The story of any parish is a story of faith. This is uniquely true of this parish; the story of Our Lady of Sorrows began a long time before the actual founding.
In 1902, the faith of Monsignor Ernest J. Monteleone led him to America to fill a need in the Italian community of Jersey City. By 1903, he had finished overseeing the building of Holy Rosary Church after its pastor, Rev. Sciolla, passed away. In 1905, he purchased an abandoned Baptist Church in the Marion section and founded the parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
Then, in August 1913, Msgr. Monteleone purchased an unused Presbyterian church at 73 Claremont Avenue to accommodate the Italian Catholics in the Greenville section. In 1913, it was dedicated as a mission church of Mt. Carmel, and named in honor of Our Lady of Sorrows. At the time, Msgr. Monteleone arranged masses so that he could serve both Mt. Carmel and Our Lady of Sorrows on Sundays.
But Our Lady of Sorrows Parish was growing rapidly, so rapidly that her own story now begins. Msgr. Monteleone resigned from Mt. Carmel Church to serve as the pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows, no longer a mission but now an established parish in Greenville. Its territory was broad; covering the area bounded by the New York and Newark Bays, from the Bayonne/Jersey City line to Communipaw Avenue.
In April, 1918, Msgr. Monteleone purchased property at 93-95 Clerk Street on which stood a house and a barn. The barn was altered to become the parish hall. The rectory became part of the new church building on the grounds.
The parish continued to grow, and in December 1922, acquired the present site of the school and convent buildings. For almost ten years, parishioners had been talking about building a new church as the original church building seated only 368 and had never accommodated all who wanted to attend the masses. Msgr. Montelone appealed to Archbishop Thomas Walsh. He visited the parish and examined the property, and after noting the large attendance, granted permission for the building of the new church.
Those were lean years, the years of the Great Depression for the entire country. Faith, conviction, and generosity built the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows. It was dedicated in 1935. Erected in modern Romanesque style with a seating capacity of 600, it is believed to the first church in the area with no columns, thus allowing a clear view of the sanctuary.
The school had been started originally in the converted barn, and staffed by the Religious Teachers Filippini. The new permanent school building, located at 68-72 Claremont Avenue, opened in September, 1935.
The Filippini Sisters resided in the permanent convent at 119 Clerk Street, which opened May 19, 1935 and could accommodated twelve.
In thanksgiving for the blessings of the parish, Msgr. Monteleone in 1941 erected the first shrine to Our Lady of Sorrows. Like the present landmark on the southeast corners of Claremont and Ocean, that too was a splendid reproduction of Michelangelo's world-renowned pieta. The parish continued to grow and in June of 1949 Reverend Benjamin Piazza became Associate Pastor.
Exactly twenty years after the opening of the convent, on May 19, 1955, Msgr. Montelone, founder and pastor died. He was interred at the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows. On June 27, 1955 the Rev. Laurence Cardelichio was made pastor by Archbishop Thomas A. Boland.
On May 28, 1958 the Archbishop approved the purchase of the Orient Theatre on Ocean Avenue to be renovated as the parish auditorium. It is still used for weekly bingo games and social events.
Every parish shares the problems of the larger community, and in the 1960's, Our Lady of Sorrows, like every other urban parish, faced the problems of her people leaving the city for the suburbs. The decline in population was evident both in lowered church attendance and in the decreasing number of pupils in school. By 1971, the school had closed and the sisters had moved away.
Other changes were beginning, some changes called for by the Second Vatican Council: the changes in the liturgy and a challenge to the laity to assume more and greater responsibilities. With the guidance of Monsignor Cardelichio and Rev. Joseph Affansoso, a parish council was formed in 1976. During this time, Msgr. Cardelichio retired.
On September 11, 1976, Rev. James O'Brien was named pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows. Our Lady of Sorrows was to become, as it had been in the early days, a mission church. There was no longer a predominantly Italian population. In the ecumenical spirit of Vatican II, OLS would now service the needs of the neighboring community.
The school may have closed, but by the unanimous vote of the parish council, education was to continue.
In 1978 Dominican sisters came to live in OLS' empty convent. One year later, Sister Elise Redmerski resigned as principal of Saint John the Baptist School on Kennedy Boulevard to work in the parish as a Pastoral Associate. In 1980 Sister Alice McCoy left her position as the Coordinator of Education of Health Care Ministries for the Archdiocese to work at Our Lady of Sorrows, also as a Pastoral Associate.
By 1981, the sisters had established Mary House: A Center for Concern. Community meetings are held, consulting can be provided, prayers are offered, neighbors can get together, and an Emergency Food Pantry responds to people's needs. In 1982, Mary House was declared a Peace Site by New Jersey SANE, now a part of PEACE ACTION.
Father O'Brien's concerns had been recognized for many years: for housing and education, for the African -American community, for the problems of the city, for peace and justice - in other words, for his dedication to the gospel.
Under his leadership, the parish embraced the ecumenical spirit with the implementation of annual jazz prayer concerts and gatherings with nearby churches, especially Claremont Presbyterian, that continue today.
Father O'Brien reached beyond the city limits through his weekly radio program Carousel that was broadcast twice a week by WSOU of Seton Hall University.
OLS lost its beloved pastor on February 13, 1998. The Rev. John Cryan of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Jersey City was named Administrator. With the assistance of Sister Elise and Sister Alice, the resilient and vibrant parish community of OLS continued to flourish.
In 2002, the Archdiocese of Newark began the New Energies Program. Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mercy were in phase one. After months of discernment Our Lady of Sorrows and our Lady of Mercy petitioned the Archdiocese to have our churches become linked communities. the request was granted.
In July of 2016 Father John( Jack) Cryan was appointed to the seminary faculty at Seton Hall. July 1. 2016, Father Marty Jacinto was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Mercy and administrator of Our Lady of Sorrows.
In May of 2015 Bishop Donato requested that OLS start a Spanish Mass to service the many Spanish people who have moved into the neighborhood. Father Gustavo, the pastor at Christ the King ministered to the spanish community until his return to Argentina to care for his ailing mother.
On July 1, 2017 at the request of New Energies our linkage with Our Lady of Mercy was dissolved and we began our linkage with Christ the King. The appointed adminstrator for both parishes was Father Thomas C. Roberts. Father Tom served Our Lady of Sorrows and Christ the King from July to October. He resigned due to illness and died in December.
Cardinal Tobin then appointed Father Esterminio Chica as our pastor and Father Robert Tooman as our Parochial Vicar. Both Father Mino and Father Bob are fluent in Spanish and service the masses in English and Spanish.