Obituaries for May 2025
Let us pray for our dearly departed clergy whose Masses of Christian Burial were held in May.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
Father Lawrence E. Frizzell
A Mass of Christian Burial was held on May 8 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in South Orange, New Jersey, for Reverend Lawrence E. Frizzell. He died on April 29 at St. Clare’s Hospital in Dover. Father Frizzell was 86 years old.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in 1938, Father Frizzel grew up in Alberta and British Columbia with his parents and four siblings. The family moved frequently, leading him to attend nine schools in 12 years. His mother, a teacher, sometimes provided instruction to him and other K-8 students in rural schoolhouses with no electricity. He credited her with inspiring his love of teaching.
Memories of encountering anti-Catholic prejudice in his youth taught him to defend his faith while respecting others’ beliefs. After high school, he attended seminary for two years in Edmonton before continuing his priestly training at Saint Paul Seminary in Ottawa. He went on to study and teach in Rome and throughout Europe, Canada, and the Holy Land, completing his doctoral degree in England.
Fluent in many languages, Father Frizzell joined the Seton Hall community in 1974. He helped design the curriculum for the school’s graduate program in Jewish-Christian Studies, the first of its kind in the world.
Father Frizzell later served as an associate professor in that program and director of Seton Hall’s Institute of Judeo-Christian Studies. In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI named him Consultor to the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews. The appointment was renewed by Pope Francis in 2014. A year later, he received the Sister Rose Thering Holocaust Education Award.
A prolific writer, Father Frizzell lectured widely on interreligious dialogue. He served as a columnist for The Catholic Advocate, the former newspaper of the Archdiocese of Newark, and as moderator of The Kinship of Catholics & Jews, a weekly radio program on WSOU.
Father Frizzell is predeceased by his parents, Walter and Angela Frizzell, his brothers Richard (Dick) Frizzell, Dennis Frizzell, and David Frizzell, and his sister Jean Samuelson. He is survived by numerous nieces and nephews in Canada, along with many cousins.
Father Michael J. German
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on May 23 at Saint Peter the Apostle Church in River Edge, New Jersey for Father Michael “Mickey” J. German. He died on May 12. Father German was 82.
Born on January 31st, 1943, in Passaic, NJ, to Michael J. and Mary Ann “Matash” German, he was raised in East Rutherford. Michael German was a student at The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Grammar School and Pope Pius XII Catholic High School. His Catholic school education led him to pursue a life of religious service.
After attending Seton Hall University, he entered the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Darlington. He later earned a master’s degree in divinity following his ordination.
Father German was ordained in 1968 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral Basilica in Newark. He celebrated his first Solemn Mass at the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Wallington. His first assignment was as a Parochial Vicar at St. Joseph’s Parish in Bayonne. He later served as a hospital chaplain – first at Bayonne Hospital, then at Bergen Pines (later Bergen Regional Medical Center).
He then became the Pastor of Holy Family Parish in Linden, NJ. After a sabbatical year studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, he was named Parochial Vicar for St. Peter the Apostle Parish in River Edge.
Father German was also a weekend assistant at the Church of the Nativity in Midland Park and would often celebrate Masses at St. Mary’s Church in Rutherford. He also worked as a chaplain for over 100 different cruises throughout his ministry.
In 2013, he became the Director of St. John Vianney Residence in Rutherford, NJ, where he also resided until September 2023. At that time, he moved to Succasunna to reside at Merry Heart Assisted Living, where he lived until his passing.
Father Germain was predeceased by his brother Richard and sister-in-law Betty, who spent many years assisting him with his domestic needs. He was also predeceased by his brothers-in-law, James Cressen and Robert Nadler, and nieces Lynn Marie Cressen-Pardo and Dr. Christine M. German. He is survived by his sisters Ruth Cressen and Carol Nadler, and many nieces and nephews.
