Montclair Church Takes Big Step Toward New Future As ‘Oratory’

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A house of worship in Montclair that seemed headed for closure a few years ago will be expanding Masses and installing a new rector, all part of its new future as an “oratory,” church leaders announced last weekend.

The Archdiocese of Newark ordered Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Montclair to close in 2016. However, the church eventually merged with Immaculate Conception Church following an extended community campaign to keep it open, forming a new entity: the parish of St. Teresa of Calcutta.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel shut its doors in 2019 to make building repairs, reopening in November 2021. But since then, Mass has taken place only on Saturday afternoons, which some residents say is not enough.

That’s about to change, church leaders announced last weekend. According to a message from the Rev. John Chadwick, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Newark:

“As we celebrate the annual St. Sebastian Feast this weekend, there is no better time to bring joyous news to the Catholic faithful in Montclair. On behalf of Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the Archdiocese of Newark is pleased to announce that Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been established as an oratory that will continue to serve the community of faithful with a newly appointed designated rector and a full schedule of weekday and weekend Mass celebrations.”

Chadwick continued:

“Our Lady of Mount Carmel Oratory is designated as a worship place for daily prayer and a full schedule to celebrate Masses and the sacraments. Beginning Labor Day weekend, Masses are scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 8:30 a.m., Saturdays at 4:30 p.m., and Sundays at 11 a.m. Cardinal Tobin and the Archdiocesan staff warmly welcome the oratory’s new full-time rector, the Rev. Giandomenico Flora, who will regularly celebrate Mass at the oratory. A special Mass to celebrate his installation will be scheduled and announced in the near future.”

The “oratory” classification for Our Lady of Mount Carmel provides the faith community with the ability to help discern the future of the church in consultation with the rector and the archdiocese, Chadwick said.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Oratory remains a church under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Newark, operating “fully and independently,” yet within the parish community of St. Teresa of Calcutta.

Chadwick added:

“We are pleased to report that more than $300,000 in repairs have been made to the church building and an additional combined $55,000 in grant funding is being provided by the archdiocese to fund renewal and furnishing costs. A dedicated pastoral council and finance council also will be established to help oversee the oratory’s administration and vitality. The councils will work with the rector and community to ensure that the oratory continues to thrive and that ongoing criteria to sustain success and viability, such as robust attendance and sacramental and financial benchmarks, are met. These benchmarks will be monitored and reviewed within a designated period of time to ensure the endurance and continuation of the oratory’s self-reliance.”

“We know that many parishioners have been yearning to come together for weekday and weekend Masses as well as to have a designated celebrant to call their own,” Chadwick wrote. “Now, it is imperative that we have the active participation and robust support from the community to ensure that the oratory will thrive and grow.”

Our Lady of Mount Carmel has a storied history, montclaircatholics.org says:

“Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish was established in 1907 to serve the needs of newly arrived immigrants from Italy. The first Mass was celebrated on Sunday, September 8, 1907. A wooden structure served for worship until 1937, when the imposing church that now dominates this section of Montclair was built. Both the current rectory and church were constructed during a suffocating depression period and yet the people and their pastor were determined to overcome all obstacles and see the fulfillment of their dream. In October, 1961, the parish purchased the former George Washington School on Baldwin Street for use as a parish school. The Religious Sisters Filippini arrived in the parish in 1939 and were housed in the former rectory until 1961 when a house on 102 Pine Street was purchased for use as a convent. In June 1971 the sisters withdrew from the parish and school which was soon closed. The former school was sold and developed as a condominium complex.”

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