St. Lucy Parish marks rectory reopening with blessing and Mass (Photos)
In 2021, a fire broke out in the rectory of Saint Lucy Parish in Newark, NJ, resulting in serious damage that required an extensive rebuilding effort.
Founded by Italian immigrants who had settled in the city, the Parish of Saint Lucy has long played a key role in the old First Ward, now known as the Seventh Avenue neighborhood. Construction on the current church and complex began in 1925, under the direction of architect Neil Convery. The Renaissance Revival building is one of the city’s spiritual and artistic treasures, with stunning ceiling murals created by Gonippo Raggi, an artist who also worked on Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
As reports of the fire initially spread, people throughout the community, including non-Catholics, came to Saint Lucy’s to express their concern and support.
More than a home
Five years later, the parish has its rectory back, and no one is more pleased than Father Chris Aleti, M.C.C.J., administrator of Saint Lucy’s. He told Jersey Catholic that when the parish’s Comboni Missionary priests were forced to leave their home, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, invited them to live at his residence. “We stayed with him for eleven months, then we lived at the community center for almost four years, and most recently we have been staying at Our Lady of Good Council Parish,” Father Aleti said.
“I tell people we are ‘IDPs’ (internally displaced persons), as we say in my country of Uganda,” he added with a smile.
However, Father Aleti insisted that a parish rectory is “much more than a place where the priests live.”
“Having priests closer to the Christians they serve is important, but the rectory is also where we have our parish offices where we attend to the needs of our Christian community. We do all the administration there, so it is central to the life of the parish,” he said.
A blessing after a long team effort
On the morning of July 12, Cardinal Tobin visited the historic parish to bless the rebuilt rectory. After offering a prayer in the new conference room (named in honor of Father Gaetano Ruggiero, who served as pastor of Saint Lucy’s from 1934-1966), the cardinal went from space to space blessing them with holy water, accompanied by some parish representatives and clergy. Also in attendance were members of the archdiocese’s Office of Property Management, who assisted the parish in its recovery and construction efforts.
Rebuilding required a team effort. Photos supplied by the office show extensive damage to the rectory’s roof and interior spaces caused by fire, smoke, and water.
“The Office of Property Management worked closely with the parish throughout the entire rebuilding process, beginning with guiding them through the insurance claim,” said Ursula Rivera, the office’s construction project manager. “Once an architect was retained, the design phase became a collaborative effort among the parish, our office, and the municipality to ensure the rectory was not only restored but also brought into compliance with current building codes.”
After the planning phase was completed, Rivera explained that the project was competitively bid in two phases. “The first prioritized installing a new roof to protect the structure from further exposure to the elements. The second phase focused on the full restoration of the building,” she said. Rivera then oversaw and managed the construction, confirming that the newly reconstructed rectory “was completed efficiently, on schedule, and to the expected standards, which was the easy part.”
[Editor’s Note: Visit the gallery at the end of this article to see more photos of the damage and rebuilding efforts.]
Father Aleti said that one final inspection is still required before a certificate of occupancy is issued. Then comes the final and most welcome phase of the project: the move-in.
“People always come together”
At the Sunday Mass that followed the rectory blessing, Cardinal Tobin said that he was grateful to be in the presence of “a historic community that welcomes people from all over the world.” The liturgy reflected the richness and diversity of that community as readings and prayers were offered in English, Italian, Spanish, and French.
Father Aleti said that the fire and rebuilding efforts had “focused” the diverse Saint Lucy community to “come together as a family and support the repair of the rectory.”
“We see that when there is a need, people always come together,” he added.
Before the final blessing, the parish thanked Cardinal Tobin and the Office of Property Management for their support, along with a list of parishioners and community members who had played key roles in the rebuilding process. Father Aleti was especially praised for his faith, encouragement, and leadership.
A gift received with joy and gratitude
Later, outside the church, a long line of people stopped to chat with Cardinal Tobin and pose for photos as the sun shone in a cloudless sky. Many parishioners then proceeded to the refurbished rectory for a tour and refreshments.
Saint Lucy Parish is also home to the National Shrine of Saint Gerard, where many women and their spouses come to ask the saint for help in conceiving a child or for assistance with a problem pregnancy. Even as parishioners were celebrating, a young couple made their way past the church’s ornate saint statues to the Chapel of Saint Gerard.
They explained they had been praying to the saint for the gift of a child and were thrilled and grateful to have had their prayers answered.
Their little son, his eyes wide with wonder, accompanied them on their pilgrimage of thanks, during which they also expressed deep gratitude to the parish of Saint Lucy for hosting the Saint Gerard shrine.
To view more photos of the blessing of Saint Lucy’s rectory, the restoration efforts, and the historic church and its St. Gerard shrine, CLICK HERE.
Featured image: Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, blesses the newly rebuilt rectory of Saint Lucy Parish in Newark, NJ. (Photos by John Touhey / Archdiocese of Newark)
