POMPTON LAKES, N.J. — Bishop Arthur Serratelli of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J., joined with John O’Connor to concelebrate a Mass on Jan. 27 concluding the 100thanniversary celebration of St. Mary’s Parish here.
St. Mary’s was described by the diocesan newspaper, The Beacon, as “charting a new era for the dynamic Franciscan faith community with a new staff for its nationally-recognized youth ministry, the recent expansion of its social ministry, and the building of its new $3 million faith-formation center.”
“We are very excited to celebrate this great moment in our parish history, but we are not resting on our laurels,” said Kevin Downey, pastor of St. Mary’s, which serves more than 5,000 families hailing from 17 communities in North Jersey.
“We are moving forward,” Kevin said. “We are now in an era of growth. Building on the great foundation laid by our forefathers, we will be able to meet the demands and challenges that we will face as we begin the next 100 years.”
The parish’s new faith formation center, called the Michael Carnevale Center after the parish’s former pastor,will be opening later this year. It will offer a variety of programs in the three-story building.