Established December 9, 1937 Phone +1 973-777-8818 Emeritus bishop Frank Joseph Rodimer | Metropolitan archbishop Joseph W. Tobin | |
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Ecclesiastical province Metropolitan Province of Newark Population- Catholics (as of 2004)420,172 (36.8%) Similar Archdioc of Newark, Archdioc of Newark, Catholic Charities, DePaul Catholic High Sch, St Philip the Apostle Parish | ||
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.
Contents
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. 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.
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.
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. At that time, the Diocese of Paterson was the 44th largest U.S. diocese in terms of population.
Bishops
The following is a list of the Bishops of the Diocese of Paterson and their years of service:
- †Thomas Henry McLaughlin, S.T.D. (1937-1947)
- †Thomas Aloysius Boland, S.T.D. (1947-1952)
- †James A. McNulty, D.D. (1953-1963)
- †James Johnston Navagh, LL.D., D.D. (1963-1965)
- †Lawrence B. Casey, D.D. (1966-1977)
- Frank Joseph Rodimer, J.C.D., D.D. (1978-2004)
- 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
Deaneries
The 109 parishes of the diocese are split organizationally into twelve deaneries spanning the three counties:
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.
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).