80th Anniversary Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

80TH ANNIVERSARY. During the Mass of Thanksgiving marking the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Paterson Diocese by Pope Pius XI on Dec. 9, 1937, Bishop Serratelli censes the altar to begin the Eucharistic celebration at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. The 80th anniversary started with a year of celebrations that included the rededication of the cathedral after extensive renovations on June 24, the Feast of St. John the Baptist, the Diocese’s patron. An 80th anniversary dinner was held at the Legacy Castle in Pequannock on Sept. 8 with more than 1,300 guests. The Dec. 9 Mass was followed by a Communion breakfast featuring a talk on the history of the Diocese by Msgr. Raymond Kupke, diocesan archivist and pastor of St. Anthony Church in Hawthorne.