Information about the Congregation
The Society of the Divine is an international congregation of Religious which work together with two communities: the Salvatorian Nuns along with coworkers of the Salvatorian Family.
It originally was founded by God's Servant, Father Francis Mary of the Cross of Jordan in 1881 in Rome. In the Rule of 1882, Father Jordan describes the objectives of the Assembly. He said,
" The purpose of the Society is the proclaim, defend, and strengthen the Catholic faith wherever God's providence directs us."Following this idea, the Salvatorians preach God's Word in all of the continents of the world. They do this through missionary activities, new vocations, teaching and preaching through retreats, publishing through print, the internet, and other types of media. Everywhere, they desire to proclaim Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the world, obeying the Founder's words:
"As long as I live on this world, even if there is only one person who doesn't know and love God, do not rest."
The main house of the Congregation, called the Generalate, is located in Rome at Via della 51. Currently, the Salvatorians can be found in 34 varying countries around the world. In Poland, the Salvatorians have been there since 1900. It was founded in Trzebina, a town near Krakow. In the United States, the Polish Salvatorians have worked there since the 1930s; the main centers of their work are in Merrillville, IN, Verona, NJ, and most recently in Florida.
The History of the Monastery
In July of the year of 1964, the Salvatorian Fathers and Brothers decided to be admitted into the Archdiocese of Newark.
They received a proposal to for the acquisition of the property located at 23 Crestmont Road in Verona. This property is located in between two towns: Montclair and Verona. However, the Salvatorian Fathers and Brothers weren't able to move into their newly purchased home. The house was put under repair due to the fact that it was needed to be designed according to the needs of a family. They moved into the monastery towards the end of September of the year 1964. As winter approached of the year 1964/65, the repairs were finished, the chapel was created, and the whole church and chapel were fully designed. The design was donated by the parish priest Theodore Gajewski from Plainfield, New Jersey. On April 22, the Archbishop gave written permission to the Salvatorian Fathers and Brothers to settle in Verona and open up the church. On April 30, he came and blessed the house and church.
Expansion of the Monastery
As more became interested in attended Mass at the monastery, expanding the Church became key. In March of the year 1986, it was decided to expand the monastery. The construction began towards the end of August of the year of 1987. Construction lasted till the end of the year of 1989.
