Could you tell me about St.Anthony’s Church and the adjacent Monastery of the Servite Fathers?
Before the church was established in 1908 the Italians attended services in a little chapel on Murray St., which was rented for them. Both the church and the monastery were built at the same time, in 1913. In 1917 a fire destroyed a part of the church. In 1925 there was a second fire. As for the monastery, we used to have students studying for the priesthood there. Some of them were sent to Rome for special studies, the history of the Blessed Virgin, for instance. Father Dominic and Father Marcel were ordained in Rome. The church was the most important place that the Italians had. There they received almost all the help they needed. After the urban renewal took place, many Italians moved from this area. However, many of them continued coming back to the Church of St. Anthony even though they lived at a great distance from it. The “village” has always been involved in sports. Father Jerome was very active in hockey, baseball, and soccer.In terms of the Procession of St. Anthony, it star
