SAVE ST. LUCY'S

NEWARK -- Death threats to a priest? A public feud between a powerful politician and the preeminent leader of the state's Catholic hierarchy? Protest marches on a Gothic cathedral?

"This is the sort of thing that might have happened in the Middle Ages," says Jim Goodness, the spokesman for Newark Archbishop John J. Myers.

But it's happening here in Newark in the 21st Century -- the latest in the saga of efforts by the parishioners of St. Lucy's in the city's old Italian First Ward to protect the church's traditions and the wish of its pastor for 54 years, Msgr. Joseph Granato, to live out his life in its rectory rather than a retirement home.

At the center -- for now, at least -- is one of New Jersey's savviest politicians, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, who likes to be known as "Joe D."

DiVincenzo, an ambitious man with sights on higher office, rarely takes on a fight he can't win, but he has not yet taken on an archbishop. Indeed, Goodness says no politician has tried to take on this archbishop.

"We have not seen this before," he says.

Well, in fact, some legislators and the archbishop got into a scrap years ago over whether Catholic politicians who favor legalized abortion should receive Communion. It prompted one Irish Catholic politician from Hudson County -- former state Sen. Bernard Kenny of Hoboken -- to become an Episcopalian.

But Goodness is right that politicians have not tried to get involved in church administrative affairs since, well maybe, the Middle Ages.

Unsurprisingly, DiVincenzo doesn't see it that way. He sees it as a promise made, not just to Granato, but to the parishioners of St. Lucy's who include some of the most prominent and powerful Italian-American families, not just in Newark, but throughout Essex County and the state. His wife's family is from the parish, he says.

"I don't care who becomes the next pastor of St. Lucy's," says DiVincenzo. "That is completely up to the archbishop. But I care about the monsignor and the families who have supported him and the parish for decades."

The county executive says the archbishop promised Granato, 80, that the pastor -- one of only three in the century-old history of a parish that still offers some Masses in Latin -- could stay at St. Lucy's after he retires this month. The promise ended planned protests by parishioners.

"Then the archbishop changed his mind," says DiVincenzo. "That's not right."

Goodness doesn't deny Granato was told he could stay in the rectory after he retired. But, he insists, it wasn't a done deal and there was a catch -- and the catch has to do with the death threat. The catch was the new pastor had to agree to let Granato stay.

Goodness says a priest was chosen to replace Granato -- he won't reveal his name -- and was willing to allow the old pastor to stay. But the priest visited the parish and was threatened by parishioners, Goodness says. Threats the priest took to be death threats.

"He was scared," says Goodness, who says he is protecting the priest by not identifying him. "He read a leaflet that warned there would be 'consequences' if he took over the parish and tried to make any changes."

Goodness says the priest withdrew from consideration as Granato's replacement and Myers changed his mind.

"There were conversations in which the archbishop did say he was willing to let Granato stay in the rectory," says Goodness. "That is not the usual practice. You can imagine the difficulties involved -- parishioners running to the old pastor if the new pastor does something they don't like."

But, once the threat was made, Goodness says, the deal was off. Granato must go to a retirement home in Caldwell--or stay in a private home he has kept in Newark, not far from the church.

DiVincenzo says he is skeptical about the death threat but, insists, even if one were made, that shouldn't have been a deal-breaker.

"What does that have to do with Monsignor Granato? He was promised he could stay in the rectory. That kept the parishioners from public protests."

DiVincenzo says he has spoken to the archbishop and urged him to keep the promise to Granato but, the county executive says, "he wasn't very friendly."

The county executive says parishioners still plan to march on Sacred Heart Cathedral-Basilica, the seat of the archdiocese, maybe as early as this Sunday.

"I am hoping we can work this out," says DiVincenzo, who is up for re-election next year. "The parishioners are very upset."