St. Anthony Parish is an Italian National Parish located in the
northwest section of Youngstown, Ohio. The parish was founded in 1898 and served the needs
of a large Italian population who immigrated to Youngstown to work in the steel mills. It
is the oldest Italian parish in the Mahoning valley.
In honor of the Centennial Celebration of the founding of the parish, a history has been compiled of the last 100 years of parish and community life. Here is a summary of the past century and the pastors who served through the years.
In the 1890's the Mahoning Valley showed a surge both in its growth and in its ethnic population. In 1892, Youngstown boasted almost 30,000 population. Youngstown was a sprawling city whose northern limits went as far as Covington, Grant and Spring Streets. Its southern limit went as far as Park and Woodland Avenues. At that time Vine and Edwards Streets off Mahoning Avenue were the western limits. For the East Side where building predominated, the limits were as far east as Hine, Prospect and Washington Streets.
St. Anthony's Church had its
official beginning in April of 1898 under the direction of Bishop Ignatius Horstman of
Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to 1898, the Italians in Youngstown, numbering about 100 families,
attended divine service at St. Ann's and St. Columba's churches. They were visited about
five or six times a year by the Rev. P. Capitani, of St. Anthony's Church, Cleveland, and
occasionally by other priests of their own nationality. In May 1898, the Rev. Anthony
Petillo was appointed their first resident pastor. In June of that year he bought for the
sum of $2,500.00 the former church building of St. Ann's. He remodeled and beautified the
interior of the church and secured three new altars, Stations, statuary and vestments. The
parish had a membership of about 150 families and was steadily increasing.
Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley
prospered and grew. America was the land of opportunity for those who were not afraid of
hard work. Immigration waves poured into the Valley. These people looked for a place to
settle--a place where they could earn a living, raise a family, buy a home and plant a
garden! The Italian immigrant brought with him a culture and a value system that was honed
for over 1000 years. God, family, a piece of land to call his own and honor for his family
name were the outstanding hallmarks of the immigrant from Italy.
Father Doria was a very popular priest, one who worked very hard for his people. Their spiritual development was his prime goal. However, there were many instances where he wore many "hats" -- advocate--banker--broker--translator--teacher--protector. The parish of St. Anthony grew and flourished under his administration. In 1907, Father Doria became ill and took in an itinerant young Italian priest named Luigi Lops to help him. Fr. Doria died early in 1907. Father Lops and a goodly number of parishioners felt that he would assume the pastorate with the Bishop's approval. That was not the case. The parish was now divided. Bishop Horstmann sent another Italian priest to be the pastor. He was not received by the leadership of the parish so there was a great impasse. If communication had been better, this could have been avoided. Many saw the Bishop as a German who disliked Italians--the Bishop saw an ungrateful and disobedient lot.
In a few short months, Father Lops vacated the rectory and moved down to Calvin Street and with the help of those loyal to him he established another church, St. Rocco's. To say the least, there were months of chaos! In the minds of the faithful there were two Italian churches, both Catholic, one under the Bishop, the other not.
The Mahoning Valley
continued to grow. There were no unions; just bosses who eked out every bit of hard work
from their labor forces. The average wage was fifty to seventy-five cents a day from sun
up to sun set. The giant that is known as "steel" was in its infancy but
steadily growing and developing. A goodly number of Italians, particularly southern
Italians, began to populate Brier Hill on the north side of Youngstown. The two groups
that predominated were from Basilicata and Calabria.
Father Stabile was a kind, gentle man. His task was monumental--he was to heal a deep wound that the split caused. He tried his very best to educate the people to understand that to be a Roman Catholic, one had to belong to a church that was under the local bishop who was in union with the Holy father, the Pope. It is to be noted that trusteeism raided its head at this time. The Church had to cope with the problem of who runs the parish--the bishop and pastor or an elected lay board. The problem was not only found in the Cleveland diocese but throughout the Middle Atlantic and Southeastern states.
In his humble was he was very successful but there still remained a goodly group of Italians that were deeply hurt and the fact remains, they did not heed his encouragement. He remained pastor until May of 1911.
The young and energetic
Fr. Vito Franco was appointed pastor of St. Anthony Parish. The chapter was not closed on
the St. Anthony-St. Rocco incident. In spite of this, St. Anthony's continued to grow. It
now had a school with the Sisters of the Humility of Mary staffing it. This was the wish
of Bishop Farrelly. At this time besides the many duties assigned to the pastorate, the
pastors of St. Anthony had the school and the chaplaincy of St. Elizabeth Hospital. The
hospital was not anything like the present Medical Center. It started with the tremendous
vision and enterprise of the Blue Nuns. It evolved from a large house on Belmont Avenue to
the grand edifice that stands today.
Fr. Franco witnessed the growth of the Italian population particularly in the section of town that was called "East Youngstown." During the last two years of his pastorate here at St. Anthony's he explored the possibility of another Italian parish in Youngstown. He was a very industrious worker and brought about the formation of a mission church dedicated to Our Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. From the Mission Church in 1912, Mt. Carmel came to be of parochial status under the direct leadership of Fr. Vito Franco. He called this new church "his first love." So in early 1913, Fr. Franco was named the first pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Youngstown, Ohio. From that time in 1913, up to the present there was and still is an affinity and love between the pastors and people of Youngstown's two Italian parishes. This was due to the influence of the late Msgr. Vito Franco.
In the parish, Fr. Giannatonio was a shy person--one who did his work but also appreciated solitude and privacy. The parish registry shows that Fr. Giannatonio witnessed 19 marriages in 1914.
The Mahoning Valley was
greatly influenced by World War I. The war touched most families in the Valley. Families
had sons, husbands and relatives going off to war and some did not return. Locally the
iron and steel industries were booming. Downtown Youngstown was growing. Department
stores, theaters, "five-and-ten-cent" stores, hardware stores, drug stores,
doctor, lawyer and dentist offices all peppered the downtown district.To do anything
important, one had to go "downtown." Economically the Valley was doing well for
those who wanted to work.
In 1918 the world-wide flu epidemic infested the East Coast and gradually Youngstown fell under its horrible shadow. Locally, undertakers could not bury the bodies fast enough. Hospitals, public buildings and schools tried to make room for the sick and dying. When it was all over, 500,000 Americans had died and 20 million died world-wide.
Father Edward Spitzig was pastor of St. Anthony parish from 1915 to 1921. This handsome priest really had a magnetic personality. He related so well with every age group. He was a fantastic organizer of clubs and sodalities. The Knights of St. John, and Blessed Mother's Sodality are just two of many. Some who still remember him claim that St. Anthony reached its highest peak under his administration.
The Mahoning Valley continued to grow. The trend was
that the majority of Americans (51.4%) now lived in cities--a big change demographically
and socially. Pollyanna had grown up and become a flapper! Speakeasies opened as fast as
saloons closed down. With Prohibition, two new entities moved into the neighborhood. True
of the Valley and especially true of Brier Hill, bootlegging and "playing the
bug" were rampant. Anyone growing up in Brier Hill in the twenties and thirties
remember these two.
Bishop Schrembs was installed Bishop of Cleveland on September 8, 1921. Within a month of his installation he appointed two priests of the order of Divine mercy as co-pastors of the parish. Two fine men, Fr. Martin Campagno and Fr. Sante Gattuso were exemplary priests who were well equipped in sacred eloquence. Many thought them to be monks, but they were not. They dressed something like the Dominican fathers but they were religious men belonging to a special order. The people loved these men and accepted them with open arms. Then, several years later, as mysteriously as the Bishop sent the two priests to St. Anthony, he mysteriously transferred them to St. Rocco's in Cleveland.
Youngstown was enjoying a
time of peace and prosperity along with the rest of the United States. It had now
graduated to a full-fledged steel town. Steel becoming the giant industry in the Valley
was a very good thing at that time. But looking back one might say that developing the
steel industry to the exclusion of many other industries proved to be the wrong path
to follow.
The bishop of the diocese was Bishop Schrembs. Speculation has it that the bishop was having some problems with a few ethnic parishes in Cleveland. St. Rocco's in Cleveland is one that was mentioned.It had been said that the heart of the problem was Trusteeism. the bishop's solution was to transfer the two Mercedarian Fathers--Campagno and Gattuso to St. Rocco's (Cleveland) in order to correct the problem.
St. Anthony's new pastor was Fr. Alberto Spina. His reputation was that of a very loving and holy man. He was deeply involved in the spiritual growth of the parish. They say he was very strong on family attendance at Sunday Mass. He was deeply loved by the parish.
In Youngstown and the
Mahoning Valley, the single most important phenomenon that touched the lives of the people
was the Great Depression. Many wealthy industrialists lost their wealth. The comfortable
middle class lost their nest egg. The poor were never as poor as they were in the early
thirties. The cities, towns, and villages worked in concert with the churches--Catholic,
Protestant and Jewish worship centers became refuges for the poor. Soup lines and free
staples, such as flour, beans and potatoes kept many families alive. It was difficult to
understand. How did all this happen? This tragic situation spawned a community awareness
and concern that we can only read about. Brotherly love was a reality--the poor sharing
what little they had with others who were in similar straits. Another strange thing
happened--churches were now filled.
For the Italians of Brier Hill there were no jobs, but there was plenty of work raising chickens and rabbits, gardening, cooking, baking and canning. The Italians of Brier Hill survived this local and global catastrophe through the genius of immigrant ingenuity. They did not have the gourmet meals of the country club but there were few that went hungry. They shared and they helped one another! Homemade wine, pasta fagiole, greens and beans, fried peppers and eggs-pane-cotta, these were to the Italian his soul food.
The parish of St. Anthony was blessed with a very good and holy priest as its spiritual leader, Fr. Americo Ciampichinni. These were hard years. He gave of himself in every way possible. the church became the source and heart of many because of the hardships they had to endure. He was not a new priest, for he had served here as an assistant pastor under Fr. Spina. He knew his people and his people knew him. the spiritual life of his flock was his top priority--Mass, benediction, novenas and especially the missions , were the means whereby he fed his people. On March 16 1933, Fr. Ciampichinni finished his year as pastor of St. Anthony. On the same date he assumed a new pastorate, that is Pastor of St. Ann's and St. Anthony's combined. He remained in that position until March 22, 1935.
From March 16, 1933 to March 22, 1935 the parish of St. Anthony ceased to be. Keep in mind, the country was in a serious depression. Both St. Ann's and St. Anthony had some fiscally hard times, so Bishop Schrembs thought that bringing the two parishes together would solve the problem. To keep the Italians happy, he placed Fr. Ciampichinni as Pastor and Fr. Francis Cicciacaro as his assistant. this did not sit well with many Irish parishioners at the original St. Ann's.
Some people from the very early months felt a certain coldness. They missed the warmth and family atmosphere found at St. Anthony. So a group of Italians met with the Bishop to ask him to re-open old St. Anthony's. After a period of consultation, the Bishop decided he would re-open it. Fr. Ciampichinni was appointed pastor of St. Peter Church in Lorain, Ohio. On March 22, 1935 the Rev. Humbert Crescentini was named Pastor of the newly reorganized St. Anthony Parish.
The Mahoning Valley was
part and parcel of the national scene. As the thirties ended and World War II began, hope
ran high for the building of the Lake-to-River Canal. There was a large steel strike. The
headlines read "Mills to re-open, workers go back under guard of State Troops."
The local steel industry was an important part of the massive war effort launched by the
United States against the Axis powers during World War II. This war effort improved the
local as well as national economy.
On December 24, 1945, Archbishop Edward A. Mooney of Detroit, who as a boy attended the old Kilkenny School on Franklin Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio and later was pastor of St. Patrick Church in Youngstown, became a prince of the Roman Catholic Church when Pope Pius XII named him and three Americans among the new members of the College of Cardinals. Pope Pius XII established Youngstown as a diocese on May 15, 1943. On June 2, he appointed Bishop James A. McFadden, previously the auxiliary bishop of Cleveland, as the first Bishop of Youngstown. Bishop McFadden remained the residential bishop until his death on Nov. 16, 1952. Toward the end of his administration, his health was rapidly failing so Rome appointed Emmet M. Walsh as coadjutor Bishop with the right of succession in 1949.
The Reverend Humberto Crescentini was appointed pastor of St. Anthony parish on March 22, 1935 by Bishop Schrembs. Fr. Crescentini had a yeoman's task before him. He had to reorganize the parish. At this time there were three Italian parishes in the Mahoning Valley--St. Anthony's, Mt. Carmel, and the emerging St. Lucy's in Campbell. Because the Bishop gave permission to reestablish St. Anthony's did not mean that all the Italians at St. Ann's left to rejoin St. Anthony's. The basic reason for a personal or national church to exist was to help the immigrant in the difficult transitions religiously, socially, and economically. It can safely be said St. Anthony's has done a marvelous job in fulfilling her basic reason to exist. Her early history demonstrates this fact. Many people of Italian parentage felt they went to school here, they speak the language, why should they go across town when they could go to a Catholic Church down the street? So be it.
Father Crescentini had the reputation of being a very holy and intelligent
priest. Many of our priests sought him out as a spiritual director and father confessor.
He spoke three languages fluently. He was conservative on managing money. He did his own
cooking, banking, and shopping. Bringing people closer to God was his prime objective.
During the final years of Fr. Crescentini's life he was ably assisted by two fine young priests. Frs. Fred Anzivino and Peter Faini. The spiritual realm had been the first order of the house. Now it was time to focus on the physical plant. Fr. Crescentini, after much consultation, began a fund drive for a very ambitious project--a new church--a new school--a new residence--in a new location. With love, devotion and tremendous dedication, the dream became a reality. The project took two and a half years and $800,000.00 to become a reality. This complex was a showpiece of architectural design. St. Anthony stands today as a monumental credit to the priest, the people, the architect, and the workmen.
In November of 1959 Fr. Humberto Crescentini went to his eternal reward. He had been Pastor for 24 years!
During this time families
of the Mahoning Valley were touched by the Vietnam War. It was indeed a very unpopular
war. Youngstown was a steel town and no one ever thought differently. When steel was
booming so did the town, and the opposite was very true. Within a few short years
Youngstown, the steel industry and the unions would learn a stern economic lesson. Bishop
Emmet M. Walsh was our kind and fatherly church leader. On Jan. 2, 1960, our Holy Father
appointed our own James W. Malone to be Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown.
When Bishop Malone was consecrated on march 24, 1960 he was one of the youngest bishops in
the country. Bishop Malone was appointed Apostolic Administrator January 22, 1966. Bishop
Walsh's health was steadily failing. God called him to his eternal reward on March 16,
1968.
In Bishop Walsh's administration the young diocese began to grow and expand. parishes and schools multiplied. It is to be noted that the schools flourished under the keen and watchful eye of the young Auxiliary Bishop. Bishop Malone was a visionary, seeing that the strength of the Church rested with its young men and women. Catholic education was the priority during his administration. History will report that Bishop Malone, in his articulate, astute manner brought the insignificant diocese of Youngstown to national significance by translating the lofty ideals of Vatican II into practical diocesan and parochial reality.
Meanwhile, the administration of St. Anthony's parish was placed in the very capable hands of an energetic pastor, Fr. Peter J. Faini. Besides being very intelligent, Fr. Faini was extremely practical. Much of the new structure of St. Anthony's complex was due to his input and influence. He was an avid sportsman: golfing, fishing, and hunting took top priority in the many sports he enjoyed.
In the spiritual guidance of his flock, some thought Fr. Faini to be strict. It was well known that Fr. Faini was as strict with himself as with anyone else. Certain clergymen sought him out as a spiritual director and confessor. Fr. Faini was always a priest first and most importantly--rather than one of the guys, working in a ditch, playing cards, at a football game! This well-loved priest died at the age of 54 on October 18, 1973.
Perhaps the most
significant tragedy that touched the lives of so many in Youngstown and the Mahoning
Valley during this period has been the death of the steel industry. The loss of the
industry has had far-reaching effects. Related smaller industries were affected and job
security became uncertain. Socially and demographically, Youngstown changed! During W.W
.II, Youngstown was second in producing steel in the country. According to the Center for
Urban Studies in Youngstown, State of the City , "In September of 1977
approximately 5,000 steelworkers lost their jobs in one day; and over a period of three
years this total increased to around 11,000. From 1980 to 1983, approximately 31,000
additional jobs were lost, adding to the economic depression of the area and eventually
the revenue base (property and income taxes) began to dwindle." The resiliency of
Youngstown to forge ahead lies in the hands of its people and their leaders.
On December 7, 1973 Fr. John H. DeMarinis, 36 years of age, was appointed pastor of St. Anthony's parish by Bishop James W. Malone. The first Mass offered by this new pastor was that of Our Blessed Mother under the title of the Immaculate Conception--the patroness of his home parish in Youngstown. He is presently in his twenty-fifth year serving as Pastor of St. Anthony's. He holds the longest tenure as pastor in the parish's long history. Over one third of his life has been spent serving the spiritual needs of his people at St. Anthony's.
Fr. Faini, Fr. DeMarinis' immediate predecessor was meticulous about St. Anthony's physical plant. As time passed, the new plant was not so new! It needed repairs, particularly in the area of roofs. This project, with an all-out effort of the parish men, working for weeks aiding the roofers, saved the parish about half the cost. Project after project had to be addressed--boilers, termites, school windows, the grounds--these are but a few. With Vatican II there were more liturgical requirements. The confessionals, the altar, and the sanctuary were updated. Then the church was graced with a beautiful pipe organ.
To defray the school expense, bingo was continued and a new fund raiser was started--St. Anthony's Pizza and Easter Bread.
A sad day arrived when St. Anthony's school was closed. In order to have a school, two things are necessary--children and money. Both were lacking. When the school closed, there were 112 students, 70 of which were not Catholic. At the closing of the school, the church borrowed $60,000.00 to pick up the school deficit. That debt has now been repaid.
What is the future of St. Anthony's? That is a very hard question. St. Anthony's must be viewed as a woman in her later years. She has worked hard and served her children well these past one hundred years. She may not have the vim and vitality that she had in her early years. She has grown old gracefully, but she is in no way finished.She pledges herself to last a good many years! She will last as long as her children will provide for her. May she be able to celebrate her 200th anniversary!
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