A Parish Built for West Essex Families on the Move
Notre Dame Church sits on a quiet stretch of Central Avenue in North Caldwell, New Jersey, where it has served as a Roman Catholic home for families in the West Essex hills for more than six decades. Founded in 1962 by Father John E. Murphy, the parish was a direct response to a wave of young couples leaving urban Newark in the 1960s to find housing for their growing families, many of whom settled in the suburbs that border North Caldwell, West Caldwell, Fairfield, Roseland, and Verona.
Before the church and school opened, Father Murphy purchased a home across from the eventual building site that doubled as his rectory and as a temporary chapel. The basement of that house could hold about seventy people for weekday liturgies, while Sunday Masses were celebrated in the auditorium of West Essex High School. In March 1964, a one-day fundraising drive pulled in $202,000 toward a $700,000 building goal; by May 25, 1965, the new combined church and school were dedicated to 450 founding families. Four Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill moved into a convent on the property to staff the school, and the parish settled into a rhythm that has carried it through five pastorates and into a present-day family of more than 1,900 households.
The Parish Center Chapel and the Main Church
Notre Dame's sacramental life is centered in two worship spaces. The main church on Central Avenue hosts the weekend schedule, while a smaller Parish Center Chapel holds the weekday Masses. The Mass schedule is posted on the parish directory and runs as follows: Saturday (anticipated) at 5:00 pm; Sunday at 8:00 am, 10:00 am, and 12:00 noon; Monday through Friday at 7:00 am and 9:00 am in the Parish Center Chapel. The 7:00 am weekday Mass is suspended during the summer months, leaving 9:00 am as the year-round daily option for those who wish to begin the day in prayer.
For those unable to attend in person, Mass is livestreamed on YouTube at the parish channel, and recordings of recent services are kept on the same channel for later viewing. The Saturday Vigil at 5:00 pm provides a convenient entry point for visitors who cannot make Sunday morning, and the 12:00 noon Mass closes the weekend cycle for working families.
Confession, Anointing, and the Other Sacraments
Reconciliation is offered every Saturday afternoon from 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm in the small Reconciliation Chapels set into each of the church's transepts - a generous window for those who want to prepare for the Vigil Mass. The sacrament is also offered on the Tuesday before Christmas and on the Tuesday of Holy Week, between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm in the church. Appointments outside of those times can be arranged by calling the Parish Office during business hours.
Anointing of the Sick is celebrated at all Masses on two weekends each year - in late fall and on the Second Sunday of Lent - and on most weekends the priest is able to anoint the sick following any Mass. The sacrament can also be brought to a home or healthcare facility by appointment, ensuring that those who are homebound do not lose access to this healing rite.
Baptism of infants and young children is celebrated throughout the year, except during Lent, on designated Sundays at 1:30 pm in the church. Parents are asked to contact the Parish Office to schedule a date, and a required pre-baptismal meeting is built into the preparation. Adults seeking Baptism are pointed toward the parish's OCIA process. Confirmation preparation for youth is coordinated by the Director of Religious Education, while adult candidates work with the Pastoral Associate.
Marriage preparation begins with a phone call to the parish secretary to check date availability, followed by an in-person meeting with a priest before the wedding can be booked on the calendar. Pre-Cana and God's Plan for a Joy Filled Marriage are both part of the process. Weddings are scheduled on weekdays between 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm, on Saturdays at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, or 3:00 pm, and on Sundays at 2:00 pm or 3:00 pm.
Funerals follow a three-fold pattern: a Wake Service at a funeral home, the Funeral Liturgy at the church, and the Committal Service at the cemetery. A team of Funeral Planners from the parish Bereavement Ministry contacts each family to help prepare the liturgy, and the parish has assembled a library of suggested First and Second Readings, prayers, and music selections to make those conversations easier.
Five Pastors and a Story That Keeps Growing
The parish's six decades sit on the shoulders of five pastors. Father Murphy saw it from a single 450-family mission to a flourishing church, school, and convent campus before his retirement in 1980. Monsignor Harold Darcy, fresh from studies in Rome, succeeded him and led renovations to bring the sanctuary in line with new liturgical guidelines while preserving its beauty; by the time he finished his tenure, the parish numbered 880 families. Monsignor Edward Ciuba, a former Rector of Immaculate Conception Seminary, took over in July 1987 and oversaw the construction of a new modular rectory on the knoll beside the church and the conversion of the vacated school building into what is now the Notre Dame Parish Center.
Father Anthony Randazzo, a former parochial vicar of the parish, was appointed as the fourth pastor in early 2009. Since February 2015, Father Thomas A. Dente has served as Notre Dame's fifth pastor. The parish describes its growth in plain terms: where once stood 450 families, today more than 1,900 households count Notre Dame as their spiritual home.
The parish's Marian identity runs through the whole story. The name "Notre Dame" means "Our Lady," and the Blessed Virgin Mary is the patroness of the parish. Both indoor and outdoor shrines to Mary are part of the campus; the indoor shrine features a hand-carved Italian statue of Mary with the Child Jesus that the parish commissioned and that draws members of all ages to spend time in prayer.
Religious Education for Children and Adults
Faith formation at Notre Dame is organized as Family Faith Formation rather than a drop-off model: the program is built on the conviction that parents are the primary teachers of the faith, and the parish comes alongside them. The Director of Religious Education, Allison Pienciak, and Assistant Director Victoria Tedesco welcome all children and work with families of children with disabilities to make the sacraments and liturgy fully accessible. Registration for the 2026-2027 year was open when the parish published its most recent bulletin cycle.
Adults who have not yet received the sacraments of initiation are invited into the parish's OCIA - the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults - which meets weekly during the formation season. The process is open to unbaptized adults, to those baptized in another Christian tradition, and to baptized Catholics who have not yet received Confirmation or First Communion. Anita Foley, the Pastoral Associate, is the named contact for adults who want to talk through the steps.
Youth Ministry Rooted in the Antioch Retreat
High school teens from Notre Dame and beyond are welcomed by Youth Minister Kristen Mautone. The cornerstone experience is the Antioch Retreat, a weekend led by Notre Dame teens using peer sharing, music, games, and prayer to make Jesus a lived reality. Antioch runs twice a year, with weekly follow-up sessions, and is open to teens in ninth grade and up. The parish also runs an annual summer mission trip; recent destinations have included Appalachia, West Virginia, Mississippi, and New Orleans, with year-round fundraisers underwriting the effort. Homeless sleepouts and other outreach events round out the calendar, and adult volunteers are always needed for both single events and ongoing support.
Liturgical Ministries You Can Join
Sunday and weekday Masses at Notre Dame are supported by a wide bench of lay ministers. The Music Ministry, led by Director of Music Mike Tedesco, holds open choir practice on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 pm in the church and seeks singers and instrumentalists of all skill levels. Altar servers must be in fourth through twelfth grade and go through a formal training process; Deacon Matt DeVoti coordinates the program. Lectors proclaim the First and Second Readings as well as the Prayers of the Faithful when no deacon is present. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist with the distribution of Communion at Mass and bring the Eucharist to the sick and homebound. The Ministry of Ushers, recently rebuilt under a new head usher, welcomes people as they arrive, presents the gifts at the Offertory, and takes up the collection. The Liturgical Environment Ministry designs the church's visual atmosphere to match the tone of each liturgical season and is always looking for new members.
For adults who want something outside the sanctuary, the parish also hosts two small groups that meet weekly: the Men of Faith Group on Mondays at 7:00 pm in the Williams Suite, and the Women's Ministry Book Club on select evenings at 7:30 pm in the Bennett Room. The Rosarians, an open group honoring the Blessed Mother, gather on Wednesday mornings after the 9:00 am Mass to pray the Rosary and to teach others how to pray it.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry
Every other Monday afternoon, a quieter form of ministry meets in the Bennett Room. The Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and crochets simple shawls, beginning each gathering with a prayer and blessing for the recipient and continuing those intentions throughout the creation of the shawls. A final blessing is offered before each shawl is given out. Beginners who have never knitted or crocheted are welcome - the group's experienced members are happy to teach - and those unable to attend meetings can create shawls at home and drop them off at the Parish Office for blessing and distribution. Anyone who knows someone who might find comfort in a prayer shawl is invited to call the Parish Office to request one.
Christine's Kitchen, the Giving Tree, and Creation Care
Notre Dame's outreach to the wider community takes several practical forms. Christine's Kitchen is a free weekly lunch program served in the Guild Hall at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in West Orange; Notre Dame takes its turn as host four times throughout the year, with parishioners donating needed supplies to make those hosting days work. The Christmas Giving Tree invites the parish to share gifts and resources with those less fortunate in different locations based on need.
A newer expression of stewardship is the Creation Care Ministry. In the spirit of Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si', the parish has begun programming thermostats for energy efficiency, recycling, switching to compostable service ware, encouraging electronic giving, installing energy-efficient lighting throughout the parish center and church, and participating in the West Essex Ministerial Association Green Team. The Creation Care Team, along with bulletin features and parish-wide speakers, are designed to keep the parish engaged with the climate crisis as a matter of faith.
The Winter Artisan Fair
Each November, Notre Dame turns the parish campus into a holiday marketplace. The Winter Artisan Fair brings eighty or more local artisans to Central Avenue for a single Saturday of shopping, raffles, food, and handmade gifts, with free entry for visitors. Tricky Tray baskets, a 50/50 cash raffle, and coffee and baked goods round out the day. Volunteers, sponsors, and prospective vendors are invited to step in ahead of the next fair.
An Archdiocesan Initiative: We Are His Witnesses
Notre Dame is part of the Archdiocese of Newark's pastoral initiative called "We Are His Witnesses," launched by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin on Pentecost in June 2025. Drawing on Pope Francis's Evangelii Gaudium, the multi-year process invites every parish in the archdiocese to walk a path of pastoral conversion in response to a changing world. Notre Dame keeps the Cardinal's letters, the pastor's reflections on each round, an infographic, and the round-one pastorate models on hand for parishioners who want to follow the conversation.
Getting to the Parish and Inside the Building
Notre Dame is accessible from several directions via Route 80, Route 46, the Garden State Parkway, Route 287, and Route 23. Detailed driving directions from each approach are available; in general, the church is a quarter mile or two off whichever major road brings you in, and Central Avenue places it directly in front of you. Wheelchair access is via the Parish Center Entrance on the right side of the church building, which leads to the church, the chapel, and meeting rooms. The church has five pews with designated wheelchair spaces, and all restrooms in the main hallway are accessible. Parking for the Parish Hall is located behind the church.
The Parish Office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and on Saturdays from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm; during those hours the church is also open for prayer. Giving is available online through ParishSOFT, where parishioners can set up automatic contributions from a checking account or credit card, and the parish publishes an annual financial disclosure for transparency.
How to Register and Get Involved
Parishioners can register through an online census form or by calling the Parish Office. Active registered members become eligible to serve as baptismal sponsors or godparents. Newcomers are invited to introduce themselves to Father Dente after any Mass; anyone interested in volunteering in Religious Education, the Youth Ministry, the Music Ministry, the Liturgical Environment Ministry, or as a reader or Minister of Holy Communion can reach out to the parish office for next steps.