River Edge parish caps yearlong celebration commemorating 75th anniversary
Parish bids farewell to retiring pastor who began priesthood there decades ago
St. Peter the Apostle Church in River Edge recently concluded a yearlong celebration commemorating its 75th anniversary, which culminated in a Jubilee Mass and the retirement of its pastor, Father Michael J. Sheehan.
The festivities kicked off with a series of gatherings that brought the parish community together en masse for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. These events included an International Dinner in which roughly 300 parishioners sampled dishes from each other’s cultures — a parish cookbook is forthcoming — and a student celebration at St. Peter Academy. Then, approximately 400 people — including several members of St. Peter Academy’s first graduating class of 1962 — filled the church for a June 11 Jubilee Mass in which Father Sheehan reflected on the parish’s history. Afterward, about 250 parishioners toasted the parish during a dinner and dance at The Graycliff in Moonachie.
Two weeks later, on June 25, Father Sheehan celebrated his final Mass following roughly 45 years of service to the Archdiocese of Newark. It was a full-circle moment for the pastor, who began his journey to the priesthood as a transitional deacon at St. Peter the Apostle in 1977 before returning as pastor in 2009. As a result, Father Sheehan could say “goodbye” to many parishioners he first met as a young man.
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“I have great affection for this parish,” said Father Sheehan, who was honored by Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco III during his retirement Mass. “It’s been a great place to be a priest, and it has meant a lot to me. It has helped inform my priesthood — from beginning to end.”
To learn more about St. Peter the Apostle Church in River Edge, visit www.saint-peter.org.
Photos courtesy of St. Peter the Apostle Church.
Featured image: The parishioners of St. Peter the Apostle Church in River Edge give their pastor, Father Michael J. Sheehan, a standing ovation during his retirement Mass on June 25, 2023. (Photo courtesy of St. Peter the Apostle Church)
