175th Anniversary Of Historic Cathedral In Newark Celebrated With Special Mass

NEWARK, NJ — The archbishop of Newark recently joined hundreds of congregants to celebrate the 175th anniversary of St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral in Newark.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin led a Mass honoring the cathedral’s historical role as the Archdiocese of Newark’s original “Mother Church.”

The Mass began with a bagpipe procession in tribute to the 19th century Irish immigrants who built and sustained the parish in its early years. The rest of the liturgy – celebrated in English and Spanish – reflected the parish’s contemporary congregation, which is largely made up of Hispanic families.

In his homily, Tobin called the anniversary “a milestone not just in the journey of this parish, but of the archdiocese.”

Here is some historical background about the cathedral, according to the Archdiocese of Newark:

“Dedicated in 1850, St. Patrick’s Church became a pro-cathedral in 1853 when the newly created Diocese of Newark named it its temporary Mother Church. While the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart eventually became the archdiocese’s seat upon its completion in 1954, St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral remains a prominent parish, with Cardinal Tobin celebrating Ash Wednesday Masses there annually. The parish also ministers to Newark’s college students through connections with Rutgers University, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Essex County Community College.”

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