History of the Church

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OldNewark.com has a webpage about the history of the church that includes two text items. The first is a narrative produced by the church itself. The second is a scanned image of a newspaper article, probably from The Star-Ledger, tho information about the paper and date is not shown. Old Newark's text from the pamphlet is more inclusive than the excerpts we present below, and you can go to Old Newark's website for the text and pictures within the newspaper article. Old Newark includes its own fotos of Sacred Heart (which see). The fotos below are courtesy of our fellow Vailsburger, L. Craig Schoonmaker. Newark is very lucky to have a group of enthusiasts who have done so much to preserve our historical memory. We hope Sacred Heart of Vailsburg will long remain a reality in the New Newark, not just a part of the fast-receding past that the Old Newark Web Group preserves so well.

* * *  Although the parish was established in 1892, the baptismal and confirmation records point to the relationship of the parish to St. Mary's Orphanage. No history of Sacred Heart would be complete without an account of the tremendous contributions of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth. One of the first works of the sisters was St. Mary's Orphanage which was founded in 1859 and was situated on South Orange Avenue across from the Church, now the site of St. Mary's Villa [a Catholic retirement communithy]. ... [I]t could be said that the first parishioners of Sacred Heart were the residents of St. Mary's.

When Rev. James McManus began the parish, worship took place in the chapel of the orphanage. A rectory and school building were located at the corner of Tremont Avenue and Sanford Avenue, East Orange.... It was in 1910 that a combination church and school building was constructed on South Orange Avenue near Sanford Avenue under the leadership of Fr. McManus and for the first time mass was celebrated in a place that the parish could call its own. By that time, the original rectory had been moved to the new church property in Newark.

* * *In order to respond to this growth, much construction was undertaken. A house at 501 Sanford Avenue became the first convent and it enabled the sisters who taught in the school to move out of the orphanage. The present rectory was a two-story addition to the school / church building. However, the growth in the size of the parish, created the need for a new Church building, and plans for such a structure were commissioned.

A significant engineering feat preceded the construction of the church, for it was decided to move the school ninety feet west and forty feet south. Since the building was four stories high and weighed 3,000 tons, this was an impressive undertaking, and it was accomplished literally inch by inch taking a month to complete. The Church building was dedicated on June  9, 1929, by Bishop Walsh, Father Coyne and the homilist was Rev. Fulton J. Sheen, then of Catholic University in Washington, but later Bishop of Rochester and a noted homilist especially famous for his television programs. As the largest parish church in the country at that time, the church remains today in almost the exact form that it was when it was dedicated.

The architecture of the Church is Italian Renaissance and its interior without columns is spacious. With the pews in the two balconies, seating for 2,500 people is provided. The marble altar rails contain the images of the twelve apostles, and the beautiful stained glass windows depicted the apostles, saints and old testament figures. The marble and columns were carved in Italy.

Msgr. John J. Murphy succeeded Fr. Coyne, serving as Pastor from 1932-1952. The parish debt was paid off during his term, and the parish continued to grow. During the Second World War more than twelve hundred parishioners served in the Armed Forces, including two priests who had served the parish and became chaplains

When Archbishop Boland was installed as Archbishop of Newark, Sacred Heart Church was the setting, and soon after this celebrated event, Msgr. Paul Leo Collins was named Pastor. Although Msgr. Collins only served three years, the present convent was built during that period. Another significant event in these years was the formation of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Maplewood, which cut off a section of the parish south of Mt. Vernon Place.

The next pastor to be appointed was Msgr. Thomas Conroy who arrived in 1956. The school building needed to be replaced and under the leadership of Msgr. Conroy, the current school was built. This large and modern facility provided thirty-two classrooms, office space, a large kitchen and a cafeteria / parish hall that [wa]s used by the parish, school and numerous community organizations. * * *

Vatican II [updated] the Liturgy, restored rites of the sacraments, and [created] parish consultative bodies such as the Parish Council. In 1992, a new Parish Pastoral Council was formed, and together with a Finance Council and a School Board offer[ed] advice to the Pastor, Principal and others in the work of the parish.

The 100th Anniversary Celebration was begun in October, 1991, with a Mass and breakfast. During the year, various events were sponsored by parish organizations. In the fall, the front steps on South Orange Avenue were reconstructed, allowing access to the main doors of the church for weddings and funerals. A new heating system was installed prior to the winter and is providing a warm environment for Masses and other liturgies.

The parish also hosted other events during the year, serving as the location for the Installation of the Lutheran Bishop for New Jersey, Bishop LeRoy Riley[,] as well as the concluding liturgy for the Pax Christi National Assembly which was held at Seton Hall. The mass was celebrated by Bishop Walter Sullivan and Dom Helder Camara, former Bishop of Olinda and Recife, Brazil. * * *

The parish social service program enables the church to continue the mission of Jesus to serve those in need. A food pantry was begun in 1991 and donations of parishioners ha[ve] enabled the parish to help as many as 75  families per week.