Mass for deceased clergy celebrates their impact on communities and future vocations
As empathic music from “Thaïs,” the opera, and frankincense filled the 45,000 square foot Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, bishops, priests, and deacons gathered solemnly to honor their fallen brothers.
The Mass for Deceased Clergy, sponsored by Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark, celebrated on November 9, honored the lives and vocations of the priests and deacons who passed in 2022. The Mass also provided healing and comfort to the survivors in attendance.
During his homily, the Bishop Gregory J. Studerus, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop of Newark, the principal celebrant, likened the priests and deacons to the “builders” of the kingdom of God. Bishop Studerus reminded Mass participants of how the priests and deacons gathered men and women in the spirit of Christ to minister to their spiritual and physical needs.
“The truth is we celebrate neither the construction nor the challenging maintenance of the great building facilities of the church,” said Bishop Studerus. “Working with so many co-workers in the fields, they [priests and deacons] worked upon a truly permanent foundation – that of Jesus Christ – forming the true temple of the Lord, which is the Church, the people of God.”
During the Mass, Father Bismarck Chau, Rector of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart and Chaplain for the Deaf, performed sign language to translate the homily to a fellow priest sitting next to him.
Before coming to the Basilica from St. John’s Church in Newark, Father Chau organized a daily soup kitchen for the homeless and a hub for the deaf community. Like many deceased priests who dedicated their lives to those in need, the implications of their passing are clear.
“We cannot forget those whose lives became a living stone in building the eternal City of God,” Father Chau said. “A City, not made with hands, eternal in heaven, so we remember.”
Many of the clergy who died were vital to their communities. Monsignor Joseph J. Granato, the pastor of St. Lucy’s parish in Newark, was a civic leader and advocated for the First Ward neighborhood in the 1970s. He supported the construction of the Villa Victoria senior citizen residence and subsidized low-rise family housing.
Father Frederick L. Miller was the Spiritual Director of St. Andrew’s Hall College Seminary and Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University when he passed in September. Over his 50-year-vocation, he taught more than a dozen courses on theology and spirituality and preached countless retreats to religious brothers and sisters, diocesan presbyterates, deacons, and groups of lay people. He also preached more than 50 first Mass homilies for newly ordained priests and was a frequent guest on EWTN.
Deacon David B. Loman served Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Tenafly, for 28 years. He performed weekly visits to Northern State Prison, where he was a Catholic Mentor and Spiritual Guide, spiritually enriching many prisoners’ lives, believing this was his most important work. Loman later became the Head of the Prison Ministry for the Archdiocese of Newark.
The loss of the 33 archdiocesan clergy members will surely be felt. But if the turnout of seminarians to the deceased clergy Mass indicates what tomorrow holds, there is great hope for the Archdiocese’s future.
Father Eugenio de la Rama, Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese, said Newark seminarians were blessed to participate in the Mass for Deceased Clergy, and their presence was inspiring to all those present as they prayed for those who came before them and gave their lives in service to God’s people.
“The former ministry of these men is what inspired the seminarians to discern the priesthood,” said Father de la Rama. “May they honor their memory well and follow in their footsteps, always entrusting themselves to the Lord.”
The Mass paid tribute to the following:
Monsignor Joseph J. Granato
Father Eugene Diurczak
Father Jose C. Saltarin
Deacon Stan Fedison
Father Thomas S. Wisniewski
Father Fernando R. Po
Deacon Dennis J. Besida
Deacon William H. Myers
Father Paul D. Importico
Father James Redstone
Father Michael A. Russo
Deacon Leo Montini
Father William S. O’Brien
Father Robert P. Nestor
Deacon Anthony Balestrieri
Monsignor Robert H. Slipe
Monsignor Francis R. LoBianco
Father William J. Halbing
Deacon Victor J. Peterson
Father Alfred V. Celiano
Father Thomas E. Pendrick
Father George M. Reilly
Father John F. Renard
Father Frederick L. Miller
Deacon Justo Rodriguez
Deacon Craig A. Stewart
Deacon Harold L. Bates, Jr.
Deacon Guillermo Valladares
Deacon David Loman
Deacon Roland Bianchi
Father Joseph F. Coda
Father Kenneth J. St. Amand
Monsignor George R. Traboldy
Following the Mass, attendees were invited to the Cathedral’s crypt to visit the burial place of the bishops and archbishops of Newark.
The ministry of Catholic Cemeteries exists to meet the needs of individuals and families before, at the time of death and burial, and throughout bereavement.
Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark operates 11 Catholic cemeteries in five counties. Over 1 million have been interred in Catholic cemeteries for more than 160 years. They have also received several prestigious awards, including first place for American Cemetery Excellence at Holy Cross Cemetery and Mausoleum in North Arlington, in 2017 and runner-up at St. Gertrude Cemetery and Mausoleum in Colonia, in 2021 and 2022.
It also provides monthly Masses of Remembrance celebrated at archdiocesan Catholic cemeteries throughout the year, typically during the first week of each month and on special days. Contact a professional memorial planning advisor at cemetery@rcan.org or learn more at CatholicJourney.org.
To learn more, visit www.CatholicJourney.org.
Photos by Joe Jordan/ Archdiocese of Newark
