Where We Worship: St. Brendan's the Navigator on Seven Mile Island

AS AREA FAMILIES lather on the sunscreen, pack up the car and head down the Shore, one consideration that isn't always made is where the beach bums will go for spiritual guidance on Sunday.

But St. Brendan the Navigator - a Catholic institution that's had various incarnations for more than 100 years - has cornered the market for summertime worship on Seven Mile Island (shared by Avalon and Stone Harbor), according to Joanne Schwarzwalder, the parish business administrator.

Who we are: "A seashore parish isn't much different from a parish in the city or suburbs," Schwarzwalder said. "What sets us apart is how many people come through our doors in the summer."

St. Brendan serves about 700 families of full-time Jersey Shore residents, mostly retired folks originally from Philly and the suburbs. That number also includes snowbirds from Florida who flock north in the summer months, as well as some city folk who like the parish so much, they make the drive down every Sunday for service.

But once Memorial Day rolls around, it's a whole new world: Schwarzwalder estimates that 8,000 people pass through the church doors every summer.

"On the major weekends, like Fourth of July, it's standing room only," she said. "We get a good mix, too: college kids, young families, older couples."

At a time when Catholic churches are closing or consolidating, the St. Brendan staff is encouraged by these crowds.

"It's very heartening for someone involved in the church to see this," she said. "These are the people making the church work; people on vacation don't always make church a priority, but they come to us, and they participate."

Where we worship: St. Brendan is the result of a merger between two long-standing Jersey Shore parishes: Maris Stella in Avalon and St. Paul in Stone Harbor. The Archdiocese of Camden combined the two under one roof in 2010, Schwarzwalder said.

As St. Brendan, the combined parish operates three worship sites: Maris Stella's original, Swiss-designed chapel, built in 1928; its expanded church hall, built in 1983; and the St. Paul church building, where the congregation has worshipped since it was formed in 1911.

When we worship: To accommodate its inflated attendance in the summer, St. Brendan bears a pretty hectic Mass schedule, helmed by Father John Frey and a revolving list of guest priests.

On Saturday evenings, Maris Stella holds Mass at 5 p.m., while St. Paul hosts services at 4 and 6 p.m., Schwarzwalder said.

Sundays are much busier. Both facilities offer multiple services in the morning, with Maris Stella meeting hourly between 7 a.m. and noon, and St. Paul meeting at 7:30, 9 and 10:30 a.m.

"It's really impressive for the people behind the scenes who have to coordinate everything," Schwarzwalder said. "We have to move the people in and out in an hour, give them the Mass experience for 45 minutes, but then move them out for the next crowd."

And if churchgoers would rather spend their Sundays in the sand, both parishes also offer weekday services at 8 (St. Paul) and 8:30 a.m. (Maris Stella).

People would be surprised to learn that: Weddings are common at St. Brendan, but the majority of people who get hitched at the parish's three facilities aren't part of the congregation.

Schwarzwalder described her employer as a "church of hospitality" for couples and said that the parish has welcomed brides and grooms from as far away as California, England and Japan.

But there's only one rule: Because St. Brendan fields so many wedding requests, interested couples have to provide their own priest, so as to not tie up Father Frey.

Turin for tourists: Throughout the year, St. Brendan hosts special events.

Next weekend, Russ Breault will bring his presentation on the Shroud of Turin - a religious artifact said to be the burial cloth that Jesus was wrapped in after his crucifixion - to the parish.

Through scientific evidence, Breault's "Shroud Encounter" makes the case that the shroud is legitimate. He has lectured at colleges and churches throughout the country for years.

"Faith doesn't usually require this kind of empirical evidence," Breault said. "But it's always nice when evidence comes along to increase faith."