Parish History

In 1832, James and Fannie Laverty, recent emigrants from Ireland, settled on a farm in Fellowship (a parcel of land now occupied by Exit 4 of the NJ Turnpike). The Lavertys’ home soon became a regular stop forthe itinerant missionary priests who served the scattered Catholic families in the West Jersey area, a gathering of the Faithful which soon outgrew the Laverty home. An out-building became The Chapel of Our Lady and St. Patrick and ministered to by priests from Immaculate Conception Parish (now the Cathedral) in Camden.

So rapidly did the Catholic community grow that, in 1852, Saint John Neumann (then bishop of the Philadelphia Diocese which, at that time, included all of West Jersey) directed that Mass be said at The Chapel once a month. An 1866 fire destroyed The Chapel and the community acquired land on the main street of Moorestown for a new church. Due to strong antipathy toward Catholics, a third party, Peter Verga of Camden, brokered the transaction. Asked what use he had for the land, Verga responded that he was an agent for one who would open a business of repairing souls. Thinking only a shoe repair shop was planned, the seller readily signed over the deed. And so in the Summer of 1867, a brick church was built in the heart of the village of Moorestown.

On February 27, 1879, Bishop Michael A. Corrigan of the Newark Diocese elevated the status of The Church of Our Lady and Saint Patrick from that of a mission-church to a parish with a resident priest. In the early 1890's, the building was damaged during a "wind storm" and a new, larger church was necessitated for which the corner stone was laid on July 14, 1895.

Sixteen months later the new church was dedicated under the title of Our Lady of Good Counsel. The same imposing edifice built of Stockton gray stone graces Main Street, Moorestown today. But the Parish has grown beyond all the dreams of those early settlers.

Today, Good Counsel Parish, which includes most of Moorestown and a portion of Mount Laurel, consists of over 2800 Catholic families. The Parish maintains a school with an enrollment of over 530 students from Nursery School to Eighth Grade. A Religious Education program is also provided for 800 students in public schools. True to the spirit of the early settlers of Our Lady's Church, the parishioners of Good Counsel today are filled with a sense of ministry and service that is nurturing the growth of the Catholic Church in our own generation.