Rockaway parish continues 150-year legacy of faith, holiness #Catholic – On Nov. 22, St. Cecilia Parish in Rockaway, N.J., rejoiced in recalling its 150-year legacy of faith, service, community, and as an “incubator for vocations,” foremost among them the late Bishop Frank J. Rodimer, the sixth bishop of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey. During an anniversary Mass that afternoon, worshippers who filled the church also celebrated the current faith community — a population with young people and families strengthening St. Cecilia’s rich legacy of religious devotion, holiness, and spirituality. The Mass was held on the feast of the parish’s patron, St. Cecilia. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the principal celebrant and homilist of the Mass. Concelebrating the liturgy were Father Zig Peplowski, pastor of St. Cecilia’s for the past 16 years; Father Mateusz Darlak, the parish’s parochial vicar; Msgr. John Hart, pastor of Assumption Parish in Morristown, N.J., and a former pastor of St. Cecilia’s, and many priests who had been associated with the parish under Father Peplowski’s leadership. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “St. Cecilia’s is a beautiful parish. Parishioners continually amaze me with their holiness,” said Father Peplowski. He said families of the parish, “an incubator for vocations,” have so far helped produce seven priests, eight religious sisters, and a religious brother. “The parish has strong Mass attendance. The people find holiness in their embrace of the sacraments, including penance, which restores their faith and commitment to Christ the Savior,” he said. During the Nov. 22 Mass, Bishop Sweeney blessed a new wooden statue of St. Cecilia for the church, made in Italy and made possible by an anonymous donor. The Morris County Parish also stays youthful with its school, Divine Mercy Academy (DMA). St. Cecilia School opened in 1958 and closed in 2016, when it merged with Sacred Heart of Jesus School, also in Rockway, to form DMA, which is located on the former St. Cecilia School site. St. Cecilia’s lives out Christian service with food and coat drives and support to local organizations and diocesan Catholic Charities. The parish offers religious education for children and adults and hosts devotional activities, such as a Padre Pio Prayer Group. St. Mary Parish in Dover, N.J., established a mission in Rockaway and built a church on Academy Street in 1869. After 1875, chaplains of St. Francis Health Resort in Denville, N.J., provided services. In 1881, St. Cecilia’s mission was advanced to parish status. In 1896, the church was moved to a new site on Church Street. A new church was built in 1955. The Nov. 22 Mass concluded a yearlong series of 150th anniversary events, including an opening Mass last year with Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli, a mission, and a talk about St. Cecilia’s history by Msgr. Raymond Kupke, diocesan archivist; a 40-hour Eucharistic devotion; and the parish’s first-ever carnival. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

On Nov. 22, St. Cecilia Parish in Rockaway, N.J., rejoiced in recalling its 150-year legacy of faith, service, community, and as an “incubator for vocations,” foremost among them the late Bishop Frank J. Rodimer, the sixth bishop of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey.

During an anniversary Mass that afternoon, worshippers who filled the church also celebrated the current faith community — a population with young people and families strengthening St. Cecilia’s rich legacy of religious devotion, holiness, and spirituality. The Mass was held on the feast of the parish’s patron, St. Cecilia.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the principal celebrant and homilist of the Mass. Concelebrating the liturgy were Father Zig Peplowski, pastor of St. Cecilia’s for the past 16 years; Father Mateusz Darlak, the parish’s parochial vicar; Msgr. John Hart, pastor of Assumption Parish in Morristown, N.J., and a former pastor of St. Cecilia’s, and many priests who had been associated with the parish under Father Peplowski’s leadership.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“St. Cecilia’s is a beautiful parish. Parishioners continually amaze me with their holiness,” said Father Peplowski. He said families of the parish, “an incubator for vocations,” have so far helped produce seven priests, eight religious sisters, and a religious brother. “The parish has strong Mass attendance. The people find holiness in their embrace of the sacraments, including penance, which restores their faith and commitment to Christ the Savior,” he said.

During the Nov. 22 Mass, Bishop Sweeney blessed a new wooden statue of St. Cecilia for the church, made in Italy and made possible by an anonymous donor.

The Morris County Parish also stays youthful with its school, Divine Mercy Academy (DMA). St. Cecilia School opened in 1958 and closed in 2016, when it merged with Sacred Heart of Jesus School, also in Rockway, to form DMA, which is located on the former St. Cecilia School site.

St. Cecilia’s lives out Christian service with food and coat drives and support to local organizations and diocesan Catholic Charities. The parish offers religious education for children and adults and hosts devotional activities, such as a Padre Pio Prayer Group.

St. Mary Parish in Dover, N.J., established a mission in Rockaway and built a church on Academy Street in 1869. After 1875, chaplains of St. Francis Health Resort in Denville, N.J., provided services. In 1881, St. Cecilia’s mission was advanced to parish status. In 1896, the church was moved to a new site on Church Street. A new church was built in 1955.

The Nov. 22 Mass concluded a yearlong series of 150th anniversary events, including an opening Mass last year with Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli, a mission, and a talk about St. Cecilia’s history by Msgr. Raymond Kupke, diocesan archivist; a 40-hour Eucharistic devotion; and the parish’s first-ever carnival.

Rockaway parish continues 150-year legacy of faith, holiness #Catholic –

On Nov. 22, St. Cecilia Parish in Rockaway, N.J., rejoiced in recalling its 150-year legacy of faith, service, community, and as an “incubator for vocations,” foremost among them the late Bishop Frank J. Rodimer, the sixth bishop of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey.

During an anniversary Mass that afternoon, worshippers who filled the church also celebrated the current faith community — a population with young people and families strengthening St. Cecilia’s rich legacy of religious devotion, holiness, and spirituality. The Mass was held on the feast of the parish’s patron, St. Cecilia.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the principal celebrant and homilist of the Mass. Concelebrating the liturgy were Father Zig Peplowski, pastor of St. Cecilia’s for the past 16 years; Father Mateusz Darlak, the parish’s parochial vicar; Msgr. John Hart, pastor of Assumption Parish in Morristown, N.J., and a former pastor of St. Cecilia’s, and many priests who had been associated with the parish under Father Peplowski’s leadership.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“St. Cecilia’s is a beautiful parish. Parishioners continually amaze me with their holiness,” said Father Peplowski. He said families of the parish, “an incubator for vocations,” have so far helped produce seven priests, eight religious sisters, and a religious brother. “The parish has strong Mass attendance. The people find holiness in their embrace of the sacraments, including penance, which restores their faith and commitment to Christ the Savior,” he said.

During the Nov. 22 Mass, Bishop Sweeney blessed a new wooden statue of St. Cecilia for the church, made in Italy and made possible by an anonymous donor.

The Morris County Parish also stays youthful with its school, Divine Mercy Academy (DMA). St. Cecilia School opened in 1958 and closed in 2016, when it merged with Sacred Heart of Jesus School, also in Rockway, to form DMA, which is located on the former St. Cecilia School site.

St. Cecilia’s lives out Christian service with food and coat drives and support to local organizations and diocesan Catholic Charities. The parish offers religious education for children and adults and hosts devotional activities, such as a Padre Pio Prayer Group.

St. Mary Parish in Dover, N.J., established a mission in Rockaway and built a church on Academy Street in 1869. After 1875, chaplains of St. Francis Health Resort in Denville, N.J., provided services. In 1881, St. Cecilia’s mission was advanced to parish status. In 1896, the church was moved to a new site on Church Street. A new church was built in 1955.

The Nov. 22 Mass concluded a yearlong series of 150th anniversary events, including an opening Mass last year with Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli, a mission, and a talk about St. Cecilia’s history by Msgr. Raymond Kupke, diocesan archivist; a 40-hour Eucharistic devotion; and the parish’s first-ever carnival.