Founded in 1891, this parish has been built and sustained through the labor, generosity and faith of Italian immigrants and their descendants. St. Lucy's long was the religious and cultural heart of Newark's "Little Italy", the old 1st Ward. This church, designed in Romanesque Revival style by architect Neil Convey, was dedicated in 1926. It is magnificently adorned with an ornate altar, imported statues, stained-glass windows, and huge murals by Gonippo Raggi. In the church is the National Shrine of St. Gerard Maiella of Caposele, Italy, an 18th century benefactor of the poor and a patron of mothers. His feast, celebrated here since 1899, draws thousands each October for special services and street processions. St. Lucy's has sponsored a grammar school, a girls' residence, housing developments, a drum and bugle corps, and many community organizations. In more than a century it has been led by just three pastors - Msgr. Joseph Perotti, Rev. Gaetano Ruggiero, and Msgr. Joseph Granato. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
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