Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli

The French sculptor Rodin once said that, just as all Greece is brought together in the Parthenon, all France is brought together in her cathedrals — rocks, forests, gardens, sun and people. What a profound way to say that every French cathedral is more than just a building. It is a monument to the nation’s faith and generosity. So also our cathedral is more than an historic, century-old building. It is an inspiring expression of our faith and who we are.

In our cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the entire diocese of Paterson is brought together. The stones and stained glass windows, the magnificent marble and wood all stand in witness to the generosity of our people, and more importantly, to the faith of each of us in God who redeems us in Christ. This indeed is holy ground. For bricks and stones, we bless today is where God lives and dwells and works among us.

Here God takes us and transforms us into his people. Here he makes us his Church founded on the faith of Peter and the witness of Paul. Here, through the sacraments, God sanctifies our lives in moments of joy and in times of sorrow. Here the very sacrifice of Christ on the Cross is made present at the altar and we share the paschal mystery. And, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we become living stones of a new temple not made by human hands.

Today, we gather on the patronal feast of our diocese, the birthday of St. John the Baptist. John is boundary between the two Testaments, the Old and the New. John is born of an old woman who is barren; Christ is born of a young woman who is a virgin. Mary believed the angel and bursts into a Magnificat of praise. Zachary doubts the angel and Zachary is struck silent. John is the voice that prepares the way. But Jesus is the Word. Johns’ voice falls silent in death. But, Jesus Risen from the dead continues to speak and to call us to be his Church: to be his witnesses, his voice to speak the truth, his hands to lift up the downtrodden and encourage the fainthearted.

Ever grateful for that call, we gather, as the Church of Paterson, to rededicate our Cathedral. Our Cathedral in the midst of the city is a prophet-ic sign. It proclaims that we are a church, a people who welcome and embrace all, especially the poor, needy and the outcast; a people who work against injustice and promote charity; a people who accept and live the call to be true disciples of Jesus.

Our cathedral calls us to raise our eyes and hopes to the New and Heaven-ly Jerusalem whose liturgy we already celebrate within these hallowed walls. May we, faithful and clergy, who gather here together with the bishop and one with Peter in Rome, truly become visible as the Church of Paterson, a communio of faith and love and a sacrament of salvation for others.