Monastery Memories:
St. Michael's Passionist Monastery Church, Union City, New
Jersey.
by John R. Biasco
When I turned on my computer on January 14, 2003 an e-mail entitled "Monastery Memories" was waiting for me. With interest I opened it and found a moving, succinct, and heartfelt reflection on St. Michael's Monastery, Union City. This recollection struck me as most timely, because the old monastery is presently taking on a new look! Of course, the property had been sold by the Passionists in the 1980s. Housing, having the exterior appearance of the former monastery now exists. In addition, the monastery church is used as a place of worship for the Korean Presbyterian Church; the Stations of the Cross were taken down and the large Passionist cemetery moved to North Arlington, New Jersey. On those sites was an athletic field. Now being constructed on that athletic field is a new Union City school and library. Even though the former Passionist property has gone through and continues to go through a metamorphosis, change does not destroy sacred religious memories. These Monastery Memories remind us all that complaining about the past does not bring understanding. Rather, sharing about the past does. When this is done, we see that memory of family, stories, churches, disaster, prayer, trolley cars, train rides, and priests and brothers is what needs to be revitalized in the heart and mind in order to facilitate spiritual maturity. Yes, the churches may close and it is a loss. But when one goes to the well of historical reflection, wisdom of faith can find a home with the good and bad of life. Such Monastery Memories may help link all who walk around or use the former Passionist property with the pulse of present day Union City, New Jersey. After dinner on January 17 at the New Anderson Diner on Anderson Avenue, Cliffside Park, New Jersey, John agreed to allow The Passionist Heritage Newsletter to publish his thoughts. [Editor: Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P.]
Though my mother and father were married in St. Joseph's Church, on Central Ave, Union City in 1935, and I attended St. Anthony's school, St. Michael's, nonetheless, was a very important part of my childhood years in Union City in the early and mid 1960s. My mother recalls, being a young girl, taking the trolley with her mother (or even walking when they didn't have the trolley fare), from Jersey City Heights up to the Novenas at St. Michael's. My mother distinctly recalls an old hymn "Mother of Christ," that she heard at St. Michael's at that time. Many years later, at another church (now a married woman with three sons) she heard that same hymn being played. She started to cry, and told the organist that the last time she heard that hymn was at St. Michael's when she was with her mother. The organist was touched, and amazed Mom knew the hymn: "Why, many priests don't even recall this hymn!"
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