The Mother Church of the Diocese of Paterson

Standing prominently at the corner of Grand and Main Streets, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist has served as one of Paterson’s most recognizable landmarks for more than 150 years. Beyond its impressive Gothic architecture, the cathedral represents the religious, cultural, and civic development of Paterson itself. From the city’s earliest Catholic settlers in the 1820s to its designation as the Cathedral of the Diocese of Paterson in 1937, St. John’s has remained the spiritual heart of Roman Catholicism in Passaic, Morris, and Sussex Counties.

The First Catholic Church in Paterson

Catholicism arrived in Paterson during the city’s earliest years. In 1820, Father Richard Bulger, one of only eight priests serving the Diocese of New York, was assigned to Paterson. He became the first Roman Catholic priest permanently stationed in New Jersey.

The following year, the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.), recognizing the growing immigrant population employed in Alexander Hamilton’s industrial city, donated land at the corner of Market and Mill Streets. There, in 1821, a modest wooden church was erected, becoming the first permanent Catholic church in Paterson. At a time when Catholics were still a small minority, the church served not only Paterson but much of northern New Jersey.

Growth with the Industrial City

Paterson’s explosive industrial growth during the first half of the nineteenth century brought thousands of Irish, German, and later Italian, Polish, Slovak, and other European immigrants to work in the city’s mills and factories.

The original church quickly proved inadequate. In 1833, under Father Patrick Duffy, a substantially larger stone church was constructed on Oliver Street, on land donated by prominent industrialist Roswell Colt. This second St. John’s became the center of Catholic life in the rapidly expanding city for the next three decades.

Dean William McNulty’s Vision

The individual most responsible for today’s cathedral was Very Rev. William N. McNulty, who became pastor in 1863.

McNulty believed that Paterson deserved a church equal to its importance as one of America’s leading industrial cities. Rather than expanding the Oliver Street church, he envisioned a monumental cathedral occupying one of the city’s most prominent intersections.

Negotiating with the S.U.M., McNulty purchased sixteen lots at Grand and Main Streets for $10,000. On September 11, 1865, before an estimated crowd of 10,000 people, Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley laid the cornerstone of what would become one of New Jersey’s finest Gothic Revival churches.

Patrick C. Keely’s Gothic Masterpiece

To design the church, McNulty selected renowned architect Patrick Charles Keely, America’s foremost Catholic church architect during the nineteenth century.

Keely designed the cathedral in the Neo-Gothic style inspired by medieval European cathedrals. The building features:

• Local brownstone quarried in Little Falls
• English slate roofing
• Massive stone columns rising 60 feet
• Twin front towers reaching 120 feet
• A central tower soaring approximately 225 feet above the city
• Pointed Gothic arches
• Ribbed vaulting
• Elaborate stained-glass windows
• Rich carved woodwork

Much of the construction was completed through volunteer labor donated by parishioners, following the medieval tradition of “day’s work.” Stone was transported to Paterson by way of the Morris Canal, then dressed and fitted on site by local craftsmen.

Dedication and Completion

Although construction continued for years, the church was sufficiently completed to permit its dedication on July 31, 1870.

Additional improvements followed:

• 1872 – Construction of the rectory
• 1878 – Installation of the magnificent carved wooden high altar and reredos
• 1887 – Retirement of the construction debt
• 1887–1890 – Completion of the Lady Chapel, tower spire, organ, and decorative elements
• June 29, 1890 – Solemn consecration of the completed church by Bishop Winand Wigger.

The Hinchliffe Altar

One of the cathedral’s greatest artistic treasures was donated by State Senator John Hinchliffe, one of Paterson’s leading industrialists and civic leaders.

In 1878, Hinchliffe presented the cathedral with an elaborate carved wooden altar and reredos. Richly decorated with Gothic tracery and religious symbolism, it became the visual centerpiece of the sanctuary for more than a century.

Although removed during the cathedral renovations of the 1980s, portions of the original altar—including the beautifully restored Lamb of God centerpiece—have been preserved and remain part of the cathedral’s history.

Becoming the Cathedral

For decades, Dean McNulty confidently predicted that Paterson would someday become the seat of its own Catholic diocese.

His prediction came true on December 9, 1937, when Pope Pius XI created the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson, comprising Passaic, Morris, and Sussex Counties.

St. John’s Church was immediately elevated to the rank of Cathedral, becoming the official seat of the bishop. The first Bishop of Paterson, Thomas H. McLaughlin, was installed there in April 1938.

Later Renovations

As liturgical practices evolved and the building aged, several major restoration projects were undertaken.

Notable work included renovations in 1922, 1940, and 1987. Following a partial ceiling collapse in 2010, the cathedral underwent an extensive structural restoration using modern engineering techniques. After more than six years of repairs and restoration, the cathedral reopened in 2017, preserving its historic fabric while strengthening it for future generations.

Architectural Statistics

• Founded: 1820
• Present building begun: 1865
• Dedicated: July 31, 1870
• Consecrated: June 29, 1890
• Cathedral designation: December 9, 1937
• Architect: Patrick Charles Keely
• Architectural style: Neo-Gothic
• Length: 180 feet
• Width: 88 feet
• Main tower: Approximately 225 feet
• Construction material: Little Falls brownstone
• Original construction cost: Approximately $232,000

Pastors and Rectors of St. John the Baptist, Paterson

Recent Rectors

• Msgr. Herbert Tillyer (former Rector)
• Msgr. Raymond Kupke (former Rector and Diocesan Archivist)
• Msgr. Eugene (Geno) R. Sylva — Rector (current)

Bishops of the Diocese of Paterson

(All have had their cathedra, or bishop’s chair, at St. John’s Cathedral.)

An Important Historical Note

Although many websites list only Richard Bulger, Patrick Duffy, and William McNulty, diocesan records clearly state that William McNulty was the thirteenth pastor of St. John’s when he arrived in 1863. This means there were ten pastors or administrators between Patrick Duffy and McNulty, but their names are not published on the cathedral’s current website.

St. John’s and Paterson History

Few buildings better symbolize the history of Paterson than St. John’s Cathedral. As immigrants arrived to work in the city’s textile mills, locomotive works, foundries, and silk factories, generations were baptized, married, and memorialized within its walls. Its towering spire has overlooked the city’s transformation from an ambitious industrial experiment of the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures into one of New Jersey’s great manufacturing centers.

Today, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist remains both an active parish and the mother church of the Diocese of Paterson. Its Gothic silhouette continues to dominate the city’s skyline, standing as a lasting monument to the faith, craftsmanship, and determination of the thousands of Paterson residents who built it over a century and a half ago