Holy Name of Jesus sits on Midland Avenue in East Orange, New Jersey, a Catholic parish that has anchored its neighborhood since 1910 and that worships in a church building completed in 1933. Inside that building, a three-manual Estey pipe organ installed in 1938 still fills the sanctuary with sound, and the parish community continues to gather around a regular schedule of Masses, devotions, and ministries shaped by more than a century of East Orange Catholics.
The 1910 Founding from a 1904 Collection
The parish traces its roots to a collection taken up in 1904 at St. John's Church in neighboring Orange, New Jersey, where East Orange Catholics were traveling for Mass. The vision was straightforward: build a church in East Orange for the rapidly growing Catholic population there. The collection continued until 1910, when Holy Name of Jesus was established as a separate parish under the pastorate of Father Matthew J. Farley, who led the community from 1910 to 1925.
That same year, the first Holy Name church, the old Church, was built at Brighton Avenue and Everett Street. It came with a rectory on Brighton Avenue, a school on North Park Street, and a convent in a house next to the school. Within fifteen years, the growth of the parish had already outgrown those buildings, and plans for a larger complex began to take shape.
Father Edward A. Degen became pastor in 1925. In 1927 he laid the cornerstone of the present school and rectory, both completed a year later at a cost of $267,000, with the school ready to enroll more than three hundred children. The old school on North Park Street was dismantled. In 1929, Archbishop Walsh presided at the cornerstone ceremony for the present church of the Holy Name of Jesus. The new church was fully completed in 1933 at a cost of approximately $450,000 and was noted as one of the most beautiful churches in the Archdiocese.
Father Degen was followed by Fathers Patrick J. Maloney (1941 - 1962), Thomas Reilly (1962 - 1965), Francis Mulquinn (1965 - 1980), and James Heavey (1980 - 1987). A new convent was completed in 1957 at a cost of $400,000, with a chapel seating thirty-five, six parlors for visitors, and living quarters for the nuns. The late 1980s and 1990s brought financial strain under Fathers Thomas E. Henry (1988 - 1994), Kenneth Martin (1994 - 1996), and Robert Rischmann (1996 - 2003). The Holy Name School was eventually sold, the convent was converted to a parish center, and the basement of the parish center was leased to a child care facility.
Father William Cook, pastor from 2004 to 2017, oversaw the rental of the first floor of the parish center and the relocation of parish offices to the top floor. Religious education classes moved to Sunday mornings right after the first Mass. Through all of these changes, the parish has relied on a generation of parishioners determined to see Holy Name of Jesus through its second century.
Mass Times, Reconciliation, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet
The weekly Mass schedule is traditional and easy to follow. Saturday Vigil Mass is at 5:30 PM, and Sunday Masses are at 9:00 AM and 11:30 AM. Weekday Mass is celebrated at 8:00 AM, Monday through Saturday, in the chapel. Reconciliation is heard on Saturdays from 4:30 to 5:00 PM, or by arrangement through the rectory at any other time.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed on Saturdays following the 8:00 AM Mass, and Eucharistic Adoration is held on the First Friday and First Saturday of each month from 8:00 to 10:00 AM in the chapel.
Sunday Mass is also the natural setting for Baptisms, which are scheduled after the 11:30 AM Mass once parents have registered at the rectory, presented the child's birth certificate, and provided sponsor certificates for any godparents who are not members of the parish.
The Estey Pipe Organ, Installed in 1938
Among the most distinctive features of the church is its Estey pipe organ, a three-manual instrument with electro-pneumatic action that the Estey Organ Corporation installed in 1938. Most of the pipework was originally built by Estey for the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City in 1921, with additional ranks made for Grace Presbyterian Church in Camden in 1933. The instrument contains thirty-one ranks of pipes, approximately 1,782 in all.
Over the decades, the organ has needed significant attention. The original Swell and Choir division windchests have been removed, and the Great division received a windchest built by A.R. Schopp's Sons Corporation of Alliance, Ohio, which has performed well. The three-manual and pedal console holds more than fifteen hundred electrical contacts and electro-pneumatic switches, with felt bumpers that have deteriorated and a combination action that is no longer fully functional. A 2021 renovation study by organ consultant James Konzelman outlined a path forward, beginning with the design and installation of a new Swell division to restore the instrument's musical completeness.
The parish choir continues to accompany the liturgy from this organ, and the Music Ministry remains an active part of parish life.
Marriage, Anointing, and the Other Sacraments
Couples planning to marry are asked to make arrangements with the priest at least one year in advance of the wedding date. For the homebound and hospitalized, Holy Name of Jesus offers a ministry to the sick: those who would like a visit from the parish priest, a deacon, or a Eucharistic Minister bringing Holy Communion are invited to call the rectory to arrange a visit.
First Reconciliation and First Communion are normally part of the parish's religious education program, and Confirmation preparation is offered as well. Adults who have not yet received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist are welcomed into the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, with classes scheduled as needed for those preparing to enter the Church.
Religious Education for Grades One Through Eight
The parish's religious education program welcomes students from grade one through grade eight, with classes held from September through May. The program sees itself as a partner with parents in the faith formation of their children, drawing on the Catechism of the Catholic Church's teaching that faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and all that he has revealed. Families are asked to register and to present any necessary certificates before a child begins classes, and registration forms can be downloaded and submitted to the Parish Secretary.
The program continues a long tradition at Holy Name of Jesus. Before the parish school closed in the late 1990s, more than three hundred children were enrolled in classes held in the school building. Today, those Sunday morning CCD classes meet in the parish center right after the first Mass.
Prayer Groups, Youth, and Liturgical Volunteers
Parish life at Holy Name of Jesus revolves around a number of lay-led prayer and fellowship groups. There is a Men's Prayer Group, a Women's Prayer Group, and a Mother's Prayer Group, each gathering to pray together and to support one another. The parish also has a Youth Group, which meets in a Youth Center that was recently established through the work of dedicated parishioners.
Outside the prayer groups, the parish depends on a wide range of liturgical volunteers. Ushers greet worshippers at each Mass. Lectors proclaim the readings, and Altar Servers assist at the altar. Eucharistic Ministers help distribute Holy Communion. The Choir and Music Ministry lift the music of the liturgy each week, and the parish's Greeters extend a first word of welcome. The Parish Council, Finance Committee, and Liturgy Committee keep the work of the church running, and the Trustees serve alongside them.
For those wishing to step into any of these roles, the parish invites volunteers to sign up as hospitality helpers, ushers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, choir members, greeters, or religious education catechists.
The 1933 Church and the Parish Center
The 1933 church remains the heart of the parish, with the present school and rectory built alongside it in 1927 and 1928 and the convent, now the parish center, completed in 1957. The parish school was sold in the late 1990s, and part of the parish center was leased to a child care facility, but the church itself continues to hold the community together through Mass, the sacraments, and the regular rhythm of prayer.
The Estey pipe organ is one part of a larger story of stewardship: parishioners have repeatedly stepped forward to repair, restore, and maintain the buildings and grounds, from the major repair of the front steps and ground area in the early 2000s to ongoing fundraising for the organ and parish facilities.
Today's Pastoral Team
The parish is led by Rev. Frederick A. Pfeifer, pastor, and served by Deacon Leo Woodruff, who also serves as President of the Liturgy Committee. Anthony Jimenez is the Parish Council President, and Jim Lisanti is President of the Finance Committee. The Parish Catechetical Leader is Marva Rudder. Dr. Faith Muriithi leads the Youth Group, and Sharon Haynes coordinates the Eucharistic Ministers. Dr. Denise McFadden serves as Prolife Liaison. Angelita Diaz and Nita Malazo coordinate decorations and hospitality together.
The rectory office is at 246 Dodd Street in East Orange, with office hours Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The parish can be reached at 973-675-4444 or at info@hnjeo.org. New parishioners are invited to register at the rectory.