PATERSON On the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, a new chapter will begin in the history of the Paterson Diocese with the reopening and rededication June 24 of its Mother Church, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here.
Bishop Serratelli will be the principal celebrant at the 10 a.m. Mass of Dedication. Among the prelates attending are Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., Bishop Emeritus Frank Rodimer, Benedictine Abbot Richard Cronin of St. Mary Abbey, Morristown, and bishops from around the state and nation.
The Mass is a ticket-only event. The diocesan Communications Office will livestream the Mass to the diocesan website (www.rcdop.org) for viewing by the faithful. A video will also be posted on the diocesan website soon after the Mass. Full coverage will be provided in the June 29th issue of The Beacon.
All priests of the Diocese have been invited as concelebrants and deacons and seminarians were invited to assist during the Mass. Two tickets were distributed to each of the Diocese’s 109 parishes. Major superiors of religious orders serving the Diocese were also invited with a guest as well as benefactors of the cathedral and members of the Order of Malta. The Knights of Columbus Paterson Federation will also be assisting at the cathedral’s rededication Mass as ushers and providing transportation for visiting prelates.
Special guests from Ireland attending the rededication Mass will be family members of Father William McNulty, known as Dean McNulty. He came to Paterson in 1863 and served as pastor of St. John Church for 59 years. It was his dream that St. John Church would one day serve as a cathedral. He died 15 years before the Paterson Diocese was established in Dec. 9, 1937 by Pope Pius XI and he is buried at the cathedral.
Msgr. Mark Condon, diocesan director of worship and pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Angels Parish in Little Falls, said, “The consecration of a cathedral is a celebration in the life of faith for the whole Diocese. It brings together the faithful, the priests and the religious along with our Bishop to dedicate an altar, which will celebrate the Eucharist. It is one of the most significant events a diocese celebrates.”
During the Rededication Mass, there will be a blessing of the cathedral walls, a blessing of the pulpit and the high point — the dedication of the altar. The altar blessing formally recognizes that a church building exists as a site for the celebration of the Eucharist. [For detailed information on the Mass, see Msgr. Mark Condon’s story on pages 8-9.]
To reflect the diversity within the Diocese of Paterson, the Offertory gifts will be presented by the faithful of the Diocese of different cultures in their native attire.
Sister of Christian Charity Joan Daniel Healy, diocesan chancellor/delegate for religious, was part of the Liturgy Committee overseeing the rededication Mass. Along with committee members, she got a sneak peek at the interior of the cathedral. “Upon entering the cathedral, I was struck by the lighting coming forth from the most beautiful, simple ceiling. Getting close to the white marble sanctuary, we were stopped by workers. Only if our shoes came off could we ascend the altar. I felt like Moses and the burning bush. I could not help but think — all is in readiness, this special House of the Lord, has literally risen from the ‘ashes’ and on June 24th, the magnificent doors will be opened and the people from all areas of the Paterson Diocese will process in singing and worship the Lord in his holy temple, our cathedral.”
At its rededication, the 147-year-old St. John’s, which became a cathedral after 70 years as a parish church, will show the hard work and commitment of many the past six years, who restored the cathedral. The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist closed in the fall of 2010 after ceiling tiles fell. After extensive engineering inspections, it was deemed that the cathedral had serious interior and exterior issues that had to be remedied before the cathedral could reopen. The Diocese also held a capital and endowment campaign, Partners in Faith, with one of its case elements for the restoration of the Diocese’s historic cathedral. [For more on the cathedral renovations, see story on pages 6-7.]
Preston Dibble, diocesan director of music, will direct the diocesan choir during the rededication Mass. They have been having practices since the first week of May. The Principal Quintet of the Gramercy Brass Orchestra will also be playing at the Mass. Local composer John Girvin wrote a new composition for organ and brass, which is dedicated in honor of the rededication. It will be played in the prelude before the Liturgy begins.
“The choir will sing a variety of choral music during the celebration of the Mass,” Dibble said. “For other congregational music, they will support the assembly’s singing with the assistance of the Cantor and the cathedral’s great pipe organ. Of special note will be a piece entitled, ‘Locus Iste’ by English composer Karl Jenkins. The text comes from the Gradual for the dedication of a church — ‘This place was made by God, a priceless sacrament; it is without reproach.’ Sung during the portion of the Rite where the altar and walls of the cathedral are anointed with oil, it is a powerful moment of the Liturgy. Also, during the preparation of the gifts, the choir will sing ‘O Clap Your Hands’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams. This text is the psalm for Ascension Day and truly gives the listener the feel of ascending to a high place.”
In addition to being the Mother Church of the Diocese, the cathedral is a parish church for a vibrant and active faith community. The celebration of its weekend Masses will begin the evening of June 24 with the vigil Mass for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Msgr. Mark Giordani, who has served as rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist for 30 years, said, “This is a dream that has finally come to fruition. The cathedral is at the heart of the city of Paterson. The community here has much faith, love for the Lord and for the people in the city.” Since the cathedral closed, parishioners of St. John’s have attended Masses in the adjacent Bishop Rodimer Center on Grand Street.
Major diocesan events will again be celebrated at the cathedral after its rededication. Exactly a week after the rededication on July 1, the Bishop will ordain 13 men to the priesthood. Other upcoming events include the Vivere Christus Est Medal Award celebration on Sept. 10 and the Silver and Gold Mass on Nov. 5.
The cathedral will also be the site of an interfaith prayer service that will include prayers for Paterson’s future led by a diverse group of religious leaders at 9 a.m., July 3 to mark the city’s 225th anniversary, which is on July 4.
Msgr. Giordani said, “The cathedral is a monument of faith for those who built it and those who came after them. The reopening will enable us to continue the mission of the Church — to make Christ known and loved by everyone to the ends of the earth. We grateful to our heavenly Father for this day.”