Archdiocese gives thanks for 175 years of St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral (Photos)
More than 400 worshippers filled Saint Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral in Newark on Sunday, Sept. 28, for a joyful Mass marking the parish’s 175th anniversary.
The bilingual Mass began with resounding bagpipes, followed by a procession led by the Knights of Columbus. As the clergy entered the pro-cathedral, the choir lifted their voices in English and Spanish, a moving reflection of the vibrant and diverse community that Saint Patrick’s serves today.
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, celebrated the Holy Mass. Among the concelebrants were Auxiliary Bishops Manuel A. Cruz and Michael A. Saporito, Abbot Augustine J. Curley, O.S.B., Reverend Monsignor Neil J. Mahoney, Father Camilo E. Cruz, pastor of Saint Patrick’s, Father Juan A. Ortega-Ortiz, parochial vicar, and many priests and deacons.
In his homily, Cardinal Tobin said that the Mass marked “a milestone not just in the journey of this parish, but of the Archdiocese, and of the Church in the state of New Jersey.”
Referring to the liturgy’s Gospel reading (Luke 16:19-31), the cardinal said it was a “remarkable coincidence” that Christ’s parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus was being proclaimed at the celebration of the parish’s 175th anniversary. Reflecting upon the lesson of the parable, he said: “We don’t have to be hostile; it is enough to be indifferent.”
A parable relevant to the present
“The story that Christ tells us is very relevant to today,” Cardinal Tobin said. “At the doorsteps of today’s opulence stands the misery of entire peoples – peoples who are ravaged by war, by exploitation; people (…) who came to the United States looking for a better life.”
Cardinal Tobin added that the last word belongs to God, however, who “redeems the world by giving His life for our salvation.”
“God’s saving work is the beginning of our mission, because it invites us to give of ourselves for the good of all,” the cardinal said. He noted that “the proclamation of the redemption we find in Jesus Christ” is the “beating heart that gives life to our communities.”
He encouraged all present to make Christ known. “You and I are disciples of Jesus who must also be His witnesses,” Cardinal Tobin said. This mission requires a change in us that happens in our hearts and “where we live, above all in our homes, beginning at the family table.”
“When there is a voice, a gesture, a face that leads to Christ, that family experiences the beauty of the Gospel,” the cardinal said.
History of sacrifice and service to others
Monsignor James Wister, a Church historian, has written an extensive online history of St. Patrick’s. His account covers the founding of Saint Patrick’s Church in 1850; its designation in 1853 as a “pro-cathedral” by James Roosevelt Bayley, nephew of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the first bishop of the new Diocese of Newark; and the many additions and renovations to the pro-cathedral’s structure over the ensuing decades.
He also chronicles the life of the parish through its people—from the 19th-century Irish immigrants who sacrificed to build and sustain the church, to the current community, which he describes as “an ever-changing mosaic” leading the church into a new millennium.
As Monsignor Wister’s history reveals, St. Patrick’s has weathered many challenges in the last 175 years, including anti-immigrant prejudice, economic downturns, epidemics, and wartime privation. Most importantly, the parish has been a vital source of spiritual and practical support to the City of Newark through its services and ministries to the orphaned, poor, and outcasts.
Saint Patrick’s Parish continues this legacy of faith and service in the present day. Home to a large Hispanic community — particularly Colombian, Ecuadorian, and Puerto Rican families — the pro-cathedral also serves students from Rutgers University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Essex County Community College through its ministry with the Newman Club of Newark.
When it was first built 175 years ago, St. Patrick’s was a spiritual home to many and a beacon of hope in the city — and it remains so today.
To view more photos from the celebration, click HERE.
READ MORE: Sights & Sounds: Saint Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral celebrates 175 years (Video)
Featured image: Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., celebrated the 175th anniversary Mass of Saint Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral on Sunday, Sept. 28. (All photos by Shania Mosquera / Archdiocese of Newark)
