PATERSON Last Sunday afternoon, they had so many things to see but a short amount of time in which to see them. A large group of teenagers from around the Diocese made the most of the 10 minutes they were allotted at the end of a tour of the newly renovated Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here on June 10 to take in as much of the rich architectural, historical and liturgical details of the Diocese’s majestic “mother church” as possible.
Many of them walked around the sanctuary to look at the large marble altar and the bishop’s chair, called a “cathedra,” while others prayed before the tabernacle behind the altar or walked up the ambo where prayers and the Scriptures are proclaimed. To the surprise of a few people, one young woman, pretending to recite a Bible passage, stepped up to the ambo’s microphone and declared, “This is a reading from…”
Without realizing it, that young woman already started to put into action the lessons that Bishop Serratelli and other clergy and Catholics were imparting to her and 250 other young people that day, during “Sent,” a pilgrimage to St. John’s: learn more about your faith and celebrate who you are as Catholics, so you can proclaim the Gospel to others more confidently. Mostly high-school-age students from 32 parishes in the Diocese attended the pilgrimage, which gave them an opportunity to learn more about the history and spiritual value of St. John’s. They were able to connect more deeply with their faith, during quieter moments in the cathedral — with the tour with Msgr. Raymond Kupke, diocesan archivist, and the closing Mass with the Bishop — and at a youth rally in the adjacent Bishop Rodimer Center, filled with lively music, skits, games, videos and talks, including a teaching by Bishop Serratelli.
“I’m happy that everyone is here today. It’s a special day,” said Bishop Serratelli, during the pilgrimage that started at 2:30 p.m. and ended with the liturgy at 5 p.m. in the cathedral, which he rededicated last June after extensive renovations. “We live in a time when people are trying to dismantle faith in God. If you want to be a strong follower of Christ, you need to be a martyr for the faith. Despite all of the Church’s mistakes and sins, it remains faithful to what Jesus said. I hope that today, you understand what it means to be a Christian and martyr in what you say and how you live,” he said.
The pilgrimage kicked off in the Bishop Rodimer Center, which echoed with hand-clapping contemporary Christian songs, such as “Trading My Sorrows,” played by a live band. Leading the program were members of Fiat Ventures Ministry Solutions, invited to participate by the Diocesan Office of Youth Ministry which coordinated the event with the help of staff and volunteers from St. John’s.
“Lord, thank you for the opportunity for us to be together. We are excited about the love you have for us. Fill us with the Gospel, so we can give your message to others, especially to those who have not heard it. Also, fill us with your love,” said Father Pawel Tomczyk, diocesan director of the Rite of Christian Initiation and Youth Ministry and youth minister at William Paterson University, Wayne, who helped organize the pilgrimage, prayed at the start of the event.
Jeff Beer, Fiat Ventures’ president and ministry director, stood in front of the audience, wearing a beard and impersonating St. John the Baptist, a martyr, as the host of a mock talk show. He interviewed another bearded man, impersonating St. Peter, also a martyr, who told the audience, “After Jesus died, I led the Church and later, I was crucified.” Then, he performed a rap song about himself.
“We are here to celebrate, who we are as a Catholic family, which is based on Jesus, who loves us. What role does the Diocese play as mother church? What role will we play?” Beer told the young people.
In his talk, Bishop Serratelli described the spiritual meaning of a few of St. John’s architectural details, such as the cathedra, the chair in which the bishop sits, that symbolizes his role in teaching and sanctifying the people of the Diocese. He also noted that every Catholic diocese stands as an independent “Church in itself,” governed by a bishop. But that bishop remains united with the pope, the Vicar of Christ, who represents Jesus in the world, he said.
Then, the 250 young people split into two groups, half venturing off to St. John’s for the tour and half staying in the Rodimer Center for a continuation of the youth rally. During the tour, Msgr. Kupke, who also serves as pastor of St. Anthony Parish, Hawthorne, explained that the current building is the third structure to house St. John’s, completed in 1870 with finishing touches finalized over the next 20 years. Dean McNulty and numerous local laborers built St. John’s, which became a cathedral, when Pope Pius XI established Paterson as a separate diocese on Dec. 9, 1937. Msgr. Kupke pointed out many of the design details, including Bishop Serratelli’s coat of arms atop the cathedra.
“St. John’s is home for the entire Diocese. It is the Bishop’s church,” said Msgr. Kupke, who answered pilgrims’ questions, after his presentation.
Toward the end of the first tour of St. John’s, Bishop Serratelli emphasized the prominence in the cathedral’s design of the altar, “where the most important liturgical act at the center of our faith happens at the Eucharist.” He reminded the young people, “The Eucharist is Jesus. We are nourished by the Bread of Life, so we can go out and be witnesses to the Lord.”
That afternoon, the young people got the opportunity to return to the Rodimer Center for snacks. There, Jamie Yenden, 16, of St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Parsippany, told The Beacon, “I came here because I love God and the Church.” She said that she has been involved in St. Peter’s youth activities.
“I loved the tour of the cathedral. I loved the stained-glass windows and the coats of arms of the bishops. I learned that it took a while to build it,” Yenden said. “This pilgrimage is so much fun. It’s great that all of us from around the Diocese are doing all these things together. It’s a unifying experience,” she said.
While one group would tour the cathedral, the other group of young people would play a Catholic trivia game on a computer screen in the Rodimer Center. The leaders of the parish groups used an app on their smart phones to submit their answers to questions, such as “On the day of your Confirmation, you are anointed with this oil.” The answer: “chrism.” Also, Beers returned to interview another bearded man, impersonating St. Paul, another martyr.
One of the group leaders was Maria Varga, an assistant in religious education for St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Morristown, which brought six young people to the retreat.
“The music is excellent, getting everyone singing and clapping. Our young people are excited. Because of the way Bishop Serratelli talks to them, they understand the story of the Church. It’s good for young people to know things about the Church,” Varga said.