This year, St. Paul Parish in Prospect Park, N.J. reached a spiritual milestone: a record 930 people packed the church for its Spanish Easter Mass.
The Hispanic’s strong Easter Mass attendance is the result of St. Paul’s efforts to welcome more Hispanic Catholics who have found a spiritual home at the parish. In turn, this community has driven the growth and renewal of St. Paul’s with its enthusiasm and rich array of cultural devotions.
This year, St. Paul’s celebrates another milestone — its 100th anniversary — as it heads into its second century, strengthened by its recent rebirth. The Passaic County parish serves Prospect Park, North Haledon, Haledon, and Paterson.
The population of St. Paul’s has doubled within the past four years. Now, more children are enrolled in religious education and confirmation classes, and more adults are involved in parish ministries.
“The Spanish-speakers, along with Africans and Filipinos, have given new life to St. Paul’s. We’re back on the map,” said Father Henry Pinto, the parish’s pastor and a native Colombian. He also acknowledged the hard work and long legacy of the Anglo community, which built the faith community but has been in decline. “Everyone is happy now because more people are coming to the church.”
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Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney helped St. Paul’s mark its 100 years during a Mass he celebrated on July 27. He also blessed an image of St. Paul, the parish’s patron, displayed on the left side of the sanctuary. For the anniversary, the parish made improvements to the church, including the return of the tabernacle to the center of the altar. A gala followed the Mass.
“The anniversary is an opportunity to be grateful to God and all the sacrifices of those who came before us and for all the successes of St. Paul’s. The parish has had many dedicated priests, religious, and lay people,” Father Pinto said. “The anniversary is also a time to show that it’s our turn to receive the torch to be a beacon of hope and faith to our community for generations to come.”
Father Pinto has led the parish’s renewal since he arrived in 2021. He started two weekly Spanish-language Masses in response to the Hispanic community’s interest.
St. Paul’s has incorporated several of Hispanic Catholic’s devotions from the countries of origin. They include Our Lady of Guadalupe from Mexico, the Lord of Miracles (Señor de los Milagros) from Peru, Our Lady of the Angels from Costa Rica, and Our Lady of Altagracia from the Dominican Republic.
At St. Paul’s for 10 years, Silvia Orozco has attended the English and Spanish Masses. She has learned about the parish’s various Hispanic cultures through her decorating the church, including for their devotions.
“I like the multiculturalism. Everybody learns from everybody,” said Orozco, who came to the United States from Puerto Rico at two years old. She said the entire parish gathers for picnics and parties. “We all get along.”
St. Paul’s began as a mission of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Paterson. It was elevated to parish status on July 25, 1925. Father Fred J. Mitchel, the first pastor, oversaw the early growth of the parish.
The original modest chapel contained only a bare wooden floor and lacked pews. On Christmas Eve in 1926, the chapel was damaged by fire, just a year after it was built. Parishioners raised the money to make the repairs.
The further growth of St. Paul’s in the 1950s included the construction of a convent and school, which closed in 1999 and is now used for classrooms by the Prospect Park School District. The current and larger church was completed in 1967.
Anthony DeNova, 63, came to St. Paul’s in the mid-1980s. DeNova serves as head lector and head extraordinary minister of Holy Communion at St. Paul’s.
“We knew people from our neighborhood who came to St. Paul’s. It felt right — like home,” DeNova said. “Father Henry has breathed new life into the parish by welcoming Hispanic Catholics. The parish is serving a community that had been underserved. It’s exciting to be part of this family.”
