This year, for its 50th birthday, the massive stained glass window at Our Lady of Fatima Church in North Bergen is getting a facelift.
The 2,700-square-foot window takes up the entire façade of the modern structure at 8016 Kennedy Blvd. The stunning artwork is made of 186 two-inch thick glass panels, designed by Atelier Barillet, the leading contemporary stained glass studio in Paris.
The $80,000 overhaul is badly needed. For while the window looks impressive, it has literally been rotting from the inside.
“The problem is the water was coming through with tropical storms,” said Father Yuvan Alvarez, the church pastor. “It comes in and everything inside the church is getting rusty.”
That’s apparent when one looks at the struts holding the window together in the interior of the building. Many of them have decayed to the point where they have popped loose and are hanging precariously.
All that is about to change. In September Alvarez signed a contract to redo the windows and since then the project has been moving forward. The first step was to seal the outside to prevent more rain from getting in and causing further damage.
That entailed scraping down the many coats of paint that had been slathered on over the years. For several weeks workers ground down the surface of the metal beams. They power-washed the front of the building, then primed and painted three times, changing the color of the beams from white to a reddish brown.
“The color pops out more,” said Alvarez. “Before everything was white so it was like a wall. Now it looks a little three dimensional.”
Bowling alley beginnings
Our Lady of Fatima parish was founded on June 29, 1963, when Archbishop Thomas A. Boland announced establishment of five new parishes in the Newark archdiocese. The first mass was held on July 14 of that year in the North Bergen Gardens dance hall, a former bowling alley on Bergenline Avenue.
The parish’s first pastor was Rev. George A. O’Gorman of Jersey City, who served with distinction as an army chaplain in World War II, taking part in two Pacific beachhead landings and earning five battle stars. He set up a temporary chapel and meeting rooms in a new rectory on Hudson Boulevard (later renamed Kennedy Boulevard) in September 1963.
The 2,700-square-foot window is made of 186 two-inch thick glass panels, designed by Atelier Barillet, the leading contemporary stained glass studio in Paris.
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Our Lady of Fatima Church opened in 1965, a sleek, modernist structure in vogue with the times. And the huge stained glass wall facing the street reflected that.
Funded by contributions
“When you go inside you see how beautiful the light is,” said Alvarez. The view from inside is truly breathtaking; brilliantly colorful and a considerable surprise after seeing only the muted colors outside.
Born in Colombia to a family of 21 kids, Alvarez immigrated to the U.S. in 1996. “Since I was a kid I wanted to be a priest,” he recalled. In July 2013 he became pastor of Our Lady of Fatima, and immediately began addressing the needs of the building.
Like the boiler that conked out unexpectedly earlier this year. “A good Samaritan came and repaired that for me,” he said with his customary good humor.
Then there were the steps outside the church, which were in dire need of repair. “They were very bad when I came to this place,” said Alvarez. “This year I asked for help from the parishioners.”
And they stepped up. Parishioners have been contributing steadily to the building repairs, beginning with a dinner dance in April that raised $11,000. That was followed by a flea market in October that brought in another $2,000.
Upcoming fundraisers include a tricky tray at 7 p.m. on Nov. 13 in O’Gorman Hall. Tickets are $25, with each table receiving a bottle of wine and a cheese platter.
On Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. is the Immaculate Concepcion Concert. “The concert is not only sacred music, it’s Italian, English, Spanish, and some instrumental,” said Alvarez. “Professional musicians from our parish are coming in. One is an opera singer; another is a professional violin player on tour in Egypt right now. Our organist will be playing, and someone who plays the harp.”
Then on Dec. 31 the church is holding a New Year’s party from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the basement. Dinner, champagne, and dessert are included for $40, with a cash bar.
Our Lady of Fatima offers regular services in both English and Spanish. “We have at least 1,200 at mass every weekend,” said Alvarez.
About 230 kids attend religious education classes at the church. They also provide a food pantry that serves at least 180 people, and give aid to seniors.
“I love to work,” said the tireless Alvarez. “I love to be involved in making the parish beautiful.”
For information on upcoming events or to contribute, call 201-869-7244 or visit ourladyoffatimanj.org.
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.