Paul A. Cannariato:
CLASS OF 1974
River Dell High SchoolClass of 1974
Oradell, NJ
Montclair State CollegeClass of 1978
Montclair, NJ
Saint Peter AcademyClass of 1970
River edge, NJ
Holy Trinity SchoolClass of 1970
Passaic, NJ
Cherry Hill Elementary SchoolClass of 1968
River edge, NJ
Paul A.'s Story
Life
After graduating River Dell , I went to Bergen Community College for two years and then to Montclair State for two years earning a B.A. in Philosophy. I decided than to enter the Immaculate Conception Seminary than in Mahwah, to prepare for the Roman Catholic Priesthood.As stated in the yearbook I hoped to become a priest, well, I accomlished what I set out to do in my life. I was ordained on Nov 19, 1983. I also got a M.A.in Divinity, which is a theological pastoral degree. My first assignment was to the suburb of Cranford N.J. to the parish of St. Michael.where I ministered 6 and a half years. During that time I learned alot and got the chance to go to Israel for two weeks.
I have done alot of traveling around the USA, Canada, The Caribbean, and overseas to Spain, Italy, England, France, Monaco, Greece, Croatia, during the course of these 30 years of being a priest. usually on my vacation in the summer
Hearing the call of God to the city, I was assigned in 1990 to St John the Baptist parish in Jersey City N.J., a very multicultural multiethnic parish where i learned to speak spanish and minister to both english speaking and spanish speaking communities, and the various cultures and ethnicities we had . I spent 8 happy years there.I got to got to Rome twice and met Pope John Paul II personally and celebrated mass with him at his summer residence , and got to tour around Ital...Expand for more
y, I also went back to Rome in 2011 for the Year of the Priest and was part of the largest worldwide gathering of priests ever in St Peters Square.
I took the opportunity to update myself during a sabbatical for 6 months in 1998, in Ohio at Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Returning to N.J. in December of '98 I was assigned to St Henry in
Bayonne, a very unique ethnic community south of Jersey City.
I spent 6 years there and really enjoyed the assignment. I decided in 2004, that I wanted to be a pastor instead of just an assistant priest so I applied and was named pastor of the Church of St. Mary in Closter N.J. Now, back in Bergen County again, I feel I have come full circle.It has been fun to drive around the area and see all that is new and all that is the same I hope to be here in Closter for at least 12 years which would be two terms of 6 years.recently i became an advocate in the matrimonial tribunal of our archdiocese which means i spend a couple of hours a week helping to determine if people who get divorced, qualify for a church anullment. Thanks for visiting and all the best to all in the class of 1974!! I am on Facebook, For the last 12 years I have been the pastor at the Church of St Mary Closter. On July 1 2017 I became the pastor of the Church of the Assumption in Emerson N.J. Iam blessed to continue serving in the area where I went to high school.
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