St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Church
Item
Title
St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Church
Subject
Description
The St. Cecilia Congregation began when the parish of Fort Lee was divided in 1863. Reverand Patrick Corrigan was the community's first spiritual leader. In 1866, the Catholic Church completed the construction at St.Cecilia’s Church after Reverand Dr. Henry Brann initiated the building in 1865.
The church opened its doors to the growing Italian and Irish Catholic population in Englewood. Reverand Silverius J. Quigley founded the first Catholic coeducational high school in Bergen County in 1924. St. Cecilia’s elementary, junior high, and high school educated generations of Englewood youth. The high school closed in 1986 and the elementary school closed in 2011 or 2012.
St.Cecilia’s gained national recognition in the 1940s after it hired a young coach named Vince Lombardi, who turned the basketball and football programs into state champions.
The church opened its doors to the growing Italian and Irish Catholic population in Englewood. Reverand Silverius J. Quigley founded the first Catholic coeducational high school in Bergen County in 1924. St. Cecilia’s elementary, junior high, and high school educated generations of Englewood youth. The high school closed in 1986 and the elementary school closed in 2011 or 2012.
St.Cecilia’s gained national recognition in the 1940s after it hired a young coach named Vince Lombardi, who turned the basketball and football programs into state champions.
Source
“St. Cecilia High School (New Jersey).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 May 2024.
“History - St. Cecilia Church - Englewood, NJ.” St. Cecilia Church.
Date Started
1866
Source of File Attached
Beyond My Ken. “File: St. Cecilia’s Roman Catholic Church, Englewood, New Jersey IMG 0782.Jpg.” Wikimedia Commons.
Collection
Citation
“St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Church,” Englewood Makes History, accessed October 2, 2026, https://archive.englewoodmakeshistory.org/items/show/2.
