People and communities
St. Mary’s: a Catholic chapel becomes Protestant meeting space
Documented history · Sources compared
A congregation’s move gave its old log church a continuing community role across denominational lines.
A new congregation used the old room
The Historic Trust dates St. Mary of the Lakes’ cedar-log church to 1931. When the Catholic congregation outgrew it, the building became activity space for the Protestant Community Church across the street. The receiving congregation dates its purchase to 1969 and calls the building Memorial Hall. New Jersey Historic Trust site record; Receiving congregation’s history.
Reuse carried a structural problem
The 2004 preservation grant addressed planning rather than a completed restoration. The Trust identified spreading roof trusses and called for a plan examining roof framing and foundations. The transfer preserved a useful room, but continued use also required understanding how the log structure was moving. New Jersey Historic Trust site record.
Sources and research limits
The sources establish the transfer and intended preservation study. They do not establish completion of every proposed repair. Details from the shared church-history page are limited here to the purchase and new name.