‘Jewel of the Diocese’

MADISON  Extensive renovations continue at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist — the Mother Church of the Diocese of Paterson that has remained integral to the spiritual life of the city since it opened in 1870 and the Diocese since it was formed in 1937. This Gothic Revival structure — which holds the seat of the diocesan bishop — also has the distinction of housing an active parish community, composed mostly of Hispanics.

Msgr. Raymond Kupke, diocesan archivist and pastor of St. Anthony Parish, Hawthorne, made those observations during his talk on the history of St. John’s, the tallest house of worship in the Silk City, on April 13 at St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization at Bayley-Ellard here. The cathedral was closed in 2013, because of safety concerns and has been undergoing massive renovations to its interior and exterior to ensure its structural integrity and restore much of its breathtaking architecture to its former glory.

“The cathedral is venerable, because it’s the Mother Church of the diocese, the largest church in the diocese, the tallest building in the city and the most visible church in Paterson in a symbolic and real way,” said Msgr. Kupke in his talk, titled “Jewel of the Diocese,” during which he shared with the audience historic documents and photographs. “The cathedral isn’t a relic. It had 640 baptisms last year. It’s still as active a congregation as when Dean McNulty [the visionary priest, who oversaw the construction] first stepped into Paterson. It’s worth all the attention that we are paying now to fix it up,” he said.

Funded by the generosity of the faithful across the Diocese through the Partners in Faith campaign, the renovations — which mostly have addressed structural issues — have entered the third and final phase, which began last summer. St. John’s has been shrouded in scaffolding, since the beginning of the project.

The first phase included repairs to the heavy timber trusses that support both the ceiling and the roof in the attic, the footings, foundation and floor joists in the crawl space and the entire brown stone façade of the cathedral’s exterior. The second phase included tower repointing, additional stone repairs and capping it and grouting at top decks of the bell tower. The third phase involves restoration of the stained-glass windows, choir loft, seating, organ, the Stations of the Cross and other statues and the chandlers.

Throughout the years, the major events of the Diocese, including priestly ordinations, have taken place in St. John’s. Its history began in 1820 with the arrival of its first resident priest, Father Richard Bulger. The first church was built on the corner of Mill and Market streets in Paterson in 1821. The community of Irish immigrants grew so quickly in 18 years that a new church was built on Oliver Street in 1839. Its 13th pastor, the larger-than-life Irish-born Dean William McNulty, arrived in 1863, said Msgr. Kupke, author of “Living Stones: a History of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Paterson.”

“Deacon McNulty was an entrepreneur,” said Msgr. Kupke, who noted that the dynamic priest enjoyed taking on an array of construction projects, including many churches, schools, residences for religious sisters and even St. Joseph’s Hospital. “He was pastor for a remarkable 59 years and was active into his 90s.”

Deacon McNulty thought that the Oliver Street church was too small and was not visible enough, because it was located on a side street. So he bought property at the corner of Grand and Main streets for $10,000. Many parishioners, who worked as laborers during the day, volunteered their services after their regular work hours to construct the new church, which was built of New Jersey brownstone. The new church was dedicated in 1870, but still needed some finishing touches, such as stained-glass windows and spires. The original church — which the pastor made certain was paid for — included a wooden altar and gas lamps between the pews, Msgr. Kupke said.

“This shows the vision of Deacon McNulty. He wanted St. John’s to accommodate all the Catholics in the city to worship at the same time,” Msgr. Kupke said. The priest denied that he built the new church as a cathedral, even though it could be argued that it features a pulpit on the altar to make room for the bishop’s chair — or “cathedra,” he said.

St. John’s wasn’t named a cathedral until 1937, after Pope Pius XI established the Paterson Diocese that year. The building has been renovated about 14 times during its long history. Since 1987, Msgr. Mark Giordani has led the vibrant faith community as rector, said Msgr. Kupke, also an adjunct professor of Church history at Seton Hall School of Theology, South Orange, who also writes a column on the history of the Diocese, its priests and parishes for The Beacon.

Before the engaging presentation, Father Paul Manning, St. Paul’s executive director and diocesan vicar for evangelization, introduced Msgr. Kupke and prayed that God “inspires us with this story of the ‘Jewel of the Diocese,’ so we ourselves will become temples of His spirit.”

Afterward, Msgr. Kupke fielded questions from the audience.

In the audience that night at St. Paul’s was Dennis Rodano, diocesan project manager, who has been overseeing the cathedral renovations with Rebeca Ruiz-Ulloa, diocesan architect. He previously had heard Msgr. Kupke give a presentation on the history of St. John’s to benefactors of the renovation project.

“It helps me understand the history of the cathedral. I’m impressed with the parishioners, who worked on St. John’s with their own hands. Their own sweat is in the building. They helped provide for a Mother Church — the beacon of the Diocese,” Rodano said. “Today, it’s because of the sacrifices of St. John’s parishioners and the good people of the Diocese that we can renovate the cathedral.”