169 Broadway (mailing address: 100 Fair Street), Paterson, New Jersey
Our Lady of Victories Church is one of Paterson’s most historically significant Roman Catholic parishes. Founded in 1882 to serve the city’s growing French-Canadian and French-speaking Catholic community, it later became internationally known as the home of the National Shrine of St. Jude, attracting thousands of pilgrims each week.
The parish today is Our Lady of Victories Roman Catholic Church, an active Catholic community in downtown Paterson and part of the Diocese of Paterson.
Founding of the Parish
During the late nineteenth century, many French-speaking immigrants came to Paterson to work in the city’s silk mills. Recognizing the need for a parish where they could worship in their own language, church leaders established Our Lady of Victories in 1882. The first church was a modest two-story frame building at 80–82 Bridge Street, completed in 1892.
For decades, the parish served as the cultural and spiritual center of Paterson’s French-Canadian Catholic community through its schools, religious societies, and charitable organizations.
The Shrine of St. Jude
The most remarkable chapter in the parish’s history began in 1933, when Rev. Christian A. Pfister was appointed pastor. The parish was in severe financial difficulty, and church leaders were considering closing it. Shortly after his arrival, Father Pfister began a weekly Novena to St. Jude, inspired by a parishioner who had experienced what she believed was a favor through the saint’s intercession.
The devotion spread rapidly. Within weeks, attendance grew so dramatically that additional services had to be added. Before long, thousands of pilgrims from across New Jersey and neighboring states were traveling to Paterson every Thursday.
The success of the St. Jude Novena transformed the parish, saving it from closure and making it one of the best-known centers of devotion to St. Jude, Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes, in the United States.
Move to Broadway
As attendance continued to increase, the original Bridge Street church became too small. In 1943, the parish moved to its present church on Broadway, where larger facilities could accommodate the growing crowds attending the weekly novenas.
Today, the church continues to hold regular Thursday Novena services to St. Jude, preserving a tradition that has endured for more than ninety years.
Architecture
The present church features:
- A traditional brick ecclesiastical design.
- A spacious nave suited for large congregations.
- Beautiful stained-glass windows.
- A prominent shrine dedicated to St. Jude.
- Numerous devotional statues and side altars.
The church also houses relics associated with St. Jude and remains a destination for pilgrims seeking prayer and spiritual renewal.
A Multicultural Parish
While founded for French-speaking Catholics, the parish has continually adapted to Paterson’s changing population. During the second half of the twentieth century it became an important center for Hispanic Catholics and today serves a richly diverse congregation that includes Hispanic, African-American, Asian, and other communities.
Historical Significance
Our Lady of Victories is notable as:
- One of Paterson’s oldest Catholic parishes.
- The city’s historic French-Canadian parish.
- Home of the internationally known Shrine of St. Jude.
- A major pilgrimage destination since 1933.
- An enduring landmark in downtown Paterson’s religious history.