Arthur Joseph Serratelli (born April 18, 1944) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Paterson in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

from 2004 to 2020 and as an auxiliary bishop for the

Archdiocese of Newark The Archdiocese of Newark is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northeastern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and schools in the New Jers ...

in New Jersey between 2000 and 2004.

Biography

Early life

Serratelli was born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.The Ironbound The Ironbound is a neighborhood in the city of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a large working-class multi-ethnic community, covering approximately of well maintained streets and homes. Historically, the area was cal ...

section of Newark. For primary school, Serratelli attended the Ann Street Parish School and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish school, both in Newark. Serratelli graduated from

Seton Hall Preparatory School Seton Hall Preparatory School, generally called Seton Hall Prep or "The Prep", is a Roman Catholic all boys' high school located in the suburban community of West Orange in Essex County, New Jersey, operating under the supervision of the Arch ...

in 1961. He then attended

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the ...

for two years, then transferred to the

Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

at the University. After two years of philosophy studies, Serratelli continued his studies in Rome at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

, residing at the Pontifical North American College.Most Reverend Arthur J. Serratelli, S.T.D., S.S.L., D.D
Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson, accessed March 10, 2011

Priestly ministry

On December 20, 1968, Serratelli was ordained for the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Newark in

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

in Rome. For the next year, Serratelli served as parochial vicar at St. Anthony Parish in

Belleville, New Jersey Belleville (French: "Belle ville" meaning "Beautiful city / town") is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population wa ...

. For two years he taught

Systematic Theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topic ...

at Immaculate Conception seminary. Serratelli then returned to Rome for graduate study, earning his Licentiate of Sacred Theology (1969) and

Doctor of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Doctor, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Roman Catholic C ...

degree (1977). In 1977, Serratelli returned to Immaculate Conception Seminary, where he taught

sacred scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual pra ...

and biblical languages until 2000. In 1997, he was also named rector of St. Andrew’s College Seminary at Seton Hall University, serving there from 1997 to 2000. Serratelli also taught at the Mount St. Alphonsus Seminary in Esopus, New York; St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York; the Institute of Religious Studies,

Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York ( la, Archidiœcesis Neo-Eboracensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroug ...

; and the lay ministry program of the Educational Program Service of

Trinity Washington University Trinity Washington University is a private Catholic university in Washington, D.C. Trinity is a comprehensive university with five schools; the undergraduate College of Arts & Sciences maintains its original mission as a liberal arts women's ...

in Washington, DC.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

named Serratelli a prelate of honor in 1998. While serving in the Archdiocese of Newark, Serratelli was a member of the following Archdiocesan consultative bodies: *

College of Consultors A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

* Commission for the Men's Apostolate * Finance Council *

Presbyteral Council A presbyteral council or council of priests is a group of priests chosen to assist the local ordinary in an advisory capacity in the governance of a Roman Catholic diocese. Canon 495 of the Code of Canon Law lays down that every diocese must have ...

* Priestly Vocations Board.

Auxiliary Bishop of Newark

On July 3, 2000, John Paul II named Serratelli as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark and titular bishop of Enera. He was consecrated on September 8, 2000, by then Cardinal

Theodore McCarrick Theodore Edgar McCarrick (born July 7, 1930) is a laicized American bishop and former cardinal of the Catholic Church. Ordained a priest in 1958, he became an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1977, then became Bishop of Metuch ...

, with co-consecrating Bishops Michael Saltarelli and Paul Bootkoski. After his consecration, Serratelli was appointed vicar for Essex County, New Jersey. He was later appointed the archdiocesan

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

."Most Reverend Arthur J. Serratelli, S.T.D., S.S.L., D.D.", Seton Hall University
/ref>

Bishop of Paterson

On June 1, 2004, John Paul II accepted the retirement of Bishop Frank J. Rodimer as bishop of the Diocese of Paterson and appointed Serratelli as his successor. Serratelli was installed on July 6 at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Paterson, New Jersey. On Feb 24, 2005, Serratelli and the Diocese of Paterson settled a $5 million lawsuit with four parishioners. It involved two former priests in Mendham Township, New Jersey, two priests in Paterson, a clergymen in

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As ...

, and a former deacon in

Dover, New Jersey Dover is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Located on the Rockaway River, Dover is about west of New York City and about west of Newark, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 18,157,

. One of the plaintiff lawyers credited Serratelli with expediting the settlement. As a member of the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

(USCCB), Serratelli was chairman of the Committee on Doctrine's Subcommittee for the Review of Scripture Translations, and a member of the Committee on Divine Worship and its Task Groups on Liturgy with Children, and the Review of the Lectionary. Previously, Serratelli served as chairman of the Committee on Liturgy (later the Committee on Divine Worship) from 2007 to 2010, and was responsible for announcing the acceptance by the Vatican of changes to the English translation of the

Roman Missal The Roman Missal ( la, Missale Romanum) is the title of several missals used in the celebration of the Roman Rite. Along with other liturgical books of the Roman Rite, the Roman Missal contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of th ...

, to be implemented throughout the English-speaking countries on November 27, 2011. Serratelli was also a member of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Review of the Catechism, the Ad Hoc Committee for the Spanish Bible for the Church in America, the Board of Bishops for the American College of Louvain, and the Committee for Women in the Church and Society. Serratelli was a board or trustee member of: * New Jersey Catholic Conference * Assumption College for Sisters * College of St. Elizabeth, Convent Station * Seton Hall University * Immaculate Conception Seminary. Serratelli served as the chairman of the

International Commission on English in the Liturgy The International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) is a commission set up by a number of episcopal conferences of English-speaking countries for the purpose of providing English translations of the liturgical books of the Roman Rite, th ...

, and the Catholic co-chairperson, together with the Baptist theologian

Paul Fiddes Paul Stuart Fiddes (born 30 April 1947) is an English Baptist theologian and novelist. Fiddes is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology in the University of Oxford, Principal Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow of Regent's Park College, ...

, of the International Theological Consultation between Catholics and Baptists. Pope Francis appointed Serratelli a member of the

Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments it, Dicastero per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti , type = Dicastery , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , p ...

on October 28, 2016. On February 15, 2019, the dioceses of New Jersey released a list of priests and deacons who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse. Eleven priests came from the Diocese of Paterson. Serratelli made this statement:

If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, my prayers and heart go out to you for this horrible action which has been committed against you. I pray for your healing and, on behalf of myself, our diocese and the Catholic Church, I deeply and sincerely apologize for the pain that you have endured.

Coats of arms

Serratelli's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

was developed with imagery from his Italian heritage, his identity as a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, his studies in scripture and his honoring both Pope John Paul II and McCarrick.

Resignation

Having reached the mandatory retirement age of 75, Serratelli submitted his resignation, which Pope Francis accepted on April 15, 2020. Serratelli served as

apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic adm ...

of the Diocese of Paterson until his successor was installed.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson Official SiteBiography, Diocese of Paterson website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Serratelli, Arthur 1944 births Living people Clergy from Newark, New Jersey Roman Catholic bishops of Paterson Roman Catholic bishops of Newark Seton Hall Preparatory School alumni Seton Hall University alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Pontifical North American College alumni Assumption University (Worcester) people Members of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States