Centennial Celebration

PASSAIC  Bishop Serratelli helped celebrate 100 years of faith at the Dio­cesan Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary Parish here — an active Polish faith community with a heart that continues to beat for the culture and Catholic traditions of its Eastern European homeland. In the past century, the parish has also walked in footsteps of Church and Polish history, having welcomed one of the country’s presidents and three of its Cardinals, including Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, later to become Pope John Paul II, who visited in 1976 — and the beloved patron of the diocesan shrine dedicated in 2012.

At 11 a.m. Mass on April 15, parishioners — including many, who wore colorful Polish dress and carried traditional flags — filled Holy Rosary for the 100th anniversary liturgy, which was celebrated in both Polish and English. Bishop Serratelli served as main celebrant and homilist of the Mass, which was concelebrated by Bishop Emeritus Rodimer; Father Stefan Las, Holy Rosary’s pastor; Father Michal Dykalski, parochial vicar; and about 30 priests. The parish held a banquet afterward, Father Las said.

“The 100th anniversary of Holy Rosary is so important, because in this world of the Internet and cell phones, where things are so fast, faith and belief don’t change. What the world gives us is not enough. So people continue to look for the love and peace of God,” said Father Las, Holy Rosary’s pastor since 2002, who also thanked Bishop Serratelli for naming Holy Rosary as the site for the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II, which contains one of his relics. “It’s an honor, because John Paul was so popular in Poland and around the world, especially with the young people. Here, people pray to God through him. People say that they feel John Paul’s presence in the church,” he said.

Situated on Wall Street in the city, Holy Rosary ministers to 1,200 mostly Polish families, both immigrants and established families, and continues to carry on Polish faith and cultural traditions. In 2010, the parish established the Polish Supplementary School of Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko, which serves as an extended religious education program, teaching the Polish culture, traditions, language, history and geography. Young people also participate in activities such as serving at the altar and youth ministry, Father Las said.

Holy Rosary continues to practice Polish traditions, such as Gorzkie Zale, devotion with songs about the Passion of Christ and sorrows of the Blessed Mother; a vigil before Easter Sunday; and having their food and homes blessed. Many groups call Holy Rosary home, including The Highlanders, who wear colorful costumes, perform traditional Polish songs and dances and promote traditional family values. The faith community also continues to serve those in need, the pastor said.

“Polish traditions bring us back to our roots and point us to God,” said Father Las, “We want to pass these traditions on to the younger generation to get them to think more about God. Also, our people want to stay connected to the old world, which is like a mother or father to them,” he said.

The Mass was part of Holy Rosary’s ongoing 100th anniversary celebrations. Festivities will continue on Sunday, Sept. 16 with a concert at 2 p.m. to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the election of John Paul II as pope. The parish has also held various religious devotions, Bible studies and meetings — and the shrine underwent many interior renovations — in preparation for the centennial observances, Father Las said.

Over the past century, Holy Rosary has held a front-row seat to the history of the Church, Poland and the Diocese, including the following events:

• May 25, 1922: Holy Rosary hosted Poland’s president, Maestro Ignacy J. Paderewski, and his wife.

• Nov. 10, 1925: Archbishop Jan Cieplak — who had been imprisoned by the Soviets for defying their ban on Catholic worship in Russia after World War I and later had been released — came to live at Holy Rosary. He died Feb. 17, 1926 at St. Mary’s Hospital, Passaic.

• 1952: The Polish Government in Exile conferred the Golden Cross of Merit on Father Francis Kowalczyk, Holy Rosary’s pastor, who was chairman of various drives for Polish Relief and Polish Orphans.

• 1976: At Holy Rosary, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, concelebrated Mass with a delegation of 15 bishops, before going to St. Mary’s Hospital to dedicate the room, where Cardinal Cieplak died.

• April 2, 2005: Holy Rosary became a focal point in the diocese of mourning the death of Pope John Paul II. The next day, Bishop Serratelli presided at a memorial Mass there.

• July 3, 2005: Holy Rosary welcomed Cardinal Jozef Glemp, the archbishop of Warsaw and primate of Poland, as part of his visits to Polish parishes in New Jersey. Welcoming him were Bishop Serratelli, Father Las and other priests from the Diocese and state, who concelebrated a Mass.

• Oct. 23, 2011. The parish received a relic of John Paul II from the hands of Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, former secretary to the pontiff and Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, during a Mass, which included the blessing of an image of John Paul II.

• July 1, 2012. Cardinal Dziwisz again visited Holy Rosary, where he blessed the statue of St. John Paul II, located in the front of the rectory; celebrated Mass; and delivered the homily. There, Bishop Serratelli designated Holy Rosary as the site of the Diocesan Shrine of St. Pope John Paul II.

• From Dec. 31, 2015 to Nov. 20, 2016. Bishop Serratelli designated Holy Rosary as one of the Jubilee churches in the Diocese with Holy Doors of Mercy for the Year of Mercy, which was celebrated by the universal Church, under the direction of Pope Francis. During the Holy Year, Pope Francis granted a plenary indulgence — which removes all temporal punishment due for sins — to Catholics, who make a pilgrimage and pass through a Holy Door, whether in Rome or in their own dioceses.

Holy Rosary traces its foundation of faith back to Feb. 19, 1918 with its establishment as Passaic’s second Polish-speaking parish after St. Joseph’s and with the appointment of its first pastor, Father Stanislaus Kruczek. In 1922, a fire destroyed the first parish school and church, which had been rebuilt in less than a year before. Felician Sisters staffed the school from 1921 until its merger into the former Passaic Catholic Regional School (PCRS) in 1974. PCRS later merged with St. Anthony School in Passaic, which also has since closed.

One Holy Rosary parishioner, who had a front-seat to history, was Joan Tabor, a member of the faith community for all of her 69 years, who remembers when Cardinal Karol Wojtyla visited the parish. Her family dates back to the founding of Holy Rosary, while she attended its former school, sang in the choir and has taught religious education. She praised the faithful ministry of Father Las and the closeness of the parishioners, whom she said fill the church for such devotions as Stations of the Cross.

“When I go into Holy Rosary Church, I feel that it’s a special place. I feel that I’m home,” Tabor said.