Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson

Diocese of Paterson
Dioecesis Patersonensis
Location
Country United States
Territory Northern New Jersey: Passaic, Morris, and Sussex Counties
Ecclesiastical province Metropolitan Province of Newark
Population
- Catholics
(as of 2004)
420,172 (36.8%)
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Roman Rite
Established December 9, 1937
Cathedral Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist
Patron saint SS. Patrick and John the Baptist
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli
Metropolitan Archbishop John Joseph Myers
Emeritus Bishops Frank J. Rodimer
Map
Website
patersondiocese.org

The Diocese of Paterson is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, which includes three counties in northern New Jersey: Passaic, Morris, and Sussex. The city of Paterson, third-largest in the state of New Jersey, was chosen as the episcopal see, even though the vast majority of diocesan territory lies west of the city. The diocese is a ceremonial suffragan of the Archdiocese of Newark, and is part of Region III of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.[1]

Description

The diocese was established by Pope Pius XI on December 9, 1937, the same day that the Dioceses of Camden, New Jersey and Owensboro, Kentucky were established.[2][3] The new Diocese of Paterson was created by taking territory formerly part of the (then) Diocese of Newark. Bishop Thomas J. Walsh, the bishop of Newark, was made the Archbishop of a newly elevated Archdiocese of Newark the next day, December 10, 1937.[4]

One week later, Walsh's auxiliary bishop Thomas H. McLaughlin was appointed as the first bishop of Paterson, and the former parish church of St. John the Baptist in Paterson was established as the Diocesan Cathedral.[5]

Patrons of the Diocese of Paterson are St. Patrick and St. John the Baptist. The Proper Feasts for the Diocese of Paterson are March 17 (Feast of St. Patrick), June 24 (Nativity of John the Baptist) and June 30 (The Dedication of the Cathedral Church).

As of 2013, there were 166 diocesan priests, 96 retired priests, 124 religious priests, 136 permanent deacons, 19 retired permanent deacons, 178 male religious and 677 female religious ministering in the diocese, which had a Catholic population of 426,000 out of a total (Catholic and non-Catholic) population of 1,143,500 people.[6][7] At that time, the Diocese of Paterson was the 44th largest U.S. diocese in terms of population.[8]

Bishops

Coat of Arms of the Most. Rev. Arthur J. Serratelli

The following is a list of the Bishops of the Diocese of Paterson and their years of service:

  1. Thomas Henry McLaughlin, S.T.D. (1937-1947)
  2. Thomas Aloysius Boland, S.T.D. (1947-1952)
  3. James A. McNulty, D.D. (1953-1963)
  4. James Johnston Navagh, LL.D., D.D. (1963-1965)
  5. Lawrence B. Casey, D.D. (1966-1977)
  6. Frank Joseph Rodimer, J.C.D., D.D. (1978-2004)
  7. Arthur J. Serratelli, S.T.D., S.S.L., D.D. (2004–present)

† Indicates deceased.

Before the establishment of the Diocese of Paterson, governance over the territory that is now the Diocese of Paterson was exercised by the Ordinaries of Newark from 1853-1937, the Ordinaries of New York from 1808-1853 and the Ordinaries of Baltimore from 1789-1808.

Leadership and Deaneries

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

Leadership

Deaneries

The 109 parishes of the diocese are split organizationally into twelve deaneries spanning the three counties:

The City of Paterson

St. Michael the Archangel Church on Cianci Street, Paterson

The City of Passaic

The City of Clifton

Mid-Passaic County

Northern Passaic County

Eastern Morris County

Northeastern Morris County

N.B. Our Lady of Fatima Traditional Latin Mass Chapel, located in Pequannock, is not considered a parish of the Diocese of Paterson. Instead, it is a chapel of ease administered by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.

Northern Morris County

Southeastern Morris County

Southwestern Morris County

Western Morris County

Sussex County

Institutions in the Diocese

Colleges

Diocesan High Schools

Other Catholic High Schools

Former Diocesan High Schools

Catholic Hospitals

Geography

Because of its location in Passaic, Morris and Sussex Counties, the Diocese of Paterson contains a wide spectrum of natural landmarks. The Diocese contains the highest portion of the state of New Jersey in the Skylands Region of Sussex County, as well as the largest lake in the state (Lake Hopatcong), the Great Falls of Paterson and the Great Swamp in Morris County. As for man-made landmarks, the Diocese of Paterson contains one of the parishes claiming to be the oldest Catholic parish in the state, namely Saint Joseph Parish in West Milford.

Geographically, the Diocese of Paterson is bordered by four other dioceses: The Archdiocese of Newark (east), the Diocese of Metuchen (south), the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania (west) and the Archdiocese of New York (north).

Books on the Diocese of Paterson

See also

References

Coordinates: 40°54′53.09″N 74°09′46.18″W / 40.9147472°N 74.1628278°W / 40.9147472; -74.1628278

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