The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-05-20
REV. D. MARzETTI'
Sketch Of the Founder Of
st. Francis Church, Ho-
boken, and His
AN ITALIAN CONGREGATION
Parochial School Plans Now
Under Consideration
Among the Churches.

When the Rev. Dominick Marzetti, DID,,
was pastor of st. Joseph's Roman Catho-
lie Church of Hoboken in 1889, three differ
ent ~nationalities comprised his parishion-
ers. The large portion was made up of
the Irish-American element and the re-
mainder was about equally divided be-
tween Germans and Italians. The SER
vices on Sunday were then conducted in
three languages, each nationality having
a mass for itself. Father Marzetti, who
is an Italian by birth, belong to the
Franciscan Order. His work at ST. Jo-
seph's was difficult, but the mixed congre-
cation p~rospered under his pastorate,
three years he had reduced the parish
debt OF $14, goo to an even half.
Father Marzetti always evinced a keen
interest in the spiritual welfare of his
c~ountrymen in Hoboken, and seeing an
opportunity to do much good by having
them establish a church of their own APP
piled TO Bishop Wigger for permission to
relinquish his charge at ST. Joseph's.
The request was granted and after much
labor he succeeded in purchasing a site
Of 109x10o feet for the proposed new
Church. The property cost $500 and that
amount was raised by a house to house
subscription in. the Italian colony.
On the thirteenth day of June, 1899. the
first pile for the edifice was driven and the
work progressed rapidly. The twelfth day
of the subsequent August witnessed the
laying of the corner stone by Bishop
TTinnar ord IN Nov 1QQ0 fho abt1roh nv &
ready for occupancy. 1t was dedicated on
the t~wenty-sixth of the same month by
the Right Rev. Conroy, formerly Bishop
of Albany, that day being the anniversary
of the patriarchal church of st. Francis,
at Assist, Italy. Til new edidce was
named after the old one and in the follow
ing yea an old two-story frame house
was purchased and set on a brick founda-
ton on the west sid of the church. facing
Third street, to serve as a rectory.
The total outlay for the property. build
ing, fixtures and furniture aggregated
over $4,000. OF this sum-, about $4,000 re-
mains as yet unpaid.
The parishioners of st. Francis do not
number much over 800 and when it is
taken into consideration that the majority
of them are hard working Italians the
growth of the parish is little short of re
markable.
Father Marzetti is now having plans
drawn for the erection of a parochial
school,. The property for the building
has already been purchased and paid for.
1t adjoins the church on Jefferson street
n consists of a full sized city lot, 25x10O
feet. The pastor intends to hav both
r---1.-L - I; +o,,~l,+ Il. li~ Cobaa1
He was himself a school teacher before
he came to America, n has liberal
n advanced ideas on the subject of
education. While in charge of st. Jo-
seph's parish, the parochial school there
became famous in Hoboken. Its pupils
competed favorably with those of the
public schools, and when graduated were
able to enter the City High School di-
rect.
Father Marzetti comes from an old
Italian family. He was born in 1912 and
received a classical education, enabling
him to be received into the Franciscan
Order of Minor C~onventuals, which at
that time was among the most famous
religious orders in his native country.
The order was afterwards disbanded
through the turmoil which disturbed the
Papal States and the young man con-
tinued his studies at Rome. He was
raised to the priesthood in Anagni, the
episcopal seat of the Pecci family, which
has given to the church the venerable
Leo XIII. This was in 1865.
Father Marzetti was sent to teach the
Bows school in the town of Nettuna and
subsequently the College of ST. Nicholas,
iPiperno. from where he was called to
Rome for University studies in the Col
lege of B~onaventure There he graduated
in June, 1871. He was then sent OF the
United States to assist in organizing the
italian congregation in st. Louis, Md.
Afterwards he spent a year in Syracuse,
N. Y. and five years in Trenton. At the
latter place hes assisted he Rev. DR..
Jechetti in founding the Franciscan Col
lege and church at Chambersburg. now a
part of the City of Trenton. Later he
spent two years in Terra Haute, Ind, as
pastor of St. Joseph's Church, and then
went to Hoboken.
Father Marzetti is a universal favorite
in Hoboken, where he is widely known,
both in Protestant and Catholic circles.
He is a man of magnetic personality and
makes friends everywhere he goes.