Rev. William J. Hewitt, 76,
pastor, chaplain in Trenton area
Newark Star-Ledger, Wednesday, February 26, 2003
A Mass for Rev. William J. Hewitt, 76, of Hamilton will be at 11 a.m.
tomorrow in St. Anns Church, 6 Church St., Hampton. Arrangements are by the
Branchburg Funeral Home, Branchburg.
Father Hewitt, who died Saturday in Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Fla.,
while vacationing, was born in Palisades Park.
Ordained in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton on May 25, 1957, he served
as an associate at Sacred Heart Church in Trenton and later at Corpus Christi,
South River, Our Lady of Sorrows, Mercerville, St. Johns Church, Lambertville,
Holy Spirit Church, Perth Amboy, and St. Magdalene's Church, Flemington.
In 1972, Father Hewitt was appointed pastor of Holy Trinity Church in
Bridgewater and was later transferred to Our Lady of the Mount Church, Warren,
where he served until 1989, and to St. Ann's Church, Hampton. He retired a year
ago.
Father Hewitt earned a bachelors degree from Holy Cross Prep Seminary in New
Jersey and a degree in theology from St. Vincent's Seminary, Latrobe, Pa.
A Marine Corps veteran of World War II, he served as a scout and machine
gunner.
Father Hewitt was a chaplain of the Mercer County Jail, the New Jersey State
Prison and the Mercer County Workhouse, as well as the Bridgewater Police
Department. He also served as chairman of the annual St. Patricks Day Parade
that ran from Somerville through Raritan and into Bridgewater.
Surviving are sisters, Sister Grace Eileen Hewitt and Mary Casola.
Rev. William J. Hewitt
HEWITT - Rev.
William J., 76, on Feb. 22, 2003. Vigil Mass Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at St.
Ann's Church, 6 Church St., Hampton, N.J., to be celebrated by Most Reverend
Edward T. Hughes Bishop Emeritus. Funeral Liturgy Thursday, 11 a.m. to be
celebrated by Most Reverend Paul G. Bootkoski, Bishop of Metuchen. Interment
St. Ann's Church Cemetery, Hampton. Public visitation Wednesday 1-7:15 p.m.
and Thursday 9-10:45 a.m. at the church. Funeral arrangements are under the
direction of The BRANCHBURG FUNERAL HOME, 910 Highway 202, Branchburg, N.J.
Published in the Star-Ledger on 2/26/2003.
Rev.
William Hewitt
RARITAN BOROUGH — The Rev. William J.
Hewitt, a retired Catholic priest, died Saturday, Feb. 22, 2003 at Jackson
Memorial Hospital in Miami. He had been vacationing with Archbishop Lawrence
Burke in the Bahamas when he fell ill and was flown to Miami. He was 76.
Born in Palisades Park, he was the son of William and Grace Saunderson Hewitt.
He resided in Raritan for many years.
He attended St. Matthew’s School in Ridgefield and St. Cecilia’s High School in
Englewood.
He attended Fordham University in The
Bronx, N.Y., from 1942 to 1944. He left to serve in the Marine Corps during
World War II as a scout and machine gunner. Following the war, he attended Holy
Cross Prep Seminary and received a bachelor’s degree. Then he entered the
Passionist Seminary at Dunkirk, N.Y. He was a member of the Passionist
congregation until 1953. He then joined the Trenton Diocese and completed his
degree in theology at St. Vincent’s Seminary, Latrobe, Pa. in 1957.
He then served as an associate pastor at
these churches: Sacred Heart, Trenton; Corpus Christi, South River; Our Lady of
Sorrows, Mercerville; St. John’s, Lambertville; Holy Spirit, Perth Amboy; and
St. Magdalen, Flemington.
He was then pastor of the Holy Trinity
Church, Bridgewater, from 1972 to 1985; Our Lady of the Mount Church, Warren,
1985 to 1989; and St. Ann’s Church in Hampton, his last pastoral assignment,
from 1989 to last July 30, when he retired.
He was a former chaplain for Mercer County Jail, New Jersey State Prison and
Mercer County Workhouse. He was a former chairman for the annual St. Patrick’s
Day Parade, which ran through Somerville, Raritan and Bridgewater.
His brother, the Rev. Arthur E. Hewitt,
S.P., died in 1970.
He is survived by two sisters, Sister
Grace Eileen, O.P., at Our Lady of Sorrows in Jersey City and Mary Casola of
Alexandria, Va.
A funeral liturgy will be held at 11 a.m. today at St. Ann’s Church in Hampton,
with interment to follow in the church cemetery. Calling hours were yesterday
from 1 to 7:30 p.m. in the church. A Vigil Mass was set for at 7:30.
Funeral arrangements are under the
direction of Branchburg Funeral Home.
Published in the Hunterdon Democrat on 2/27/2003.
Rev. William J. Hewitt
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
By Roger Smith The Jersey Journal
Mass for the Rev. William J. Hewitt, 76, of Hampton, an ordained priest for
more than 40 years who had served as pastor at several New Jersey churches, will
be tomorrow at 11 a.m. at St. Ann's Church, Hampton. He died Saturday at Jackson
Memorial Hospital, Miami, Fla..
Born in Palisades Park, Hewitt attended St. Matthew's Grammar School,
Ridgefield, and St. Cecilia's High School, Englewood.
Later, he attended Fordham University, New York City, for two years before
completing his bachelor's degree at Holy Cross Seminary in 1948. He finished his
education by earning a theology degree from St. Vincent's Seminary, Latrobe,
Pa., in 1957.
After his ordination at the Trenton Diocese in 1957, Hewitt was an associate
at the following churches: Sacred Heart, Trenton; Corpus Christi, South River;
Our Lady of Sorrows, Mercerville; St. John's, Lambertsville; Holy Spirit, Perth
Amboy; and St. Magdalene's, Flemington.
In 1972, he was appointed pastor of Holy Trinity Church, Bridgewater, a
position he held for 13 years. He then served as pastor of Our Lady of the Mount
Church, Warren, from 1985-1989, where he received his last pastoral appointment
to St. Ann's Church, Hampton. He retired from St. Ann's Church in July 2002.
"He had a great deal of energy for justice issues," said Sister Elise of Our
Lady of Sorrows Church, Jersey City, adding that Hewitt worked hard to reach out
to those who had left the church.
A staple of Hewitt's outreach to former parishioners was Information Night, a
regular event where Hewitt would invite former churchgoers to return and discuss
their feelings about the church as well as any new developments in their faith.
Along with his church service, Hewitt was a former chaplain at Mercer County
Jail, New Jersey State Prison, Mercer County Workhouse and the Bridgewater
Police Department. He also was a past chairman of the
Somerville-Raritan-Bridgewater St. Patrick's Day Parade.
His retirement dream was to establish a soup kitchen for the poor and
homeless. By the time he retired last July, he had purchased all the necessary
equipment. In the past few months, he had been searching for an appropriate
facility to house the soup kitchen.
"He had an extraordinary love for all of God's creatures," said Sister Grace
Eileen of Our Lady of Sorrows, Hewitt's sister. "He always had animals and cared
deeply about the Earth and the trees."
Hewitt is survived by two sisters, Sister Grace Eileen of Our Lady of
Sorrows, Jersey City, and Mary Casola; a brother-in-law, Dr. Armand Casola; a
niece; and three nephews.
Rev. William J. Hewitt
Express Times, Wednesday, February 26, 2003
The Rev. William J. Hewitt, 76, died Saturday, Feb. 22, 2003, in Jackson
Memorial Hospital in Miami, while vacationing with Archbishop Lawrence Burke in
The Bahamas.
Born: In Palisades Park, N.J., a son of the late William T. and Grace L.
Saunderson Hewitt.
Personal: He attended St. Matthew's Grammar School in Ridgefield, N.J., St.
Cecilia's High School in Englewood, N.J., and Fordham University in the Bronx,
N.Y., from 1942 to 1944.
He left college as a sophomore to serve in the Marines during World War II as
a scout and machine gunner.
He then attended Holy Cross Prep Seminary from 1946 to 1948, where he
received his BA degree. Following the war, he entered the Passionist Seminary in
Dunkirk, N.Y., and then joined the Trenton Diocese. In 1957 he completed his
degree in Theology at St. Vincent's Seminary in Latrobe, Pa. He was ordained for
the Trenton Diocese on May 25, 1957.
Since then, he served as an associate of Sacred Heart in Trenton; Corpus
Christi in South River, N.J.; Our Lady of Sorrows in Mercerville, N.J.; St.
John's in Lambertsville, N.J.; Holy Spirit in Perth Amboy, N.J., and St.
Magdalene's in Flemington. He was later appointed pastor of Holy Trinity Church
in Bridgewater, N.J., from 1972 to 1985; Our Lady of the Mount Church in Warren
from 1985 to 1989 and St. Ann's Church in Hampton. His last pastoral assignment
was from 1989 to July 30, 2002, when he retired. He was a former chaplain for
Mercer County Jail in New Jersey State Prison and Mercer County Workhouse. He
was former chairman for the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade which ran from
Somerville, N.J., through Raritan and into Bridgewater. He was also the former
chaplain for the Bridgewater Police Department.
Memberships: He was a member of the Passionist Congregation until 1953.
Survivors: two sisters, Sister Grace Eileen, O.P., at Our Lady of Sorrows in
Jersey City, N.J., and Mary Casola; a brother-in-law, Dr. Armand of Alexandria,
Va.; a niece; and three nephews.
A brother, the Rev. Arthur E., S.P., died in 1970.
Services: A funeral liturgy will be celebrated 11 a.m. Thursday with the Most
Rev. Paul G. Bootkoski, Bishop of Metuchen, as celebrant. A public visitation
will be held from 1 to 7:15 p.m. Wednesday in St. Ann's Church, 6 Church St.,
Hampton, with a Vigil Mass to be celebrated at 7:30 p.m. with the Most Rev.
Edward T. Hughes, Bishop Emeritus as celebrant. Call from 9 to 10:45 a.m.
Thursday in the church. Burial will be in St. Ann's Church Cemetery in Hampton.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Branchburg Funeral Home, 910
US Highway 202 South, Branchburg, N.J.
