# Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson

The Diocese of Paterson (Latin: Dioecesis Patersonensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northern New Jersey. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Newark.
The patrons of the diocese are Saint Patrick and John the Baptist. Its proper feasts are the Feast of St. Patrick (March 17), the Nativity of John the Baptist (June 24) and the anniversary of the dedication of the cathedral church (June 30).
As of 2025, the current bishop of Paterson is Kevin J. Sweeney.

## Statistics

As of 2023, the Diocese of Paterson had the following staff:
* 219 active diocesan priests
* 77 religious priests
* 196 permanent deacons
* 106 male religious
* 522 female religious
The diocese in 2023 contained approximately 440,000 Catholics out of a total population of 1,800,000,

## History
### 1700 to 1800

Although the British Provinces of East New Jersey and West New Jersey were not officially welcoming to Catholics, they tended to ignore their presence. During the mid 1700s, priests would periodically visit German Catholic workers at the iron mills in Passaic County. The first parish in New Jersey, Saint Joseph’s, was established in West Milford in 1765.
The assistance of Catholic French troops during the American Revolution helped to abate anti-Catholic sentiment in all of the 13 original colonies. In 1784, Pope Pius VI erected the Apostolic Prefecture of United States of America, including all of the new United States. In 1789, the same pope raised this prefecture to the Diocese of Baltimore.

### 1800 to 1900

As the population of the United States grew, the Vatican in 1808 established the Dioceses of Philadelphia and New York. In 1820, Bishop John Connolly of New York sent Reverend Richard Bulger to Paterson to serve as first resident priest in New Jersey. In 1821, Bulger established St. John the Baptist Church, the first church of any denomination in Paterson. Waves of Irish and German Catholic immigrants flooded into the area during the mid-1800s.
In 1853, the Vatican erected the Diocese of Newark from the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Philadelphia. The Paterson area would remain part of the Diocese of Newark for the next 84 years. In 1867, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth founded St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson.
Sacred Heart Church, the first Catholic church in Clifton, was dedicated in 1897. That same year, St. Mary's Hospital opened in Passaic. The College of Saint Elizabeth in Morris Township was founded in 1899 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth. It was one of the first Catholic colleges in the United States to award degrees to women. It is today Saint Elizabeth University.

### 1900 to 2000

The Diocese of Paterson was established by Pope Pius XI on December 9, 1937, taking its territory from Diocese of Newark. The pope named Auxiliary Bishop Thomas H. McLaughlin of Newark as the first bishop of Paterson. St. John the Baptist in Paterson was designated as the diocesan cathedral. In 1938, Bishop McLaughlin established Associated Catholic Charities in the diocese.
Following the death of McLaughlin in 1947, Pope Pius XII that same year appointed Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Boland of Newark as the second bishop of Paterson. He served in Paterson for five years before being appointed archbishop of Newark in 1952.
Boland was succeeded by Auxiliary Bishop James A. McNulty of Newark, named by Pius XII in 1953. During his tenure, he established thirteen new parishes. In 1963, McNulty became bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo. To succeed McNulty, that same year Pope John XXIII appointed Bishop James Navagh from the Diocese of Ogdensburg as the fourth bishop of the diocese of Paterson. He died suddenly in 1965.
Pope Paul VI in 1966 appointed Auxiliary Bishop Lawrence B. Casey from the Diocese of Rochester as Navagh's replacement in Paterson. Casey died in 1977. Frank Rodimer of Paterson was named by Paul VI as the next bishop of Paterson, the first native of the diocese to serve that role.
As bishop, Rodimer wrote a weekly column for the diocesan newspaper, The Beacon. He also established a $7 million diocesan endowment to support Catholic schools, parishes and other diocesan ministries through fund raising. With corporate leaders, Rodimer established the Tri-County Scholarship fund to provide scholarships to needy students attending Catholic schools. During his tenure, Rodimer expressed his opposition to capital punishment and to permanent replacements for striking workers.

### 2000 to present

After Rodimer retired in 2004, Pope John Paul II appointed Auxiliary Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli of Newark as his successor. After Serratelli retired in 2020, Pope Francis named Kevin J. Sweeney of the Diocese of Brooklyn as the next bishop of Paterson.
As of 2023, Sweeney is the bishop of Paterson.
In August 2024, the diocese, along with its Columbian and Filipino priests filed an immigration case with the D.N.J. against the US Department of State, the US Department Homeland Security, and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The action stemmed from policy changes in EB-4 worker visa procedures for foreign-born clergy.

### Sexual abuse

In 1985, Mark Serrano reported to the Diocese of Paterson that he was sexually abused as a child by Reverend James Hanley, a pastor of St. Joseph's Parish. The abuse started when Serrano was age nine in 1974 and continued until he was 16. It included sodomy, oral sex and forced maturbation. The diocese removed Hanley from ministry in 1986 and paid a $241,000 financial settlement to Serrano and his family. Hanley was laicized by the Vatican at his own request in 2003.
Timothy J. Brennan pleaded guilty to 1987 to aggravated sexual contact in 1984 with a 15-year-old student while teaching at Delbarton High School in Morris County. Receiving a one-year suspended sentence, his religious order, St. Mary’s Abbey, sent him to treatment. Brennan then went to work in the Diocese of Rochester, which was not alerted to his conviction. In 2002, St. Mary’s Abbey permanently removed Brennan from ministry.
The Diocese of Paterson in May 1987 received allegations of sexual abuse against Reverend Jose Alonso, rector of St. Joseph Cathedral. He was accused of abusing two teenage brothers. The diocese sent Alonso to the Servants of the Paraclete facility in New Mexico for treatment and immediately notified local authorities. Earlier in the 1980s, the diocese had received complaints about Alonso. After receiving reports supporting Alonso from two priests who worked with him, Bishop Rodimer had dismissed the accusations. Later in 1987, Alonso was charged with sexual abuse of the two brothers. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.
In 2004, the diocese settled lawsuits from 27 victims of sexual abuse by Hanley, Alonso and several other clerics. In February 2019, the diocese released the names of 28 clergy with credible accusations of sexually abusing children since 1940. In December 2019, more accusers of Hanley filed new lawsuits against the diocese. By 2020, the names of 40 accused clergy listed were made public.
On February 9, 2020, it was reported that all five Catholic dioceses across the state of New Jersey, including the Diocese of Paterson, had paid over $11 million to compensate 105 claims of sex abuse committed by Catholic clergy. Of these 105 claims, 98 were compensated through financial settlements.
On August 10, 2020, former Bishop of Paterson Frank Rodimer's decision to approve of the Vatican naming Bishop Arthur Serratelli as his successor came under criticism, due to revelations that he had learned about sex abuse allegations facing Serratelli's former Newark superior, Archbishop Theodore McCarrick. It was also revealed that a Diocese of Paterson official had informed Rodimer at the time of allegations that McCarrick had sexually abused boys at his beach house and that Rodimer then claimed to the official that he would contact the Vatican's U.S. representatives.

## Bishops
### Bishops of Paterson

* Thomas Henry McLaughlin (1937–1947)
* Thomas Aloysius Boland (1947–1952), appointed Archbishop of Newark
* James A. McNulty (1953–1963), appointed Bishop of Buffalo
* James Johnston Navagh (1963–1965)
* Lawrence B. Casey (1966–1977)
* Frank Joseph Rodimer (1978–2004)
* Arthur J. Serratelli (2004–2020)
* Kevin J. Sweeney (2020–present)

## Leadership

* Bishop: Kevin J. Sweeney
* Vicar general and moderator of the curia:
** T. Mark Condon
** Michael Parisi
* Judicial vicars:
** Marc A. Mancini, judicial vicar
** Joseph Anginoli, adjutant judicial vicar
* Episcopal vicars:
** Stanley Barron, vicar for education
** Hernan Arias, vicar for pastoral administration
** Paul Manning, vicar for evangelization
* Chancellor and delegate for religious: Joan Healy
* Vice chancellor and priest-secretary to the bishop: Stephen Prisk
* Vice chancellor for urban ministry and planning: Catherine McDonnell

## Deaneries and parishes

The 109 parishes of the Diocese of Paterson are split into twelve deaneries spanning the three counties.
Our Lady of Fatima Traditional Latin Mass Chapel, located in Pequannock, is not considered a parish of the Diocese of Paterson. Instead, it is a chapel of ease administered by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.
| Paterson deanery (all parishes in Paterson) | | | |
| Blessed Sacrament | Our Lady of Lourdes | Our Lady of Pompeii | Our Lady of Victories |
| Saint Agnes | Saint Anthony of Padua | Saint Bonaventure | Saint Gerard Majella |
| Saint John the Baptist Cathedral | Saint Joseph | Saint Mary Help of Christians | Saint Michael the Archangel |
| Saint Stephen | Saint Therese. | | |
| City of Passaic deanery (all parishes in City of Passaic) | | | |
| Holy Rosary | Holy Trinity | Our Lady of Fatima | Our Lady of Carmel |
| Saint Anthony of Padua | Saint Joseph | Saint Mary's Assumption | Saint Nicholas |
| Saint Stephen | | | |
| Clifton deanery (all parishes in Clifton) | | | |
| Saint Andrew the Apostle | Saints Cyril and Methodius | Sacred Heart | Saint Brendan-Saint George |
| Saint John Kanty | Saint Paul | Saint Clare | Saint Philip the Apostle |
| Mid-Passaic County deanery | | | |
| Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin (Wayne) | Our Lady of Consolation (Wayne) | Saint Anthony (Hawthorne) | Holy Cross (Wayne) |
| Our Lady of the Holy Angels (Little Falls) | Saint James of the Marches (Totowa) | Immaculate Heart of Mary (Little Falls) | Our Lady of the Valley (Wayne) |
| Saint Paul (Prospect Park) | | | |
| Northern Passaic County deanery | | | |
| Our Lady Queen of Peace (Hewitt) | Saint Catherine of Bologna (Ringwood) | Saint Joseph (West Milford) | Saint Anthony (Butler) |
| Saint Francis of Assisi (Haskell) | Saint Mary (Pompton Lakes) | | |
| Eastern Morris County deanery | | | |
| Notre Dame of Mt. Carmel (Cedar Knolls) | Saint Catherine of Siena (Mountain Lakes) | Saint Rose of Lima (East Hanover) | Our Lady of Mercy (Whippany) |
| Saint Christopher (Parsippany) | Saint Ann (Parsippany) | Saint Peter the Apostle (Parsippany) | Saint Virgil (Morris Plains) |
| Northeastern Morris County deanery | | | |
| Holy Spirit (Peguannock) | Our Lady of the Magnificat (Kinnelon) | Saints Cyril and Methodius (Boonton) | Our Lady of Good Counsel (Pompton Plains) |
| Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Boonton) | Saint Joseph (Lincoln Park) | Saint Pius (Montville) | |
| Northern Morris County deanery | | | |
| Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (Dover) | Saint Cecelia (Rockaway) | Saint Mary (Wharton/Dover) | Sacred Heart (Dover) |
| Saint Clement Pope and Martyr (Rockaway Township) | Saint Simon the Apostle (Green Pond) | Saint Bernard (Wharton) | Saint Mary (Denville) |
| Southeastern Morris County deanery | | | |
| Christ the King (New Vernon) | Saint Patrick (Chatham) | Saint Vincent de Paul (Stirling) | Corpus Christi (Chatham Township) |
| Saint Thomas More (Convent Station) | Holy Family (Florham Park) | Saint Vincent Martyr (Madison) | |
| Southwestern Morris County deanery | | | |
| Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Morristown) | Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (Flanders) | Saint Margaret of Scotland (Morristown) | Our Lady of the Mountain (Schooleys Mountain) |
| Saint Joseph (Mendham) | Saint Lawrence the Martyr (Chester) | Saint Mark the Evangelist (Long Valley) | Saint Luke (Long Valley) |
| Resurrection (Randolph) | Saint Matthew the Apostle (Randolph) | | |
| Western Morris County deanery | | | |
| Our Lady of the Lake (Mount Arlington) | Saint Jude (Budd Lake) | Saint Thomas the Apostle (Oak Ridge) | Saint Jude (Hopatcong) |
| Our Lady Star of the Sea (Lake Hopatcong/Jefferson Township) | Saint Michael (Netcong) | Saint Therese (Succasunna) | |
| Sussex County deanery | | | |
| Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (Sparta) | Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Swartswood/Newton) | Saint John Vianney (Stockholm) | Good Shepherd (Andover) |
| Immaculate Conception (Franklin) | Our Lady Queen of Peace (Branchville) | Saint Joseph (Newton) | Saint Jude the Apostle (Hamburg) |
| Our Lady of Fatima (Highland Lakes) | Saint Monica (Sussex) | Our Lady of the Lake (Sparta) | Saint Francis de Sales (McAfee) |
| Saint Thomas of Aquin (Ogdensburg) | Saint James the Greater (Montague) | Saint Thomas the Apostle (Sandyston) | |

### Higher education

* Assumption College for Sisters – Mendham (operated by the Sisters of Christian Charity)
* Saint Elizabeth University – Convent Station (operated by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth)

### Diocesan high schools

* DePaul Catholic High School – Wayne
* Morris Catholic High School – Denville
* Pope John XXIII Regional High School – Sparta

### Other Catholic high schools

* Academy of Saint Elizabeth – Convent Station (operated by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth)
* Delbarton School – Morristown (operated by the Benedictine monks of Saint Mary's Abbey)
* Mary Help of Christians Academy – North Haledon (operated by the Salesian Sisters)
* Villa Walsh Academy – Morristown (operated by the Religious Teachers Filippini)

### Former diocesan high schools

* Neumann Preparatory School – Wayne (closed 1990)
* Paterson Catholic High School – Paterson (closed 2010)
* Paul VI Regional High School – Clifton (closed 1990)
* Pope Pius XII High School – Passaic (closed 1983)

## Catholic hospitals

Saint Clare's Health System, part of Catholic Health Initiatives:
* St. Clare's Hospital – Boonton (formerly Riverside Hospital)
* St. Clare's Hospital – Denville
* St. Clare's Hospital – Dover (formerly Dover General Hospital)
* St. Clare's Hospital – Sussex (formerly Wallkill Valley Hospital)
St. Joseph's Healthcare System, operated by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth:
* St. Joseph's Children's Hospital – Paterson
* St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center – Paterson
* St. Joseph's Wayne Hospital – Wayne (formerly Wayne General Hospital)
* St. Mary's Hospital – Passaic

## Geography

The Diocese of Paterson is bordered by four other dioceses:
* Archdiocese of Newark (east)
* Diocese of Metuchen (south)
* Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania (west)
* Archdiocese of New York (north)
vtePlaces adjacent to Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson :
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton
Diocese of Paterson
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen :