History, Culture, Faith

St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church was founded in the Early 1900’s due to the large number of Italian immigrants in Easton. In 1909 the Arch Diocese of Philadelphia sent a priest to foster the growth and development of a new parish, for those very immigrants who had no church to call their home. The Rev. Amalio Landolfi began by setting up a temporary chapel known as: “The Italian National Church of St. Anthony of Padua.”

In 1912 it was assigned by Archbishop Prendergast of Philadelphia to the parish of Saint Antonio the Rev. Giovanni Daraio just moved from Italy. The Rev. Daraio had left his hometown of origin, Tricarico (province di Matera), where he was Canonical of the Cathedral and teacher of classical letters in the Vescovile Seminar, to join the family already residing in the USA. He immediately committed to giving new decor at the church and restoring it by making it re-built in stone Roman-Gothic style. The new church was solemnly inaugurated by Bishop McCort on June 18, 1916.

Since then our parish has grown and developed into larger church serving 1100 families. It has also been a beacon for cultural expression and has been the “Italian parish” in Easton. Today the parish mostly consists of parishioners of Italian descent. HOWEVER, ALL ARE WELCOME to attend our masses, events, societies, and join our parish family.

To Quote the City of Easton’s logo, where our parish is located: “ History, Heritage, Home” are three simple words that also deeply parallel the foundation upon which our parish was built, and it’s continued survival for the future in service of Jesus Christ.