Priest Jubilee Mass

MADISON  Bishop Serratelli will be principal celebrant of the annual diocesan Priests Jubilee Mass to honor diocesan and religious order priests serving or who have served within the Paterson Diocese. The Mass will be held in St. Vincent Martyr Church here at 11 a.m., Tuesday, June 6. The Jubilee Mass will honor those priests celebrating 60, 50, 40 and 25-year anniversaries of their priestly ordinations.

The following priests will be honored:

60 Years

Msgr. Charles C. Cassidy was pastor of Our Lady of the Lake, Sparta, for 23 years until he retired in 1995 from active ministry. He was ordained by Bishop James McNulty on May 25, 1957. He studied for the priesthood at Seton Hall University in South Orange but interrupted his studies to serve in the U.S. Army in World War II. Following his tour of duty, he went back to Seton Hall followed by theology studies at the former Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington. His first assignment was at St. Peter the Apostle, Parsippany, followed by St. Therese, Paterson. He also served as assistant moderator of the Catholic Deaf Society. He served at the Diocese’s former mission in Bolivia and Peru from 1962 to 1963. Msgr. Cassidy also served at St. Monica, Sussex, and is former pastor of St. Nicholas, Passaic. He served as religion teacher at DePaul Catholic High School, Wayne; Morris Catholic, Denville; Pope John XXIII, Sparta, and the former Don Bosco College, Newton. He has also been chaplain of the Sparta Fire Department and is past president of the Sparta Ecumenical Council of Churches. He was named a monsignor in 1989 by St. Pope John Paul II. He currently resides in Waretown.

Father Joseph LoGatto, born in Italy, was ordained to the priesthood on July 14, 1957. He was incardinated as a priest of the Paterson Diocese in 1971. His assignments included: St. Michael, Paterson; Sacred Heart, Clifton, and St. Michael, Netcong. He also served at diocesan Catholic Charities Catholic Family and Community Services in Paterson. He currently resides in Cosenza, Italy.

Father Eugene L. Romano, born in Madison, was ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 1957. His first assignment was at Blessed Sacrament, Paterson. He also served: St. Andrew, Clifton; St. Michael, Paterson, and St. Cecilia, Rockaway. He became pastor of Our Lady of Pompeii, Paterson, in 1968. He also served as pastor of St. Andrew, Clifton, from 1971 to 1975. He then became the founder and director of the Bethlehem Center, Chester, and in 1988 he founded the Hermits of Bethlehem of the Heart of Jesus in Chester and served there for 40 years. At the diocesan level, Father Romano served as assistant director and director of the Apostleship of Prayer from 1967 to 1982. He resides at St. Joseph Home for the Elderly in Totowa.

50 Years

Vocationist Father Louis M. Caputo is a previous superior general of the Society of Divine Vocations, becoming the fourth successor of Blessed Father Justin Russolillo, founder of the congregation. He studied at Pontifical University of St. Luigi in Naples, Italy and was later sent to the U.S. to join the first group of Vocationist Fathers at their mission. He finished priesthood studies at the Seminary of the Third Order Regular of the Franciscan Fathers in Loreta, Pa. and was ordained a priest in the Newark Archdiocese on May 27, 1967. He served at St. James, Penns Grove, and Perpetual Help Church, Newark. From 1974 to 1994, he served in the U.S. Army as a chaplain, reaching a final rank of Lt. Colonel, receiving various awards and military decorations. Father Caputo was also an educator in secondary schools teaching Italian, Spanish, Latin and English. He was named principal of St. Michael School in Newark in 1977 and later named pastor of the church. He has published a book on the life of the Blessed Father Justin and translated many of his writings as “The Devotional” and “The Ascension.” He has traveled to Nigeria and India to help build up the Vocationist order there. For 12 years, he was secretary and treasurer of the Delegation of the Vocationists in the United States. He is weekend assistant at St. Nicholas Church in Palisades Park and currently serves at the Blessed Father Justin Vocationary, Florham Park.

Franciscan Father Bernard R. Creighton, a native of Elmira, N.Y., was received into the Franciscan Order in 1962. He was ordained a priest on Dec. 16, 1967 at Mount St. Sepulchre Church, Washington. He earned a bachelor degree from St. Bonaventure University, N.Y., in journalism; from St. Francis College, N.Y., in philosophy, Holy Name College, Washington, in theology, and earned master’s degrees at The Catholic University of America, Washington, and Siena College, Loudonville, N.Y. He was editor of “The Bona Venture” of St. Bonaventure University from 1959 to 1961 and of the Franciscans’ “Provincial Annals” from 1968 to 1972. He served at the Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University and St. Anthony Friary, Butler.

Father George J. Gothie was ordained May 27, 1967. A Chatham native, Father Gothie studied at Seton Hall University, South Orange, and the former Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington. His first assignment was at the former St. Boniface Parish, Paterson. He has served at St. Peter the Apostle, Parsippany; St. Joseph, Newton; Corpus Christi, Chatham Township; St. Brendan, Clifton; Our Lady of the Lake, Mount Arlington; and St. Rose of Lima, East Hanover. He was a faculty member at Morris Catholic High School, Denville, and also served as CYO director of Passaic/Clifton District. Father Gothie was appointed pastor of St. Jude in Hopatcong in 1990 and served there for 23 years until his retirement.

Franciscan Father Michael S. Joyce was ordained at Holy Name College in Washington in 1967. He spent most of his years in the priesthood abroad serving his order in Japan and on the continent of Africa in Malawi, Zambia, Uganda and Kenya. In Japan, he served in four parishes as parochial vicar and pastor. In Africa, he worked with men in formation and started a retreat movement among local Franciscan congregations. He returned home in 1999 serving at St. Anthony Shrine in Boston as spiritual director. He also served St. Francis Chapel and Church of St. Mary’s on Broadway in Providence, R.I. and while there, he was involved in prison ministry. He currently teaches at Siena College, N.Y.

Franciscan Father Bonaventure F. Hayes, who professed first vows on July 15, 1962, was ordained at Mount St. Sepulchre Church, Washington in 1967. He spent 27 years of his priesthood ministry at the former Christ the King Seminary, N.Y. as a professor of Sacred Scripture, librarian, archivist and guardian of the friar community. He also taught at St. Bonaventure University, N.Y. He studied at The Catholic University, Washington, obtaining a master’s degree in Biblical languages. He then attended Cambridge University in England for Scriptural students. He currently lives at Holy Name Friary in Ringwood.

Father George Kuzhippallil, a native of Kerala, India, was ordained on April 9, 1967. He was graduated from Salesian College, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India, and completed his priesthood studies at Salesian College and Sacred Heart College, Shillong, India. Following ordination, he served as vice principal and teacher at Don Bosco High Schools in Assam and Nagaland, at a Catholic mission and as parochial vicar in Assam through 1977. He arrived in Canada in 1978 and served as an associate pastor and hospital chaplain for two years and also served at the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y. He arrived in the Paterson Diocese in 1988 and served at St. Jude, Budd Lake. He was incardinated as a diocesan priest in 1992. He also served at Morristown Memorial Hospital as chaplain. He currently resides in Pennsylvania.

Father Lancelot J. Reis, a native of Bombay India, studied for the priesthood at the Pallotine Fathers’ seminaries in Bamberg and Koblenz, Germany. He was ordained for the Pallotine order in Augsburg, Germany on July 16, 1967. He spent 18 years working in schools and seminaries in the Diocese of Raipur and the Archdiocese of Nagpur in central India and in their missions to the area’s tribal people. He came to the U.S. on a sabbatical in 1986, first to study at the Washington Theological Union, and then at Seton Hall University, South Orange, where he received a master of divinity degree in 1988. From 1994 to 2006, he served as parochial vicar at St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish, Chester. He was incardinated as a priest of the Paterson Diocese in 1998. He was pastor of St. Francis of Assisi, in the Haskell section of Wanaque before being named pastor of St. Virgil in Morris Plains in 2012.

Franciscan Father William L. Scully is a former pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Hewitt, where he served from 1995 to 2004. In 1962, he was received into the Franciscan Order at the former St. Raphael’s Novitiate in Lafayette. He was ordained to the priesthood in Mount St. Sepulchre Church, Washington, in 1967. He taught political science at Siena College, N.Y., and later became a specialist in Southeast Asian history, studying in Myanmar. He taught at New York University and wrote articles for non-profit organizations and journals such as Orbis and the Asian Survey. He was a member of the Heritage Foundation and in 1983, and was a special assistant to late Sen. William Roth of Delaware. Following that, he served at St. Mary Parish in Pompton Lakes until he was appointed pastor of Queen of Peace. In 2005, he served at St. Francis Parish in Narrowsburg, N.Y. before retiring to Holy Name Friary in Ringwood.

Franciscan Father A. Francis Soucy is founding director of the Holy Name Friary in Ringwood, the healthcare facility for elderly and ill Franciscan Friars. He began his priesthood ministry in education and his later years in elder healthcare. Ordained in 1967, he attended St. Joseph’s Seminary in Callicoon, N.Y. for priesthood studies and later St. Bonaventure University, N.Y. earning a master’s degree in English. He also attended University of Minnesota and received a doctorate in medieval literature. He later taught there and then at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pa. and Muhlenberg College, Pa. He founded the Medieval Colloquium of the Leigh Valley, a consortium of five area colleges. In 1987, he became director of Holy Name Friary, where he served until 2014. Today he resides at St. Anthony Friary in Butler.

40 Years

Father Nicholas Bozza was raised in Rockaway. He was graduated from St. Cecilia School, Rockaway; the former Neumann Prep, Wayne; St. Louis University and the Theological College of The Catholic University of America (CUA). He earned an A.B. in psychology magna cum laude from St. Louis U. and an M.A. in theology from CUA. He also completed the course work for the Doctor of Ministry from CUA. He was ordained by Bishop Casey on May 14, 1977. He served at St. Paul, Clifton (1977-82); St. Mary, Paterson (1982-89), and as pastor of St. George Parish, Paterson. He attended the Maryknoll Instituto de Idiomas in Cochabamba, Bolivia, from August, 1985 to January, 1986. On the diocesan level, he served on the original Ministry to Priests team. He was a member of the Priests Senate. He was a master catechist for the implementation of the new policy for high-school age Confirmation. He has served on the diocesan committee for youth ministry and the diocesan committee for the Charismatic Renewal. He is a cursillista and remains active in the charismatic renewal. On the community level, he helped to found WIN, the community organization of the Totowa section of Paterson. He assisted with PICO, the Paterson Inter-faith Communities Organization, and was one of the original members of the Greater Paterson Area Inter-Racial Tensions Community Task Force. He has also served as the chaplain of the Paterson Fire Department. He first became involved with the Charismatic Renewal through the prayer group at St. Paul’s, and has stayed involved in the movement since that time. He has participated in regional congresses and priests’ retreats in Charismatic Renewal since 1978. He has been a member of the diocesan steering group since 1996. In 1999, he was named pastor of St. Michael, Netcong. In 2013, he was named pastor of St. Lawrence the Martyr, Chester. He has also served as confessor and spiritual director at Domus Bartimaeus, Boonton.

Father Kenneth R. Hewitt was ordained to the priesthood on May 14, 1977. He attended St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, completing work on his master of divinity degree. His first assignment was at St. Jude Parish in Budd Lake and then he later served at St. Mary Parish in Dover until 1997. He holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Maryland in Baltimore. He was one of 12 teachers to open the first Resource Center in the Baltimore City Public School system for students who needed a different approach to learning math and reading at Lakeland Public School No. 12. He is retired from active ministry and currently resides in Mount Arlington.

25 Years

Conventual Franciscan Father Boguslaw Czerniakowski, a native of Poland, entered religious life in 1985. He made first vows in 1986 and attended the Franciscan Seminary in Lodz-Lagiewniki, Poland. In 1989, he traveled to Kenya and finished theology studies at Tangaza College. He was ordained in Gdynia, Poland, on May 23, 1992, by Rt. Rev. Bishop Silas Njiru of the Diocese of Meru in Kenya. For 20 years until 2002, he was the editor of a Marian bi-monthly magazine: The Messenger of Mary Immaculate. He served in Kenya following his ordination as parochial vicar in parishes all over the country, spiritual director of a mission retreat and at his order’s seminary. He served Mission Printing Press in many capacities, eventually being named its director. He left Kenya in 2014, after serving as pastor in Nairobi. From Kenya, his superior general sent him to serve at a parish in Montreal, Canada. In 2014, he came to St. John Kanty Parish in Clifton, where he serves as a parochial vicar.

Father Leonardo D. Jaramillo, pastor of St. Paul in Clifton, entered the seminary when he was 17 years old for the Diocese of Ocana in Colombia, his home country. He was ordained a priest on Nov. 7, 1992 and he served Santa Catalina Parish in Aspasica, Colombia. He came to the U.S. in 1997, serving in the Newark Archdiocese while earning his master’s degree in counseling at Fordham University, the Bronx, N.Y. He came to the Paterson Diocese in 2005 and served at St. Anthony of Padua, Passaic. In the Diocese, he also served Our Lady of the Mountain, Long Valley, and St. Vincent DePaul, Stirling. He was chaplain at the former Paterson Catholic High School in Paterson and at the Morris County Jail, Morristown. He holds a doctorate in theology from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Indiana and he was incardinated as a priest of the Diocese of Paterson in 2009. Father Jaramillo has a brother also serving the Paterson Diocese, Father Misael Jaramillo, who is parochial vicar at Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Victories in Paterson. Father Jaramillo was named pastor of St. Paul’s in 2011.

Father Gerald B. Kanzic was ordained on Nov. 28, 1992 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson. Before entering the seminary he was a professional actor for more than 20 years and also worked as a real estate agent in New Jersey for eight years. He attended the former Christ the King Seminary, East Aurora, N.Y. His first assignment following ordination was at Christ the King, New Vernon. He later served at St. Paul, Prospect Park, and St. Catherine of Bologna, Ringwood. He served from 2004 to 2009 as chaplain of St. Clare Hospital in Dover. He then relocated to the Diocese of Pittsburgh where he serves as chaplain at Mercy Hospital.

Father Boguslaw Kobus, a native of Poland, entered the Salesian Society of Don Bosco in 1982. He was ordained in his homeland June 4, 1992. After ordination, Father Kobus served as a missionary in Zambia. He later served in the Salesian Formation House and as provincial secretary for Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Namibia. He then served as provincial vocation director preparing young African candidates for the priesthood. During the late 90s, Father Kobus was superior of the provincial and formation houses in countries throughout Africa. He arrived in the U.S. in 2000 serving in the Metuchen Diocese at St. Peter and Paul, Great Meadows. He came to St. Andrew Parish, Clifton, in 2000 and was incardinated as a priest of the Paterson Diocese on June 4, 2002. He later served at St. Paul Parish, Prospect Park. In 2007, he was named pastor of Immaculate Conception, Franklin.

Father Marc A. Mancini, a native of Paterson, was graduated from Passaic County Technical and Vocational High School, Wayne. Before studying for the priesthood, he was an assistant industrial electrical foreman with Standard Environmental Systems, Totowa. He received a bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University, South Orange, and completed priesthood studies at St. Mary Seminary and University, Baltimore. He was ordained on Nov. 28, 1992 in St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Paterson. His first assignment was at St. Therese, Succasunna, where he served until 1997, when he was assigned to study canon law at The Catholic University of America, Washington. After receiving his doctorate in canon law in 1999, he was appointed as an advocate on the Diocesan Tribunal where he serves today as an associate judge. He was named pastor of St. Simon Parish in Green Pond in 2005 and was dean for the Northern Morris Deanery. He has also served on the diocesan Vocations Board. In 2011, he was named pastor of St. Therese Parish, Succasunna.

— Compiled by CECILE PAGLIARULO