[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 72 (Friday, May 30, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          THE 180TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

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                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 30, 1997

  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to your attention the 
momentous occasion of the 180th anniversary of St. Paul's Episcopal 
Church of Paterson, N.J.
  As one of the oldest parishes in Paterson, St. Paul's was founded in 
1817 by newly arrived English immigrants Mr. and Mrs. Mark W. Collet 
who missed the Anglican worship services they had enjoyed so much in 
their homeland. The church's first formal service was the baptism of 
the Collet's infant son, performed by a clergyman traveling to Paterson 
from Burlington and the congregation's first members consisted of 
friends and neighbors who attended the christening.
  Over the past 180 years, north Jersey residents have been able to 
practice their Episcopal faith in Paterson and have done so under three 
different roofs. The first services were held in the old Dutch Reformed 
Church of Totowa on Water Street and the old Paterson Academy Building 
on Market Street. Following its incorporation as St. Paul's Episcopal 
Church in 1825, the church acquired 13,000 square feet of land at 
Hamilton Square (Market and Colt Streets) gratis from Roswell Colt, 
head of the Society of Establishing Useful Manufacturers. A few months 
later, members of the congregation began constructing a church of their 
own, a simple wood edifice with a square belfry, and worshipped there 
until June 28, 1848, when the building was destroyed by a horrendous 
fire that erupted at a nearby machine shop.
  One parishioner, Robert Johnson, lost his life when he rushed into 
the sanctuary to save the church's organ, which had been played every 
Sunday by Mrs. Collet, the parish's founder and first organist. While 
parishioners were devastated, they did not lose hope or faith. While 
holding worship services at Odd Fellow's Hall on Main Street, they 
immediately began making plans for a new church at the site of the 
original structure.
  On a bright, cold January day in 1851, members happily gathered at 
their new Gothic-style limestone church for dedication services. A year 
later, a gallery was installed to accommodate an overflow of 
worshipers. A house on Church Street was acquired for a rectory.
  When membership continued to increase, the church purchased land to 
construct a larger building on the fashionable ``Eastside,'' on 
Broadway and East 18th Street.
  Ground was broken October 9, 1893 and the cornerstone was laid on May 
10, 1895. Designed by William Halsey Wood of Newark, the new church, 
styled after Durham Cathedral of England. Wood left no stone unturned 
in creating his masterpiece. A stickler for detail, he outfitted the 
building with strong, lofty towers with slitted windows like those 
Anglicans historically installed in their churches to withstand 
assaults by mighty armies. The interior of the parish was designed by 
Louis Comfort Tiffany, who complimented the congregation's handsome 
mosaic and marble alter with nine magnificent Tiffany windows.
  As membership in the congregation grew, St. Paul's took on many new 
ventures in the community. In addition to serving as a house of 
worship, it became a pacesetter for innovative, humanitarian programs. 
In so doing, it has continued to practice teachings of the Bible and 
serve the entire community as a 20th century Good Samaritan.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like for you to join me, our colleagues, the 
congregation of St. Paul's Episcopal Church and the city of Paterson in 
recognizing the momentous occasion of the 180th anniversary of St. 
Paul's Episcopal Church and in celebrating the church's survival and 
importance in the community.

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