History of our Parish
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St. Anthony of Padua ParishFounded in 1870
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In 1868, when Ulysses S. Grant was President and William Augustus Atlee was mayor of Lancaster, the Harrisburg Diocese was formed. The first priest ordained by Bishop Jeremiah F. Shanahan was Reverend Anthony Kaul. Soon after his ordination in 1869, Father Kaul was assigned to St. Joseph’s parish in Lancaster. Until this time, St. Joseph’s church served the needs of the German Catholics in Lancaster, but by 1870, the population began settling more towards the eastern part of the city, and the German Catholics there petitioned the bishop for a parish of their own.
Since the Bishop was attending a conference in Rome at the time, the acting administrator of the Harrisburg Diocese was Rev. Bernard Keenan, rector of St. Mary’s parish. This “grand old man of Lancaster,” - who had been a good friend of James Buchanan – had noticed the zeal and energy of the new assistant at St. Joseph’s church and chose him to form the new parish in January of 1870. Anthony Kaul was then 24 years old.
Three men who were parishioners at St. Mary’s became the original donors to the building project. Bernard McGrann, a contractor and banker, Hilary Zaepfle, a brewer and former investor in the Fulton Opera House, and Michael Haberbush, a saddle and harness maker, each contributed $500.00 to the enterprise. These three men were given the privilege of naming the patron saint of the new parish and selected St. Anthony of Padua in honor of Father Anthony Kaul. The church was dedicated by Bishop Shanahan on May 17, 1875. The debt free church was consecrated on September 24, 1895.
Since Father Kaul was passionately devoted to the concept of Catholic education, he invited the Holy Cross Sisters of Notre Dame, Indiana, to come and take over the education of parish students. The process took several years to come to fruition, and in the meantime, part of the basement of the church had been divided into two classrooms with lay teachers to educate the boys and girls separately. In 1873, Father Kaul was visited by a delegation of Sisters from the Holy Cross order, Sister Mary Stanislaus (Father Kaul’s own sister, Elizabeth) and Mother Augusta, stewardess of the order. A commitment was made, and within a week, Sisters Gertrude and des Victoires were sent to join Sister Stanislaus as the first religious faculty of the new parish.
Sister Stanislaus was a musician, and her music conservatory across the street from the church formed the nucleus of an organization that grew into the formation of Sacred Heart Academy. Interest in the conservatory as a boarding school for girls grew, and in 1876, Father Kaul purchased the property across from the rectory to establish and build the new school. In 1877, the faculty and boarding students took possession of the new building and in 1901, the Holy Cross order purchased the building from Father Kaul. The school enjoyed an excellent reputation as both a music conservatory and an academic institution until structural damage caused its closing in 1958. It was torn down in 1963 and the property is now used as a parking lot.
Father Kaul was elevated to the rank of Monsignor in 1918 by Pope Benedict XV. He remained pastor of St. Anthony parish until his failing eyesight caused him to submit his resignation as pastor on February 12, 1934, and was named Pastor Emeritus. The beloved priest continued to say Mass with the help of his assistant, Father Louis Yeager, who became acting pastor until Msgr. Kaul’s death in 1935.
When Msgr. Kaul died, the Most Rev. George L Leech, auxiliary bishop of Harrisburg, was appointed pastor of St. Anthony’s. He came to the parish on November 7 of 1935 but received news one week later that Bishop McDevitt had died, and Bishop Leech was slated to succeed him.
Since that time, the pastor who had been in office for 65 years, has been succeeded by the following diocesan priests:
Rev. Herman Gies, 1936-1945
Rev. Louis Yeager, 1945-1947
Rev. Paul A Gieringer, 1947-1952
Rev. Robert Hartnett, 1952-1963
Rev. Alphonse Marcincavage, 1963-1967
Major renovations were made to the church in 1949, when Father Paul Gieringer brought in the Carrera marble that adorns the interior until this day. Father Gieringer was an amateur architect and designed the artwork in the church himself.
In 1967, the Baltimore Province of the Redemptorist priests was asked by the Bishop of Harrisburg to take over the pastoral care of St. Anthony Parish. This was at a time when clear teaching and preaching were needed particularly to help the people make the transition to the post-Vatican II liturgies.
Redemptorist pastors were as follows:
Father Charles O’Leary – 1967-1970
Father Wallace Berrier (Administrator) – 1970-1972
Father Joseph McManus – 1972-1978
Father William Geiger – 1978-1984
Father E. Patrick Lynch – 1984-1990
Father Francis Collins – 1990-1993
Father Charles McDonald – 1993-1999
Father Patrick McGarrity – 1999-2005
The exterior of the church was renovated during the administration of Father William Geiger, and Father Patrick Lynch completed the refurbishing of the interior of the church by 1988.
By 2005, the Redemptorist ministry at St. Anthony Church had come to an end. In that year, Rev. Daniel Mitzel and Rev. Lawrence Coakley were appointed by the Bishop to take over the pastoral care of the parish.
Father Mitzel was ordained to the priesthood of the Diocese of Harrisburg on May 16, 1981. His first assignment was to St. John Neumann, Lancaster. In 1984 he went to Holy Name of Jesus, Harrisburg. During the years 1990-1995, he served as pastor of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, Lebanon. In 1995 he was assigned to serve as pastor of St. Francis of Assisi, Harrisburg, a bi-lingual culturally diverse inner-city parish. He remained there until 2005. Fr. Mitzel serves on the College of Consultors of our Diocese of Harrisburg. He is also a member of the Presbyteral Council and Priests’ Personnel Board of the Diocese of Harrisburg. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Catholic Charities.
Father Daniel O'Brien was appointed by Bishop Ronald Gainer June 2014.
Father Matthew Morelli was appointed by Bishop Ronald Gainer October 2020.
St. Anthony parish has a proud tradition of meeting both the spiritual and cultural needs of its parishioners since its beginnings. The first language spoken in the parish was German. From 1919 to 1922, the lower church was used by the Italian community under the pastoral care of Rev. Michael O’Flynn (whose Italian mother had taught him to be fluent in the language.) Beginning in 1961, Holy Mass was celebrated here in Spanish until 1982, when the Hispanic Catholic communities of St. Mary’s and St. Anthony’s combined to form the Catholic community of San Juan Bautista. In 1986, the Vietnamese Catholic Community began to use the Lower Church for Sunday Mass. They continue to celebrate Mass in Vietnamese weekly under the pastoral care of Fr. Hoa Nguyen. They often attend daily Mass in English and frequently are in the Lower Church for devotions. During May and October, the Vietnamese Catholic community gathers every night to pray the Rosary and sing praise to our God.
The symbol for the parish, executed artistically by the late James Ruof, is a Circle of Hands. It represents all the people who belong to the parish on earth, linking hands with all those who went before them in Heaven, and the hands of God are guiding them all. There is always room in the ever-widening circle.
Dianne M. Danz , Parish Historian
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Saint anthony of padua parish
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history through the decades
St. Anthony’s History by Decades
How do we know where we’re going unless we know where we’ve been? Historians believe those words well enough to share some interesting stories with anyone who will listen.
St. Anthony of Padua parish has had a long and varied history. The archive collection is currently housed in the rectory and provides a wealth of information—too extensive for most people to tackle. This column will try to present a précis of parish history by decades, just to take us on a brief journey through more than 140 years of history.
Our initial offering begins in 1873—a very important year in the story of St. Anthony’s. Thanks to the response and requests of our many faithful followers, we continue exploring our rich parish heritage.
The goal is to continue with a vibrant, living archive collection. By sharing our research with you there is no better way to keep our history alive. Thank you for your continued support, and a special thank you to those who contributed new photos and details to supplement our files.
Illustrations have been reproduced from originals contained in the parish archive. Other source credits have been duly given.
1873 in History
Ulysses S. Grant is President; Levi Strauss invents jeans; the first Heineken brewery is opened; the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union is formed (coincidence?); the Jesse James gang robs its first train after four years of planning (trans-continental railroad completed in 1869); HMS Pinafore opens.
1873 at St. Anthony’s
On August 29, 1873, two Holy Cross Sisters from the Mother House at St. Mary’s in Indiana arrive in Lancaster at the invitation of paster Rev. Anthony Kaul. Mother Mary Augusta and Sr. Mary Stanislaus (Fr. Kaul’s sister) are sent to evaluate the situation and report back their superior, Mother Angela. They decide favorably.
Within a week, Srs. Mary Gertrude (Kuntz) and Mary des Victories (Martin) are sent to St. Anthony’s to join Sr. Stanislaus in starting a school for the parish. Sr. Stanislaus also begins music lessons in the house where sisters lived at 518 East Orange Street. This music conservatory will become Sacred heart Academy, another important institution in the history of the parish.
Also in August, Fr. Kaul’s sister, Mary Kaul, presents the parish with the first bell to be mounted in the church tower. It is to be the smallest bell in the tower and has been purchased from Joshua Register and Son Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Maryland for $299.30.
The Kaul siblings (left to right): Fr. Anthony Kaul; Br. Leopold (Joseph) Kaul, CSC;
Mary Kaul; Sr. M. Stanislaus (Elizabeth) Kaul, CSC.
Sr. M. Augustus, CSC.
Ink drawing of the four bells in the St. Anthony Church tower
(Drawn by James A. Rouf, parishioner).
1883 in History
Chester A. Arthur is President; the Brooklyn Bridge is completed after 14 years of work; Life magazine is published for the first time; the first vaudeville show opens in Boston; Edison produces the first electric lighting with overhead wires in New York.
Artist's perception (ink drawing, 1880) facing northwest
as seen from a no-longer-existing 110-foot tower at
Lancaster County Prison on East King St.
Factories brought many people to the city.
Rolling Mill Railroad Equipment Co.
(compound of buildings with smokestacks)
was located at the corner of West Walnut and North Plum Streets.1883 at St. Anthony’s
Fr. Kaul’s father, Pirmin Kaul, dies, leaving him a sizable bequest. The pastor uses the money to invest in real estate, including the purchase of several houses on Marion Street behind the rectory. These he sells to parishioners for a reasonable price. They are still in use. Fr. Kaul’s interest in Lancaster development has included negotiating on behalf of the Sisters of St. Francis from Philadelphia to acquire the land and buildings for St. Joseph’s Hospital. Constructed in 1877, the original hospital was designed by Edward F. Durang, the same man who planned both St. Anthony’s Church and Sacred Heart Academy. With the help of several influential parishioners, the Sisters finally take possession of the hospital property on August 23, 1883. They pay $26,500.00 for it.
Photograph of St. Joseph's Hospital as it appeared in 1883.
Lancaster Regional Medical Center occupies the site.
1893 in History
Grover Cleveland is President; the World's Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago with the most extensive public use of electricity seen until that time. Thousands of people visit some of the most beautiful buildings ever seen at an Expo; Edison opens the first motion picture studio in New Jersey; the financial panic of 1893 hits, sending Wall Street into a tailspin; Lizzie Borden is acquitted of the murder of both of her parents; New Zealand is the first country to extend the vote to women on a national basis. (Wyoming has allowed women’s suffrage since 1869, but just in that state).
1893 at St. Anthony’s
Rev. Anthony Kaul is appointed Dean of the Lancaster and York Diocesan School Boards. Alterations begin on the church property, including installing concrete pavements around the church. Side pews are installed in the upper church. In December of 1893, Fr. Kaul convenes a meeting of Catholic representatives from all over Lancaster to discuss his plans to erect a new building on parish grounds. It would house the school as well as facilities for social, recreational, and educational projects for the whole parish and would include an auditorium. The building would be called the Catholic Institute. The architect would again be Edwin F. Durang of Philadelphia. Preparations also begin to celebrate Fr. Kaul’s 25th anniversary of ordination in 1894
Photo above: Church interior ca. 1893. Side pews have been added, note the gas light standards in the pews. The baptistry (west side) and St. Anthony shrine (east side) have not been added at this time. Some of the treasured items pictured have been lost or are unaccounted for. Many are still in our possession, notably (from left to right): the pews and communion rail are used in the lower church, the St. Anthony statue (front left side), Blessed Mother statue, Our Mother of Perpetual Help icon (right of BVM), Sacred Heart of Jesus statue (left of St. Joseph statue), Guardian Angel statue (right of St. Joseph), large crucifix (far right wall), and the Pieta statue at the base of the crucifix. Though not all listed items are seen in the church today, they are part of our vast archive.
1874 in History
Ulysses S. Grant is President, Vice President is Henry Wilson, and Speaker of the House is James G(illespie) Blaine, who is the cousin of the former Eliza Gillespie—known to the Sisters of the Holy Cross as Mother Angela, superior of St. Mary’s Academy in Indiana. On the world scene, New York City annexes the Bronx; the game of lawn tennis is patented by Walter Wingfield under the name, “sphairistrike;” Hawaii signs a treaty with the US granting exclusive trading rights; Levi Strauss and Jack Davis receive US patents for jeans with copper rivets, selling at $13.50 a dozen; the Philadelphia Zoo opens as the first public zoo in the US; E.T. Gerry founds the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in New York; Thomas Nast uses the elephant to symbolize the Republican party in Harper’s Weekly, and Syracuse University welcomes the first Greek sorority—Gamma Phi Beta. Mary Outerbridge, while vacationing in Bermuda, watches English officers play tennis and introduces the game to America.
1874 at St. Anthony's
Fund drives are the order of the day. The church itself is nearly finished, but the mortgage will not be met until 1895. This means that St. Anthony church can be dedicated but cannot be consecrated until the debt is fully paid. The people of the parish are working hard to raise the money and a Centennial Tea Party is held on April 6, 1874 in Grant Hall on Duke Street, to the rear of the courthouse. Ladies of the parish preside at different tea tables and wear costumes from France, Germany, Ireland, and the USA. Admission price includes tea and finger foods at any table, plus the cup and saucer to take home. Music is provided by Ferdinand Weber, the Maennerchor chorus, and is sponsored by the Clemmens Bank.
Hoping for the same success as the Centennial Party, the parish sponsors another fund-raiser on November 25, this one to be held at Springer Excelsior Hall on Grant Street. It is called the Bazaar of Nations. This event lasts a week and includes not only refreshments but articles for sale and humorous readings. Net proceeds are $1,800.00; however, the event is not without its problems. Some young jokesters—called “scurvy fellows” by the press—manage to spread red pepper all over the floor, with predicted results. Fr. Kaul is not amused.
An ad appears in the Lancaster Daily Express of September 5, 1874, about the Academy of the Sacred Heart, which began as a conservatory across the street from the church at 518 E. Orange Street in 1873. Fr. Kaul’s sister, Sr. Stanislaus, taught music there and the school has since become an institute of higher learning for young ladies under the direction of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. Music, fine arts, English, French, and German are taught to boarding and day students. Having outgrown the space on Orange Street, the Academy is at this time located in a building rented from Sarah Rogers by Fr. Kaul at 416 East King Street (now the site of Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home).
Rev. Anthony F. Kaul, 1879, 33 years of age
St. Anthony of Padua church, 1874. The rectory has not yet been built;
note the fence in the front of the building and that the clock has not yet been installed in the tower.
1884 in History
Chester A. Arthur is President; the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions proclaims an 8-hour workday on May 1, then called Labour Day. Harry Truman is born on May 8; on August 5 the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid on Bedloe Island in the New York harbor; the Greenwich meridian is fixed as the world’s prime meridian in October; the Oxford English Dictionary begins publication; Grover Cleveland defeats James G. Blaine for the US Presidency (the aforementioned Blaine ran unsuccess-fully for President three times). The Washington Monument is completed on November 11; Mark Twain writes Huckleberry Finn.
1884 at St. Anthony's
When Sacred Heart Academy (see picture at 1913 at St. Anthony's) was built in 1877 (at the cost of $30,000.00) the parish then had a recreation room, an auditorium, and a music room in which to hold events. Since Fr. Kaul had financed the building of the academy, there was a close connection between the Academy and St. Anthony church. Until the completion of this building commencement exercises for Sacred Heart Academy were often held at Fulton Hall on Prince Street.
On June 24, 1884, the academy’s commencement exercises are held in St. Joseph’s Room in the main hall of the academy. To honor Bishop Shanahan, who presides at the ceremony, the girls present him with a beautiful prie-dieu (kneeler) of purple velvet for his 25th anniversary; valedictorian for the class is Mary E. Gorman. The rest of the class consists of Kate Kenhard, Clare R. Schaubel, Mary A. Kirby, Bertha Amer, Margarette Slaymaker, Mary Kemp, and Kate Quinn.
The parish is still struggling to pay the debt on the building of the church and Fr. Kaul establishes a Debt Fund for the parish. Anyone who contributes $30.00 or more becomes a full member and his name is placed on record as a Perpetual Benefactor. In the next ten years, $15,500 is received this way. There are also other fundraisers. On June 24 St. Anthony Parish Sodality sponsors a picnic at a very popular place on the Conestoga Creek known as Tell’s Hain. These picnics have been known to bring in as much as $300.00 for the church. The old tavern building can still be seen along the west bank of the Conestoga Creek on Conestoga Drive less than a mile from Rte. 30 at Bridgeport. It has been altered, but the basic structure remains. It contained a ballroom and an indoor “garden” where a variety of refreshments were available. There was a door on the ground level for carriages and their horses to be parked. The upper floor was used for dancing. The extensive grounds hosted many picnics for the parish. On this occasion, music for dancing is provided by Taylor’s Orchestra
Known as "Fulton Hall" in 1884, we recognize the
North Prince Street Structure today as the Fulton Operation House.
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