Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited St. Anthony Parish in Hawthorne on Dec. 1 to lead the community in celebrating the 90th anniversary of the opening of the current church. It was dedicated by Bishop Thomas J. Walsh of Newark on Thanksgiving morning in 1934.
The bishop was the main celebrant of 10 a.m. Mass, which also marked the conclusion of an extensive restoration to the church — an ongoing project for the past several years.
During his visit, Bishop Sweeney blessed the church walls and a new plaque near the piano honoring parishioners whose made significant bequests over the past decade. Those benefactors enabled St. Anthony’s to complete a major church renovation.
Concelebrating with Bishop Sweeney were Msgr. Raymond Kupke, St. Anthony’s pastor and the archivist for the Paterson Diocese; Frank Lennie, the parish’s parochial vicar; Father Charles Lana Jr., parochial vicar of Holy Family Parish in Florham Park and assistant diocesan vocations director; Father Daniel Murphy, a retired diocesan priest who has been a weekend assistant; and Father Frank Agresti who lives at St. Anthony’s and offers pastoral assistance.
Mayor John Lane of Hawthorne presented a proclamation on behalf of the borough.
Ninety years ago, the Hawthorne Police Department under Chief Ryan VanderValk provided an escort to St. Anthony’s for Bishop Walsh. On Dec. 1, Chief James Knepper and the current police department re-enacted that welcome this morning for Bishop Sweeney.
In 2019, a professional survey of the condition of the church was conducted. COVID stalled the project, but by 2021, with guidance from the Diocesan Business & Facilities Department, bids were obtained. Arthur Vincent Company was hired to restore the 85-year-old structure.
The project’s original scope focused on the church transepts and northwest tower. Structural issues were encountered, and steel support systems were designed to stabilize the various church gables, which were then capped with lead-coated copper.
Thanks to some generous bequests, the original scope was expanded to include the main nave, façade, and bell tower. The project included re-pointing all cracked mortar joints, repairing deteriorating stonework and rotted window frames, and replacing copper gutters, leaders, crickets, and flashing.
The project also included removing all existing roofing and rotted wooden laths, installing an ice and water shield, and reinstalling suitable existing and new tiles where needed. Various decorative stone column capitals and trims were restored, and restoration stucco was applied to enhance the main entrance portico.
St. Anthony’s current church is its second house of worship. Father William Thompson became the pastor in 1925 and witnessed growth in its Catholic population. He spearheaded the building of the present-day church during the Depression. He celebrated the first Mass in the church on Sept. 25, 1932.
— Michael Wojcik
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
