A brief history of St. Anthony's Parish

St. Anthony’s Parish has been a focal point of Italian religious and cultural life in the greater Canton area since its beginning in 1908. Each year, the parishioners continue to commemorate St. Anthony on the Sunday closest to his feast day of June 13th.

Fr. Adolfo Cascianelli founded the original church as a mission at 918 Liberty St. SE in Canton, OH. Through the years, the original frame church had deteriorated and was in need of repair. So the building was torn down in 1924 with the intent of rebuilding it on the same site. The needs of the parish exceeded the size of the original location, so three years elapsed before a new church was built.

Mrs. Edith Albert donated land to the parish and a new church was built at its present location on 11th St. SE. It was dedicated on December 11, 1927. In the next few years, both the school and the rectory were built.

During the existence of St. Anthony’s Parish, many wonderful priests and nuns have served it. Many recall Monsignor James McLaughlin since he was pastor for 43 years. Rev. Tom Bishop has been our pastor since 1995.

St. Anthony’s Parish looks forward to its centennial celebration (100 yr.) in 2008.

St. Anthony’s traditions continue. The Church is its people.

St. Anthony of Padua

(1195-1231) priest and doctor

St. Anthony of Padua was born at Lisbon, Portugal, in 1195. His surname comes from the Italian city where he lived the latter part of his life. His parents were members of the Portuguese nobility; his father was a knight at the court of King Alfonso II.

His early education took place at the cathedral of Lisbon. At the age of fifteen, he joined the Regular Canons of St. Augustine and was transferred to the monastery at Coimbra two years later because of distractions caused by his friends' visits. At the monastery, Anthony devoted himself to prayer and study and became a learned scholar in the Bible.

In 1220, Don Pedro of Portugal brought the Relics of Franciscans who had been martyred to Coimbra. This had a tremendous effect on Anthony, who requested admission to the Franciscans. In 1221, he was accepted. Soon after, he set out for Morocco to preach the Gospel to the Moors. On the way to Morocco, he was forced to return to Europe because of illness. On his return home,a storm drove his ship to the shores of Italy, where he would live for the rest of his life.

Upon his return, Anthony went to Assisi, where the general chapter meeting of 1221 took place. At the meeting, he was assigned to the hermitage of Sao Paolo near Forli. It was in Forli that he gave a great sermon which propelled him into his calling as a preacher.

A gifted preacher, Anthony was also called upon to teach theology to his fellow Franciscans. He was the first member of the Franciscans to be so honored. Anthony drew large crowds wherever he went in Italy, but his greatest success was in Padua where the entire city flocked to hear his word and welcomed him as another St. Francis.

After the death of Francis, Anthony became the minister provincial of Emilia or Romagna. In 1226, he was elected as the envoy from the general chapter to Pope Gregory XI. Soon after, he was released from this duty so he could continue his preaching. He returned to Padua, where he preached until his death. Anthony died on June 13, 1231 at the age of thirty-six. He is a Doctor of the Church.

"Per Sempre Casa"

Our Forever Home

Litany of the Lost

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.

For those of us who have lost...

• our health,
• our peace of mind,
• our housing,
• our financial security,
• a loved one,
• our dreams,
• our talents,
• our initial zeal,
• our sobriety,
• our faith,
• our self-respect,
• our perspective,
• our innocence,
• our independence,
• peace within our families,
• civil peace,
• our trust in others,
• our virtue,
• our home

Lamb of God,
You take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.

Let us pray,
All loving God,
You have given us St. Anthony,
the patron of the lost,
as an intercessor of those
who are in need of your mercy.
Listen to his voice,
as he calls out to You
on our behalf,
and grant those things
which will help us grow
in Your love.
We ask this
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.