A Paterson church celebrated its re-dedication ceremony Saturday, after it was closed to its parishioners for more than six years.

Renovations were recently completed on St. John's Cathedral. The ceremony was held today intentionally -- June 24 is the birthday of St. John the Baptist.

The cathedral was first dedicated back in 1870. But in 2010, a portion of the cathedral's ceiling collapsed, spurring the recent overhaul.

At Mass this weekend, members of the congregation got the experience the transformation that their house of worship has undergone. The canopy and altar are both new, the organ is back in place and the choir has been returned to the loft. The Stations of the Cross surrounding the pews have also been painted.

The cathedral is the epicenter of the Paterson Diocese, which is made up of 111 parishes. Its cornerstone dates back to 1865.
 
The neo-gothic design that rose into the the sky at Grande Street was fully completed in 1890 at a price of $232,000. But the recent overhaul cost $17 million.