Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark

Established nearly 160 years ago, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark serves 1.5 million Catholics daily through hundreds of parishes, more than 100 schools, and in excess of 150 social services outreach programs. The archdiocese also maintains ministries for youth and young adults, individuals with disabilities, and other groups and supports missions worldwide. Additional programs of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark address stewardship, planned giving, scholarship funding for children living in the inner city, the transition to new energies, evangelical efforts, and child and youth protection. The Christian Foundations for Ministry, a three-year program, provides in-depth spiritual studies for the active lay person, with courses presented in three languages: English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Led by the fifth Archbishop of Newark, the Most Reverend John J. Myers, the archdiocese includes four institutions of high learning. Founded in 1856 and the country's oldest diocesan university, Seton Hall University includes the Immaculate Conception Seminary and School of Theology. St. Peter's University, a Jesuit college, opened in 1872 as a men's liberal arts school, closed during World War I, and reopened in 1930, when it began admitting women. Felician College, a Franciscan institution dating back to 1923, offers a coeducational liberal arts course of study. Incorporated in 1939, Caldwell College became the first New Jersey college to offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Newark, the nation's smallest in area, serves the fifth-highest number of Catholics. Parishioners include descendants from Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Nigeria, and other African nations; Haiti, Jamaica, and additional Caribbean islands; and Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt in the Middle East. The faithful also trace their recent and distant roots to Europe and Asia. Some parishes serve distinct cultural or bicultural groups. Other congregations have 12th-generation Americans and individuals with "green cards," working toward citizenship. The archdiocese welcomes them all to share in the spirit and power of the risen Christ.