NEWARK, N.J. — Hundreds gathered in eastern New Jersey on Saturday morning for the ordination Mass of Fr Patrick Winbush, who was ordained for the Benedictines of Newark Abbey, where he has resided as a professed monk since 2001.

The event, held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church nextdoor to the monastery, brought a diverse crowd of priests to the heart of the city, including a number of Winbush’s friends and the cardinal-archbishop of Washington, Wilton Gregory, who was requested by Winbush last year to perform the ordination. Both men are African Americans, Gregory being the first such cardinal in history, and Winbush the first such priest ordained in Newark in more than two decades.