Archdiocese of Newark death notices: May 2023

We remember and pray for our dearly departed clergy and men and women religious whose Masses of Christian Burial were held in May:

Deacon James J. Puliatte

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Saturday, May 20, 2023 at St. Joseph Church for Deacon James J. Puliatte.

“Deacon Jim”, 78, of Norwood, N.J., entered into the loving arms of our Lord and Savior on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

Deacon Jim was a Roman Catholic Deacon ordained on June 12, 1977.  He served at Immaculate Conception Church in Norwood for many years and most recently was at St. Joseph’s Church in Demarest.

He owned and operated Bruno Ravioli in New York City and Hackensack before retiring. He was a graduate of St. Cecilia’s High School and Fairleigh Dickinson College and attended Broadcasting School.

He was the devoted husband of Elaine C. (nee Cavalli). Beloved father of Jennifer Brunet, Justin, Jonathan and his wife Stacy and James and his wife Brianne. Proud and loving grandfather of James, Alex, Sara, Ella, AJ, Avary, Austin, Maverick and Atlas. Dearest brother of Rosemary Misstretta and her husband Peter. Also survived by many other loving relatives and cherished friends.

Deacon Jim dedicated his life to serving others. He adored his family, his community, the parishes he served and most of all, his God. He will be truly and dearly missed by all who knew him. May he rest in peace.

Father Robert George McBride

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Friday May 19, 2023 at St. Theresa Roman Catholic Church in Kenilworth, N.J. for Father Robert George McBride.

Father McBride died peacefully on May 7, 2023, following a brief illness. At the time of his passing, Father McBride was surrounded by members of his family, to whom he will always be their beloved “Bob”.

He was born in Jersey City, N.J. on Jan. 12, 1947. He was the oldest son of George A. McBride – an honorably discharged Sergeant, Third Marines – and the former Grace Barnes, who had waited patiently and expectantly for George to come home from the Pacific War. After their marriage at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the coming of peace, George and Grace started their family in Jersey City, where they had both been raised. Bob was followed by his siblings Judy, Ken, Janet and Marybeth. For decades, the McBride Family lived a life filled with love, faith, and modest prosperity in a house on Henry Street with a big backyard – perfect for the summer barbeques of which Father McBride was so fond.

Father McBride was always a gifted student. Indeed, he was salutatorian of his high school class (thanks to a bad grade in “typing”) and had been accepted to Georgetown University where he intended to study law, just like his favorite TV character Perry Mason. But God had somewhat different plans. Inspired by the love and faith of his parents, Father McBride instead decided to enter the Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University. Following his ordination in 1972, Father McBride embarked upon more than 50 years of service in different roles at numerous parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Newark.

Remarkably, Father McBride’s childhood fascination with the law was undiminished following his ordination, and in the early 1980s he decided to pursue a Doctorate in Canon Law at St. Paul University in Ottawa, Canada. After spending several years in Ottawa, he acquired not only that degree but also a love of French cuisine (plus a firm understanding of what it means to be really cold). From the mid-1980s until his passing, Father McBride continuously served as a canon lawyer within the Archdiocese of Newark and was ultimately the Judicial Vicar.

In his dual role as a diocesan priest and a canon lawyer, Father McBride was pastor of St. Philip the Apostle in Saddle Brook, N.J., and then St. John the Apostle in Clark, N.J. Following his recent retirement, he relocated to St. Theresa’s in Kenilworth, N.J. where he continued to celebrate mass and actively participate in parish life. Importantly, he also remained closely involved with the Second Community of St. John the Apostle, the Neocatechumenal Way, and presided over their liturgies. Just two-weeks before his passing, Father McBride baptized his newest grandniece, Ryleigh Rose McBride, at a beautiful ceremony that echoed his most fundamental belief: God’s love.

Father McBride was predeceased by his parents George and Grace, as well as his brother and sister-in-law Ken and Debbie McBride of Wall, N.J. He is survived by the following immediate family members: sister Judy Murphy and her husband Pat of Colts Neck, N.J.; sister Janet McBride of Manchester, NJ; sister Marybeth Hannan and her husband Jim of Hillborough, N.J.; nephew P.J. Murphy of Red Bank, N.J.; nephew John Murphy and his wife Erin, as well as their children Presley, Arthur and Cormac of Old Greenwich, Conn.; nephew Michael McBride and his wife Erin, as well as their children Gavin, Lily and Ryleigh of Brielle, N.J.; nephew Sean Hannan of Chicago, Ill.; niece Kerry Bollendorf and her husband Joseph of Collingswood, N.J.; and niece Colleen Hannan of Hoboken, N.J.

Lastly, Father McBride’s family wishes to express its profound thanks for the physical support that Father McBride received from the exceptional doctors, nurses and staff of the Critical Care Unit at Ocean Medical Center, and the spiritual support he received from so many, particularly his fellow priests and his brothers and sisters of the Neocatechumenal Way.

Sister Barbara Brown, SC

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at Holy Family Chapel, Convent Station, N.J. for Sister Barbara Brown, formerly Sister Michael Rose, a Sister of Charity of Saint Elizabeth.

Sister Brown, 86, died Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at McAuley Hall Health Care Center, Watchung, N.J.

Sister Brown was born in East Orange, N.J. the daughter of Michael and Rose (Fehrenbach) Brown. She entered the Sisters of Charity on March 6, 1955, and was a member for 68 years. Sister Brown graduated from the College of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, N.J. (Saint Elizabeth University) with a B.S. degree in Elementary Education.

Sister served in the Ministry of Education in New Jersey and the Virgin Islands. She served as a teacher at Sacred Heart School, Bloomfield; Holy Trinity Elementary School, Fort Lee; St. Mary Orphanage, Newark; St. John School, Paterson; St. Brendan School, Clifton; Saints Peter and Paul School, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Sacred Heart School, New Brunswick; Sacred Heart School, Vailsburg; St. John School, Orange; St. George School, Paterson; Immaculate Conception School, Montclair; and St. Philip the Apostle School, Saddle Brook.

Following her years of teaching ministry Sister Brown volunteered at Josephine’s Place in Elizabeth, N.J., teaching English as a Second Language. When Sister Brown moved to Saint Anne Villa in 2011, she continued this ministry providing support to staff members preparing for citizenship in the United States. When the Villa closed in 2021 Sister Barbara moved to McAuley Hall Health Care Center where she resided until her death. Sister Brown was known for her deep faith, her devotion to the Blessed Mother, and her love of animals. Sister was deeply concerned about the suffering of migrant families arriving in the United States. She was happy to adopt Manny, the Villa cat when the previous owner passed away. Sister Brown also cared for the Villa birds; she enjoyed her time with them each day.

Sister was predeceased by her brother Michael, her sister Marguerite Prepiak and her nephew Michael Noble. She is survived by the Sisters of Charity, her sister-in-law Linda Brown, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, and cousins.

Sister Rose Marie Broadbent, FSP

A Mass of Cristina Burial was celebrated on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at Marian Woods Chapel in Hartsdale, N.Y., for Sister Rose Marie Broadbent.

Sister Broadbent, formerly known as Sister Mary John, died peacefully at St. Cabrini Nursing Home on May 3, 2023.

Sister Broadbent had four siblings, Mary, George, John, and Thomas. She spent her entire childhood and teenage years in West Paterson, N.J. where the Passaic River was her playground. It was there that she attended St. Bonaventure’s Elementary and High School where she was taught by the Franciscan Sisters. After graduating from high school in 1953, Sister Broadbent entered the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Peekskill, N.Y., and professed her first vows in 1955. This is her 70th year of religious life!

Sister Broadbent pursued higher education at Ladycliff College in Highland Falls, N.Y., graduating with a BA degree in French. Later, she studied at Pius X School of Liturgical Music at Manhattanville College where she earned a degree in Sacred Music. Sr. Rose Marie Broadbent, FSP

Sister was one of 112 founding members of the Franciscan Sisters of Peace established in 1986.

Throughout her years of ministry, she taught in New Jersey, and New York on the elementary level and shared her love of music with her students. She was known to create wonderful musical productions, encouraging her students to give it their all. In later years, she fully embraced directing parish adult and children’s choirs, providing music at nuptial masses, parish, and community celebrations, and generously shared her ability to provide musical enrichment wherever she ministered.

In 2003, she retired from her ministry and served as a substitute organist for Mount Saint Francis in Peekskill, N.Y., volunteered to drive sisters to doctors’ appointments, became Liaison to our Associate Members, and was an organist for Marian Woods Convent in Hartsdale . In early 2019, due to declining health, Sister Broadbent moved to Marian Woods, a collaborative adult-care facility for women religious from various communities. Despite her ailments, she continued to gift the community there with her music, deeply rooted within her early on. In addition, her presence was sprinkled with a good sense of humor that she was able to see in the ordinary things of life.

Since the fall of 2022, she has been a resident of St. Cabrini Nursing Home in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. where she joined our other sister residents in the community. It was there that she befriended several residents and staff ministering in her own special way to all she encountered, sharing her spirit of joy and gratitude for the many blessings in her life as a Franciscan Sister of Peace.

Sister Broadbent is survived by her brother, Thomas, and her sister-in-law Carol Broadbent She is  the beloved aunt of Kathleen Carpenter Koenig, Michelle Iadanza, Rose Sheehan, Patricia Driscoll, Theresa Corigliano, Veronica Weston, George Kahwaty, John Kahwaty, Michael Kahwaty, Maureen Evans, Christine Fay, and the late Mary Ellen Turco, Cheryl Sauerbier, Holly Prchlik, John Broadbent, Diane Velkov, Laura Geary, Tom Broadbent Jr, Sean Broadbent, and Shannon Saksaka plus numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and great-great nieces and nephews.