Bringing New Life to the Preaching of the Gospel

125 YEARS SERVING IMMIGRANTS  An anniversary Mass marking the 125th anniversary of the founding of St. Mary of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Passaic was held at the church Sept. 30 with Bishop Serratelli as the main celebrant. Pictured after the Mass with the Bishop are Scott Pogorelec, Msgr. John Demkovich, pastor emeritus, John Pogorelec Jr., and Peter Bakarich.

PASSAIC  The city of Passaic has always been a home for immigrants seeking the American dream. And in the neighborhood surrounding St. Mary of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church here, although the places where many of these immigrants have come from may have changed, the heart of the parish community has remained the same over the last 125 years.

To celebrate its rich heritage, the parish community at St. Mary’s marked the 125th anniversary of its founding at a Mass Sept. 30 with Bishop Serratelli as main celebrant with Msgr. John Demkovich, pastor emeritus, and Father Jorge Rodriguez, pastor, and several priests from neighboring Passaic parishes as concelebrants.

At the start of Mass, Bishop Serratelli said, “In a very special way, we are so thankful for the wonderful history of this parish. We are thankful that God has worked in the lives of so many for the past 125 years and we are thankful today for him sending his son, Jesus.”

Founded in 1891, St. Mary’s first opened its doors to Slovak immigrants settling in the city. For many years, St. Mary’s was home to the second- and third-generations of American-born Slovaks, who came from suburban areas to attend Mass.

While there is a group of Slovak parishioners at the parish, the demographics of the area around the parish changed over the years. The neighborhood, once filled with Slovak, Hungarian and Polish Catholics living in the vicinity of Market Street where St. Mary’s is located, is now home to Hispanic immigrants, many from Mexico. Seeing the need to serve its new neighbors, the parish began a Spanish ministry and outreach in 2009.

Since the start of serving these families in the area, the 12:30 p.m. Sunday Mass in Spanish sees the church fill to standing room only. The parish celebrates its rich history of service to immigrants and a hopeful future with Father Rodriguez, who came to the parish nine months ago as its pastor.

In his homily, Bishop Serratelli reflected on St. Mary’s history in the people it has served by remembering St. Jermone, whose feast day fell on the day the anniversary Mass. St. Jermone is best known for his translation of the Bible into spoken language of the people.

“We honor St. Jerome not only because he was a scholar but also because he was a saint. What made him a saint was the simple fact that he translated the Word of God. The challenge is to make the Word of God come alive in our own lives. And this is what we are celebrating tonight. Some 125 years ago immigrants from Slovakia founded and built this beautiful church. Today, a new generation of Latino immigrants is bringing to this church new life in the preaching of the Gospel, in the celebration of the sacraments. You, the faithful of this parish, have received Jesus, the very word of God. You have been translating that Word in flesh, in blood, in your family life, in your care for the poor, in defense for human life. By such faithful members of this great parish, your lives have become the best book for others to read and to understand the Word of God. In the years to come may God spread his grace and fill you with the joy of knowing Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, knowing him and bringing others to him in your own life.”

As the parish continues to celebrate its history created by the Slovak founders to the continuation of the church community with Mexican and Latino immigrants, the mission to help others find the love of Jesus remains the same.

Peter Bakarich, president of the parish council at St. Mary’s, began attending the parish in 1974 because of his wife Kathleen’s roots at the parish. Her grandparents were one of the founding families. The Bakarichs were also married at St. Mary’s and their children received all their sacraments in the church.

“This will always be our parish,” he said, “Everyone here is so nice and we consider this place our second home.”

Msgr. John Demkovich, who served St. Mary’s for more than 40 years said, “It’s wonderful to celebrate and thank those who built this church more than a century ago. The Lord kept this place going all these years.”

Elizabeth Gallardo started attending St. Mary’s when she was looking for a place to worship. “That was 26 years ago and when I walked in here, I immediately fell in love. I felt God’s presence here. We give thanks to the Lord for his mercy endures forever. Through the challenges and our history, it’s exciting to celebrate.”

The celebration of the 125th anniversary was culminated by the refurbishing of the church’s Stations of the Cross, which are depicted through statues. Father Rodriguez presented each family that donated to the project a certificate of appreciation during the Mass.

“So far, it has been great to be with this community,” he said. “The original families continue to come here and the Hispanic families are very active.”