Three Carmelite Fathers came to Paterson in 1873 and established themselves on Stony road, where they had purchased a frame dwelling. They erected a neat two-story brick house, the lower floor being used as a chapel and the upper as a residence for the friars. They were recalled to Europe, but on the 26th of August, 1876, two priests, three students, and four lay brothers of the Order of St. Francis came to Paterson and obtained possession of the property vacated by the Carmelites. The Franciscans came from Fulda, in Germany, from which place they had been driven by the German government. In February of the following year Rt. Rev. Bishop Corrigan gave them charge of the Catholics in the vicinity with authority to form a parish under the patronage of St. Bonaventura. On November 24th, 1878, Bishop Corrigan laid the corner-stone of a new church in the presence of a large concourse of people. The Franciscan Fathers went to work with a will and when the new church was completed the property was not encumbered by any mortgage or other claim, as the small debt that remained was in the shape of a note. The Catholic Church provides for the dedication of churches that are not paid for, but no church can be consecrated to the service of God as long as there is a claim on it the prosecution of which might result in the sale of the property and its conversion to other uses. St. Bonaventure's Church, a large and handsome structure, was consecrated on July 4th, 1880, by Bishop Corrigan. Fathers McNulty and Hens, who by their influence had done a great deal towards securing the success of the new project, acted as deacons of honor; Very Rev. Aloysius Laur, Provincial Superior of the Order of St. Francis, as assistant priest; Fathers Muller and Trumper as deacons, and Father Burk, from St. Mary's Church, Hoboken, as master of ceremonies. The cost of the new church was about $30,000. The congregation increased steadily and more priests and students arrived at the monastery, and to-day the order as well as the congregation is in a flourishing condition. For a long time the French and Italian residents of Paterson worshipped in the churches which were most convenient to them, and no attempt was made to provide for them opportunities to attend services in their own language. In 1882 Father Hens induced some of the Fathers of Mercy from New York to come to Paterson occasionally, and services were for some time held in French and Italian in St. Boniface's Church. The numbers of attendants at these services increased, and in 1883 they rented a room in the Smith and Jackson building in Market street. Here religious services are held every Sunday, Father Porcille, one of the Fathers of Mercy in New York, coming to Paterson every Saturday and returning to New York on Monday.