Religion

Teach, build, and serve, a legend taken from the mission statement of the Archdiocese of Newark, encompasses the vibrant spirit emblematic of this see from official conception in 1853 through its sesquicentennial observance in 2003. Those who call the archdiocese home share a common religious history and a collective picture of their faith in action from old-world roots. Generations of Catholics who live in the northern New Jersey counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union have shared such devotions as attending Mass, special feast days, parochial education, organizational affiliations, church socials, and many other articles of celebration with their families, friends, priests, religious sisters, and others who collectively define the essence of neighborly communion. This volume provides a basic narrative and visual overview designed to honor the individuals, milestones, and varied landmarks that make the Archdiocese of Newark memorable and inspirational.

Many Americans have walked through the traditionally massive red doors of a parish that is part of the Protestant Episcopal Church of America, itself a part of the larger worldwide Anglican Communion that has its roots in England. One of the best known, and one of the world's largest, is the National Cathedral in the nation's capital. But perhaps nowhere is the history of this storied religious institution more evident than in the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, which can trace its beginnings to 1729 and would later claim a pioneering role in civil rights and the ordination of women. At St. Paul's in Paterson, the front pews were once lined with the families of millionaires, a reflection of the city's onetime industrial might. At the Church of the Annunciation in Oradell, a boy by the name of Walter M. Schirra Jr. once attended Sunday school. He would later become one of the original seven Mercury astronauts. Anglicans in North Jersey: The Episcopal Diocese of Newark documents many of the diocese's 114 parishes, places of spiritual life that dot the northern New Jersey landscape.