanctuary and Daily Mass Chapel were reopened, beautifully updated and refurbished. The result of this effort has given the parish a spiritually uplifting worship space for many years to come.

St. Philip’s celebrates its spirit of community in many different ways.Today the parish sponsors activities for children, young adults, adults and senior citizens. For over 45 years the parish has hosted St. Philip’s Summer Festival of Fun a greatly anticipated event for the parish and all of Saddle Brook.

Looking forward, St. Philip the Apostle Church will continue to work joyfully together for the Glory of God and the common good of our community of faith and neighbors.