Rebuilt Franklin Lakes Church Celebrates Grand Opening 5 Years After Devastating Fire

Five years after a fire destroyed its church building, the parish community of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes celebrated the grand opening of its newly reconstructed church on September 17 with a Mass of Dedication led by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark.

Hundreds of parishioners filled the pristine building to attend the Mass exactly two years after construction officially began. Cardinal Tobin anointed the church walls during the liturgy after being ceremonially presented with the building plans. He also commended the parish community for its resilience in the face of adversity. Despite the devastating fire and various construction delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said they always remembered that the Church was built on Peter’s faith, with Jesus as its capstone.

“The joy of this community and its enduring perseverance is a great contribution to the Archdiocese,” Cardinal Tobin said. “You kept on keeping on, whatever the disappointments… God bless you for your faith, your trust, and your welcome.”

Foresight Architects and LAN Associates designed the new church in consultation with parish committees. Like the original structure, it has a circular layout, but the new building has a stone exterior and a state-of-the-art HVAC system, lighting, and multimedia technology. It also includes a community gathering hall with a kitchen, a chapel that seats 90, and multiple rooms for children’s liturgies, bridal preparations, and other functions.   

Inside the main sanctuary — a 700-person capacity — is a baptismal font made with Italian mosaic tiles, stained-glass windows salvaged from the shuttered Sacred Heart Church in Jersey City, and a carved sapele altar. Sculptor Jay Hall Carpenter created the eight-foot-long crucifix above the altar, and the Peragallo Pipe Organ Co. built the organ. Additionally, the Marist Brothers donated several marble statues, and Ramsey’s St. Paul Church provided the tabernacle. 

“This new church building is the result of God’s grace working through a shared vision of the people who came together to study, reflect, and pray for the creative guidance of the Holy Spirit,” said Father John R. Job, Most Blessed Sacrament’s pastor, who thanked the parish community for their many prayers and financial contributions that made the rebuilding possible. “As a parish community, we encountered challenges and setbacks, but we never gave up hope. We persevered and, together, we relied on patient endurance, leading us to this most solemn and joyful day.”

To learn more about the reconstruction of the Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament, visit www.mostblessedsacrament.ws/mbs-rebuilds.

About the Archdiocese of Newark 

The Archdiocese of Newark serves 1.3 million Catholics throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties. The Archdiocese has 212 parishes, 67 Catholic schools, and many missions and ministries. Hundreds of Masses are celebrated in more than a dozen languages each week. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., the sixth archbishop of Newark, leads the Archdiocese with four auxiliary bishops. Together, they serve the northern New Jersey community through faith, education, and social services. For more information, visit www.rcan.org.