The bishop meets ‘the Boss’: New Jersey bishop has impromptu lunch with Bruce Springsteen

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (OSV News) — New Jersey-based rock legend Bruce Springsteen and Bishop David M. O’Connell of Trenton got together recently for an impromptu lunch in Federici’s Restaurant in Freehold.

The lunch was arranged through Father Brian Butch, pastor of St. Anselm Parish in Tinton Falls, who is a friend of Springsteen’s. It was the first time that Bishop O’Connell had met Springsteen, though he has been a fan of his music for many years.

The bishop described the Feb. 2 get-together as “delightful” in an interview with the Trenton Monitor, the docesan news outlet.

Springsteen, who resides in the Diocese of Trenton, was raised Catholic and attended St. Rose of Lima School in Freehold, preserving his connection there to the present day.

While not currently a registered parishioner in the Diocese of Trenton, Springsteen has said publicly, “Once a Catholic always a Catholic.”

Many of the themes he espouses in his music reflect Gospel values and Church teaching.

“What a nice man! Given his worldwide fame, he was so humble and low-key,” Bishop O’Connell said of Springsteen. “We both talked about our families, our backgrounds, our career paths and our current interests. Bruce is a ‘Jersey guy’ through and through. It felt as though we’d known each other for years! I hope we can visit again.”

In later remarks to the Trenton Monitor, the bishop said that as a “long-time fan” of Springsteen, he had been interested in meeting him since he lives in the diocese and went to Catholic school here.

“Father Brian Butch had some connections with Bruce and his family. I asked if he could set up a lunch to get together,” he said. “We had a wonderful time. Talked about so many things. He is a voracious reader. We talked about some of his readings. He was so gentle and humble.”

Bishop O’Connell noted that Springsteen’s songs “touch on so many themes consistent with our Catholic faith. The lunch was purely a social visit and an opportunity to meet.”

The Trenton Monitor is the news outlet of the Diocese of Trenton. This story was originally published by the Trenton Monitor and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.

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