Pastoral visit to Paterson parish

PATERSON  Parishioners of St. Mary Help of Christians Parish here welcomed Bishop Serratelli on his pastoral visit to the parish July 27, where he served as main celebrant and homilist of the vigil Mass in Spanish marking the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The parish’s history began when Deacon McNulty of St. John Parish in Paterson, which later became the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, bought property on Sherman and Wayne avenues in the city. In 1873, he began construction of a combination church and school dedicated to Mary, Help of Christians. Bishop Corrigan advanced to the mission to parish status in 1880. A new church was built on the corner of Union and Albion avenues in 1890-91. The parish school opened in 1933 and closed in 1969.