When St. Anthony of Padua Church in downtown Jersey City holds its annual festival on July 9 through 11, the focus will be not only on sharing a joyous occasion for the community – but also on money.
The church, on Monmouth Street near Sixth Street, is seeking the public’s help to raise funds for restoration work on its 126-year-old exterior. Some of the interior restoration has already been done and can be viewed by the public.
Intricate designs
The need for funds is substantial, according to church member Cecelia Juskiewicz, one of the co-chairpersons of the festival.
For Juskiewicz, a resident of the city’s Greenville section, seeing the church made over on the outside is a personal endeavor. Her grandparents and parents were married in St. Anthony’s – and she was baptized there.
“Over $1 to 2 million dollars of work needs to be done,” said Juskiewicz, a member for five years. “The masonry, some of it is cracks and pieces are falling.”
In 1884, the church was built by about 100 parishioners.
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“I would be so thrilled to hear the St. Anthony’s bells, because it reminds me of my childhood,”
Juskiewicz said.
Krystyna Jurewicz, a St. Anthony’s parishioner for about nine years, said the church is unlike any other she has seen in her lifetime.
“I love St. Anthony’s because when you walk in, it is not contemporary, but something from another time,” Jurewicz said.
A stalwart of the Polish community
In 1884, a forerunner to the church was built by about 100 parishioners as a small wood-framed structure on the corner of Sixth and Monmouth streets.
Named after the 13th century Portuguese-Italian saint known as the “Doctor of Miracles,” the church served the growing Polish community in Jersey City.
The present church building was built in 1892. It is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.
At its peak in the early 1900s, the church served 10,000 people, many of whom were Polish immigrants who were able to hear mass celebrated in their native language. The church still holds a mass in Polish today.
Under the leadership of Father Joseph Urban, the church currently has a membership of 450 people, coming from different parts of Hudson County and also from as far away as Trenton, Wallington, and Teaneck.
Juskiewicz describes the church as “open and friendly” and said it will be open for visitors during the festival to see the interior, which was restored about four years ago.
Inside, visitors can view the church altar, pews, and other sections that have been brought back to their original form. They also can see a remnant of the original church’s interior – completely destroyed in a fire in 1895 and rebuilt a few years later – known as the “miraculous crucifix,” the original wooden crucifix hanging over the altar that escaped the fire.
Come to the festival
The St. Anthony of Padua Festival (also known as I ♥ St. Anthony Festival) will be held on Friday, July 9 and Saturday, July 10 from 5 to 11 p.m., and Sunday, July 11 from 1 to 10 p.m., on Sixth Street between Monmouth and Brunswick streets.
The festival will be held rain or shine, and will offer free admission and free parking.
Attendees can enjoy Polish, Italian and Philippine food and beverages, including potato pancakes and bubble tea, reflecting the church’s diverse membership.
Also, games and raffles like the Money Wheel, Super 50/50 and Moon Bounce will be available for the kids, as well as live music.
For more information on the festival and the restoration effort, call the church at (201) 653-0343.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.