St. Joseph's Parish was founded in 1913 through the efforts of 64 Catholics who lived in the Bogota and Teaneck area. In 1912, if you were a Catholic and lived in Bogota, the nearest parishes were St. Francis in Ridgefield Park and Holy Trinity in Hackensack. Neither was easy to reach due to poor roads. Most people couldn't afford an automobile, and walking to Sunday Mass meant slogging through farm fields and cabbage patches ankle deep with mud.

On December 20, 1912, Mr. C.B. Ryan, the first historian of the parish, wrote to Bishop O'Connor regarding the "urgent need of a Catholic Church in Bogota." Mr. Ryan noted:
There are possibly fifty Catholic families here ... and we are not sure of which parish we are members of ... [It is difficult to] live up to the precepts of the church in any weather and in bad weather it is a real hardship, especially to the women and children ...

As a boy I walked two and a half miles on cross ties to church and the same distance back and thought nothing of it, but it seems that we are now living in a different age and in transportation ideas at least, I have kept apace with the times.

Bishop O'Connor's responded:
The main difficulty is to find a priest. We are shorthanded throughout the Diocese ... We have had eight deaths of priests during the year 1912, with none to fill the vacancies, except transients. Believe me.

The Bishop added that if a census of the Catholic population were provided, he would refer the matter to the Carmelite Fathers in Englewood for help.

A meeting was held, and the 64 founders adopted a petition urging the establishment of a parish in Bogota. The petition was eventually signed by 197 Catholics, and sent to Bishop O'Connor. Bishop O'Connor told Mr. Ryan to contact Fr. Dion Best, the Carmelite Provincial in Englewood. On April 24, 1913, Fr. Best took charge of the parish and appointed Fr. Basil Kahler of the Englewood Priory as the first pastor of the new mission.
The first mass of the Bogota Catholic Church was scheduled for 8:00 a.m. on June 1, 1913, at the Central Avenue Fire House (which still stands a block south of the church). The parishioners had a brief scare when Fr. Basil failed to arrive on time, but as Mr. Ryan remembered:

. . . At last the suspense was lifted. A Maxwell car was seen to turn out of James Street on two wheels, and the death-defying pilot, who proved to be the rotund and jovial Fr. Basil, halted the panting engine at the fire house door.

Thereafter Mass was held every Sunday. Because Catholics in the southern Teaneck area had been active in the campaign for a new parish, Bishop O'Connor directed Fr. Basil to procure land for a church near the border of the two towns. In 1915 Fr. Basil supervised the purchase of a parcel of land on the corner of Palisade Avenue and Fort Lee Road and the building of the "old school" along Fourth Place. The "old school" which had a chapel on the main floor, an auditorium in the basement, and room for six classrooms upstairs, was actually the first Catholic Church to be built in Bogota. "St. Joseph's Church" was chosen for its name.

Soon after the opening of the new church, Fr. Basil was appointed Provincial. He, in turn, appointed Fr. Berthold Lauzau to be pastor. Fr. Berthold continued to commute to Bogota from Englewood, either by horse and buggy or by trolley car. In 1920 a house was purchased to serve as a rectory, and Fr. Berthold became the first resident pastor.
Bogota grew rapidly after World War I. Under the guidance of Fr. Berthold, the chapel was decorated in the evening by parish volunteers. The basement was paved and a stage erected. St. Joseph's auditorium became the largest hall in town and popular for all kinds of social events.
Fr. Berthold left St. Joseph's in 1921, and was replaced by Fr. Brocard Koehler, who founded the grammar school in 1925. He "fitted out" the second floor of the "old school" with four classrooms, and obtained the services of four sisters from the Third Order of St. Francis to run the school, with the understanding that an additional teacher would be sent each year until the school had the full eight grades.

In September 1926 Fr. Brocard was replaced by Fr. Boniface O. Hund. Fr. Boniface, with his black cigars and clipped, German accent, soon became a notable figure on the Bogota scene. He was given instructions to build a new and much larger church, and it was largely through his efforts and vision that our beautiful Romanesque church came to be. At a meeting in October 1926, more than 100 parish men unanimously pledged their support. A mortgage was secured from the diocese, and a contract was signed for $131,000.00 to build the church. All the interior decorations were pledged by the parishioners. The architect was A.F. DePace of New York who also designed the rectory and the "new school" some twenty-five years later. The ground breaking took place on July 10, 1927, with former pastor Fr. Berthold present. On April 28, 1929, the church was formally dedicated. Bishop Thomas J. Walsh officiated at the first Mass. In 1929, a Kilgen pipe organ was also installed in the choir loft of the church.
A year later the Depression came, and many parishioners found themselves unable to pay off the pledges made for the stained-glass windows and inside statues. Yet, somehow Fr. Boniface stretched Depression-era collections and paid off the church debt in 15 years.
In 1930, the first eighth grade class graduated from St. Joseph's School. There has been a graduating class every year since. Robert A. Baron (class of 1936 and former parish historian) remembers:

There were 34 of us in that class and our eighth grade room was on the southeast corner of the "old school" on the second floor. St. Joseph's had no kindergarten, so all the children went to the public school for a year and then transferred to St. Joseph's for the first grade. Grade school in those days entailed a two for one proposition since the first grade shared its room and its teacher with the second grade. Her name was Sister Cornelia and she was a saint, beloved by all of her pupils. In fact, Sister Cornelia continued with our class right through the third grade.

During World War II, 360 members of our parish served in the Armed Forces, and 11 of them died in action. In July 1943 Fr. Boniface died. Fr. Mark Gardner, his assistant since 1932, became the new pastor. In 1949, construction began on a "new school" and rectory, to be located on the site of the original rectory, convent, and playground. When the school opened in 1952, it was lauded as the most modern parochial school in the Newark Archdiocese. A contemporary newspaper account:

... the large modern, well-lighted classrooms with special hard surfaced fabric wainscot on all walls ... The wardrobes and supply closets have modern space saving automatic folding doors. The blackboards have aluminum frames and cork-tack and bulletin boards and aluminum map rails, together with metal storage shelving, flanking the modern individual air and heat control units.

Each classroom will be supplied with visual aid lighting and violet ray Germicidal fixtures with a modern system of radio reception, loud speakers, and automatic clock system. All floors in the classes are of marbleized colored asphalt tile ...

Fr. Clarence Maguire, a member of the first graduating class in 1930, became assistant pastor after World War II, and directed construction of a basement chapel in the "old school" to handle overflow crowds from the church. A few years later, an Honor Roll was installed in the church listing the names of thirty parishioners who served in the Korean War.
Throughout the 1950's and early 1960's, support for parish activities reached an all-time high. The school had more than 800 children. Two classes were needed for every grade. Both the old and new schools were in constant use, and families were only required to pay $15.00 a year to the school fund.

On April 8, 1956, Fr. Mark Gardner retired as pastor. He continued to live at the rectory, frequently visiting the school children. He died at the rectory in August 1959. His successor, Fr. Hugh Austin, swiftly endeared himself to all the school children with his marvelous sense of humor and talents as a magician. Fr. Hugh retired in 1966 due to ill health, and died on December 27, 1966.

Fr. Brendon Gilmore, a close friend of Fr. Hugh's and a frequent visitor during his days as Provincial of the Carmelite Order, became pastor in 1966. Vatican II occurred during his time as pastor, and major changes occurred through the Catholic World. On the first Sunday in Advent of 1966, a lector and songleader appeared at Mass for the first time. The "folk" Mass had its debut in 1968 downstairs in the cafeteria. Special Eucharistic Ministers were commissioned to distribute Holy Communion in church and to visit the sick.

In 1972, it was determined that the cost of rehabilitating the "old school" was too expensive, and it was torn down.

Fr. Herbert Jones, a former student and long-time friend of Fr. Hugh's became pastor in 1975. He organized St. Joseph's first Parish Council. In accordance with Vatican II requirements, the interior of the church was remodeled, so that the priests could say Mass facing the congregation. In 1979 Bishop Garner presided at the solemn high mass for the 50th anniversary of St. Joseph's.

The church continued to play an important role in the lives of its parishioners. In the 1980's, there were 580 weddings, 1,183 Baptisms, 883 confirmations, and 775 funerals.

In June 1984, Fr. Herbert Jones left Bogota to serve the missions in Peru, which he continues to do to this day. Fr. Morris Wells, a military chaplain, was assigned his first parish and installed as pastor on June 30, 1984. In 1987, another change occurred as Fr. Morris was installed as Provincial of the Carmelite Order, under much the same circumstances as Fr. Basil in 1915.

Fr. Morris replaced himself as pastor with Fr. Joseph O'Brien, a Teaneck native. Among Fr. Joseph's talents was his ability to speak fluent Spanish. Englewood's large Spanish-speaking population needed a priest. In 1988, St. Joseph's sent Fr. Joseph to St. Cecilia's in Englewood, as St. Cecilia's had sent us our first pastor in 1913.

Fr. Joseph was replaced in 1988 by Fr. Anthony Palo, who transferred from a parish in Kentucky. In 1990, Fr. Paul Schweizer, was installed as pastor.

The parish has continued to change to keep pace with the needs of all. The school principal, Sister Regina Miriam, presides over a staff of lay teachers. Two permanent deacons from the parish have been ordained. A counsellor is available. A pastoral minister organizes and administers the many outreach programs.

The generosity of parishioners throughout the years has enabled St. Joseph's to keep our church and school buildings in good working order. Once upon a time, the bell tower leaked. It has been repaired. Generous gifts re-carpeted the church, covered the chairs, restored the Stations of the Cross, replaced the doors, and repaired the Christmas nativity figures. In memory of an employee, a painting company repainted the church. In memory of her mother, a parishioner donated funds to clean and repair the Last Judgment painting above the altar.

Vatican II had changed the language of the Mass (it used to be said by the priest in Latin), and the direction of the altar. Vatican II also changed dramatically what the parish organ was called to do. Not only did it have to accompany the parish choir or soloist, or some chant, it now had to lead the congregation in the singing of hymns, provide music for preludes and postludes, accompany songleaders, cantors and choirs doing more challenging music, and it had to be the foundation of an expanded music program in the church.

The first pipe organ for St. Joseph's was built and installed in 1929 by the Kilgen Organ Company. At that time, the Kilgen Company was one of the premiere organ companies on the east coast. One of the largest Kilgen Organs still in use is at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. The Kilgen Organ which was installed at St. Joseph's was small, only eight ranks, but it provided years of service and served the functions of the church well.

By the late 1960's and early 1970's, problems with the organ began to surface. The leather was wearing, and fewer and fewer notes were playable. Ciphers (notes playing on their own due to bad or worn leather) were increasing in numbers, and the organ was becoming increasingly difficult to play and to service. During the 1970's, a total of $18,000.00 was spent on the Great Division. Thus, the four ranks of the Great Division were still payable until the organ was removed in June 1998. Still, the Swell Division had become almost totally unplayable, and the unit Flute and the beautiful Strings were useless due to so many missing and dead notes. By the 1990's the 8 rank Kilgen Organ with only four ranks playing was unable to serve the needs of the church adequately.

The Peragallo Organ Company of Paterson, New Jersey (which still maintains the St. Patrick's Kilgen Organ), had been maintaining St. Joseph's organ for many years, but since former Organist Ann Daly worked wonders around the disappearing organ, no one at Peragallo was able to convince anyone at St. Joseph's that the organ was in serious need of attention. To many, the organ still sounded fine. To a small few, including Ann and many in the choir, the time was coming when something would need to be done.

In 1996, Fr. Paul Schweizer, pastor, was convinced that something needed to be done. As the search began for a new Music Minister, Fr. Paul realized that the organ would be an obstacle to hiring someone. In the fall of 1996, an Organ Committee was formed to explore all the possibilities or either rebuilding or replacing the Kilgen Organ. With a decision that something would be done sooner rather than later, Fr. Paul was able to hire a new full-time Music Minister, Michael Riedel who joined the staff in the fall of 1996.

In October 1996, the Parish Organ Committee held its first meeting. The Committee was made up of a cross-section of the parish, including both Fr. Paul and Fr. Ed, Michael Riedel, members of the choir, Parish Advisory Committee, Finance Committee, parishioners, musicians, businessmen, and those with experience in church design. Mr. Vince Petrik was selected as Chairman. In November 1996, then-Diocesan Music Director David Fedor met with the Organ Committee and favored a renovation project. During the next several months, Vince Petrik carefully guided the Organ Committee as they evaluated what needed to be done. The Committee met with several pipe organ builders and had information from others.
A generous gift by a member of the parish, a shut-in who chose to remain anonymous, in the amount of $60,000.00, helped the Committee decide that a pipe organ that would last a hundred years or more was better than an electronic, which would most likely need to be replaced in 20 or 30 years. The Committee then went to various churches and heard several different organs which had been recently built by the two finalists.
In March 1997, the Organ Committee met and a vote was taken. The Peragallo Organ Company of Paterson, New Jersey was awarded the contract to build St. Joseph's new organ.

Many generous people contributed to the organ fund. In June 1998, the old Kilgen Organ was removed from the choir loft. By August 1998 installation of the new Peragallo Organ was complete. On the weekend of August 15, 1998, the new organ was heard for the first time. On November 22, 1998, the organ was formally dedicated by Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, who, with Fr. Paul, climbed to the choir loft to bless the organ. The Peragallo family and the anonymous donor were in attendance.

Beautiful music filled the beautiful church.

We certainly have come a long way since June 1, 1913 when Fr. Basil celebrated that first mass at the Central Avenue fire house. Perhaps we tend to take our past a little too much for granted sometimes. And then again, once in a while, I pause for a moment and look, not just casually as I usually do, but I look deeply and thoughtfully at our parish buildings, the church with its singular broad brick face and bell tower, the school, the rectory and convent, the vacant lot where the "old school" stood, and I can't help but reflect on the solemn and mute testimony these structures offer about all the people who have passed by, all of the players, pastors, priests, nuns, and laypeople who worshipped here, who gave of themselves, who have gone to their rewards, and yet who still somehow always will share in the Spirit of our parish. It's not the buildings, of course. They will pass away. It's the people acting in union with the Spirit who are, in the end, the real St. Joseph's Parish. It is their story.