A ceremony to dedicate a new bell tower in Fitzpatrick Park in Bayonne has been postponed, due to the need for electrical testing of the tower.
The ceremony, which had been scheduled for October 11, will be rescheduled as soon as circumstances permit. A revised dedication date will be announced, according to Mayor James Davis.
The City Council voted unanimously in January of this year to award the contract for the construction of the bell tower to Picerno-Giordano Construction of Kenilworth for $250,275, the same contractor that conducted the renovations of Fitzpatrick Park. In March, the bells were shipped off to Cincinnati, Ohio to be revitalized.
The 35 foot tower will be the new home for three bells that used to ring at the former St. Joseph’s Church. The bell tower arrived on or around October 5 from the Verdin Bell Company in Ohio where the bells were polished, refurbished, and retoned.
A fourth bell from the former church will be placed inside City Hall at a later date. Details concerning the fourth bell will be announced after arrangements have been made.
“I am very proud that our Administration saved the bells of St. Joseph’s Church for future generations of residents to enjoy,” Davis said. “They will serve as a memorial to the Slovak immigrants of St. Joseph’s Parish who helped build Bayonne in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.”
Bell and clock tower en route from Ohio
The bell tower arrived in Bayonne on a truck. The tower will be lifted and put in place in Fitzpatrick Park at the corner of 27th Street and Avenue C.
A clock with four faces, one on each side, will be a prominent feature of the tower. The bells will be mounted inside the tower. They will be active bells, capable of making sounds along with music or tolling for the hour. The bells can be programmed to ring at specific times.
As Public Works Director Tom Cotter explained, “We will have a clock tower with all the bells and whistles.”
After the tower is in its new home, it will be hooked up to the electric line in the park. According to Cotter, the electricity will be tested to make sure that the clock and the bells work.
“Hopefully, within a few days after its installation, the bell tower will be ready to use,” Cotter said.
The bell tower includes a weather vane on its top. This kind of bell tower is placed frequently in town squares and shopping districts across the country.
The bell tower’s location, Fitzpatrick Park, is named after former Mayor Francis G. Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick served as Bayonne’s leader from 1962 to 1974.
Architectural plans for the bell tower in Fitzpatrick Park.
The history of the decades-old bells
The tower will use bells that were saved from the former St. Joseph’s Syriac Catholic Cathedral at the corner of Avenue E and 25th Street prior to the church’s demolition. The church was built by Slovak immigrants in 1909 and served the local community throughout the late 19th, the 20th, and the early 21st centuries.
While the façade of the church could have been preserved through designation by the Bayonne Historical Preservation Committee, the Archdiocese of Newark declined to do so. This paved way for developers to level the area and start from scratch, demolishing the approximately 112-year-old church to construct to two six-story residential redevelopments on the site.
The bells are all different ages from around the years 1897 and 1919. One of the bells is a former fire bell, and the other two were made for the church. Each has a different and distinct tone.
The tower was slated to be built near or as part of the new under-construction 25th Street pedestrian bridge before space limitations prevented that. Now the bell and clock tower will be constructed in the newly renovated Fitzpatrick Park, which underwent a facelift as well as storm water management upgrades.
The final portion of the park was finished on Christmas Eve in 2021, with the unveiling of a police-themed playground. When it is erected, the clock and bell tower will serve as the finishing touch to Fitzpatrick Park.
For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at disrael@hudsonreporter.com.
An L-shaped, six-story, 138-unit apartment building dubbed “19 East” is due to break ground soon, and construction equipment has been clearing the way all week long. Crews were on 19th Street last week demolishing the vacant Housing Authority building to make way for the new development. The building is an unusual shape. It will be perpendicular, with one part starting on 19 East 19th Street and extending into the center of the block and then back out to Broadway.
Ingerman Construction is the developer. The building should appeal to the young market, which puts a premium on walkability and public transportation to Manhattan. The new building will be in walking distance of the 22nd Street Light Rail and Broadway commerce. According to Ingerman, plans include 212 parking spaces on the bottom two floors, 24 studio apartments, 74 one-bedroom apartments, and 40 two-bedroom apartments. 19 East is expected to be completed in late 2017 or early 2018.
Man who allegedly strangled mother on New Years’ Eve charged with murder
Michael Metro, 49, has been charged for the murder of his mother, Kathleen Metro, 69, on New Years’ Eve, according to a statement from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was by asphyxiation.
The mother and son lived together in an apartment at Pamrapo Gardens on 50th Street and Avenue E in Bayonne. Michael Metro was charged with one count of murder in the first degree, according to the Prosecutor’s office.
On December 31, 2016, at about 10:50 p.m., police were dispatched to the apartment complex on a 911 call of a man injured in the courtyard behind the building. Michael Metro was found injured below an open third-story apartment window from which he may have jumped.
Police then found Kathleen Metro with visible trauma to her upper torso. She was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the statement.
Michael Metro is hospitalized at the Jersey City Medical Center being treated for “several injuries,” according to the statement. He is under supervision at the hospital and is being held without bail, according to officials.
Kathleen Metro’s death marks the 26th homicide in Hudson County in 2016, and the tenth allegedly stemming from domestic violence.
Rumors of St. Michael’s Church closing dispelled
Rumors have been swirling about the potential January closing of St. Michael’s Church on 23rd Street due to the building’s sale. But church services are going nowhere, and the building has not even been sold, according to Steve Belloise, Executive Director of Property Management at the Archdioceses of Newark.
Mass will continue every Saturday at 4:30 p.m., and on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. for Italian Mass. Weekday morning Mass will continue to be held Monday through Saturday at 8 a.m.
Special meeting to address six-story apartment building on Avenue F
The Bayonne Planning Board will hold a special meeting and public hearing on Wednesday, January 4 at 6 p.m. for the public to voice concerns about the large apartment building scheduled for completion in 2019 on Avenue F between 23rd and 24th Streets near the 22nd Street Light Rail Station. The developer, Parkview Realty, is seeking preliminary and final major site plan approval to construct the mixed-use building after the city council approved the project in July.
The building will consist of 180 units, composed of 10 studios, 85 one-bedrooms, 63 two-bedrooms, 17 two-bedroom lofts, and five three-bedroom lofts, along with 3,000 square feet of commercial space and 189 parking spaces. Total construction cost is estimated to be between $40 and $50 million. These units will be marketed as luxury apartments.
Entertainment veteran John Lant is excited to announce the re-opening of the Park Art Gallery and a sneak preview of the refurbishment project at the historic Park Theatre in Union City.
There will be live musical performances at the open house with tours of the theatre, refreshments and food by local vendors, along with the grand opening of the 2nd floor art gallery, the weekend of March 6-8. 2020.
The Park Theatre (also known as the Park Performing Arts Center) is located at 560 32nd St in Union City, New Jersey 07087.
The open house times are:
Friday, March 6, 2020 @ 6 PM – 10 PM
Saturday, March 7, 2020 @ 12 PM – 4 PM
Sunday March 8, 2020 @ 12 PM – 4 PM
The Park Theatre, a 1300+ seat house owned by the Archdiocese of Newark, was built in 1931 and had been an active performing arts venue, made famous by The Passion Play. In recent years it had fallen into disuse and in need of restoration. Under the guidance and artistic management of John Lant, and with the help of many volunteers, the Park Theatre is currently under a much needed refurbishment action plan, inside and out, and is again working to become an active arts center. With current Off-Broadway musicals for local schools and the community already planned throughout the Spring of 2020, it will once again become an arts beacon for the community.
“It is an exciting time at the Park Theatre, with the Performing Arts Center spaces, and the number of great new opportunities happening at the historic venue with our current operation and refurbishment of the property,” states Lant.
“Keeping within a mission of providing artistic and educational outreach for our diverse cultural communities that we continue to serve, our across the board offerings of theatre, film, dance, visual arts and family entertainment activities will not only enhance our patronage but the local business region as well.
From International theatrical touring groups, live music acts, educational offerings for schools, film festivals, dance programming, music recitals, to the curated national artists’ gallery, we will have many opportunities for you to “Come Play at The Park” over and over again.
As we move forward, we are in negotiations with several local theatre / music artist to begin in-house programming for adults and children, with our successful track record of producing musical theatre camps and youth and adult group musical ensembles, it is sure to be a hit.
In addition, we have a dedicated lounge space for special events, live webcasts, small screenings, podcasts, Q & A’s, meetings, and a place to hang out while visiting the Park Art Gallery.
We look forward to bringing great entertainment and having you cross a new threshold to the arts, here at the Park Theatre. Please join us for a special Opening Night Preview of things to come with an Art Exhibit Opening, walking tours in English and Spanish, live music and some delicious refreshments and food from local restaurants.”
The opening of the art gallery is an exhibit showing the work of the artist Cara London, a New Jersey artist known for her painterly representational work. (ParkTheatreNJ.org/gallery Use gallery@parktheatrenj.org for inquiries about the art exhibition.)
In addition to Lant and London, those already involved in the refurbishment project include Film/TV Producers John Harrison and James Dalton (Twisted Media NYC), International Film Host and Producer Maarten Cornelis, Off-Broadway Producer and Creator Eric Sirota, Music Producer Nathan Murphy (Nathan Murphy Productions), Costume Designer Jennifer Anderson, Local Artist of the Year and Broadway Performer / Playwright C.B. Murray (Dreamgirls, Pearl (Bailey) – the Musical).
If you are interested in booking the Park Theatre for a rental, performance, events, or want to join our ever growing volunteer force, all are welcome. Please contact John Lant at info@parktheatrenj.org for more information or to set-up an interview.
WHAT:
Open house, with art gallery opening and sneak preview of current refurbishment plan of the Park Theatre in Union City, New Jersey hosted by Executive and Artistic Director John Lant.
WHERE AND WHEN:
The Park Theatre, 560 32nd St., Union City, New Jersey
Fri. March 6 (6 PM -10 PM)
Sat. March 7 (12 PM – 4 PM)
Sun. March 8 (12 PM – 4 PM)
Website: ParkTheatreNJ.org
Contact: info@ParkTheatreNJ.org
phone 201-430-5067
On October 23, Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding. The church on 28th Street and Kennedy Boulevard, has been a mainstay in the city of Bayonne and a pillar in the community for 100 years.
A group of Carpatho-Russian immigrants from Hungary in Bayonne organized in 1918, getting approval from Archbishop Alexander Nemolovsky, of the Russian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America and the Aleutian Islands to found Saints Peter and Paul’s parish.
These immigrants formed the Carpatho-Russian American Citizens Club in 1919. Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church was later incorporated by the State of New Jersey on December 22, 1922.
Soon after, a house was purchased on West 27th Street and two lots West 28th Street in Bayonne. According to rector Very Reverend Wilfred Sophrony Royer, construction on the original church began in January of 1923 and finished by September of 1924.
Construction of a new building begin in 1936, where the old church stood. The church was completed in stages and finished in May of 1938, and it still stands in the same location today.
A history of Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church
As Bayonne’s only structure of Russo-Byzantine architecture, the church became a local landmark. In the years that followed, improvements such as new bells, a chandelier, iconography on the walls, and stained glass windows were added to the church.
Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church as it stands today was constructed in 1938. Photo courtesy of the church.
Two homes on the corner of 28th Street and Kennedy Boulevard were purchased in November of 1955 and demolished in 1957, making way for the church parking lot. The house adjacent to the church was bought in 1964, which was later demolished, and a new rectory was built in 1980. Other improvements to the church included: wall icons painted for the church, new sidewalks, a new fence, new pews, air conditioning, wooden floors, red carpeting, gold-leafing of the cupolas, and other refurbishment of the church interior and exterior.
Over the course of its 100 year history, Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church was served by thirteen parish priests and has had twenty-seven parish council presidents. The Bayonne Community News visited the historic church to interview the current priest, Royer.
Royer is not only a local faith leader, but a professor of philosophy at Saint Peter’s University. As of August, Royer has been the priest at Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church for nine years.
“It certainly is a historic occasion,” Royer said of the centennial anniversary of the parish.
Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church is located on West 28th Street in Bayonne. Photo courtesy of the church.
The difference between a parish and a church is simple, he said: “I suppose the terms are interchangeable, but a parish refers specifically to a local community. The word church could be in either local communities such as this or refer to the church worldwide.”
Church boasts rich local Orthodox history
“They built this church on top of the original,” Royer said. He noted the historic nature of the building and highlighted the Russo-Byzantine architecture.
The icon screen, or iconostas, in the church is from the former Saint Platon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Tenafly. The seminary was the largest in the Western Hemisphere until it closed in 1922, and the Saints Peter and Paul Church inherited their icon screen as it opened.
“Our icon screen is the icon screen from that seminary chapel,” Royer said. “Which is why if you look on the door on the screen, that’s Saint Platon… We started the same year that seminary closed. Tenafly is not very far from Bayonne. So it was brought here.”
The interior of Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church is just as historic as the exterior, lined with spiritual golden murals. Photo by Daniel Israel.
In terms of the congregation, while other faiths may be dwindling locally, this Orthodox church is going strong, Royer said.
“We get a lot of people walking through the doors,” Royer said. “That doesn’t mean they stay.”
The parish has grown more diverse simultaneously with Bayonne.
“In many older parishes, the congregations were mostly American born,” Royer said. “The parish is now multi-ethnic. I think about one fifth of our membership is of Middle Eastern origin, because of the local demographics.”
Congregation going strong in 2022
While some Catholic parishes have consolidated in Bayonne in recent years due to dwindling attendance in the Archdiocese of Newark, Royer said the Diocese of New York and New Jersey is heavily invested in keeping Orthodox churches open. The demographics of the faithful are changing in Bayonne, but the Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church remains strong.
Despite the hardships of COVID-19 among other challenges, Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church maintains a reliable congregation. Photo by Daniel Israel.
“Our Diocese and our Archbishop Michael Dahulich, and the same is true of other dioceses, they try to keep parishes open as long as possible,” Royer said. “It’s only when it comes to a point where they cannot sustain themselves or that they will finally close a parish. Even before they do that, if they can’t support a resident priest, they’ll keep the parish open as long as possible by sending diocesan supply clergy.”
Royer continued: “That means a church may not get a priest every Sunday. It depends on the availability of supply clergy in our diocese. In the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, that’s in pretty short supply right now. We have retired priests, but some of them aren’t up to traveling. We are pretty much able to fill the vacancies in parishes, but when it comes to finding substitute priests or supply priests, there’s not that many.”
Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church has done surprisingly well amid the COVID-19 pandemic, recording its first infection among congregation members just this year, Royer said. Things were hard at first, but have largely normalized now.
Detailed stained glass windows decorate Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church. Photo by Daniel Israel.
Undeterred by COVID-19 pandemic
“For the first three or four months, the church wasn’t open to the public,” Royer said remembering 2020, noting he was celebrating special services by himself. Eventually, the state allowed churches to reopen with limited capacity, and Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church was one of them.
“The first Sunday we opened to the public in 2020 happened to be Orthodox Pentecost,” Royer said. “We had to follow state rules about limiting the percentage of people, it was 25 percent of seating capacity. We put tape across every other pew and instructed people to set on opposite ends. I restricted to the choir loft to the choir director and his family.”
As time went on, the restrictions began to affect the church less, Royer said.
The altar in Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church is behind what is called an icon screen. Photo by Daniel Israel.
“When we could have 50 percent of the seating, at the point that would almost be the size of the entire congregation if they all came at once,” Royer said. “So we didn’t have to really worry about that. But we also had diocesan rules.”
Things are “mostly” back to normal, “more or less,” Royer said in 2022. “I still have a few people who wear masks during church. Hudson County was a hotbed for COVID-19, but we did not have a single case in this congregation until January of this year. That’s because we followed diocesan rules to the letter, and they were pretty strict.”
Looking ahead to centennial celebration
The parish has five affiliated organizations: the Ladies Guild, the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Sisterhood, the Carpatho-Russian American Citizens Club, the Bayonne Alpha Chapter of the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America, and Lodge #100 of the Russian Brotherhood Organization of the U.S.A. These organizations not only served the church but were also involved in community affairs, Royer said.
Known for its Russo-Byzantine architecture, Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church is a local landmark. Photo by Daniel Israel.
According to Royer, many notable individuals hail from this parish including clergy, community leaders, and corporate executives, as well as Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant Nicholas Oresko, the namesake of Nicholas Oresko Community School, and Golden Globe Award-winning actress Sandra Dee, born Alexandra Zuck.
Having been at multiple parishes in the past, Royer said this is the first 100th anniversary he’s celebrated. He was always a part of planning celebrations for those parishes, and has his hand in planning upcoming events for Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church.
“We have an anniversary committee,” Royer said. “The person that pretty much took charge of that was our recording secretary Marge Kovach.”
Rev. Royer has been the priest at Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church for nine years. Photo by Daniel Israel.
A Hierarchical Divine Liturgy will be served on October 23 at 9:30 a.m. by The Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, the Most Blessed Metropolitan Tikhon Mollard, Archbishop Michael Dahulich of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, and Royer. A centennial banquet is being held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bayonne from 12 to 4 p.m. on that day.
Additional information about the parish and its anniversary celebration can be found on the parish website at sspeterandpaulbayonne.org.
For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at disrael@hudsonreporter.com.
The new bell and clock tower for Fitzpatrick Park in Bayonne is expected to arrive soon, Mayor James Davis has announced. The bell tower will be delivered on or about Wednesday, October 5.
The City Council voted unanimously in January of this year to award the contract for the construction of the bell tower to Picerno-Giordano Construction of Kenilworth for $250,275, the same contractor that conducted the renovations of Fitzpatrick Park. In March, the bells were shipped off to Cincinnati, Ohio to be revitalized.
The 35 foot tower will be the new home for three bells that used to ring at the former St. Joseph’s Church. The bell tower will be coming from the Verdin Bell Company in Ohio where the bells have been polished, refurbished, and retoned.
A fourth bell from the former church will be placed inside City Hall at a later date. Details concerning the fourth bell will be announced after arrangements have been made.
“I am very proud that our Administration saved the bells of St. Joseph’s Church for future generations of residents to enjoy,” Davis said. “They will serve as a memorial to the Slovak immigrants of St. Joseph’s Parish who helped build Bayonne in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.”
Bell and clock tower en route from Ohio
The bell tower will arrive in Bayonne on a truck. The tower will be lifted and put in place in Fitzpatrick Park at the corner of 27th Street and Avenue C.
A clock with four faces, one on each side, will be a prominent feature of the tower. The bells will be mounted inside the tower. They will be active bells, capable of making sounds along with music or tolling for the hour. The bells can be programmed to ring at specific times.
As Public Works Director Tom Cotter explained, “We will have a clock tower with all the bells and whistles.”
After the tower is in its new home, it will be hooked up to the electric line in the park. According to Cotter, the electricity will be tested to make sure that the clock and the bells work.
“Hopefully, within a few days after its installation, the bell tower will be ready to use,” Cotter said.
If everything is in working order, a dedication ceremony will be held for the tower at Fitzpatrick Park on Tuesday, October 11, at 10 a.m.
The bell tower includes a weather vane on its top. This kind of bell tower is placed frequently in town squares and shopping districts across the country.
Architectural plans for the bell tower in Fitzpatrick Park.
The history of the decades-old bells
The bell tower’s location, Fitzpatrick Park, is named after former Mayor Francis G. Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick served as Bayonne’s leader from 1962 to 1974.
The tower will use bells that were saved from the former St. Joseph’s Syriac Catholic Cathedral at the corner of Avenue E and 25th Street prior to the church’s demolition. The church was built by Slovak immigrants in 1909 and served the local community throughout the late 19th, the 20th, and the early 21st centuries.
While the façade of the church could have been preserved through designation by the Bayonne Historical Preservation Committee, the Archdiocese of Newark declined to do so. This paved way for developers to level the area and start from scratch, demolishing the approximately 112-year-old church to construct to two six-story residential redevelopments on the site.
The bells are all different ages from around the years 1897 and 1919. One of the bells is a former fire bell, and the other two were made for the church. Each has a different and distinct tone.
The tower was slated to be built near or as part of the new under-construction 25th Street pedestrian bridge before space limitations prevented that. Now the bell and clock tower will be constructed in the newly renovated Fitzpatrick Park, which underwent a facelift as well as storm water management upgrades.
The final portion of the park was finished on Christmas Eve in 2021, with the unveiling of a police-themed playground. And now the clock and bell tower will serve as the finishing touch.
For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at disrael@hudsonreporter.com.
Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archdiocese of Newark announces that Catherine Cortese Laszkow is the new Trustee of Saint Vincent DePaul Parish.
Resilient Northeastern New Jersey will host community meeting to gather feedback on flood-risk reduction actions in Bayonne
Many residents in Bayonne reported experiencing flooding several times last year due to heavy rainstorms that inundated homes, streets, and businesses. As last year exhibited, the problem will only be compounded as climate change leads to more intense rainfall and rising sea levels.
The City of Bayonne has joined the Resilient Northeastern NJ partnership to promote collaboration on resilience at the regional level. As part of its development of a regional resilience action plan, Resilient Northeastern NJ is hosting a community meeting on April 5 to to work with Bayonne community members on specific possible solutions for reducing flood risk.
When: Tuesday, April 5th, 4 – 5:30 PM or 6:30 – 8 PM
Where: RSVP and access the virtual Zoom meeting at https://tinyurl.com/nenj-bay-mtg.
Who: Those who live, work, or play in Bayonne are encouraged to attend and provide input on the resilience action plan. The meeting will be available in English and Spanish, with American Sign Language interpretation. Please email ResilientNENJ@dep.nj.gov or call 201-398-4333 with additional language, accessibility, or support needs.
Contact: Share questions or comments by email to ResilientNENJ@dep.nj.gov or by phone to 201-398-4333.
Annual Easter Egg and Bunny Hop Race
The Bayonne Division of Recreation will hold its Annual Easter Egg and Bunny Hop Race on Saturday, April 16 at Gorman Field on West 1st Street. The race is open to Bayonne children, broken down by four age brackets: three and four year olds, five and six year olds, seven to nine year olds, and 10 to 12 year olds.
Ages three and four will race at 10 a.m.; ages five and six will race at 10:30 a.m.; ages seven to nine will race at 11 a.m.; and ages 10 to 12 will race at 11:30 a.m. There is no registration fee. Register at the field the day of the race. Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Places in all divisions. This event is not an Easter Egg Hunt. For further information, call Pete Amadeo at 201-858-6129 or email bayonnerec@aol.com.
Bells en route for repair
The bells from the former St Joseph’s Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Bayonne recently departed to Cincinnati, Ohio where the bells will be polished and prepared for their new home in the soon-to-be-constructed clock and bell tower in Fitzpatrick Park. Mayor James Davis’s Administration saved the bells, so that they would be preserved for future generations.
Annual dinner dance returns
Bayonne’s Friends of the Handicapped’s annual dinner dance is making a return in 2022. The 43rd Annual Dinner Dance will be held on May 6 at the Knights of Columbus, 667 Avenue C, from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. The cost is $75.00 per ticket, and there will be a buffet, an open bar, and music by Rock Bottom Band. To purchase tickets to the event, or for any questions, contact Bob at 201-456-7865 or Sue at 551-208-7152. For more information, email friendsofthehandicapped@gmail.com.
9/11 monument to be unveiled
Bayonne will hold an unveiling ceremony for its 20th anniversary September 11th Memorial on Wednesday, April 6, at 11:00 a.m., Mayor James Davis has announced. The ceremony will take place in front of Bayonne City Hall, which is located at 630 Avenue C, between 27th and 28th Streets. The public is invited to attend.
“Bayonne played an important role in providing emergency response on September 11, 2001 and in the days that followed the attack on the World Trade Center,” Davis said. “It is most appropriate that the new memorial will include a piece of steel from the World Trade Center.”
The only Catholic high school in Bayonne, Marist High School, will close at the end of the school year in June. Marist High School has served the Bayonne community and surrounding areas for nearly 65 years.
According to a press release from school officials on Jan. 8, the closing is the result of an operating funds deficit that depleted the school’s reserves. Fewer and fewer students have enrolled in Marist High School over the past 10 years, with enrollment declining by more than half since 2008.
Brother Patrick McNamara, Provincial, and the Provincial Council of the Marist USA Province, said they made the decision to close the school after exhausting all options to save it.
First opened in 1954, Marist High School has since followed the principles of the Founder, St. Marcellin Champagnat, Marist Brothers, and Lay Marists. Throughout its history, Marist High School has awarded more than 8,000 diplomas to children of Hudson County residents.
The Archdiocese of Newark does not own the school. Instead, the Marist Brothers and the provincial council run the school and had to make the decision. The closure was decided a week before the Jan. 8 announcement.
“We Marist Brothers have cherished the many years of excellent education given by dedicated Brothers and Lay Marists, and we are grateful to all the extraordinary efforts by the Marist School Board and Alumni to support Marist,” Brother McNamara said. “But we, the Marist Brothers or Marist High School, simply do not have the funds to continue school operations after this academic year.”
The Marist Brothers and the school administration tried to prevent Marist from closing through a campaign they announced called “Save The School.” The 2017 campaign needed to raise $1.5 million to continue operations. However, the effort was unsuccessful, bringing in only $750,000.
With those funds, Marist High school continued operating temporarily while building a strategic plan that would explore all options to avoid closing. Part of this plan included the hiring of President Peter G. Kane in September 2018.
“Marist High School is proud of its service to the community through six decades, maintaining the highest standards of Catholic education,” Kane said in a press release. “This has been a painful and difficult decision for everyone involved. I am heartened by knowing the positive impact Marist has made in the lives of our current students, their families and alumni, who have been so supportive of our efforts through this challenging process.”
Catholicism on the decline
Marist students rally drivers to attend their car wash fundraiser on Sept. 23, 2019. Photo courtesy of Marist High School Twitter.
The closure of Marist in Bayonne is symptomatic of a nationwide decline in Catholic education over the past decade. Marist’s current enrollment of 235 students represents a dramatic decline from more than 300 students as recently as 2015.
According to the National Catholic Educational Association, almost 1,000 elementary and secondary schools have closed since 2009.
New Jersey has experienced more than 100 Catholic school closings over the the past two decades. All of these school closures resulted from similar issues to Marist’s, declining enrollment and revenue challenges.
Catholic high schools that have closed in Hudson County over the last 20 years include St. Aloysius High School and the Academy of St. Aloysius, St. Michael’s, St. Mary’s and St. Anthony in Jersey City, Sacred Heart Academy in Hoboken, St. Joseph of the Palisades in West New York, and Holy Rosary in Union City.
“Despite our best efforts, we cannot continue to bridge the annual operational gap of over $1 million,” Kane said. “The steady decline in enrollment, along with increasing expenses and the ongoing financial assistance we provide to our families has made this closure unavoidable.”
All classes, athletic team schedules, guidance, and extracurricular activities will continue through June.
“We are hopeful that all current students will stay through June,” Kane told the Bayonne Community News. “They have every reason to stay because we are going to continue to give them a world class education.”
School administration, faculty, coaches, and guidance counselors will continue their commitment to the community of enrolled students and parents and focus their efforts on assisting families to make the necessary arrangements for transfers to regional high schools.
According to President Kane, the faculty of Marist will advise students on an individual basis. Kane said that of the 235 students, 55 are seniors who will graduate in June.
Kane said that the remaining 180 will be assisted by staff who will find the best fit for the student financially and logistically, regardless of whether the recommended high school is a Catholic school.
“We will explore all options on behalf of each student to make sure they are matched with the best school for them,” he said.
For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Dan Israel can be reached at disrael@hudsonreporter.com.
Dan Ward, BHS educator, to run for at-large city council seat
Daniel Ward, Director of the Social Studies and Library/Media Science Programs at the Bayonne School District, announced that he will run for the at-large Bayonne City Council seat in the May election on mayoral candidate Jason O’Donnell’s slate.
Ward has been a public school educator for 26 years. The current at-large City Council members are Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski and Juan Perez. Both ran and won on Mayor James Davis’ ticket in June of 2015. Both have yet to announce a run for re-election.
In a press release announcing his candidacy, Ward said, “We must put an end to the 30-year tax breaks for wealthy developers and the mortgaging of our children’s future or we will all be paying for the Davis Administration’s corporate give-aways for generations. And we need strong leadership that will work with the City’s Board of Education to look for solutions to the current budget crisis rather than the Davis Administration’s baseless finger pointing and empty grandstanding that have still left 74 school employees without their jobs and all of us, young and old, with an almost 6- percent school tax increase. Simply put, we need new leadership, and I am looking forward to working with Jason, a man of integrity, and the rest of our team to get the city we all love back working for all taxpayers.”
“I am proud to run on the same ticket with Dan Ward,” said Jason O’Donnell in the press release. “Dan is a huge part of the foundation of our community, and his dedication to all of our friends and neighbors in Bayonne is unmatched. He has spent decades trying to enrich the lives of so many with his work in our school system and volunteering his time in our community, and we are both anxious to begin the fight to get Bayonne back on track.”
In 2016, Ward was named Irish-American Educator of the Year by the Irish American League. He has served on Hudson County Community College’s Academic Advisory Board and has been a member of the Anthony K. Podbielski Memorial Essay Committee. Dan has coached the BYSA’s recreation and travel soccer programs. He is also one of the founders of the former Centerville Civic Club and has been a member of various Irish organizations throughout Bayonne. Dan and his wife, Caroline Ulivella, also an educator, are raising their two sons in Bayonne’s public schools.
Menendez, charging anti-Latino bias, still defiant in wake of mistrial
The 11-week trial of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez ended when Judge William Walls declared the mistrial after the jury said they could not come to a verdict.
Prosecutors have not yet said whether they would re-file charges that were the result of a five-year investigation.
Menendez was charged with conspiracy, bribery, and honest services fraud in his duties as U.S. Senator, and for accepting more than $600,000 in political contributions and gifts from a long time friend Dr. Salomon Melgen. Prosecutors attempted to prove Menendez took these things in exchange for political favors to Melgen, who was convicted of unrelated charges earlier this year.
This decision by the court to declare a mistrial also came after a juror was excused and told the press about some of the discussions going on in the jury room.
Menendez grew up in Union City and served as its mayor before going to Congress.
He said, “Certain elements of the FBI and of our state cannot understand, or even worse, accept that the Latino kid from Union City and Hudson County can grow up to be a United States senator and be honest.”
Carl “The Bayonne Elvis” Senior dies at 75
Carl Charles “The Bayonne Elvis” Anderson Sr., a lifelong resident and community fixture of Bayonne passed away on Monday, November 13, 2017. Residents remember him as “the Bayonne Elvis” for driving up and down Broadway in a Chevy Astro with a supercharger protruding from the hood and yellow flames emblazoned on the side, along with musical notes, Elvis’s face, and the words, “Blast From The Past,” and “Remembering Our Favorite Oldies.”
Carl Anderson was the devoted husband to the late Nancy (nee: DeMelio) and father to Carl Jr. and Wayne Anderson.
In Carl’s memory, you can make a donation to the MFL Foundation for Cancer Prevention, found at the link for the funeral home at www.MigliaccioFuneralHome.com.
Bayonne Life on the Peninsula wrote a feature story on Carl Anderson in its Spring 2017 issue where he talked about his life, the Elvis Era, and the gratitude he received from the community.
All Saints Catholic Academy celebrates National Blue Ribbon award
Officials at All Saints Catholic Academy accepted the National Blue Ribbon Award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on November 7. Principal of All Saints, Sister Rita Marie Fritzen, who accepted the award, said, “Our school has a ‘wow’ factor. The things that we do here make students perform to their academic level.” Sister Rita Marie is a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, and is in her third year as principal of All Saints. She previously served as associate director of catechesis for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Newark.
All Saints was one of 342 schools and 50 private schools recognized from across the country and 17 in the state. National Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized for their overall academic performance or advancement in closing achievement gaps amid student subgroups. The school ranked among the highest performing schools as measured by nationally normed tests: The Archdiocese of Newark administers standardized testing in the form of Terra Nova, Third Edition. All Saints was founded in 2008 when four Catholic schools in Bayonne combined into one.
Manhattan commuters to face another round of delays
Penn Station will undergo another phase of track repairs in the first part of 2018, but rail officials are saying the disruptions to commuters will not reach the level of “the summer of hell” last August, according to NJ Spotlight. NJ Transit officials announced that there will be changes in the morning and evening schedules for the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast lines.
Governor-elect Murphy announces chief of staff and chief counsel
Gov.-elect Phil Murphy announced Tuesday that his chief of staff will be Mayor Pete Cammarano of Metuchen, according to The Record. Murphy has also selected Matt Platkin as chief counsel. Cammarano previously served as chief of staff for Richard Codey when Codey was acting governor from 2004 to 2006. Platkin, of Montclair, worked on Murphy’s campaign, coordinating major policy positions.
Murphy also named more than 500 people across 15 committees that will submit reports and recommendations that will inform the new administration’s legislative and regulatory agenda.
Mike Embrich, a Navy veteran from Bayonne, will sit on the Military and Veteran Affairs committee. Michael Cranston, President of Bayonne Dry Dock, will sit on the Labor and Workforce Development committee.
BPD arrests local teenager for allegedly burglarizing cars, man for allegedly burglarizing neighbor
A 19-year-old from Bayonne was recently charged with two counts of burglary for allegedly breaking into cars in late October, according to the Bayonne Police Department (BPD). Abanoub Guirges allegedly stole $10 from a Jeep Wrangler parked on West 7th Street and tried unsuccessfully to enter a Ford Escape in the same area, according to a statement from the BPD. The next day, Guirges allegedly stole credit cards from a parked Honda Accord in the area of Trask Avenue. Guirges was charged with two counts of burglary and criminal attempted burglary, according to the BPD.
Meanwhile, a 45-year-old Bayonne man was arrested for allegedly stealing $3,500 worth of tools and home fixtures from the basement of a 41st Street residence on October 15, according to the BPD. Robert Connelly, of Avenue C, was charged with burglary and theft.
Will lawmakers extend caps on police and firefighter raises?
A state law that limits the pay raises police officers and firefighters can receive in binding arbitration to two percent is set to expire on December 31 unless the State Legislature acts to extend it, according to NJ Spotlight. Local officials across the state say the cap has been instrumental in keeping property taxes down.Police and firefighterunions oppose an extension.
Polls show Menendez an early favorite in 2018 Senate race
Despite recent legal problems and low voter approval ratings, Sen. Bob Menendez is “a clear favorite” for re-election in 2018, according to Harry Enten of FiveThirtyEight, a digital news site that focuses on poll analysis. Although Menendez could face a retrial after a jury was unable to reach a verdict in his corruption trial, many legal experts say that is unlikely. Meanwhile, the Republicans who have emerged as potential opponents have each raised no more than $4,000, compared with the $4 million Menendez has on hand.
NAACP honors five in Bayonne
The Bayonne branch of the NAACP hosted its 90th annual Freedom Fund dinner on November 5 at the Chandelier Restaurant, where the organization honored five community members. The theme of the dinner was “Where Do We Go From Here.”
Joseph Barbero, local teacher and business owner, was honored in the Education category. Deon Golfphin, police officer, business owner, and Iraq War veteran, was honored in the Entrepreneurship category. Rev. Gary Grindeland, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Bayonne and the vice pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Jersey City, was honored in the Church Service category. Helene J. Lee, a social worker and discharge planner at Bayonne Medical Center’s Care Point Health System, was honored for the Community Service category. David Watson, a well-known local musician and music teacher, who has worked with Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, India Arie, The O’Jays, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Police and the Sugar Hill Gang, was honored in the Humanitarian category.
6,000 Rabbis visit Bayonne
The International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Shluchim (Kinus Hashluchim), which draws Hasidic rabbis from around the world, brought 6,000 rabbis to Bayonne’s Harbor Pointe on Sunday, November 19 for a banquet that went from the early afternoon until midnight. Motorists may have been affected around the area of Route 440 as many buses and taxis transported rabbis from Brooklyn.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated April 6 at St. Aedan’s, The Saint Peter’s University Church, for Kathleen B. Chester, 90. She passed away March 30. Born in Jersey City, Kathleen attended St. Patrick’s Grammar School and was a proud graduate of the Abraham Lincoln High School Class of 1948. She spoke fondly of her involvement in the St. Patrick’s Teen Club, her participation in the chorale group at Lincoln High School and countless hours spent in Brummer’s Ice Cream parlor and other landmarks in the Junction section of Jersey City.
After high school Kathleen attended the prestigious Wood Secretarial School in Manhattan and graduated at the top of her class. She was quite adept at stenography and her record of words per minute was unbeaten when she last inquired thirty years later in the 1980’s. Following her completion of studies at the Wood School she was recruited for a position with the then newly formed Reynolds Aluminum Company. She subsequently went to work for the County of Hudson where she met and married her husband, Kenneth.
In 1956, Kathleen interrupted her career to assume the role of mother to her two children. As circumstance would have it, due to the health of her husband, Kathleen was forced to return to the workforce in 1962 and become the bread winner for her family. She accepted a job at C & D batteries on Fairmount Avenue in Jersey City and had a short stint working in the Violations Bureau of the Jersey City Municipal Court. In 1966 Kathleen began a distinguished 40 + year career in the Hudson County and New Jersey Superior Courts. She was a quick learner and eventually rose to the position of Chief Criminal Assignment Clerk responsible for the entire court calendar in the County of Hudson. When the court started to incorporate computers into daily work it was Kathleen who was tapped to be part of the implementation team and soon learned the computer languages of Cobol and Fortran to begin the transition.
Despite having the dual role of bread winner and mother, Kathleen found time to volunteer for various causes. Kathleen was an At-Large Member of the Gold Star Wives. She was a member of the St. Aloysius and St. Peter’s Prep parents’ groups, coordinated the first Baptismal Classes for parents in St. Aloysius Parish, and was a longtime member of the St. Aloysius Choir. She volunteered with the American Red Cross and served on the Hudson County Selective Service Commission for over 15 years. Once she moved to Society Hill in Jersey City she became an active member of the homeowner’s association as well as the senior citizens group coordinating many bus trips and other adventures. In 1990 she was honored for her community work as part of the City’s Women’s History month observance.
Kathleen had a thirst for adventure which she was able to pursue starting in the 1970’s. Her countless journeys took her to locations such as England, Ireland, France, Brussels, Russia, Egypt, Casablanca, Greece and Italy to name just a few. In later years she limited her travels to cruising the Caribbean with her brother and “cruise partner” Michael. They became platinum members of the Cunard Cruise Lines.
Kathleen’s thirst for knowledge found her in the early 1970s enrolling in St. Peter’s College to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration through the County College. In 1977 she graduated as Salutatorian of her class with her degree being conferred at Giants Stadium. She then took advanced course work at Rutgers University in Newark. She also completed the Archdiocese of Newark’s Christian Foundations for Ministry Program in 1995.
Kathleen was known for her love of Irish music, opera, her walks in New York City and her impeccable dress. She was known to wear her white gloves at all times, even on trips to the grocery store. In fact, her sons never saw her in a pair of slacks. Rumor is that she did wear slacks once while on an archaeological dig in Egypt but no pictures exist to prove this rumor.
Kathleen was predeceased by her husband, Kenneth W., her parents Michael J. and Rose Ann Coyle Boylan, her brother Michael F. X. Boylan and his wife Edna and her sister Rosemarie Atkinson and her husband Charles. She is survived by her sons, John T. M. and his wife, Rosemary, Bernard J. J. and his wife, Dorota, her six grandchildren, Timothy, Kevin and his fiancé Ashley, Megan and her husband Dimitri, Bernard Jr., Mark and Adam. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins and their spouses, children and grandchildren. Services arranged by the McLaughlin Funeral Home, Jersey City.
The grand opening of the Gallery at the Park at the Park Theatre in Union City, with an exhibition of paintings by New Jersey artist Cara London, occurred in early March, just a few days before everything shut down due to the pandemic.
While it will still be some time before the theatre can safety be filled with audiences or can have social opening receptions, the gallery has finally re-opened! Over 88 of London’s paintings are on display in the gallery’s five rooms, including the theatre’s lobby. In addition, to the work present at the opening, some of recent paintings have been added.
The Park Theatre, a 1300+ seat house owned by the Archdiocese of Newark, was built in 1931 and had been an active performing arts venue, made famous by The Passion Play. In recent years it had fallen into disuse and in need of restoration.
Over the past year, a group of passionate volunteers/donors and art professionals have worked tirelessly, turning the Park back again into a viable arts venue. Cleaning, repairing, repainting, replacing carpeting, upgrading lighting . . . and restoring the Park, while lining up many performances and events to make the Park a financially self-sustaining venue, looking towards the future, and honoring its past.
At the beginning of March, a ribbon cutting was attended by Union City commissioners and Father John of the Holy Family Parish, with a grand opening of the art gallery (Gallery at the Park) and the mezzanine lobby which has been turned into a lounge and second performance space. There was an open house, tours of the theatre and musical performances in the new lounge. The main theatre was scheduled to have opened a month later and exciting performances were slated through the Spring.
Just a few days after the opening, COVID-19 shut the country down.
Once it was feasible, the volunteers returned, and working now with masks and distancing, continue preparing and improving the theatre, for eventual re-opening, while lining up many productions, performances and events.
The Passion Play’s costumes and props were preserved and organized with plans to resume its annual performance. “Go, My Child,” a new large cast biblical musical, will be a new addition to the Park. The Park Theatre will be the home of the new annual New Jersey Independent Film Festival. “Frankenstein,” a long running Off-Broadway musical, is scheduled to play regular school matinees at the Park. Many other performances, acts and events are lined up to make it a self-sustaining arts venue, once it is safe to do so for the performers and audience.
While at this time, performances in the theatre will have to wait, the Gallery at the Park, finally re-opened in October, with COVID guidelines being followed. The gallery features the exhibition which opened in March, of paintings by Cara London. Future exhibitions are planned, including work from artists from the local community.
For everyone’s protection, visitors must call ahead (201) 565-3630, or email gallery@ParkTheatreNJ.org. Masks must be worn, and social distancing guidelines will be followed. The hours for the next two weeks are listed below (or by special appointment).
Further dates will be kept updated on the website.
The Gallery at the Park is located at the Park Theatre, 560 32nd Street, Union City, NJ 07087.
Cara London earned a BA in Art History from Brandeis University and an MFA from Parsons School of Design. She studied sculpture at the New York Studio School and painting with John Adams Griefen, which profoundly shaped her direction as an artist. London has attended numerous international professional workshops, including Triangle Artists’ Workshop, Vermont Studio School, Emma Lake the Leighton Foundation and most recently Chateau Orquevaux, where she received the Diderot Artist-in-Residence grant.
She was a founding member of SOMI Fine Art Gallery in Flemington. She has exhibited her work regularly and is in numerous collections. She also teaches drawing and painting to students of all ages and levels of experience. Ms. London is known for her painterly representational work. Cara London was among the team who helped restore the Park Theatre and turned the space into a viable gallery. (website: CaraLondon.com)
The hours for next 2 weeks are as follows:
Wed, Oct. 7, 3-8 pm
Thur, Oct. 8, 3-8 pm
Fri, Oct. 9, 12-5 pm
Thur, Oct. 15, 3-8 pm
Fri, Oct. 16, 3-8 pm
Sat, Oct. 17, 12-5 pm
Sun, Oct. 18, 12-5 pm
(or by special appointment)
(future dates will be posted on the website ParkTheatreNJ.org/gallery
For everyone’s protection, visitors must call ahead (201) 565-3630, or email gallery@ParkTheatreNJ.org.
For more information about the gallery, please contact gallery@ParkTheatreNJ.org
For the theatre, please contact info@ParkTheatreNJ.,org
