Bishop Emeritus Studerus reflects on his episcopal ministry
On Sept. 8, The Most Reverend Gregory J. Studerus retired as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark.
Born on March 31, 1948, in Orange, New Jersey, Bishop Studerus first perceived a call to the priesthood at the age of ten. He also possessed creative talents and felt drawn to the arts. For the next fifteen years, he felt torn between the two. “I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to be a priest or an artist,” he told the Catholic Advocate in a 2020 interview.
After receiving a degree in art education from Montclair State University, he taught art at an elementary school in West Orange for five years. With a friend, he opened an art gallery and workshop, while also serving in the National Guard.
The call to the priesthood proved too strong to resist, however.
Ordained a priest in 1980, Father Greg Studerus’s first assignment was at St. Aloysius Parish in Jersey City as a parochial vicar. He had never been to Hudson County before, but it would become the center of his priestly and episcopal ministries.
Fr. Studerus would go on to serve as pastor of St. Bridget Parish in Jersey City. In 1997, he became the founding pastor of Resurrection Parish, which included the churches of St. Boniface, St. Bridget, St. Mary, St. Michael, and St. Peter.
He was named Chaplain to His Holiness by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.
From 2005 to 2020, Monsignor Studerus was pastor of St. Joseph of the Palisades in West New York, the largest Hispanic parish in the Archdiocese. While there, he served as Dean of North Hudson Deanery 8 from 2013 to 2016, and was appointed Episcopal Vicar of Hudson County in 2015.
In 2020, Pope Francis made him an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark. In retirement, Bishop Studerus will continue to serve the people of the Archdiocese, with more time to also pursue other interests, including his continuing love for the arts, as he told Jersey Catholic in an interview.
Jersey Catholic: For the last 45 years, you have served as a priest and regional bishop for Hudson County. What characterizes the county and makes it special, in your opinion?
Bishop Studerus: “First, at the risk of sounding simplistic and prejudicial, Hudson County is wonderful! I love being there. I love the people, the churches, and the art in the churches.
I would also say that there is no other part of the Archdiocese experiencing a greater amount of ongoing and constant change. In terms of population, people from different ethnicities and countries are constantly entering Hudson County. People from various economic levels also gravitate to the county from New York and more expensive places.
The transformation that is taking place as towns and cities grapple with these changes creates new social opportunities. In some places, however, there are ethnic groups that are slowly moving away because living in the county is becoming too expensive for them.
For all these reasons, I’d say that ongoing transformation has become an essential part of the identity of Hudson County.”
Is that also something you experienced as a new priest, or was the situation more stable back then?
Bishop Studerus: “I began my ministry in Jersey City when it was just emerging from the doldrums after the upsets of the 1960s. When I arrived at St. Aloysius Parish, the parishioners seemed to be largely Irish, Italian, and Polish — from a European background. But as I walked around the parish, I said to myself, “Wait a minute. I see a lot of Hispanic people around here. Maybe I should start learning Spanish more seriously.”
I had studied Spanish a little in the seminary, and I naively went to Mexico thinking I could pick up the language quickly. After a month, I returned, and Bishop Pechillo, who was an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese at the time, told me that I would start saying the Spanish Mass at the parish. And lo and behold, the church was full! It was the first time the Mass was being offered in Spanish.
So, even in the 1980s, new communities were emerging. That has been fascinating to see and be part of for the last 45 years.”
Are there any particular memories that will stay with you from your ministry in Hudson County?
Bishop Studerus: “Around 1990, I was sent to downtown Jersey City. It quickly became apparent that the five parishes of downtown Jersey City, all within walking distance of each other, were struggling economically and administratively.
I was the dean at the time. Speaking with the other parishes, I invited them to consider working together. Two-and-a-half years later, after a period of analysis and really looking at the reality of the five parishes, they were allowed to merge into one.
As a pastor, I witnessed five different parish communities literally become one parish — working and functioning together and supporting one another. They were all still operating as individual churches, but administratively, pastorally, and program-wise, they became one.
The formation of what was then called Resurrection Parish will always stand out in my memory of downtown Jersey City and my whole time in Hudson County as a fascinating and wonderful experience.”
Has being a bishop altered in any way your perception of the reality of the Church and what the Church is?
Bishop Studerus: “The great joy of being a bishop has been going from parish to parish and literally wishing that I could be a pastor again, because I saw such wonderful work on the part of priests and parishes.
Going out and seeing the county also gave me a broader vision. My focus as a pastor had always been on my parish. Suddenly, when I became an episcopal vicar after Bishop Donato died, I was traveling to Bayonne and visiting the parishes there. I also saw what had been happening in Jersey City since I had gone to West New York. And I learned all about the Neocatechumenal Way, the Charismatic Renewal, and so many other wonderful things.
My experience of the Church was broadened, bringing me a great deal of joy and hope.”
As a young man, you were always interested in the arts, and you even taught art at one point. Do you have any plans to pursue that interest now that you will have a little more time?
Bishop Studerus: “When I was serving in West New York, I thought that at 70, I might simply retire and then go off and become a real, true artist – painting and drawing, and creating all kinds of art. Then I was made an auxiliary bishop.
Now, at 77, as I finally retire, something in the back of my brain is still telling me to return to painting and enjoy that part of my life and personality.
Sometimes, when people learn that I taught art, they will ask me if I still practice art. And I’ll sheepishly respond, “Well… once in a while.” Now, with more time on my hands, hopefully, that will be more than just once in a while.
God certainly gave me artistic talent, but to become a truly good artist, I’ll have to devote some time to learning the skills that I previously never had the time and opportunity to develop.”
And how do you see yourself living your ministry going forward?
Bishop Studerus: “Our priests and our people, more than anything else, need affirmation and encouragement.
While visiting parishes the last few years, I had great joy in seeing the good things that people have been doing and really affirming them. Sometimes I would suggest new ideas, but mostly I affirmed what they were doing and their potential for fulfilling the call of the Lord.
I’m hoping to continue doing more of that in the years ahead – visiting people, seeing the good they are doing, and affirming and encouraging them – without the need to write up reports!”
Is there anything else you’d like to say before we end this interview?
Bishop Studerus: “As a Church, we face tremendous challenges on many levels. There are also constructive efforts being made – calling on the best of our people and priests – to address these seismic changes.
I see truly positive things happening throughout the Archdiocese, and I want to support the efforts of Cardinal Tobin and our priests in any way possible. What’s about to take place is very exciting.”
Click HERE to see images of Bishop Studerus ministering to people of the Archdiocese.
Featured image: Auxiliary Bishop Gregory J. Studerus has served the Archdiocese of Newark as a priest and bishop for 45 years. (Photos by Archdiocese of Newark)
