‘Jewel Of The Diocese’

PATERSON  Bishop Serratelli will rededicate the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here on Saturday, June 24, after the 147-year-old Neo-Gothic house of worship in the heart of Paterson received colossal $17.4 million rehabilitation. The six-year project corrected serious structural issues —a grand undertaking to preserve the majestic structure for future generations. The painstaking — and often dangerous —project also sought to preserve the history and beauty of the interior and exterior of this towering structure, while also reconfiguring its worship space and giving it some modern styling and amenities.

“The rededication of our historic cathedral now beautifully rebuilt is a visible sign of the vitality of our great Diocese. I am so grateful for the faith and generosity of our people. Our cathedral remains a beacon of hope and faith for generations to come,” Bishop Serratelli said.

Several days before the historic rededication Mass set for 10 a.m. Saturday, workers were continuing to put “finishing touches” on the renovations — from tuning the refurbished and relocated organ to installing door hardware, holy water fonts and a state-of the art sound system. Dennis Rodano, diocesan business manager and facilities project manager, and Rebeca Ruiz-Ulloa, diocesan architect, have overseen the massive project, which concluded with the third and final phase — the most complex stage. It focused on stabilizing St. John’s interior columns, restoring the organ, repairing and restoring many of its stained-glass windows, beautifying the Stations of the Cross, restoring the chapel and installing a new marble and porcelain tile floor and new liturgical furnishings, including a new repositioned altar, which increased seating capacity.

The Diocese hired Victor Zucchi & Son as the general contractor for the third phase of the project. Begun in 2015, this phase started with the pouring of more than 50 yards of concrete to construct two retaining walls below the floor to stabilize the earth on which the interior columns of the cathedral rest. Then, scaffolding was erected to enable workers to remove the old plaster ceiling and replace it with plywood and gypsum board. Also, Botti Studio — contractors who helped to restore St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City previously— removed and crated about one third of the historic art glass for shipment to its studio in Evanston, Ill. Botti also installed a new interior vented protective glazing system on the exterior of the stained glass to protect the art glass from the elements and allow for the proper ventilation of the glass. Additionally, all of the joints of the stone window frames were raked, re-pointed and filled with grout, Rodano said.

In October 2016, the scaffolding was removed to allow for the setting of the liturgical marble furnishings, starting with the baptismal font. The narthex, or vestibule, of St. John’s was completely redesigned and expanded to include two handicap accessible restrooms. In all the cathedral now has five restrooms — four of which are handicapped- and famly-accessible with baby changing stations, Rodano said.

The, remaining liturgical furnishings — including a new, altar and ambo, fabricated in Italy — were installed. Meanwhile, the Stations of the Cross and the Holy Rood — the large crucifix above the altar — were being polychromed at a studio in New York, which involves the process of painting them in a variety of colors, Rodano said.

“The polychroming made the story of the Lord’s Passion more prominent. Mary, in her traditional blue, is more identifiable than before. You can now appreciate the details of the statues and the expressions on the people’s faces,” Rodano said.

The third stage continued with the installation of a new baldacchino, a wood canopy-like structure over the altar’s sacrificial table. The project also included the placing of a new tabernacle and its throne behind the altar —from its former location to the side of the altar. Chairs with kneelers will be placed around the tabernacle, giving faithful an intimate and quiet place to pray. The sanctuary now has room for 170 chairs, enabling all of the priests of the Diocese to concelebrate liturgies in the cathedral, Rodano said.

Also, the new marble “cathedra” — the Bishop’s chair, which symbolizes his authority in the Diocese — has been moved further west of the altar. The ambo has been elevated above the altar, so the entire congregation — regardless of where they sit — can see the lectors or presiders. The Paterson-based Peragallo Pipe Organ Company rebuilt and enlarged the organ that it had built and relocated it from behind the altar to the rear of the cathedral in the choir loft, which received structural reinforcement and a limited use, limited access mobility lift. In addition, Peragallo added new ranks, or pipes, behind the altar, so the cantor can be synchronized with the organist, Rodano said.

During the third stage, workers also renovated the 70-plus-seat chapel by removing wood paneling and drop ceiling and restoring the original curved plaster ceiling underneath. This phase also included reconfiguring the sacristy, installing a fire alarm system and bringing the electrical and lighting up to code, Rodano said.

“It’s been a tremendous honor to be a part of the renovation of St. John’s Cathedral. There have been so many long days and nights, but it’s been a joy,” Rodano said. “The joy comes from knowing that the cathedral has been preserved for generations to come and it will continue to be a home for Christ in the Diocese,” he said.

The first phase involved the tightening of truss connections, the installation of catwalks and the cleaning of the attic of debris from prior projects. The second phase, delayed by the bad weather during the winters, included the tower re-pointing, additional stone repairs, including the partial chimney demolition to the roof line and capping it, and the replacement of stone units. More issues arose with each phase of the project, Rodano said.

“It was difficult, but I think that we struck a balance — keeping the Neo Gothic cathedral historically correct, while bringing in modern elements, including new technology, and being mindful of cost,” Ruiz-Ulloa said. “Today, people will walk into St. John’s, knowing that it’s a historic church but one that has been modernized, because we’re a modern Church. Our vision for the project turned out better than we could’ve imagined,” she said.

The restoration began after a portion of the cathedral’s ceiling fell, prompting its closure in the fall of 2010. Several subsequent investigations were conducted that determined the extent of the issues that caused the ceiling failure and detailed a sizable list of issues that needed to be address in order to re-open the building. The cathedral, called “The Jewel of the Diocese,” was originally dedicated on July 31, 1870.

A delighted Msgr. Mark Giordani, St. John’s rector, said, “We are grateful for our benefactors and those who helped in the process of the renovations. We also thank Bishop Serratelli for his vision and leadership and Dennis Rodano, Rebeca Ruiz-Ulloa and Art Sikula [consulting architect] for their constant supervision during the renovations. This fulfills the words of St. John the Cross, ‘Love is repaid by love alone.’  ”

The Diocesan Partners in Faith Capital and Endowment campaign is projected to contribute about $10 million to the project, when its $61 million in pledges are met. The Paterson Catholic Mission Fund — which was created after the sale of the Paterson Catholic High School property to the state in May 2015 — will provide an additional $7.3 million in funding, after the Partners in Faith pledges are met, said Patrick Brennan, diocesan Chief Finance Officer.

Msgr. James Mahoney, diocesan Vicar General, Moderator of Curia and pastor of Corpus Christi Parish, Chatham Township, visited the cathedral frequently, during the renovations. He told The Beacon that lately, he has been thinking more about his own ordination in St. John’s in 1973.

“The changes in the building since that time — the necessary changes now for safety, and finally the ways in which our cathedral is even more beautiful and can seat more people: they are at least real,” said Msgr. Mahoney, who spoke about a “magic moment” that he experienced while watching video of a recent choir rehearsal in St. John’s. “I simply said, ‘Wow.’ The cathedral is exquisite. The acoustics are better than I ever remember. This has been restored as our diocesan home for many decades to come,” he said.