History of the Catholic Church in Paterson, N.J. / with an Account of the Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Establishment of St. John's Church

by Charles A. Shriner

The Confraternity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was established by Father Hens in 1878.

The Confraternity of the Poor Souls in Purgatory was established in 1877 by Father Hens and numbers 107 members.

In 1867 Father McNulty bought a piece of property on Broadway near East Eighteenth street, running back as far as Fair street. In the front part of this property he erected St. Agnes' Institute which was very popular for a number of years. In the rear of the Institute Father McNulty erected a large frame building which was used as a church by the Catholics who had settled in the eastern portion of Paterson. In a very short time there was a large attendance and regular services were held every Sunday. In 1875 St. Joseph's parish was created and Father Nicholas Molloy assigned to it as regular pastor. Finding that there were more Catholics in a more southerly direction Father Molloy bought a tract of land on Market and Carroll streets and erected thereon the present St. Joseph's church. It is a frame building having a seating capacity of about 600. The lower floor is used for school purposes and the upper as a church. In 1880 Father Molloy left Paterson on account of ill health; he died shortly afterwards in New York city. Rev. Dr. Smith, one of the best scholars and most learned theologians of the country, is the present pastor of this church and he is greatly assisted in his many labors by the Franciscan Fathers.

In 1872 Father McNulty bought eight lots on Sherman avenue, near Union avenue, for the purpose of erecting there another Catholic Church. A substantial brick chapel was built, 40×90 feet in size, and two stories high, one floor being used as a chapel and the other for school purposes. The attendance was large from the first, and in 1880 the portion of the city near it was erected into a separate parish under the patronage of St. Mary. The first priest was Father Curran, who did a great deal of energetic work in Paterson, including the establishment of a Catholic weekly paper. In 1883 Father Curran was removed to Arlington, N. J., where he continues to edit The Catholic Times. He was succeeded in Paterson by Father Samuel Welsh, who has still charge of the church and who by devotion and ability is rapidly building up a large congregation.

Three Carmelite Fathers came to Paterson in 1873 and established themselves on Stony road, where they had purchased a frame dwelling. They erected a neat two-story brick house, the lower floor being used as a chapel and the upper as a residence for the friars. They were recalled to Europe, but on the 26th of August, 1876, two priests, three students, and four lay brothers of the Order of St. Francis came to Paterson and obtained possession of the property vacated by the Carmelites. The Franciscans came from Fulda, in Germany, from which place they had been driven by the German government. In February of the following year Rt. Rev. Bishop Corrigan gave them charge of the Catholics in the vicinity with authority to form a parish under the patronage of St. Bonaventura. On November 24th, 1878, Bishop Corrigan laid the corner-stone of a new church in the presence of a large concourse of people. The Franciscan Fathers went to work with a will and when the new church was completed the property was not encumbered by any mortgage or other claim, as the small debt that remained was in the shape of a note. The Catholic Church provides for the dedication of churches that are not paid for, but no church can be consecrated to the service of God as long as there is a claim on it the prosecution of which might result in the sale of the property and its conversion to other uses. St. Bonaventure's Church, a large and handsome structure, was consecrated on July 4th, 1880, by Bishop Corrigan. Fathers McNulty and Hens, who by their influence had done a great deal towards securing the success of the new project, acted as deacons of honor; Very Rev. Aloysius Laur, Provincial Superior of the Order of St. Francis, as assistant priest; Fathers Muller and Trumper as deacons, and Father Burk, from St. Mary's Church, Hoboken, as master of ceremonies. The cost of the new church was about $30,000. The congregation increased steadily and more priests and students arrived at the monastery, and to-day the order as well as the congregation is in a flourishing condition.

For a long time the French and Italian residents of Paterson worshipped in the churches which were most convenient to them, and no attempt was made to provide for them opportunities to attend services in their own language. In 1882 Father Hens induced some of the Fathers of Mercy from New York to come to Paterson occasionally, and services were for some time held in French and Italian in St. Boniface's Church. The numbers of attendants at these services increased, and in 1883 they rented a room in the Smith and Jackson building in Market street. Here religious services are held every Sunday, Father Porcille, one of the Fathers of Mercy in New York, coming to Paterson every Saturday and returning to New York on Monday.

The oldest Catholic church in Bergen county, and one of the few Catholic churches out of debt, is St. Francis de Sales' Church in Lodi. It was erected in 1855 and dedicated by Bishop Bayley. It has been attended ever since its organization by priests from Paterson and Hackensack.

St. Joseph's Catholic Church at Carlstadt is another daughter of St. John, and was organized in 1872, January 1st, and in the same year the church was built at a cost of $11,000. It has a flourishing congregation and a numerously attended parochial school.