The Churches of Blessed Miriam Teresa

Allow me to share some of the churches that shaped Blessed Miriam Teresa (and some that didn’t). This page will come together more fully as I gather more information. – JP

Saint John’s Byzantine | Saint Vincent’s RC | Holy Family Chapel (SC)
Blessed Miriam Teresa RC | Saint Michael’s Byzantine

Saint John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church, Bayonne, NJ USA

St John Byzantine started as St John Ruthenian Greek-Rite Catholic church on the Constable Hook area of Bayonne NJ. The Ruthenians (also referred to as Rusyns) are an Eastern Slavic ethnic group, the majority of which are part of the Eastern Catholic tradition, that is, an autonomous church in full communion with the Catholic Pope of Rome. The Demjanovich family emigrated to America and worshiped in the Ruthenian style of their homeland in the original building, for what is now St John’s Byzantine Catholic church in Bayonne.

I am still working on trying to find pictures of the original building and confirming that the church did burn down (which I suspect). I found a painting of the fire of 1900, painted by Andrew Walsh, in the Bayonne Public Library archives back when I was Library Director there. Here is the painting, notice the eastern style “onion dome” or “cupola” (глава) at the top of the building. Thank you to Bayonne Historical Society President Gerry Nowicki for helping me dig this out of the library. I don’t believe that the building burned in this fire, but again, I need to confirm:

The fire was due to the proximity of the church to the Standard Oil refinery. The 1900 fire was started by a lightning strike on July 5 of that year, here is an interesting article about it co-written by a former colleague of mine, Patrick Shalhoub. There is surprisingly a video of the fire, with St John’s church in the foreground and the fire raging behind it (as in the painting, the church itself is not on fire in this video): https://www.loc.gov/item/00694164

Here are pictures of the church I took. I included some pictures from the inside of the building:

BMT would not have seen the iconostasis as it stands in these pictures, as it was completed after her death
Here is a picture of the front of the building.
This is the cornerstone of an older St John’s building. It was transferred to the new building. Unfortunately, it has not stood the test of time, but you can faintly see “Greek Catholic” rather than “Byzantine”, as “Byzantine” was not a term used during BMT’s life.
This is an icon of BMT, and below it is a needlepoint replica of a painting BMT had painted in her lifetime. It was sewn by Father Joseph Bertha of St John’s Byzantine church. It says “O Blessed Trinity”.
Close-up of the icon.
Some of the Sisters of Charity, BMT’s religious order, with Father Bertha and my godson Sammy after a 2022 Paraklesis (Byzantine Prayer Service) for BMT’s canonization. We hold this prayer service (mostly) every last Saturday of the month at 1:30pm.
During Nativity (in Roman Catholicsm, we call that time Advent), we move the BMT icon to display Our Lord and a Roman-inspired “Nativity Scene”.
Don’t worry, we just move BMT’s icon to the other side during Nativity, and give it some festive Christmas color. Me with the icon in 2022 on Christmas day.
Christmas Eve 2023
Another icon of BMT at St John’s

More images of the church:

Relics of BMT at St John’s Byzantine. Inside the circle is a curl of her hair.

On the 10 year anniversary of the Beatification of BMT, St John’s hosted the Sisters of Charity and the Byzantine Bishop Kurt Burnette at Divine Liturgy on October 10, 2024.

Bishop Kurt blessing BMT’s icon:

The Sisters of Charity with Bishop Kurt, Father Bertha, and Byzantine Father Michael (whose last name I forgot). Unfortunately, the Church was very crowded that day, so I didn’t get great pictures.

More: Saint Vincent’s RC | Holy Family Chapel (SC)
Blessed Miriam Teresa RC | Saint Michael’s Byzantine

Saint Michael the Archangel Byzantine Cathedral of the Byzantine Eparchy of Passaic, NJ USA

I do not currently have evidence she ever visited this church building, but, because it is the Cathedral for the Eparchy of Passiac (which is like the Byzantine version of the Roman Catholic “diocese”), which her baptismal church was under, it certainly was part of the experience of her faith.

Look up, above the icons of the prophets, for an icon of BMT. This is my son standing on Pascha (Easter) Sunday 2022.
Closer view of the icon.
My other son outside the Cathedral in October 2023.
The current Bishop of the Byzantine Eparchy of Passaic Kurt Burnette and I, at some point in 2024. This was actually taken in St Mary’s Byzantine in Jersey City, NJ.

More: Saint John’s Byzantine | Saint Vincent’s RC | Holy Family Chapel (SC) | Blessed Miriam Teresa RC

Saint Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Church, Bayonne NJ USA

BMT was a parishioner of St Vincent’s in Bayonne for many years, as were other members of her family. In fact, her brother Charles Demjanovich went on to become a Roman Catholic priest and monsignor, and was procurator of Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall, where he taught for 28 years.

A former colleague of mine, Bayonne Librarian Bill Fischer, found me this news article in which Teresa Demjanovich is mentioned.

Although a regular parishioner, BMT would not have stepped foot in the current St Vincent’s, because this building was not opened until 1930.

The stained glass were products of the studio of famed artist Harry Clarke. St Vincent’s stained glass windows are the only Harry Clarkes in North America. The right window is the High Priest Melchizedek and the left is I believe Father Dolan, who was very important in the life of the Demjanovich family. If you scroll back up the page, you can see an Icon of Melchizedek below the Icons of BMT and Jeremiah at the Byzantine Cathedral in Passaic, NJ.

More: Saint John’s Byzantine | Holy Family Chapel (SC)
Blessed Miriam Teresa RC | Saint Michael’s Byzantine

Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich Parish, Bayonne, NJ USA

BMT Parish is a new parish formed after BMT’s beatification as “Blessed,” through the combination (by the Newark Roman Catholic Archdiocese) of the St Andrew & St Mary parishes in Downtown Bayonne

While it is unlikely BMT ever stepped foot in St Andrew’s church building, being that it wasn’t built until 1923, it is still possible!

It is much more possible that she visited St Mary’s church, where the current Blessed Miriam Teresa Parish is housed, because it is the earliest Roman Catholic church built in Bayonne, with a cornerstone date of March 22, 1880.

My sons were baptized in St Andrew’s church and did their first communions there as well. My older son was confirmed at St Andrew’s church after it was renamed Blessed Miriam Teresa parish.

Unfortunately, I can’t find any images of BMT inside of the St Mary’s church building to post (however, there may be some and I haven’t seen them), but I do have some nice photos of St Marys church to share.

Outside of the St Mary’s church for a 2022 Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession down Avenue C, which is a Bayonne street BMT knew very well.
BMT Parish Easter Vigil, 2023. The priest holding the Easter candle is Father Moris Montoya.

Pictures of my son and his friends, and Father Moris, on All Saints’ day 2023. BMT’s Byzantine rite doesn’t have an “All Saints Day”; they have multiple Saturdays assigned to All Souls and All Saints:

This was inside of St Andrew’s church, when BMT parish operated out of two buildings.
I always love being inside St Mary’s church.

Pictures from the Blessed Miriam Teresa Parish 2025 40 Hours Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. The pictures include BMT Parish Pastor father Philip Sanders, father Moris Montoya, and the newly installed Newark Roman Catholic Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishop (for Hudson County, I think) Bismark Chau. I gave him a BMT prayer card and requested that he pray for her canonization:

Reminds me of the Gospel of St Luke 18:16

More: Saint John’s Byzantine | Saint Vincent’s RC | Holy Family Chapel (SC) | Saint Michael’s Byzantine

Holy Family Chapel, the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, NJ USA

BMT’s physical remains are in this church, as are many of her relics and other personal items. This is the church for the Sisters of Charity, which was BMT’s order.

BMT’s body.
BMT was never pictured wearing a habit, because she was not fully accepted into her order until her death bed. This painting was created by taking the face of her brother, Monsignor Charles Demjanovich, and painting it over a person in a habit. This is why she looks so different (and like a man) here than she does in the other photos of her that we do have.

Some of the BMT exhibit on the inside of the side of the Chapel:

BMT’s headstone from her original burial.

On June 26, 2022, a Fervent Prayer Service for Peace in Ukraine was held at this church. It was a Byzantine prayer service and anointing with oil concelebrated by Father Joseph Bertha of St John’s Byzantine Catholic and Father Philip Sanders of Blessed Miriam Teresa Roman Catholic churches. This was likely the first time a Byzantine & Roman Catholic concelebrated a prayer service asking for BMT’s intercession. It is cool seeing the two priests in their particular garments:

Byzantine Catholic Father Joseph Bertha & I after the prayers.

More: Saint John’s Byzantine | Saint Vincent’s RC
Blessed Miriam Teresa RC | Saint Michael’s Byzantine

Lastly, can you help? I took this photo in 2022 and cannot for the life of me remember where I took it! Of all her images and icons, this is my favorite. (update: I think I took this photo in the rectory of St John’s Byzantine church in Bayonne in 2022)

Saint John’s Byzantine | Saint Vincent’s RC | Holy Family Chapel (SC)
Blessed Miriam Teresa RC | Saint Michael’s Byzantine