Free Republic

Holy Wisdom Byzantine Catholic Church had a promising beginning when it opened in the Succasunna section of Roxbury in the 1970s: The modest building was the only Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic parish for 38 miles. Worshippers from coal and steel mining towns in New Jersey and Pennsylvania with roots in Eastern Europe joined Holy Wisdom to practice their religion, which follows the principles of Roman Catholicism and the customs of the Eastern Orthodox church. In recent years, membership has declined. Holy Wisdom's congregants, like Byzantine Catholics elsewhere in New Jersey, have joined Roman Catholic churches that are closer to home. Decreasing...