Oldest Parish in Archdiocese to Celebrate 175th Anniversary The 175th anniversary of St. John Church, the first parish in the Archdiocese, will be celebrated on Sunday, September 9, at 10:30 a.m. The principal celebrant for the Mass will be the Most Reverend Paul G. Bootkoski, D.D., V.G., Administrator of the Archdiocese of Newark, and will take place at St. John's Church, 22 Mulberry St., in Newark. In 1826, the city of Newark was celebrating its 160th anniversary. At the time, Catholics were served by the New York diocese. The Newark diocese would not become reality for another 27 years. There were no parish priests administering the sacraments to nearby Catholics. Catholics in New Jersey received the sacraments from a group of 6-8 priests who traveled from Philadelphia or New York City on a regular basis. A group of some 40 Catholics, mainly mill workers and farmers from Newark, Belleville, Nutley, Orange and Livingston, came together with the intention of organizing a parish church. With $2000 borrowed from the Propagation of the Faith, this group purchased the Mulberry Street property on which the present church stands. St. John Church is the only Catholic edifice to have been erected in St. John's parish. It was built by its founder and first pastor, Rev. Bryan Pardow, in 1827-28 and was later enlarged by the parish's fourth pastor, Rev. Patrick Moran. Father Moran also designed the façade as it is now, and built with his own hands the altars and most of the internal ornaments. In 1835, St. John's gave rise to the first circulating library in Newark under Fr. Moran. In 1858, it was recorded as having contained 1,300 volumes, unheard of in its day, including the best standard Catholic works on religion and morality that were published in the English language. In 1859, bells were added to the towers. Nine in number, they were the first erected in Newark. These chimes were regarded as "one of the wonders of the age," and once kept cadence as the Union Army marched to battle during the Civil War. Over the years, St. John's has been a haven to immigrants of four different nationalities: Irish, Italian, German and Dutch. Under the current pastor, Msgr. James Finnerty, St. John's ministers to the hungry and homeless with one of the city's largest and most well known soup kitchens, as well as ministering to Newark's commuters and downtown business establishments. Standing in the shadow of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, St. John's today remains a historical site and a beacon to all whom might be looking for spiritual and temporal healing. For more information concerning St. John's Anniversary Mass, please call (973) 523-0822.
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