Monastery and Church of Saint Michael the Archangel.
In 1861, Passionists began their ministry in Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, and by 1864 had built a monastery in what was then West Hoboken, on a site bounded by West Street and Summit Avenue, between 18th and 21st Streets. and now southern half of Union City. The land for the 12.3-acre site was donated by J. Kerrigan, the owner of Kerrigan Farm, and the namesake of Kerrigan Avenue.
The monastery that was located on the grounds began operating in 1864. The domed church was designed in 1869 by Irish-American architect Patrick Keely. It’s cornerstone was laid in 1869, and it was completed in 1875. It opened its doors later that year. Additions to the complex were made in 1914, 1929, and 1944. In 1934 artist Hildreth Meière was commissioned to create three murals of the patron saints of the church's shrine for its the chapel
Preservation
160 years of history
In 1876, the relics of Saint Benedict were enshrined near the main altar. At one time, the church was the largest Roman Catholic house of worship in Hudson County. A 1934 fire, one of the largest ever in North Hudson completely destroyed its domed section, as well as all three of the Hildreth Meiére murals. The church was rebuilt and reopened the following year, and Meiére was again commissioned to create 14 more murals to hang in the monastery
Conservation
The monastery continued to serve the predominantly Irish, German, Italian, and Hispanic community as a local seminary and residence for church clergy.[9] This came to an end beginning in 1980, when the monastery closed,[3] followed by the closure of the entire complex in 1981 as a result of declining parish enrollments, fewer seminarians in classes and the lack of sufficient finances needed to pay for the site's increasing mounting maintenance costs.
A cultural place for all
Following a 1984 fire, the owners attempted to sell the property, which at the time was the last undeveloped major parcel of land in Union City, to a commercial developer interested in building a shopping center, but the city blocked this endeavor by rezoning the six-square-block site for single-family residential development. In 1983 Saint Michael's Parish merged with nearby Saint Joseph's Parish, whose school and church were on the corner of Central Avenue at 14th Street, becoming Saint Joseph and Michael's Parish. In 1986, the complex was placed on both state and national registers of historic places.