The eldest of nine children and a former school football captain, Peter Gerety became the Archbishop of Newark in the United States in 1974.
He served for twelve years before becoming Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese, a post he held until his death on Tuesday.
Newark Archbishop John Meyers called Peter Gerety "a remarkable churchman whose love for the people of God was always strong and ever-growing."
Archbishop Gerety was a prominent civil rights campaigner and minister to Black and Hispanic Americans.
He opposed state attempts to legalise abortion and defended the right of conscientious objectors during the Vietnam War.
Mr Gerety also guided the Diocese of Newark through significant financial difficulty to a place of relative stability.
