St. Anthony’s Church is a very special parish. Established in a firehouse by Fr. Robert Barrett, an Irish Diocesan priest, over seventy-five years ago, it has grown as a “community of faith” to include over 4,800 families.

Our history includes the establishment of a shrine to honor the great Franciscan Saint of Padua, the burning of the Church, the opening and closing of a school administered by the Dominican Sisters, the arrival of the Jesuits, the conversion of the convent into a retreat house, and the renovation of the Parish Center.

Our journey together is marked by triumphs but also tragedies. Each controversy or setback was short lived as new opportunities were developed to challenge and support the needs and talents of our parishioners. Today there is a large number of programs and ministries that express the love and commitment of members of this faith community. We have choirs and support groups, religious instructions and adult education, youth ministry and family ministry, preschool programs, a senior citizens center and Ignatian Spirituality Groups (just to mention some of what happens here!). And we celebrate twelve liturgies on a weekend when the community gathers to praise and thank our God!

We educate and we question, we discuss and we argue and we disagree and we challenge and we grow, we share and we support and we serve, we pray and we worship…and we love.

This community of faith continues to “…struggle to grow in our relationship with God and with one another.” Jesus is at the center of who we are and who we hope to become-for “we walk with Jesus of the Gospel who reveals God’s love for all.”

The priests, deacons, staff and ministers of St. Anthony’s Church are here to walk with you and with Jesus on your journey to God. If we can help you in any way, just ask. If there are new projects or programs we need to establish, make suggestions! Please pray for us, pray for this community, and continue to celebrate all that God does for us in each and every moment.

May we be faithful to God and faithful to our mission. May we always and everywhere reveal God’s love for all.

In Christ,
D.James French S.J.
Pastor