200 years as a parish

PATERSON   The rich history of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here began in 1820 with the creation of a parish church when Father Richard Bulger, a priest in then-New York Diocese, was assigned to serve Paterson and the growing number of Irish-Catholic immigrants living in the city. A year later St. John’s Church was built on the corner of Market and Mill Streets here.

Two centuries later, on June 24, the Nativi­ty of St. John the Baptist, the cathedral will mark 200 years since its establishment at a 6 p.m. Mass with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney as the main celebrant. The start of Mass will feature bagpipes to remember the cathedral’s Irish roots. Msgr. Raymond Kupke, diocesan archivist and pastor of St. Anthony Church in Hawthorne, will be the homilist. The Mass will be followed by an outdoor celebration remembering the late Msgr. Mark Giordani, who served as rector of the cathedral for more than three decades. The celebration will also include a cultural program featuring the diverse communities that make up the cathedral parish. Mary Feenan, the longest tenured parishioner of the cathedral, who was baptized there in 1927, will also be honored. The anniversary will end with a fireworks display.

Today, while the demographics have changed around the section of Paterson once known as “Little Dublin” after Ireland’s capital, the parish community continues its tradition of serving immigrant families settling in the city. The cathedral community today is comprised of parishioners from South American and Caribbean nations.

“Our cathedral community is such an incredibly vibrant faith community,” said Msgr. Geno Sylva, rector of the cathedral. “They come from around the neighborhood and the city, many of whom come from Latin American countries. Then, there are more and more people coming from outside the city of Paterson to be part of the St. John’s family because of the richness of faith they find here. It’s humbling to witness the passion of the faith this community has.”

While the celebration marks the creation of the parish community, the faithful throughout the Diocese are invited to join in the event celebrating the Diocese’s Mother Church. On Dec. 9, 1937, the Diocese of Paterson was created and Pope Pius XI designated St. John’s as its cathedral.

The cathedral’s location on Main Street in Paterson truly places it in the heart of the city, according to the cathedral’s website. Dean William McNulty is responsible for the location of the third and current St. John’s building. Msgr. Sylva said, “Father McNulty was very passionate about having the church built on Main Street with the vision to have an impact on the life of the city itself. We move forward with that vision and realize we can really bring in every fiber of life of the city touching upon the human, social, and emotional needs of the people on our ‘block of mercy.’ ”

There are many plans currently in the works to continue to serve generations of families at the cathedral. Its “Building on Tradition” campaign kicked off two years ago to update and improve its Rodimer Center and the building of its new catechetical and educational center, which will be located on DeGrasse Street. The new building will be the location of ministries focused on the evangelization of family, teens, and child-based programs. It will also be more accessible for the handicapped, which is especially important for the parish community’s active Special Needs Ministry. The building will also have space for diocesan events, to partner with Catholic Charities, and to create a Passaic County satellite site for St. Paul Inside the Walls, the Diocese’s Evangelization Center in Madison.

“Everyone has jumped on board in the planning of this celebration. Even when challenged in certain areas of life, the community continues to have this joy that is inspiring. This is something we try to convey because we have faith in Christ. The celebration gives us the opportunity to give thanks to God as we look forward to continuing building on the new evangelization,” said Msgr. Sylva.