St. Bridget Parish dates back approximately 125 years to when Glassboro was a booming glass manufacturing town. Glassboro, as a town dates back to 1779 ( a time when its first glass factory was built). Because so many Catholic European immigrants were coming to the area, our St. Bridget Parish was established.

Currently St. Bridget Parish serves both territorial parishioners and the Hispanic community of central Gloucester County.

During the early 1900’s there arose a need for qualified teachers to man the classrooms of our ever expanding New Jersey communities. Rowan University evolved from humble beginnings in 1923 as a state normal school, with a mission to train teachers for New Jersey classrooms, into a comprehensive university with a strong regional reputation.

The town of Glassboro was a favorite school choice because of its excellent rail system, harmonious blend of industry and agriculture, natural beauty and location in the heart of South Jersey. In 1917, 107 Glassboro residents raised more than $7,000 to purchase 25 acres, which they offered to the state officials for free if they selected Glassboro as the school site; the beginning of what was to become Rowan University.

In July 2009, Bishop Galante sent a letter to the St. Bridget parishioners explaining that the Rowan University expansion and Glassboro’s redevelopment may represent a unique opportunity for the Church to address the spiritual and pastoral needs of the growing student population. A task force was created shortly thereafter. By February 2010, this task force had completed a brief and comprehensive review of the Catholic Campus Ministry at Rowan, St. Bridget Parish, the town of Glassboro, and Rowan University. The report recommended that the current Catholic Ministry at Rowan University and St. Bridget Parish be consolidated into a single parish.

With the addition of ministry to the people of Rowan University, the nature of the parish’s mission will change. There will be three distinct communities within one parish: territorial parishioners, the Hispanic community, and the university community, which will make the Church of St. Bridget. We have Unity (a community of the faithful), Diversity (a community of three distinct populations), complementary (an integration of talents, resources, and goals to strengthen our Parish), and Autonomy (the sense of the various sector and group conditions, and dynamics).