History

Parish History

St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church has a rich history of faith, service, and Christian witness in the West End of Atlanta, GA spanning over the past 120 years. The idea of building a Catholic church in the West End was conceived in 1902 by Mrs. Esther LaRose Harris, wife of Joel Chandler Harris, the famous author of the Uncle Remus stories. Mrs. Harris and a group of Catholic women met at her home (The Wren’s Nest) to discuss the lack of satisfactory transportation to a Catholic church and schools to meet the needs of Catholic families in the West End community. As a result of their meeting, the women organized the Catholic Ladies Aid Society and convinced church leaders to establish a church in the West End.

The first Mass in the parish was celebrated on the Feast of St. Anthony, June 13, 1903, in the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Corley at 742 Laton Street SW. The congregation consisted of a total of fifty-five men, women, and children, representing twenty-four families. The parish was dedicated formally on September 20, 1903 at a solemn Mass celebrated by Bishop Benjamin Keily. Concelebrating were Father John Gunn, SM, Pastor of Sacred Heart Church, and Father O.N. Jackson, St. Anthony’s first pastor. The parish soon outgrew the house it had purchased on a lot that straddled Gordon and Ashby Streets. In 1911, ground was broken and a cornerstone laid for the basement of the new St. Anthony Church. The present church building was dedicated on January 15, 1924.

The St. Anthony School, located at 651 Asbhy Street, opened in 1912 with two Sisters of Mercy teaching first and second grades. This facility was replaced in 1917 when a parishioner, Miss Hannah Kuhn, gave the parish a building located on the site of the present school building on Gordon Street (now Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard SW). That same year, the Sisters of St. Joseph began instructing the students. The parish school closed in the spring of 2001.

In 1932, West End parishioners began publishing the Chronicles of Atlanta Catholicism: St. Anthony’s Catholic News. This citywide publication continued until 1962 and its volumes are an invaluable source of Catholic history in Atlanta.

The church facility has undergone three major renovations. In 1940, parishioners raised over $40,000 to replace the roof and refurbish the building. Then again, in 1994-96, the church underwent a major renovation of the roof, sanctuary, and parish hall. In 2022, the parish completed a capital campaign to renovate the sanctuary, nave, vestibule, sacristy, bathrooms, parish hall, and kitchen. A stairwell connecting the parish hall to the back of the nave was constructed and new kitchen equipment was installed. A state-of-the-art lighting and new sound system were introduced with advanced capacities for live-streaming.

A long line of dedicated priests, sisters, and laity including pastors: Harry Clark, James Conlin, Joseph Croke, Joseph Smith, James King, Donald Kiernan, Michael McKeever, Eusebius Beltran, John Adamski, Bruce Wilkinson, Hugh Marren, Thomas Meehan, Craig David, Anthony Curran, Timothy A. Gadziala, and Victor A. Galier have provided service and leadership for the parish over the past 120 years. Father Desmond Drummer is the current pastor as of July 1, 2023.

St. Anthony was the third Catholic community to be established in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The parish is home to over 400 families and includes a wonderful mixture of both long established parish families and newer members. The community continues to celebrate and foster the tradition of faith and service demonstrated by all the people who have gone before and who have made our Church family a strong witness to Christian fellowship and outreach.