St. Anthony of Padua church was incorporated in 1915. In 1914, Fr. Matthew Pelligrini, pastor of St. Mary's Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Church, located in Binghamton, came to Endicott and held masses for the Italians of Endicott's north side. Masses were said in St. Ambrose Church on Washington Ave. Through Fr. Ambrose Dwyer, pastor of St. Ambrose, the Italians of the north side of Endicott were able to secure property and establish their own church. The property for the church was donated by the Endicott-Johnson Corporation and was located at the corner of Odell Ave and Witherill St. in Endicott., T. L. Lacey and sons were the architects.
Original St. Anthony's Church
The corner stone was laid and blessed by Fr. James McLaughlin, pastor of St. Patrick's in Binghamton on 10 Jun 1917. The first pastor of St. Anthony's was Fr. Rocco Macchiaverna and remained as pastor until 14 August 1931 and was replaced by Fr. William Walsh.
Fr. Rocco Macciaverna
The completed church was blessed and dedicated on 30 June 1918. In September of 1918 the church bell was purchased by the parishioners and blessed by Fr. McLaughlin. During Fr. Walsh's tenure a rectory was built at 125 Odell Ave. Fr. Walsh remained at St. Anthony's for 1 year.
Fr. William Walsh
He was succeeded by Fr. Filomena Geremia. Under his leadership the parish of St. Anthony of Padua continued to grow and in 1941 a new church building was planned.
Fr. Filomena Germia
The present church, located at the corner of Jenkins Street and Odell Ave was built on land donated by George F. Johnson. The cornerstone for the new church was laid and blessed in September 1941. The church building was completed and dedicated 26 April 1942. In 1945 the original church was re-utilized and became a recreation center for the CYO. The center serviced all on the north side of Endicott. It is now owned and operated as a business by Andrew R. Mancini Associates Inc.
Present St. Anthony's Church
The style of the church is a Romanesque design, built with tile and blond brick facing. The building was designed by Charles Elderidge. The contractor was Frank Suppels. The church was double in size to the original church. The new church was enhanced by an 85 foot bell tower.
Fr. Carmen Monteleone
During Fr. Monteleone's tenure the rectory adjacent to the church was added. Also during his tenure St. Anthony School and Convent were also built. The school and convent were located 2 blocks north of the church on Jenkins St. Fr. Monteleone remained at St. Anthony's until his retirement in 1971. He was succeeded by Fr. Vincent Mirabito.
Fr. Vincent Mirabito
Fr. Mirabito remained at St. Anthony's until 1984. During that time Fr. Vince was at St. Anthony's he was instrumental in implementing for the parish the changes brought on by the Second Vatican Council which included rearranging the pews inside of the church to allow the altar and the lectern to be centrally located.
He was succeeded by Fr. John Putano, (now Msgr. Putano). During Msgr. Putano's tenure St. Anthony's grew. Many organizations were established. Church renovations were completed that included painting of the inside of the church, painting the statues, building the Atrium that connects the church to the rectory. During this time St. Anthony's celebrated its 75th anniversary.
Fr. John Putano
During the Fr. Putano's tenure, Fr. Clarence Rumble served as the Associate Pastor. Following Fr. Putano's 25thAnniversary of Ordination in 1996, Fr. Clarence Rumble was appointed pastor of St. Anthony's. He remained at St. Anthony's until June 2008, when he was succeeded by our present pastor, Fr. James Serowik.
Fr. Clarence Rumble
During Fr. Clarence's tenure the St. Anthony School was closed by the Diocese of Syracuse. A committee was formed to reutilize the school and turn it into a Learning Center for pre-school children. The program was expanded to include before and after school programs for school age children along with summer and snow day programs. In addition the interior of the church was renovated and the pews were replaced. Many other programs took place during Fr. Clarence's time at St. Anthony's. Fr. Clarence was reassigned in 2008. Our present pastor is Fr. James Serowik. Fr. Jim comes to us from St. Joseph's in Endicott. Fr. Jim continues to foster growth in St. Anthony's. He works closely with our parish to keep our programs alive and energized.
Fr. James Serowik
Interior:
Entering the main center doors you will pass under the Latin inscription that translates to "Enter this house of God it is the gate to heaven."
Latin inscription over the front enterance
Looking to the left is the entrance to the Atrium. The first thing that one sees is the original Baptism Font.
Original Baptism Font
As one enters the Atrium, along the north wall is a painting that shows St. Anthony's as viewed from the hill to the west of the church.
Painting of St. Anthony's Church
The statue along the church wall was donated in 1995 by a parish member in memory of his parents. Surrounding the statue are the memorials from families that made donations for funding the atrium.
St. Anthony's statue with memorial board
Proceed back to the church entrance. As you enter the main door to the sanctuary you will notice the carved statue of Christ that hangs on the altar. The altar is a wooded altar and is on a raised platform. Beneath the Crucified Christ is the Tabernacle.
Altar
In the original church the altar rail traversed north to south separating the altar from the congregation. During Fr. Mirabito's tenure the altar rail was removed and was stored for future use.
In 1997 - 1999, Donald McManus, a member of the parish, re-utilized parts of the altar rail and constructed the altar table. The table was brought forward so as to have it more centrally located. When the atrium was built there was a confessional similar to the one on the opposite side of the church. The wood panels from this confessional were preserved and later used by the Mr. McManus to construct the pulpit and the Sacred Oils display.
Altar Table
Pulpit
Sacred Oils
To the right of the main altar is the statue of Mary and to the left is St. Joseph.
Blessed Virgin Mary
St. Joseph
Stepping back from the altar and to the left are the statues of St. Anthony, St. Theresa of Lisieux, Sts. Cosmos and Damian.
St. Anthony of Padua
St. Theresa of Lisieux
Sts. Cosmos and Damian
To the right of the main altar are the statues of Jesus the Sacred Heart and the Baptismal Font with the Sacred Oils.
Jesus the Sacred Heart
Baptismal Font with Sacred Oils
Along the right wall are the statues of St. Lucy and St. Ann with Mary.
St. Lucy
St. Ann with Mary
Many of the items in the church have small plaques with them. These plaques list the names of the individuals that supplied the donations for the items.
The stained glass windows were installed in 1942 and were donated in memory of parishioners' intentions. The memorial is stenciled on the glass.
Windows:
Located in the back of the church in the choir loft is the Façade Rose window. This window depicts the Holy Family.
Facade Rose Window of the Holy Family
Located above Sts. Cosmos and Damian is the North Rose Window depicting the "The Scourging at the Pillar"
North Rose Window of the Scourging at the Pillar
Located above Sts. Lucy and Ann is the South Rose Window depicting "The Crucifixion"
South Rose WIndow of The Crucifixion
The windows along the Jenkins St. (south) side of the church are as shown in the figures below.
The Annunciation
The Nativity
The Finding in the Temple
The windows along the Atrium side (north) side of the church are as shown in the figures below.
The Institution of the Holy Eucharist
The Agnoy in the Garden
The Resurrection
The Ascension
The stations were installed when the church was constructed and were donated in memory
of parishioners' intentions.The memorial is located on small plaques under each station.
The interior of the church has seen renovations over the years. The most significant
changes were the removing of the altar rail, bringing the altar table forward, and
installing platforms that raised the entire altar. The last renovation was done in
2006. In this renovation the church pews were replaced. Pews in the side wings were
removed and replaced with chairs.
Other Statues:
In the back of the church, there is an alcove for other statues. In here you will see the statues of David, St. Michael the Archangel, Mary holding baby Jesus, and St. Mark.
Vestibule with Statues
Feast Days:
In June of each year St. Anthony's celebrates the feast of our patron saint. Each year there is a three day festival complete with many different ethnic foods, music, and a special procession thru the streets of the north side of Endicott.
Procession for feast days
This project is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities.
Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not
necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
