In early 1960 the Diocese of Paterson recognized the need for a parish in the rapidly developing Preakness Valley section of Wayne. Six hundred new homes had been built there during the previous half dozen years as farmlands gave way to a burgeoning suburban population. In order to serve the spiritual needs of those people more effectively, Bishop James A. McNulty established Our Lady of the Valley Mission on July 1, 1960 and appointed Fr. James J. Rugel as its Administrator.
Fr. Rugel wasted no time visiting the homes within the boundaries of the Mission. On July 17, he celebrated not one Mass, but three Masses, in the auditorium of Wayne High School (later to become Wayne Valley High School) with attendance of over eleven hundred. That first summer was spent organizing the residents into action. Flyers were delivered to every house in the area. Volunteers made follow-up visits and registered 602 Catholic families.
Near the end of October, Bishop McNulty formally approved the raising of funds for the construction of a church and school. The faith community responded by pledging one-third of the necessary funds by the first week of November. Less that a year later, Bishop McNulty presided over a ground-breaking ceremony on September 16, 1961. Shortly afterward, construction of the church-school began. Then on November 19, 1961 the Bishop raised the Mission to the status of a Parish and appointed Fr. Rugel as Pastor.
Less that a year later, on September 30, 1962 Bishop McNulty dedicated Our Lady of the Valley Church, seating 800, and the new school which already had 215 students. The first four sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill had arrived from Pennsylvania in August and established residence at 614 Valley Road.
Before the first Mass was celebrated in the new church, parishioners had already formed the Holy Name Society and the Rosary Altar Society. In early 1963 they formed a Boy Scout troop and put together championship softball and basketball teams. They also ran several successful fundraising affairs.
In 1964 when plans for a new convent were approved, new fundraising efforts were necessitated. Bishop McNulty was reassigned to the Diocese of Buffalo. He was succeeded by Bishop James Navagh who dedicated the new convent on April 6, 1965 and assigned Fr. Kevin Flanagan as OLV’s first Associate Pastor on April 10. The rectory was moved to 614 Valley Road, the former convent, and 608 Valley Road became the parish community center.
From the beginning, parishioners fostered a strong sense of community, and over the years supported whatever was necessary to facilitate growth. Many challenges were met, including the important task of educating the people to understand and accept the many changes within the Catholic Church as directed by Vatican II which had been convened in 1963 when Our Lady of the Valley was in its infancy.
Fr. Rugel, who was elevated to Reverend Monsignor Rugel in 1981, stayed at Our Lady of the Valley until his retirement in 1993. Over the years, he helped train many of today’s priestly leaders in the Diocese of Paterson. On June 15, 1996, Msgr. Rugel returned to Our Lady of the Valley for the celebration of his Golden Anniversary Mass. Joining him on the altar were Rev. Msgr. Kevin Flanagan and Rev Msgr. Patrick Panos, the first and second Associate Pastors of our parish. Also among the twenty concelebrant priests were Fr. George Hundt and Fr. Greg Littleton, two parishioners who had become priests.
Since Msgr. Rugel’s departure in early 1993, OLV has been led by two other trusted servants. Msgr. James H. O’Rorke served the parish faithfully for slightly more than ten years before he changed ministries. He retired as Pastor and became the Catholic Chaplin to the Karen Anne Quinlan Hospice and to Newton Memorial Hospital. In addition, he became a weekend assistant at Immaculate Conception Church in Franklin, New Jersey.
In June 2003, Fr. Daniel W. Murphy took over as the third pastor of OLV. In June 2009 he was transferred to St Mathew's parish in Randolph where he continues as Pastor. 2009 also saw the closing of Our Lady of the Valley Elementary School after a successful 47 year operation.
In July 2009 Fr Frank Hreno S.D.V. arrived as our Temporary Administrator. He faced the challenges of restructuring our parish due to the closing of the school. In December 2010 Fr Frank returned to the Vocationalist Order for a new assignment.
On December 13, 2010 Msgr Christopher Di Lella was appointed our fourth pastor to lead us on in the new millennium with the many challenges that still exist. The shortage of priests and sisters, the struggles within the church, the decisions against prayer and life by our courts, and the many social issues around us appear to create a huge cloud over our world.
During Msgr. Di Lella's tenure Holy Cross Church (The Mother church of Wayne), was twinned with Our Lady of the Valley, with Msgr. DiLella serving as Administrator of Holy Cross.
The people of Our Lady of the Valley and Holy Cross are a faithful group always willing to take an active role. After 50 years of building we expect to continue and succeed in supporting our Parish.
On December 8, 2014 Rev. ST Sutton, who had been the Parochial Vicar, was appointed Administrator to serve during a time of transition.
On June 29, 2015 Rev. Peter VB. Wells was appointed the fifth Pastor of Our Lady of the Valley and eighth Pastor of Holy Cross.