Late Newark Monsignor Helped Transform City After 1967 Riots

NEWARK, NJ — A well-respected “pioneer” in the Newark nonprofit housing community has passed away, according to the organization that he founded.

The New Community Corporation (NCC) announced that Monsignor William J. Linder, “a pioneer in America’s community development movement,” passed away Friday. He was 82.

Linder founded the nonprofit in 1968, helping to transform a blighted area of Newark following the 1967 riots by building new housing and providing critical services like job training, the NCC stated.

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The model of community development Linder championed attracted visitors from around the world, including places like Ireland and Africa. His work also drew the attention of leaders like Bill and Hillary Clinton (the latter visited New Community back in the 1980s.) Former South African Bishop Desmond Tutu and Former U.S. Housing Secretary Jack Kemp have also visited the nonprofit.

The NCC provided the following short biography for Linder:

“Born in Jersey City on June 5, 1936, Monsignor grew up in West New York and enrolled in Manhattan College to study engineering in 1954. However, halfway through his freshman year, Monsignor’s father suddenly died at age 53. Monsignor finished the semester at Manhattan College and then spent the next two years at Seton Hall University studying classical language and philosophy. In the fall of 1958, he entered the Immaculate Conception Seminary, where he spent his next six years. Monsignor was ordained as a priest on May 25, 1963. At age 27, Monsignor received his pastoral assignment for the all-black parish called Queen of Angels in Newark, and founded New Community with a small group of community-minded residents in 1968. In 1973, Monsignor was abruptly removed from Queen of Angels and exiled to the dormant St. Joseph Parish in Newark. In 1974, he was reassigned to St. Rose of Lima Parish in the Roseville section of Newark, where he became its pastor in 1977. Monsignor retired as pastor of St. Rose of Lima in 2012 at age 76.”

According to the NCC, Monsignor previously served as the CEO of New Community Corporation. He was serving as the president of the New Community Corporation Board of Directors and remained active within the organization until his death.

NCC staff wrote:

“Under Monsignor’s leadership, New Community grew from a single housing development to an entire network of facilities and services, today encompassing close to 2,000 units of housing for seniors and families in three New Jersey cities, in addition to providing child care, education, health care and a host of other services that make it one of the most holistic in its approach in the community development arena. Monsignor’s goal from the very beginning was ambitious, radical and unlike anything ever attempted in an inner-city environment at the time: creating a planned community within an old, existing city that would provide residents with all the services they need from birth to death.”

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“The people of the city of Newark have lost their greatest and most persistent champion,” said New Community CEO Richard Rohrman. “There is physical evidence of Monsignor Linder’s legacy throughout the city, but his most important legacy is the difference he’s made in many people’s lives through the New Community mission. He always worked to preserve people’s God-given dignity and helped them pursue personal achievement. We at New Community will continue to serve residents with Monsignor Linder’s vision in mind.”

SERVICE INFORMATION

Viewing

• Thursday, June 14 from 4 to 7 p.m.
• St. Rose of Lima Church, 11 Gray St., Newark, NJ 07107

Vigil Mass

• Thursday, June 14 at 7 p.m.
• St. Rose of Lima Church, 11 Gray St., Newark, NJ 07107

Funeral Mass

• Saturday, June 16 at 11 a.m.
• Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, 89 Ridge St., Newark, NJ 07104

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Monsignor William J. Linder Scholarship Fund. Donations can be sent to 233 West Market St., Newark, NJ 07103.

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Photo: NCC