Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Bayonne, New Jersey)

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is a Roman Catholic church in Bayonne, New Jersey.[1][2] The name is a dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order, hence the name Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Founded by Polish immigrants in 1898,[3] it grew to become one the largest Polish congregation in the United States.[4] Part of the Archdiocese of Newark, the parish merged with two others to become the Parish of St. John Paul II in 2016.[5]

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
40°39′44.712″N 74°07′02.424″W
LocationBayonne, New Jersey
CountryUnited States
DenominationRoman Catholic
History
StatusChurch
Founded1898
DedicationOur Lady of Mount Carmel
Dedicated1899
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Robert J. Reiley Gustave E. Steinback
Architectural typeChurch
StyleRomanesque Revival architecture
Years built1898–1917
Specifications
Number of spires2
Administration
ParishSt. John Paul II Parish of Bayonne, NJ
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Newark

Early history

On January 25, 1898, a group of early Polish immigrants in Bayonne gathered together to form a parish originally named The Sacred Heart Polish National Catholic Church.[6][7][8] Despite the existing churches in Bayonne, such as St. Mary's and Our Lady Star of the Sea, the immigrants desired their own place for prayer in their native tongue.[9] They secured land on East 22nd Street where the Polish parishioners built the simple wooden chapel by hand (after working in the local industries).[10][11] It was used for prayer as well as for singing of hymns, all in Polish. The church was dedicated on Christmas Day of 1899 and the first Mass was held by Rev. Alexis Iwanów, who had been appointed first pastor the previous month.[12]

20th century history

By the summer of 1900, the Reverend Sigismund Świder (who was later shot at during the Bayonne refinery strikes of 1915–16 for encouraging workers to return to their jobs[13][14]) had become a new spiritual leader of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.[15] Over time, the parish grew in membership and outgrew the wooden country-like building.[16] Two years following the appointment of the first pastor, a new house of worship was constructed and blessed. In 1903, the old wooden church was converted into a school.[17] Membership within the church exceeded predictions and the need for a third church building resulted in construction of the current building in 1909.[18][19] In 1910 a second school was constructed from a part of the former church building.[20] A year later Paul Peter Rhode, the first Polish bishop in the United States, came from Chicago to bless the third building of the church.[21] Twice the church caught on fire, on December 12, 1912,[22] and on May 30, 1915,[23] The amortization of debt in 1917 preceded its consecration by John J. O'Connor (bishop of Newark) in that year.[24] Msgr. Anthony Tralka was pastor from 1929 until retirement in 1968.[25] In 1958, a complete restoration of the property took place and in following years a parking lot, parish center, and garages were added.[26] Reverend Thaddeus Zaorski served as pastor from 1968-1989.[27] In 1983, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School was brought up to safety regulation standards.[28]

21st century history
The rear of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School

The entire complex of the parish is still standing, having been little altered since construction. This includes the church (1909), school building (1921), parish center, as well as the parish office/rectory (1930).[18] The complex is the basis for the Mount Carmel Historic District established in 1991.[29]

In 2010 the church commissioned a statue of Pope John Paul II, the first Polish pope.[4]

Due to declining numbers of congregants within Bayonne, in 2016 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish merged with two other parishes (Our Lady of the Assumption[30][31] and St. Michael & St. Joseph) into the present-day St. John Paul II Parish.[32]

In 2019, the school and convent were put up for sale.[33]

See also

References
  1. "Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish - Liturgical Center". liturgicalcenter.org.
  2. Kruszka, Wacław (1998), A History of the Poles in America to 1908: Poles in the Eastern and Southern States, Catholic University of America Press, ISBN 9780813208701
  3. "Chronology of Parishes | Archdiocese of Newark". www.rcan.org.
  4. Jersey, The (April 8, 2010). "Bayonne's Mt. Carmel church erects statue of Pope John Paul II". nj.
  5. Lin, Jonathan (September 29, 2015). "Five Bayonne Catholic parishes to be consolidated into two, says Archdiocese of Newark". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. Sinclair, Gladys Mellor. Bayonne Old and New : The City of Diversified Industry. New York : Maranatha Publishers, 1940. Page 148, "The Sacred Heart Polish National Catholic Church was a wooden structure near what is now 17 East 22nd Street in 1989..."
  7. Żywicki, Robert S. "85th Anniversary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish" (PDF). Polish American Liturgical Center. Retrieved November 1, 2019. The Podbielski father and son team wrote about the early Polish immigrants in Bayonne and how they gathered together to form a parish on January 25, 1898.
  8. Ciccarino, Christopher. Seeds of Faith, Branches of Hope : the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. Strasbourg, France : Éditions Du Signe, 2003, page 114. "Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Bayonne, ... since its inauguration in 1898 ..."
  9. Żywicki, Robert S. “85th Anniversary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.” Liturgical Center, Liturgical Center, https://liturgicalcenter.org/media/parish_pdf/NEW/new-10.1.pdf. "Early Masses were celebrated in the lower church of St. Mary's, Our Lady Star of the Sea, on Avenue C and 14th Street. The Polish people, however, wanted their own house of worship and so they secured land on East 22nd Street."
  10. Sinclair, Gladys Mellor. Bayonne Old and New : The City of Diversified Industry. New York : Maranatha Publishers, 1940. Page 148, "...when it was built by a group of Polish immigrants shortly after their arrival in Bayonne. The chapel was built by the hands of parishioners after working hours in the local industries."
  11. Żywicki, Robert S. “85th Anniversary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.” Liturgical Center, Liturgical Center, https://liturgicalcenter.org/media/parish_pdf/NEW/new-10.1.pdf. "There they built a simple, wooden church in which they could pray and sing their treasured hymns in their native tongue. The first Mass was celebrated in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on Christmas Day, 1899 by the Rev. Alexis Iwanów, who was appointed our first pastor the previous month."
  12. Ciccarino, Christopher. Seeds of Faith, Branches of Hope : the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. Strasbourg, France : Éditions Du Signe, 2003.Page 114, "...since its inauguration in 1898 and dedication on Christmas 1899."
  13. George E. Pozzetta, George E. Pozzetta (1991), Americanization, Social Control, and Philanthropy, Taylor & FrancisTaylor & Francis, ISBN 9780824074142
  14. "Hellraisers Journal: 30 Company Guards Arrested by Sheriff in Bayonne; Two Martyred Strikers Buried". Daily Kos.
  15. Żywicki, Robert S. “85th Anniversary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.” Liturgical Center, Liturgical Center, https://liturgicalcenter.org/media/parish_pdf/NEW/new-10.1.pdf. , "By the summer of 1900, Mt. Carmel Church had a new spiritual leader, the Rev. Sigismund Świder. The parish grew in membership, and thus outgrew its small country-like church. A new house of worship was constructed and blessed in 1902."
  16. Ciccarino, Christopher. Seeds of Faith, Branches of Hope : the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. Strasbourg, France : Éditions Du Signe, 2003. Page 114, "Two years later, when the demand for larger quarters for the growing parish continued, Msgr. Swider built the second brick church and first rectory. "
  17. Ciccarino, Christopher. Seeds of Faith, Branches of Hope : the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. Strasbourg, France : Éditions Du Signe, 2003. Page 114, "With the completion of the second church in 1903, the original wooden struture was converted to a parish school."
  18. "Jersey City, Hudson River Waterfront Transportation Corridor Improvements, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit System (HBLRTS), Hudson County, Bergen County: Environmental Impact Statement". Federal Transit Administration. 1996. p. 3–63. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  19. Żywicki, Robert S. “85th Anniversary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.” Liturgical Center, Liturgical Center, https://liturgicalcenter.org/media/parish_pdf/NEW/new-10.1.pdf. "It was what still remains as our lower parish hall. When the number of parishioners exceeded the size of the second church building, a third was constructed beginning in 1909."
  20. Ciccarino, Christopher. Seeds of Faith, Branches of Hope : the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. Strasbourg, France : Éditions Du Signe, 2003. Page 114, "Finally in 1910, the present church was erected and the second church became the second school..."
  21. Żywicki, Robert S. “85th Anniversary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.” Liturgical Center, Liturgical Center, https://liturgicalcenter.org/media/parish_pdf/NEW/new-10.1.pdf. , " A little more than a year later, it was finished and Bishop Paul Rhode, the first Polish bishop in America, came from Chicago to bless the new building. In 1917, the mortgage having been amortized, the present church was consecrated by Bishop John J. O'Connor of Newark. The second church then became Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School, leaving the first wooden church to become the parish hall. Father Świder decided to build again and by 1921 Mt. Carmel had a new school building, which through great care, constant maintenance and major renovations is still serving our children today."
  22. Sinclair, Gladys Mellor. Bayonne Old and New : The City of Diversified Industry. New York : Maranatha Publishers, 1940. Page 148, "During the pastorate of Rev. Anthony Korona the church building was destroyed by fire—December 12,1912."
  23. Sinclair, Gladys Mellor. Bayonne Old and New : The City of Diversified Industry. New York : Maranatha Publishers, 1940. Page 148, "Misfortune again visited the church on May 30, 1915... The house of worship was destroyed by fire."
  24. Ciccarino, Christopher. Seeds of Faith, Branches of Hope : the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. Strasbourg, France : Éditions Du Signe, 2003. Page 114, "Bishiop John J. O'Connor, Bishiop of Newark, dedicated the third building October 16, 1917."
  25. "Msgr. Anthony Tralka". The New York Times. August 30, 1970.
  26. Ciccarino, Christopher. Seeds of Faith, Branches of Hope : the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. Strasbourg, France : Éditions Du Signe, 2003. Page 114, "A complete restoration took place in 1958. In subsequent years, a parking lot, a parish center, and garage were added."
  27. "Our Lady of Czestochowa Roman Catholic Church". New Jersey City University. Retrieved November 1, 2019. In August 1989, Rev. Niedzwiecki retired as pastor after twenty years of service and Rev. Eugene Kasper arrived in October to take his place. Rev. Kasper had been ordained in 1959 and since that time he had served Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Bayonne, one of the largest Polish national parishes in the country for thirty years of his priesthood.
  28. Ciccarino, Christopher. Seeds of Faith, Branches of Hope : the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. Strasbourg, France : Éditions Du Signe, 2003. Page 114, "After 1983, the school was reconstructed to accommodate safety regulations."
  29. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Hudson County". New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  30. Journal, Teri West | The Jersey (September 26, 2019). "Here's what's planned for one of Bayonne's former Catholic churches". nj. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  31. Journal, Jonathan Lin | The Jersey (January 1, 2016). "Bayonne parish celebrates last Mass before closing permanently". nj. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  32. Lin, Johnathon (September 29, 2015). "Five Bayonne Catholic Parishes to Be Consolidated into Two, Says Archdiocese of Newark". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved November 1, 2019. On Jan. 1, Our Lady of the Assumption, St. Michael & St. Joseph and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel will merge to become St. John Paul II, while St. Mary Star of the Sea and St. Andrew will merge to become Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich.
  33. "Our Lady of Mount Carmel Convent - Bayonne - UNDER CONTRACT". www.rcan.org. Retrieved November 1, 2019.

Sources
  1. {{cite web |last = Żywicki |first = Robert S. |title = 85th Anniversary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish |publisher = Polish American Liturgical Center | year = 1983 |url = https://liturgicalcenter.org/media/parish_pdf/NEW/new-10.1.pdf | ref={{|Żywicki|1983}}}}
  2. {{cite web |last = Ciccarino |first = Christopher

|title = Seeds of Faith, Branches of Hope: the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey |publisher = Éditions Du Signe|year = 2003 |place= Strasbourg, France |url = https://archive.org/details/seedsoffaithbran0000cicc?q=Seeds+of+Faith%2C+Branches+of+Hope+%3A+the+Archdiocese+of+Newark | ref={{|Ciccarino|2003}}}}

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