Accomplishments of past bishops

HAWTHORNE  When Bishop-elect Kevin Sweeney is ordained and installed as the eighth Bishop of Paterson on July 1 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, the Brooklyn native will be standing on the shoulders of a distinguished line of previous bishops of who have left their marks on the Diocese. One of them was Bishop James Navagh, the fourth Bishop of Paterson, known as a “builder of many buildings and teacher of young priests” who had a “missionary heart” and a profound influence on the future sixth Bishop of Paterson, Frank Rodimer.

Msgr. Raymond Kupke, diocesan archivist, noted these accomplishments of Bishop Navagh, who served for 29 months from 1963 to his death in 1965, in his profile of him as part of an ongoing online video series on the seven previous diocesan bishops before Bishop-elect Sweeney. Titled “Bishops of Paterson,” the series presenter, also pastor of St. Anthony Parish here, is giving 45-minute live­streamed talks at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays that examine each bishop’s personality, pastoral approach and successes in moving the Diocese forward — all in the context of his unique moment in the history of the Church.

Msgr. Kupke’s talks can be viewed on the parish’s YouTube channel, “St Anthony Church Hawthorne NJ,” or the parish’s website, https://stanthony-hawthorne.org. The YouTube channel has archives of past episodes, such as one on May 20 about Bishop Navagh, whose accomplishments included the founding of six parishes and the building of a high school seminary, two high schools and additions to four existing high schools, Msgr. Kupke told the viewers.

“Bishop Navagh’s time with us was brief but it was no interlude. He left an indelible mark on the Diocese and in coming to us, he gave the Diocese its own stamp and own identity,” said Msgr. Kupke. He noted that the bishop created a more diverse clergy in the Diocese by having seminarians educated in various seminaries and trained young priests such as Bishop Rodimer, who served him as diocesan vicar general and chancellor. “On his dresser the day he died [Dec. 6, 2018], Bishop Rodimer had pictures of his parents and Bishop Navagh,” he said.

From the ambo of St. Anthony Church, Msgr. Kupke tells the stories of these dynamic and often colorful bishops of Paterson through the lens of his own research, including his book about the history of the Diocese, “Living Stones.” The priest also serves as adjunct professor of Church history at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange and writes periodic columns on Catholic and diocesan history for The Beacon.

“Because of the announcement of a new bishop [Father Kevin Sweeney by Pope Francis on April 15] and because we have in this COVID-19 isolation, I thought I would take the opportunity to present a series on the past bishops of Paterson — the men who led up to Bishop-elect Sweeney,” Msgr. Kupke said. In his first episode, the diocesan archivist, who earned a doctorate in Church history from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., answered the questions “What is a bishop?” and “What is a diocese?”

So far, Msgr. Kupke has profiled the first five bishops of the Diocese since Pope Pius XI established it on Dec. 9, 1937. They were Bishop Thomas McLaughlin (1937–1947), Bishop Thomas Boland (1947–1952), Bishop James McNulty (1953–1963), Bishop Navagh and Bishop Lawrence Casey (1966–1977).

Next, Msgr. Kupke will focus on Bishop Rodimer (1977–2004) and Bishop Serratelli, who served as seventh bishop from 2004 until April 15 this year. On that date, Pope Francis named Father Kevin Sweeney as Bishop-elect of Paterson and accepted Bishop Serratelli’s resignation from the pastoral governance of the Diocese, while naming him apostolic administrator of the Diocese until Bishop-elect Sweeney is ordained and installed as the eighth bishop on July 1.

In the May 20 episode, Msgr. Kupke noted that Bishop Navagh made his mark as a young priest on his native Buffalo Diocese. He trained new priests “to become missionaries who go out and spread the Gospel” and served as director of the diocese’s missionary apostolate, with an outreach to the southern — and least Catholic — region of the diocese, Msgr. Kupke said.

Afterward, Bishop Navagh served as an auxiliary bishop in Raleigh, N.C., and later as bishop of Ogdensburg, N.Y., where in six years, he built 20 churches, 22 schools, six convents, a Newman college center and three homes for the aged, Msgr. Kupke said.

On Feb. 12, 1963, Bishop Navagh was named the fourth Bishop of Paterson. Much of his time as shepherd of the Diocese was spent in Rome at Vatican II. He also started to introduce the council’s reforms into the Diocese. However, he died in Rome on Oct. 2, 1965, Msgr. Kupke said.

In the first episode, Msgr. Kupke took note of a bishop’s “mind-boggling” set of responsibilities in governing. Being named a bishop “is a matter of being the right guy in the right place at the right time.” It is thought that in selecting a new bishop, Rome tries to “address what needs it saw pressing in the past administration,” he said.

Looking ahead to the ordination and installation of Bishop Sweeney as shepherd of Paterson on July 1, Msgr. Kupke told viewers, “No man is perfect. No man can provide for all the needs of a diocese, so our job in the interim is to pray that to the best of his ability, he will teach, sanctify and govern our Diocese to the glory of God and the salvation of our souls.”

One of the series’ viewers, Bill Martin, a longtime St. Anthony’s parishioner, has been watching “Bishops of Paterson” with his wife, Tina.

“Father Ray has been highlighting the bishops’ personalities and their successes in helping the Diocese grow,” Martin said. “Father Ray has a way of making the facts interesting and showing how they relate then — and today,” he said.