April 11 , 2006
Parishioners 'Sing' Praises of Caldwell Parish
BY MELISSA McNALLY
Staff Writer

The close-knit community of St. Aloysius Parish has an emphasis on social outreach, education and an active music ministry.

St. Aloysius Parish was founded in 1892 and serves the west Essex County area of the Archdiocese of Newark.

Parishioners have given of themselves to make the parish what it is today: a community of faith, prayer and service. The early parishioners built the first church within three months. Much of the work was done in the evenings after their own day’s work.

That same spirit fills the parish community today. The desire to build up their own faith commitment to the Lord, to share that faith with others through worship and witness, to share with those in need and to take pride in their parish community typify the St. Aloysius faithful.

Pastor Rev. Msgr. Michael Desmond was appointed on Aug. 1, 2005. He was elected to several terms on the Priests’ Senate of the archdiocese, and also to the Presbyteral Council. Msgr. Desmond has served on the Parish Aid Committee, the Vocation Board, the Pastors Committee for Development, the Adjunct Priest Board, the Bio-ethics Committee of West Hudson Hospital and the Pastoral Care Committee of Clara Maass Hospital. He was also a commissioner on the Hudson County Human Relations Commission, a leader in the Hudson County Gun Amnesty and a member of the Kearny Municipal Alliance.

Parishioners say that having a new pastor at St. Aloysius provides a fresh perspective and outlook for the future. They describe their church community as warm and welcoming, with community service being a focal point of their ministry.

Michael Brennan has been a parishioner for seven years. He is the finance committee chairman, a member of the New Energies committee, parish council and cub master of Pack 6.

“We are a close-knit group with a hard-working pastor. Msgr. Desmond is a ‘people’ person and encourages many social outreach programs,” Brennan said.

Parishioners have a monthly food collection to St. John’s soup kitchen in Newark and have donated money to the North Caldwell Fire Department.
Volunteerism, Brennan noted, is stressed to the young people he works with as Cub Scout master. “We hold pack meetings every month and organize trips and donate money to organizations. It’s great to help the kids with Christian values. They can work at something that the Church teaches, but from a different perspective.”

As a member of the parish New Energies Committee, Brennan is looking to share St. Aloysius Parish’s resources with others in the area and hopes to see an increase in adult education programs.

“The overall focus of the pastors and assistant priests is very spiritual as opposed to institutional. Their attitude has helped me grow in spirituality and they encourage me to look at avenues for further growth. I am encouraged to learn more about my faith and read about the Church.” Brennan explained. “The church itself is a gem.”

A sculpture of The Last Supper is illuminated at the base of the church altar. The mural of the Crucifixion on the ceiling adds to the beauty of the parish.

Not only are there young families active at St. Aloysius, but there are lifetime members who share in the pride of their parish as well. Howard Hardwick and
his wife have been in the parish for 38 years. He is a Eucharistic minister and reader and helped in the summer Bible school for the children.

“Over the years, I have seen different pastors bring their different personalities to the parish. Some are more academic, some are more people oriented. I think we are getting back to being more people oriented and the priests are very active,” Hardwick said.

The spirit of giving has thrived at St. Aloysius during Lent and each week a collection was donated to a different charity. “The participation was outstanding. One week we donated candy for underprivileged children and we also donated things such as shampoo to people in shelters,” Brennan said.

Brennan’s two children are students at Trinity Academy. St. Aloysius Parish, Blessed Sacrament Parish, Roseland and Notre Dame Parish, North Caldwell sponsor the school. With 371 children from grades K to 8, it has Middle States Accreditation through 2016.

Jean Yoo has a son in 3rd grade at Trinity Academy. “Its a great school. There is a small network of families that are involved. It really has strong family connections. The staff is caring and creative and they motivate the children to do well. The majority of the students are members of one of the three local parishes and only a handful are not parishioners of the churches.”

As the children grow older, there are several activities at St. Aloysius to encourage them in becoming a spiritual adult. Life Teen is an organization for high school students and has weekly meetings, outreach programs, retreats and has an open youth room where teenagers can play games and listen to music in a fun environment.

The music ministry is also very active, providing many choirs for people of all ages. Suzanne LaRobardier has been music director since October. “I think the choirs reflect the people’s warm, willing and welcoming spirit. It is a great way to serve the Lord,” she said.

There is a children’s choir, a youth choir, an adult choir and even a hand-bell choir “for those who don’t have a voice,” LaRobardier noted with a laugh. There is also a bereavement choir that is present at every funeral and other talented instrumentalists.

“We have music involved in religious education and we have a lot of talented young people. Music is a great way to give back to God. Singing is a very important part of our masses and it is part of our great local community,” she said. “I look forward to new opportunities to bring the choirs out to people in the community. There is a warm, open, can-do spirit in all our singers and I am thrilled to be coordinator.”

(St. Aloysius is located at 219 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell.)