Above all, Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli has considered himself a priest and teacher first — even when his long and varied ministry led him to assume significant leadership roles in the Church as a bishop.
Today, Sept. 8, Bishop Serratelli, 81, rejoices as he celebrates the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination. He was ordained an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark in New Jersey on Sept. 8, 2000, in the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.
Later, Bishop Serratelli moved to the Diocese of Paterson, also in New Jersey, where he was installed as its seventh bishop on July 6, 2004, at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. He retired as Paterson’s spiritual leader in 2020, succeeded by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, its eighth and current bishop.
Bishop Serratelli shared reflections with BeaconNJ.org on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination.
“I enjoyed serving as a bishop. I have always viewed myself as a priest and teacher. As a bishop, I wanted to help priests become better priests,” said Bishop Serratelli. He referred to Malachi 2:7: “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.”
Bishop Serratelli said he enjoyed “performing all the sacraments as a priest in parishes” as an active bishop. He added,” Church happens at the parish level with good and holy priests.”
Recently, Bishop Serratelli, who lives out his retirement in a residence at Holy Family Parish in Florham Park, received an Apostolic Blessing from Pope Leo XIV for his 25th anniversary.
“As you celebrate the silver jubilee of your episcopal ordination, we offer you our heartfelt congratulations for your diligent pastoral service in the ecclesial communities of Newark and Paterson, as well as your dedicated work on behalf of the Apostolic See,” Pope Leo wrote in an Aug. 6 letter from the Vatican. “While we extend our best wishes for every blessing, under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we gladly impart to you and to your relatives our Apostolic Blessing, a pledge of divine salvation.”
The bishop said, “I was surprised by the letter. I didn’t expect it. It was so personal.”
Born in Newark, Bishop Serratelli was ordained to the priesthood in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Dec. 20, 1968. He earned a licentiate in sacred theology in 1969 from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was then assigned as a parochial vicar at St. Anthony’s in Belleville, simultaneously teaching systematic theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary.
Bishop Serratelli returned to Rome in 1976 to earn another licentiate in sacred scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute and a doctorate in sacred theology from the Gregorian University in 1977.
For the next 25 years, Bishop Serratelli taught Sacred Scripture and biblical languages at Immaculate Conception Seminary. During that time, he also served for three years as rector of St. Andrew’s College Seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. After his ordination as a Newark auxiliary bishop, Bishop Serratelli served in various capacities, including vicar for ministries, regional bishop for Essex County, and vicar general and moderator of the Curia.
“I was always enthused about what I was asked to do as a bishop. I felt I was being of service to the Church,” Bishop Serratelli said.
Bishop Serratelli also got involved with the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) in Washington, D.C. He served twice as chairman of the Committee on Divine Worship. He is the past chairman and present member of the Ad hoc Sub-Committee for the Review of Scripture Translations. He also served as a member of the Ad hoc Committee for the Review of the Catechism.
For the USCCB, Bishop Serratelli also was a past member and chair of the Committee on Doctrine, as well as a past member of the Task Group on Liturgy with Children and the Committee for Women in the Church and Society. He also served on the Task Force for the Review of the Lectionary and the Ad hoc Committee for the Spanish Bible for the Church in America.
After his installation as bishop of the Paterson Diocese in 2004, Bishop Serratelli endeavored to “reintroduce the new evangelization” to the diocese. The New Evangelization calls all Catholics to be evangelized and then go forth to evangelize.
Bishop Serratelli counts among his significant accomplishments the establishment of the St. Paul Inside the Walls evangelization center in Madison, which he dedicated in 2010. It’s home for a unique outreach to those who are seeking truth, God, faith, a place to belong, and a shared mission — the first of its kind in any diocese in the U.S.
“St. Paul’s imparts Church teaching to people and answers their questions about life and faith on a professional level,” Bishop Serratelli said.
Under Bishop Serratelli’s leadership, St. Paul’s launched the innovative diocesan Certificate in Catholic Evangelization (CCE) program, which forms local Catholics in the faith and motivates them to spread the Gospel in their lives and parishes. The bishop teaches in the three-year program, a partnership between St. Paul’s and Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University in South Orange.
Bishop Serratelli was also proud to institute major diocesan initiatives, including an annual gathering with him and First Communicants to bring them closer to the Eucharist and spark conversations about faith; Welcome Home to Healing, which opens every Church in the diocese for reconciliation during Lent; and the Vivere Christus Est Awards, which recognize individuals, couples, and families for their service to the Church.
With God’s grace, the work of the Vocations Office had borne fruit during Bishop Serratelli’s episcopacy: an increase in men answering the call to the priesthood. He ordained 113 men to the diocesan priesthood. The diocese welcomed seminarians from various countries, including Poland and South America. The Vocations Office instituted vocations-awareness programs, such as “Pizza with the Bishop” evenings for young men and young women, as well as Quo Vadis Days Discernment Retreats for young men each summer.
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Also under Bishop Serratelli, the diocese revamped the Permanent Diaconate formation program to better equip candidates for their roles as deacons.
Bishop Serratelli strengthened his connection to the people in consecrated life who serve the diocese. The diocese started a Gathering of New Religious each summer. The bishop held Cenaculum Christi, a monthly gathering of priests for prayer and open discussion.
“These gatherings helped forge deeper bonds of friendship and collegiality among the priests. It was a good way for them to get to know me and for me to get to know them,” Bishop Serratelli said.
Another major accomplishment for Bishop Serratelli was overseeing the historic $17.4 million renovation of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, the mother church, which he dedicated in 2017. It was necessitated by a partial ceiling collapse of the cathedral a few years before.
“The restoration was an act of faith on the part of the Diocese. The restoration was a symbol of the Church as alive and active. It is a place to meet God in a beautiful environment,” Bishop Serratelli said in the Beacon’s farewell issue to him in 2020.
Bishop Serratelli also called it a “privilege” to have been instrumental in two canonization causes that seek to recognize the holiness of two individual local Catholics. He aided with the beatification of Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, a Sister of Charity in Convent Station, in 2014.
In 2019, Bishop Serratelli opened the cause of Brother Marinus LaRue, a Benedictine monk of St. Paul’s Abbey in Newton. Earlier known as Capt. Leonard LaRue, he rescued 1,400 refugees on the S.S. Meredith Victory, a U.S. Merchant Marine freighter, during the Korean War.
“Both individuals show that sainthood is possible today, not only something for the Middle Ages. Sanctity is available now,” Bishop Serratelli said.
Bishop Serratelli said he also enjoyed writing columns for The Beacon and pastoral letters and working with the chancery office staff. He was also proud to receive an honorary doctor of letters from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, in 2012.
Also, Bishop Serratelli leveraged his expertise as a former seminary professor and Scripture scholar to write books on spirituality, published by Catholic Book Publishing in Totowa, N.J. — a passion that continues into retirement. At the time, he penned three pocket-sized books on spirituality: “From the Cross to the Empty Tomb,” “The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit,” and “Jesus’ Last Days.”
“I enjoy writing books. I enjoy studying the teachings of the faith and Sacred Scripture in depth. The books allow me to share my insights with other people in their lives,” Bishop Serratelli said for his farewell issue.
On an international level, Bishop Serratelli served with the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), including being elected two terms as chairman. The Committee develops English translations of liturgical books of the Roman Rite that were initially written in Latin. He also served as an appointed full member of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, and a twice-appointed co-chairman of it.
Bishop Serrataelli also led the International Dialogue with the Baptist World Alliance. He served as a member of the Vox Clara, which reviews English translations of liturgical texts from countries around the world and makes recommendations as part of a more involved process. In 2012, Bishop Serratelli hosted a gathering of ICEL officials from around the world in the Paterson Diocese.
“I got a great sense of both the unity and diversity of the Catholic Church. Working with bishops from around the world was a great source of inspiration and encouragement,” he said.
Bishop Serratelli happily marks 25 years since episcopal ordination