St. Catherine's 100th anniversary

RINGWOOD  Last Saturday, Bishop Serratelli helped celebrate a century of faith, service and community of St. Catherine of Bologna Parish here — often described as a “A Family of Families.” This year the parish commemorates its long, rich history that actually stretches back to 1765 — long before the Revolutionary War, the opening of its first church in 1917 and its elevation to parish status in 1944.

Bishop Serratelli served as main celebrant and homilist for the Golden Anniversary Mass Sept. 16 in the rural church, which was filled with many current and former clergy, religious, staff, parishioners and students of St. Catherine’s parish and school. Concelebrating priests with the Bishop included Father Pawel Szurek, St. Catherine’s pastor; Father Michael Rybinski, parochial vicar; Father Thomas Rainforth, a retired diocesan priest and former St. Catherine’s parochial vicar; and Father Kevin Corcoran, diocesan vice chancellor and the Bishop’s priest-secretary.

“For the majority of its history, St. Catherine’s — the only parish in the U.S. named after this saint — was in the hands of the Franciscans. In our pastoral work, we are sensitive to the roots of the parish — the Franciscans and the spirit of their founder, St. Francis of Assisi, and to the spirit of our patron, St. Catherine of Bologna. We remember where we came from and now the journey continues,” Father Szurek said.

Last weekend, the lower level of St. Catherine Church housed a history display that featured a slide show, memorabilia, books, a timeline and photos from the parish’s past 100 years: from 1917 — the completion of the parish’s first church — to 2017. After the anniversary Mass, the parish hosted a picnic and rosary walk on its bucolic grounds and the playground behind the church. Anniversary celebrations started in January and will continue into December, according to the parish’s website, www.stcatherineofbologna.org.

St. Catherine’s started anniversary activities in January with a square dance. Other observances since then included a CYO alumni basketball game, a photo and art show, a prayer service and soup supper during Lent, a May Crowning at the original church site, the burial of a time capsule and a parish clean up. Festivities will continue with a retreat by Father Michael Sullivan from Sunday, Oct. 15 to Wednesday, Oct. 18; a Catholic book fair from Saturday, Oct. 21 to Sunday, Oct. 22; an anniversary gala on Saturday, Nov. 4; and a New Year’s Eve Mass and conclusion of celebrations on Sunday, Dec. 31, according to the parish’s website.

The history of St. Catherine’s — located in the Ramapo Mountains in northern Passaic County — begins on May 26, 1765, when Jesuit Father Ferdinand Steinmeyer, who would Anglicize his last name to “Farmer,” arrived in Ringwood from Philadelphia on horseback. He had heard that the Ringwood Company was attracting entrepreneurs from England, Germany and France with German, Polish and Slovak laborers. He set up a mission that became one of his largest and most frequently visited, serving an area that grew into a major producer of iron. No longer able to travel from mission to mission, Father Farmer died in 1786.

Fourteen months later, Father Lawrence Graessel arrived and missioned in Ringwood and other stations for five years. Then, a circuit of eight priests riding horses visited the 900 Catholics in New Jersey. After rapid growth before the Civil War, Father Peter Dernis arrived in 1870 and celebrated Mass in the home of Anthony Nolan.

In 1876, Father Bonaventure Jahn became the first Franciscan Friar in Ringwood, traveling here six times yearly from Paterson for Mass in parishioners’ homes. Four years later, the mission was placed under the permanent care of the Franciscans of the Holy Name Province.

Fast-forward to 1912, when Franciscan Father Fabian Lepich became pastor in Ringwood with his assistant, Father Francis Koch, leading 350 Catholics. In 1916, the Ringwood Mining Company donated a 100-square-foot plot of land for a church on Margaret King Avenue, which opened in September 1917. Succeeding pastors undertook many improvements to the church building. Under Father Kieran McGrath’s pastorate, Bishop McLaughlin raised St. Catherine’s to parish status on Nov. 27, 1944 and entrusted it to the Friars of the Holy Name Province.

Over the years, St. Catherine School found a home in three different locations. The first school opened in 1948, staffed by the Capuchin Sisters of Mount St. Francis and located in their guesthouse, which became known as “the little red schoolhouse” and which still stands today. The second school as a structure with four classrooms was built adjacent to the church that opened in 1949. An even larger third school — a 210-foot long red building on the rise at Skyline Drive and Erskine Road — opened in 1953.

In 1967, Franciscan Father Angelus DeMarco arrived and embarked on a period of renewal at St. Catherine’s, which included forming the Lay Advisory Council and involving lay labor whenever possible in construction projects. The parish hall was converted into a permanent church in 1972 with a newly-decorated sanctuary and new steeple and bells and stained glass windows, which highlighted the tabernacle and honored the Franciscan missionaries who helped evangelize the U.S. A new parish center opened in 1975, the history states.

Later, Franciscan Father Matthew Gaskin arrived at St. Catherine’s where he inaugurated a freely elected parish council, put the parish debt in order, developed a constitution for the parish council and added to the Friars’ staff. He placed a sign at the foot of Skyline Drive and Greenwood Lake Turnpike, proclaiming “St. Catherine’s Parish: A Family of Families,” which still stands today. Under the province’s directive, the parish instituted in 1979 a pastoral team of four Friars, who worked together to lead the faith community. Under Bishop Rodimer’s insistence, the church underwent renovations that included a remodeled sanctuary, new pews, kneelers and carpeting and repairs to the roof, which were completed by Christmas 1988, according to the history.

On June 14, 1990, the Franciscan Friars turned the administration of the parish over to the Diocese, because of the “Franciscan Province’s future initiatives and its decreasing personnel pool,” Bishop Rodimer and Father Anthony Carrizzo, provincial, said in a joint statement. They also expressed “deep appreciation for the years of service which the Franciscan priests and brothers have given to the parishioners of Ringwood.” Msgr. Patrick G. Panos became the first diocesan priest to become the parish’s pastor and served there until he retired in 2012. Bishop Serratelli named Father Peter Glabik as his successor. The Bishop installed Father Szurek as pastor of St. Catherine’s this past February, after having named him administrator last year.

“The parishioners are faithful to St. Catherine’s and are searching for God. So many families here are connected with other families, which have been here for such a long time. They are proud of their parish and who they are,” Father Szurek said.