Father James P. McCabe

Father James P. McCabe was now appointed pastor in September of 1953, and he continued to develop the spiritual and physical growth of the parish with the same tireless zeal shown by his predecessors. One of his early pastoral accomplishments was to better communicate with his parishioners by publishing a weekly bulletin containing only parish announcements and commentary on Christian Doctrine. His next major project is the one for which he will be best remembered--our present church.

The parish community of St. Elizabeth by now had grown to about 900 families and the need for a larger house of worship had become quite evident. Through Father McCabe's leadership and motivation, the parish embraced the idea of a new church and showed their support by pledging a total of $114,000.00.
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One of Father DiGiulio's activities was to assume the duties as spiritual director of the Legion of Mary, which was introduced into the parish by Father McCabe in February of 1954.
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Sensing the need for an organization to minister to the corporal needs of the parish and surrounding area, Father McCabe also founded a local chapter of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in November of 1956.

On May 19, 1957, Father McCabe celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of his ordination to the Priesthood. In 1962, His Holiness POPE JOHN XXIII, who elevated him to the rank of Domestic Prelate (Monsignor), bestowed a second honor upon him.