Archdiocesan History

The Diocese of Newark was first established in 1853 through a Papal Brief of Pope Pius IX to include all of New Jersey. Until this time, northern New Jersey had been a part of the Archdiocese of New York and southern New Jersey was a part of the Diocese of Philadelphia. The state received its first Catholic School in 1799 when the foundations for St. John's in Trenton were laid. Catholics did not, however, enjoy all of their full rights as citizens in New Jersey until 1844.