Viva San Gerardo!
This year’s four-day celebration for the feast of St. Gerard Majella at St. Lucy’s Church, the National Shrine of St. Gerard Majella, in Newark, New Jersey, brought together a profound celebration of faith, community, and tradition. Under the guidance of the Comboni Missionaries, St. Lucy’s Church serves as a cherished center of worship, heritage, and fellowship. This year’s festivities marked both the feast day of St. Gerard Majella, canonized in 1904, and the 125th anniversary of St. Lucy’s Church’s honoring their co-patron saint, our beloved Redemptorist lay brother known for his compassion and miracles, particularly for families, mothers, and children.
Clearly a reunion spot for the Italian diaspora, this year’s feast day celebrations were a testament to the enduring power of this devotion. The event highlighted the deep devotion of the Italian-American community, as generations came together to reconnect with their heritage. Many in attendance were descendants of Italian immigrants from the Province of Avellino, Italy, who had first established St. Lucy’s Church in the late 19th century. The Italians of that era, far from home, found solace and identity in their love for St. Gerard, who himself walked the streets of the Avellino Province centuries earlier.
Though the Italian immigrant population that first filled the pews of St. Lucy’s Church has largely dispersed, the feast day saw them reunited in spirit and devotion, joined by the vibrant, diverse community that Newark has become. Today, St. Lucy’s Church is a parish where Spanish-speaking, Black, and Asian Catholics are equally welcomed and integral to the fabric of the church. With Mass celebrated six times a day for the length of the Feast Day celebrations, the Eucharist, the timeless center of our faith, connected all gathered to the living presence of Christ in our midst, exemplifying the deep unity, that faith fosters across generations and cultures. Known as a patron saint for mothers, St. Gerard’s reputation for miraculous intervention has drawn countless visitors to Newark, so much so that in 1977, St. Lucy’s Church was designated as the National Shrine of St. Gerard Majella by the National Conference of U.S. Bishops.
The highlight of the celebration was a grand procession through the streets of Newark, a journey that took St. Gerard, draped in donations and accompanied by a brass band, out into the neighborhood, symbolically visiting the homes and streets of those whose ancestors are said to have known St. Gerard personally in Italy. This pilgrimage of the heart, mind, and soul connected those original immigrants, who had carried their faith across an ocean to new lives in Newark, with today’s faithful – an Ecuadorian bakery distributed artisanal bread to all as the St. Gerard procession passed their bakery. This example of devotion is a visible reminder of the deep love the community has for St. Gerard, as well as their gratitude for the blessings received through his intercession.
A tradition started in 1899, this procession moves through the heart of Newark, passing by the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, underscoring St. Lucy’s Church’s role in the larger Newark Catholic community. Although Cardinal Joseph Tobin, CSsR, Archbishop of Newark, was unable to attend the feast day events due to his participation in the Synod Assembly in Rome, his Redemptorist spirit and pastoral care were recognized by those present.
As a Lay Missionary of the Most Holy Redeemer, it was profoundly gratifying to witness the spirit of St. Gerard Majella bridging generations and cultural backgrounds in a shared devotion. St. Lucy’s Church’s celebration of St. Gerard was not only a tribute to the Saint, but also a testimony to the power of unity in faith. St. Lucy’s Church, the National Shrine of St. Gerard Majella, remains a place where devotion transcends cultural backgrounds and languages, bringing people together to honor God’s work through the life of a humble Redemptorist Brother. This feast day celebration, rich in joy, history, and community, was truly a blessing to behold, connected past and present in a shared reverence for St. Gerard, and promised hope and unity for generations to come.
St. Gerard Majella, continue to intercede for us!
Lucy Burich McNamara
Lay Missionary of the Most Holy Redeemer, Baltimore Province
