CLIFTON Bishop Serratelli was main celebrant at a Mass to mark the 80th anniversary of St. John Kanty Parish here Nov. 29, which was also the First Sunday of Advent. The Mass was concelebrated by the Conventual Franciscan priests, who have administered the parish since its was raised to parish status in 1935. Concelebrants of the Mass included Conventual Franciscan Father Waclaw Sokolowski, pastor, and Conventual Franciscan Father Raphael Zwolenkiewicz, who previously served as pastor.
The history of St. John Kanty Parish began when St. Joseph Parish in Passaic established a mission of the Polish people in Clifton in the late 1920s. A church was built on Speer Avenue in 1934 and it continues to serve the many Polish families residing in the Athenia section of Clifton.