[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 29, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E98]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 29, 2003

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the 
100th anniversary of Our Lady of the Assumption Church. The church 
celebrated its anniversary on Saturday, November 2, 2002, which Bayonne 
Mayor Joseph V. Doria, Jr., proclaimed as Our Lady of the Assumption 
Centennial Day.
  In the early 1900s, a group of Italian-speaking immigrants decided 
that the Bayonne community needed a national parish that would truly 
serve the needs of the people. They petitioned the Bishop of Newark to 
establish a parish that would use the Italian language at mass and 
other services, allowing for both native and non-native English 
speakers to benefit from the service. The parish was officially 
established in June of 1902, and Monsignor Michael Mercolino delivered 
the first mass in a small store on 21st Street on June 3, 1902. 
Monsignor Mercolino's participation with the Church did not end there; 
he dedicated and devoted his time to the parish until 1945.
  Our Lady of the Assumption has grown over the past century from that 
first group of Italian immigrants to a multicultural congregation that 
celebrates mass and other services in three languages: English, 
Spanish, and Italian. Three church buildings have also been 
established: the first in 1902, the second in 1911, and the third in 
1976. The City of Bayonne is a better place thanks to the inclusive and 
generous ways of the ever-growing Our Lady of Assumption Church.
  Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Our Lady of the 
Assumption Church Centennial Day, a profound and monumental day in the 
history of the City of Bayonne.

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