Church of St. Mary - Closter, N.J.

With the celebration of Mass in a private home on December 3, 1911, the Catholics of Closter became an official Mission of the Carmelite Fathers of Englewood. The Mission became a canonical parish on January 25, 1914, when Ft. Ferdinand vander Staay, O. Carm., was installed as pastor. The parish was to remain under the pastoral leadership of the Carmelite FAthers for the next 80 years.

In 1939 Fr. Dion Lickteig, O. Carm., purchased the property where the present church, school, convent and rectory now stand. In 1951, Fr. Kevin Cahill saw the completion of the school and convent in 1954 with the Felician Sisters of Lodi staffing the school. The present church building was completed in 1960, and the parish has grown from the original 11 families to more than 710 today.

Carmelite Fathers withdrew from pastoral leadership in 1995, the parish became the direct responsibility of the Archdiocese with the appointment of Fr. James McKenna as pastor until 2005. He was succeeded by Fr. Paul Cannariato, the current pastor.