Notre Dame Church Turns 50

Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church in North Caldwell will have a 50th Anniversary liturgy on Sunday, June 10, at noon. There will be a procession of longtime parishioners and their invited guests, as well as former clergy members. The Mass will be followed by a brunch in the Parish Center.

was founded in 1962 by Fr. John E. Murphy to serve a growing population of West Essex Catholics who had moved to the area primarily from Newark. 

In the early years, Fr. Murphy purchased a home to serve as a rectory, and the rectory basement was the site of the weekday Eucharist, with as many as 70 members squeezing in to partake. Sunday masses were celebrated in the auditorium of .

A Building Committee co-chaired by members Frank Rubino and Joe Spencer launched a capital campaign to raise $700,000. (Rubino remains a very active member to this day.) 

The church and adjacent school were dedicated on May 25, 1965, and at the time served 450 families.

Fr. Murphy retired in 1980 and was succeeded by Msgr. Harold Darcy, and the church grew to 880 families in the 80s. Msgr. Edward Ciuba became Notre Dame's third pastor in July of 1987, serving until his retirement in 2009 when Fr. Anthony Randazzo, former Parochial Vicar at Notre Dame Church, was named the fourth pastor. 

Notre Dame has quadrupled in size since it was founded 50 years ago, currently serving 1,700 families. 

The information in this history is taken from the Notre Dame website. Read more at www.notredameparish.myownparish.com .