Tommaso Barbieri

Tommaso ‘Thomas’ Barbieri was born on 10 April 1880 in Muro Lucano, prov. Potenza, Basilicata, the son of Arcangelo Barbieri (1836–1913) and Caterina Carusiello (1839–1909).

He was educated through elementary, gymnasium, liceo and then theological seminary at the Gregorian in Rome, after which (in 1907) he was ordained priest in the Catholic Church. Later records claimed he was a convert from 'Greek Catholic faith', and given that he grew up in Basilicata, this was possibly what is now known as the Arbëreshë 'Italo-Albanian-Byzantine' rite.

He was originally sent to work among Italian immigrants around Our Lady of Mount Carmel (NY). His obituary does not indicate why he chose to leave orders and to train for Presbyterian Ministry. Newspaper sources indicate that he connected to James A. O'Connor, the editor of The Converted Catholic, and so broader Reformed Catholic circles (founded 1879 in New York by dissident priests who detached themselves from the Roman communion). O'Connor commenced services at Northfield, MA for Italian workers. Barbieri connected to the Reformed Catholic services at Christ's Mission (331 W. 57th St, NYC) in June or July 1908, and shortly afterwards he entered the Moody School (Mount Herman Theological School) in Massachusetts for six months, before transferring to the Bible Teachers’ Training School at Columbia University. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle 3 Oct 1908: 3)

On 12 July 1910 he married Louise Eleanor [Elena] nee Tassi (aka Tassie, 26 Dec 1892 - 17 Nov 1983), the daughter of Caterina Tassi (1867, Italy -1937, Somerville, NJ). The marriage would produce 9 children.

From January 1910- November 1916, he ministered at the Italian Chapel, Bernardsville, New Jersey, on Garibaldi Street, started by local minister John T. Reeve, and which Barbieri dedicated. He then transferred to the Church of the Gospel in New York (1916-1929) on Bleecker Street. In 1912 he was ordained by the Presbytery of Elizabeth, at a Presbytery meeting which commended Barbieri on his excellent English. For some time, after James O'Connor died (c. 1928) Barbieri preached at Christ's Mission on apologetic topics such as 'Do Protestants Know Romanism?'. In 1929, he returned as pastor of the Italian Presbyterian work in Bernardsville. It was a tense time for Italian work, with the rise of Italian organized crime networks further fuelled by Prohibition, and the resulting police corruption and action creating suspicion to fall upon Italian families. Barbieri's own son-in-law, Jerome, was held by police during a crack down (after the murder of local police chief Cavanaugh) which drew suspicion on Jerome's brother 'Ponzi' Orlando. [Plainfield Courier-News 12 Sep 1931: 1]

Barbieri was inevitably involved in politics as part of his cure - and in 1935 sat (successfully) for a 1 year term seat on municipal Council on the Republican ticket, against the big government proposals of the New Deal. He was thereafter reelected for longer terms, and also acted as a listed juror in local courts and sat on the Bernards District Board of Education.

He died of heart disease in 1942 in Bernardsville, and was buried in Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church Cemetery. Louise died on 17 Nov 1983, at Ashbrook Nursing Home, Scotch Plains. Generations of members of the Presbyterian Church on Mine Brook Road came from their founding work in Bernardsville.

Sources

• Ancestry.com

• Italian Presbyterian Ministers' Who's Who, MSS, 301.7.12 Italian File, Dept of City, and Industrial Work, Emigrant, Board of National Missions, Presbyterian Historical Society (NY).

• newspapers.com