'He's Deeply Loved By His Own Parishioners'

Members of St. Patrick's Church will take one more step toward recovery next month, when a permanent pastor will take to the parish's pulpit for the first time since former church Rev. Edward Hinds was murdered in the St. Patrick's kitchen in late October.

The Diocese of Paterson—the governing body of Catholic parishes throughout Morris, Sussex and Passaic counties—has appointed the Rev. Robert Mitchell to be St. Patrick's' new pastor. Mitchell's first day in the position will be Feb. 11.

Mitchell said the Diocese's personnel committee and its Bishop, Arthur Joseph Serratelli, work together to fill vacancies at parishes within the three counties the Diocese covers.

Mitchell is currently the pastor at St. Jude Parish in Budd Lake. He said that it is an honor for him to take the job.

"It's a very big parish that has been hurt by tragedy, and like any group of people who have lost, it takes a lot of time to rebuild," Mitchell said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

St. Patrick's parishioners were informed of the change at Mass on Sunday.

The Rev. Owen Moran has essentially acted as the church's temporary pastor since Hinds was found the morning of Oct. 23 in the church with 32 stab wounds in his body. Hinds failed to show up for Mass that morning.

Moran, who is the pastor at St. Rose of Lima Church in East Hanover, said he is "relieved" the Diocese has found someone to replace Hinds. The move, he said, will allow him to devote more time to his full-time job.

He had nothing but praise for Mitchell.

"His reputation is that of a man who is a gentleman, a caring man, a good listener. He's deeply loved by his own parishioners in St. Jude," Moran said. "When your parishioners love you, that means you're doing good work."

Mitchell admitted he was surprised when he was appointed to the position, but said he has no reservations about taking it. The church, he said, has a " great need that occured due to the tragedy."

He said he is grateful for the warm welcome he has received so far from parishioners.

"I've been flooded with emails and phone calls of welcome," he said. "It's just a very supportive group of people."

It's a group, Moran said, that is beginning to heal after it experienced a tragedy of epic proportions.

He said counseling that began after the murder is now coming to an end, and said parishioners are now ready to welcome a new member into their community.

"People have come to terms with the tragedy of Father Ed's death," Moran said.

Hinds' accused murderer, Jose Feliciano, was moved to the Morris County Correctional Facility from a psychiatric ward in Trenton on Tuesday evening.

Feliciano was a janitor at the church, and reports have indicated his employment status may have been up in the air before the murder took place.

He was arrested Oct. 24.