By Steve Sears

Monsignor Robert Fuhrman, Pastor of Livingston’s Saint Philomena Roman Catholic Parish since 2014, recently began an interesting project. He’s collecting names of the nations that his parishioners hail from.

“When I got here, I noticed our parish is very diverse,” Msgr. Fuhrman says. “Part of that may be because of the hospitals at Saint Barnabas, Overlook, and Morristown – we have a lot of medical people here – but aside from that, we have a lot of nationalities represented. Without even pressing it, I just put the announcement out there (in the parish bulletin).”

Msgr. Fuhrman asked his parishioners to tell him, write down, or in any ether way contact him and give him their information. As of August 1, his total had reached 28 countries. “I just wanted to know our parish as well as I can; know our people, know our parishioners,” he states. “I’ve always thought that this is a special place. Every parish is special, but one of the features of ours is the multi-national nature of it. And I just thought at some point recently, let me just ask them (his parishioners) to tell us where they’re from, just to have a list and let them know how diverse our parish is.”

“That’s the real richness of parishes. Its real wealth is the people.”

Among the almost 30 named countries on Msgr. Fuhrman’s list thus far are Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, and many more. “It’s a great way to celebrate the Catholic faith,” he says, “which is, by nature, perfect for the wide variety of nationalities. It’s the universal Church. The Catholic Church is the church that’s open to all. We want to know our parishioners and celebrate the great gifts that each of them brings from different parts of the world, proving that the Catholic faith is universal and unified. Unity is what we pray for all the time.”

Msgr. Fuhrman’s initial plan when ultimately closing the project was to post the list for all to read. But, will the project really ever be finished? “Is it a thing that we could continually add to as the years go by?” Fuhrman asks. “Yes, why not? I would like to get as full a list as we can and then simply celebrate. Not many parishes have this variety, and that’s what I want to bring into the light.”

Msgr. Fuhrman serves the Saint Philomena congregation with two other priests, Reverend Denis Surban, who is from the Philippines, and Reverend Matthew Eraly, who hails from India and is chaplain of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Orange. Born and raised in Dumont, Msgr. Fuhrman attended the College Seminary at Seton Hall University. After also attending Immaculate Conception Seminary in Darlington, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 1981 by Archbishop Peter L. Gerety. First assigned to Saint Michael the Archangel Parish in Union from 1981 to 1987, he has also served as priest secretary to then-Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick (1987 to 1990), Vice-Rector of Immaculate Conception Seminary from 1990 to 1993, and then Rector of the undergraduate College Seminary, Saint Andrew’s Hall at Seton Hall University, from 1993 to 1997. In December of 1997, Monsignor Fuhrman was named  pastor of Saint Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Saddle River, where he served for 12 ½ years. Following his time there, he was in September 2014 appointed pastor of Saint Philomena Parish by Archbishop John J. Myers. Msgr. Fuhrman is current Chairman of the Board of Catholic Charities for the Newark Archdiocese.

Saint Philomena Parish has 2,100 registered families. “It’s a joy to serve, and to serve people from around the world in one location here in Livingston,” Msgr. Fuhrman says with enthusiasm. “It’s very special to me, and this little project has become a fascinating, enjoyable experience. I feel proud that we have members of our parish family from dozens of countries, more countries than I expected, to be honest. This reflects the nature of the Church since the apostles first set out on their missionary journeys. This diversity is healthy and beautiful. From various parts of the world, we share the same faith. The multiple ethnic backgrounds here reflect both the Church and our great American nation. I am very thankful.”

Saint Philomena Roman Catholic Church is located at 386 South Livingston Avenue in Livingston. For more information, visit www.stphilomena.org.