Archbishop Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Consecration

Hundreds of priests and members of the Archdiocese of Newark filled the pews of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart Saturday for a special mass celebrating Archbishop John J. Myers 25th anniversary of ordination.

"What a joy and honor it is personally to be with you and to celebrate this occasion," Myers said in his homily. "In my own mind, it is more about you and your goodness and faithfulness than it is about me."

In attendance for the celebratory mass were three cardinals, including Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan, 13 bishops and one abbot.

Myers, whose was consecrated in 1987 in Peoria, Ill., has served as the fifth archbishop of Newark since 2001, a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, which he spoke of during his homily. During a visit of Ground Zero, he recalled seeing Caterpillar tractors working amid the rubble. The machinery company is based in Peoria.

"This burned into my awareness the unity of our country and the continuity of our life and institutions and I understood that even someone from Peoria could belong here and serve here," Myers said.

Myers is also the president of the New Jersey Catholic Conference, a public policy-oriented group of dioceses in New Jersey, and has helped raise awareness of human trafficking and launched studies regarding Catholic education. Read more about the archbishop here.

The 159-year-old Archdiocese of Newark serves nearly 1.5 million Catholics across Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties. The archdiocese includes 219 parishes and 104 elementary and high schools, as well as two universities and two colleges.