![Celebrate Morris Plains carnival’s 50th anniversary with funnel cakes, faith #Catholic - Five decades of amusement rides and sugary, savory food, while promoting a sense of community and the Catholic faith, culminate in early May in Morris Plains, N.J. St. Virgil Parish there is set to attract nearly 10,000 festival-goers to its 50th carnival, which marks the start of the Catholic festival season in the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey.
“I really enjoy and respect that the carnival has been part of the parish for 50 years,” said Father Lukasz Wnuk, the parish’s pastor. “It would have been easy for it to decline or even stop at any point, especially during COVID, when the parish could not hold it. Instead, it keeps growing, and we continue to invest in it.”
The St. Virgil Carnival is set to run on the parish grounds on Wednesday, May 6, through Friday, May 8, from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m., and on Saturday, May 9, from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. The usual Saturday Mass of Anticipation at 5 p.m. will still take place inside the church.
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“We make money on the carnival, which helps keep us going as a parish,” said Terence Boyne, a 60-year parishioner at St. Virgil who has regularly volunteered since the carnival began.
Originally, one of the carnival’s purposes was to help a community recovering from a natural disaster.
Three years before the carnival started, a priest from St. Virgil’s visited the Bahamas. A natural disaster occurred in the area he visited, and the church there was badly damaged. A deacon from St. Virgil visited and reported that it would cost $10,000 to $12,000 to repair the church. According to Boyne, there was the thought that maybe St. Virgil’s could help them.
“Somebody said, ‘Why don’t we try doing a carnival? We’ll run it every year until we make up the cost.’ We ran it the first year, and they made $15,000 or $18,000. They couldn’t believe it. They sent the $10,000 to $12,000 down there, and the rest went to charities.”
The annual event has grown a lot, Boyne said. It started with 10 kiddie rides and only a few rides for older kids. Now it fills the parish property and fills the whole neighborhood with parked cars.
While the plethora of carnival rides attracts kids, the tasty food attracts thousands from across the diocese.
“I’d say the funnel cake line is never without at least a dozen people to 20 people at any given time during the carnival,” said Michael Scannelli, the carnival’s 2026 chair. He said the carnival added fried Oreos, fried pickles, chocolate brownies, and gelato, in addition to Dellano’s Food Trucks, pizza, soft pretzels, and other carnival staples.
Parish leaders emphasized that this kind of tradition doesn’t happen by accident, but through the dedication, hard work, and caring that countless people like Boyne and Scannelli have poured into it over the years.
Scannelli said the carnival allows St. Virgil’s to invite the wider community to experience the Catholic faith and the Eucharist at the parish throughout the rest of the year.
“I think the carnival-goers really see our faith-based community. I think they see all of us volunteering, coming together as one. Yes, we’re raising money, but we also feel like we’re giving back to the community and giving them a great four-day event,” said Scannelli. “You can’t help but see signs of faith like statues and crosses around St. Virgil’s, whether it’s outside the church or the Tracy Center (the parish hall). Our statue of Mary is right in the middle of where people eat and drink. You can’t help but feel some type of evangelization within the grounds itself,” he said.
Father Wnuk added, “Everyone is truly welcome. Whether you have been part of the parish for years or you are just stopping by for the first time, there’s a place for you here.”
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/celebrate-morris-plains-carnivals-50th-anniversary-with-funnel-cakes-faith-catholic-five-decades-of-amusement-rides-and-sugary-savory-food-while-promoting-a-sense-of-community-and-the-c.jpg)
Five decades of amusement rides and sugary, savory food, while promoting a sense of community and the Catholic faith, culminate in early May in Morris Plains, N.J. St. Virgil Parish there is set to attract nearly 10,000 festival-goers to its 50th carnival, which marks the start of the Catholic festival season in the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey.
“I really enjoy and respect that the carnival has been part of the parish for 50 years,” said Father Lukasz Wnuk, the parish’s pastor. “It would have been easy for it to decline or even stop at any point, especially during COVID, when the parish could not hold it. Instead, it keeps growing, and we continue to invest in it.”
The St. Virgil Carnival is set to run on the parish grounds on Wednesday, May 6, through Friday, May 8, from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m., and on Saturday, May 9, from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. The usual Saturday Mass of Anticipation at 5 p.m. will still take place inside the church.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
“We make money on the carnival, which helps keep us going as a parish,” said Terence Boyne, a 60-year parishioner at St. Virgil who has regularly volunteered since the carnival began.
Originally, one of the carnival’s purposes was to help a community recovering from a natural disaster.
Three years before the carnival started, a priest from St. Virgil’s visited the Bahamas. A natural disaster occurred in the area he visited, and the church there was badly damaged. A deacon from St. Virgil visited and reported that it would cost $10,000 to $12,000 to repair the church. According to Boyne, there was the thought that maybe St. Virgil’s could help them.
“Somebody said, ‘Why don’t we try doing a carnival? We’ll run it every year until we make up the cost.’ We ran it the first year, and they made $15,000 or $18,000. They couldn’t believe it. They sent the $10,000 to $12,000 down there, and the rest went to charities.”
The annual event has grown a lot, Boyne said. It started with 10 kiddie rides and only a few rides for older kids. Now it fills the parish property and fills the whole neighborhood with parked cars.
While the plethora of carnival rides attracts kids, the tasty food attracts thousands from across the diocese.
“I’d say the funnel cake line is never without at least a dozen people to 20 people at any given time during the carnival,” said Michael Scannelli, the carnival’s 2026 chair. He said the carnival added fried Oreos, fried pickles, chocolate brownies, and gelato, in addition to Dellano’s Food Trucks, pizza, soft pretzels, and other carnival staples.
Parish leaders emphasized that this kind of tradition doesn’t happen by accident, but through the dedication, hard work, and caring that countless people like Boyne and Scannelli have poured into it over the years.
Scannelli said the carnival allows St. Virgil’s to invite the wider community to experience the Catholic faith and the Eucharist at the parish throughout the rest of the year.
“I think the carnival-goers really see our faith-based community. I think they see all of us volunteering, coming together as one. Yes, we’re raising money, but we also feel like we’re giving back to the community and giving them a great four-day event,” said Scannelli. “You can’t help but see signs of faith like statues and crosses around St. Virgil’s, whether it’s outside the church or the Tracy Center (the parish hall). Our statue of Mary is right in the middle of where people eat and drink. You can’t help but feel some type of evangelization within the grounds itself,” he said.
Father Wnuk added, “Everyone is truly welcome. Whether you have been part of the parish for years or you are just stopping by for the first time, there’s a place for you here.”
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Celebrate Morris Plains carnival’s 50th anniversary with funnel cakes, faith #Catholic –
Five decades of amusement rides and sugary, savory food, while promoting a sense of community and the Catholic faith, culminate in early May in Morris Plains, N.J. St. Virgil Parish there is set to attract nearly 10,000 festival-goers to its 50th carnival, which marks the start of the Catholic festival season in the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey.
“I really enjoy and respect that the carnival has been part of the parish for 50 years,” said Father Lukasz Wnuk, the parish’s pastor. “It would have been easy for it to decline or even stop at any point, especially during COVID, when the parish could not hold it. Instead, it keeps growing, and we continue to invest in it.”
The St. Virgil Carnival is set to run on the parish grounds on Wednesday, May 6, through Friday, May 8, from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m., and on Saturday, May 9, from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. The usual Saturday Mass of Anticipation at 5 p.m. will still take place inside the church.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
“We make money on the carnival, which helps keep us going as a parish,” said Terence Boyne, a 60-year parishioner at St. Virgil who has regularly volunteered since the carnival began.
Originally, one of the carnival’s purposes was to help a community recovering from a natural disaster.
Three years before the carnival started, a priest from St. Virgil’s visited the Bahamas. A natural disaster occurred in the area he visited, and the church there was badly damaged. A deacon from St. Virgil visited and reported that it would cost $10,000 to $12,000 to repair the church. According to Boyne, there was the thought that maybe St. Virgil’s could help them.
“Somebody said, ‘Why don’t we try doing a carnival? We’ll run it every year until we make up the cost.’ We ran it the first year, and they made $15,000 or $18,000. They couldn’t believe it. They sent the $10,000 to $12,000 down there, and the rest went to charities.”
The annual event has grown a lot, Boyne said. It started with 10 kiddie rides and only a few rides for older kids. Now it fills the parish property and fills the whole neighborhood with parked cars.
While the plethora of carnival rides attracts kids, the tasty food attracts thousands from across the diocese.
“I’d say the funnel cake line is never without at least a dozen people to 20 people at any given time during the carnival,” said Michael Scannelli, the carnival’s 2026 chair. He said the carnival added fried Oreos, fried pickles, chocolate brownies, and gelato, in addition to Dellano’s Food Trucks, pizza, soft pretzels, and other carnival staples.
Parish leaders emphasized that this kind of tradition doesn’t happen by accident, but through the dedication, hard work, and caring that countless people like Boyne and Scannelli have poured into it over the years.
Scannelli said the carnival allows St. Virgil’s to invite the wider community to experience the Catholic faith and the Eucharist at the parish throughout the rest of the year.
“I think the carnival-goers really see our faith-based community. I think they see all of us volunteering, coming together as one. Yes, we’re raising money, but we also feel like we’re giving back to the community and giving them a great four-day event,” said Scannelli. “You can’t help but see signs of faith like statues and crosses around St. Virgil’s, whether it’s outside the church or the Tracy Center (the parish hall). Our statue of Mary is right in the middle of where people eat and drink. You can’t help but feel some type of evangelization within the grounds itself,” he said.
Father Wnuk added, “Everyone is truly welcome. Whether you have been part of the parish for years or you are just stopping by for the first time, there’s a place for you here.”