Fr. Alex Gaitán lauded as voice for human dignity during memorial Mass

Hundreds gathered at Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Jersey City on Sept. 29 for a Mass in memory of Father José Alexander Gaitán Montes, C.M.F.

Father Gaitán, who served since 2024 as Archdiocese of Newark’s Immigration Ministry Coordinator, passed away suddenly in El Salvador on Sept. 6 while on a retreat with the Claretian Order. Known as a passionate advocate for immigrants and refugees, he also was a beloved figure at St. Joseph’s where he was in residence.

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, celebrated the Mass. He was joined by Auxiliary Bishops Pedro Bismarck Chau, Manuel A. Cruz, Elias R. Lorenzo, O.S.B., and Michael A. Saporito. Bishop Emeritus Gregory Studerus, Father John Molyneux, C.M.F., pastor of Saint Joseph’s, and Father Paul Keller, C.M.F., Provincial Superior of the Claretian Missions in the U.S. and Canada, also concelebrated, along with five other Claretian missionary priests and many priests from the Archdiocese of Newark.

Members of Saint Joseph Parish filled the church, joined by many who had worked alongside Fr. Gaitán in his immigration ministry.

Devoted disciple of Jesus

In his homily, Father Molyneux, who knew Father Gaitán for over 23 years, remembered his friend and fellow missionary as a man who championed the voiceless and underserved and who fearlessly spoke up on their behalf. He recalled how just two years after his ordination, while serving in Georgia, Fr. Gaitán “learned to say Mass in Burmese, as he insisted this community needed to pray the Mass in their native tongue more often than on Christmas and Easter.”

While serving at San Gabriel Mission in California, Father Gaitán’s “passion for migrant ministry began to take root,” he said. Six years later, when the Archdiocese of Newark was developing a position to coordinate migrant ministry, “Alex’s experience with and passion for migrants seemed a perfect collaboration between the archdiocese and the Claretians.”

Father Molyneux recalled the words of Jesus to his disciples: For I was a stranger and you welcomed me; I was in prison and you came to me (Mt 25:35). He observed:

“Alex’s entire missionary focus – whether it be with pandilleros [gang members] in Back of the Yards [in Chicago], Burmese refugees in Stone Mountain, recent arrivals from Central America and Mexico in San Gabriel, or campesinos [rural farmers] in Fresno, was about welcoming the stranger; and his more visible, high-profile ministry at Delaney Hall was about coming to the imprisoned. Fr. Alex did all this because he was a disciple of Jesus. And I believe with all my heart that the promise of Jesus has been fulfilled.”

A mission that continues

Before the liturgy concluded, Cardinal Tobin addressed the congregation in English and Spanish, lauding Father Gaitán as “someone who reminded us of the dignity of every person,” while encouraging Father Gaitán’s friends and collaborators to continue his mission:

“I am told that, a few days before his death, Father Alex spent a good while before the tomb of Monsignor Óscar Romero in San Salvador. What might a saintly bishop say to a good priest? Perhaps the bishop was telling him something he said in one of the last homilies he preached before being assassinated. He said: ‘None of us can do everything, but each of us can do something — something very good — and there is great freedom in knowing that God does not demand the impossible of us; He asks for greatness of heart.’”

“On behalf of the Archdiocese, I thank God for the Claretian community which has lent us a brother and succeeded in uniting our efforts on behalf of the poor, and I assure you the mission continues,” Cardinal Tobin continued. “We will stick together. A united people will never be defeated.”

The gathering broke into sustained and enthusiastic applause, then joined Cardinal Tobin in singing the Salve Regina before a statue of Mary located beside the altar. Following Mass, the community gathered in the church hall to celebrate Father Gaitán’s life and ministry.

To view more photos from the Memorial Mass for Father Alex Gaitain, CLICK HERE.

Featured image: Hundred gathered at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jersey City on Sept. 29 for a Mass in memory of Fr. Alex Gaitán. (Photo by Shania Mosquera / Archdiocese of Newark)