Our parish of St. Anthony is located in the section of the Bronx known as Morrisania. It was founded by German immigrants in 1903 under the direction of Fr. Otto Strack, in the beginning with Masses at a storefront building at the corner of Home Street and Union Avenue. On April 30, 1905, Archbishop (later Cardinal) John Farley dedicated a new building to serve as church (first floor), school (second and third floors), and convent (part of the third floor), which is today occupied by the Hispanic Charismatic Center of the Archdiocese of New York. Fifty-three parishioners each contributed $1000 (about $30,000 in 2020 dollars) of its construction cost.
Fr. Joseph Rummel (pastor, 1915-1924), raised $100,000 to build the present church, but it was his successor, Fr. Anthony Rothlauf (pastor, 1924-1943) who oversaw its construction. Fr. Rummel, by then Bishop of Omaha and later Archbishop of New Orleans, returned to dedicate it on June 10, 1928.
Massive population shifts began to characterize the neighborhood beginning in the 1930s and 1940s: the Jewish population grew rapidly, then the Great Migration brought many Black Americans from the American South to the industrial cities of the North, including our neighborhood in the South Bronx. In the 1950s, the Puerto Rican community began to arrive.
Fr. Rothlauf in particular refused to send any information to diocesan offices in which one race would be distinguished from another: the priests and sisters of Saint Anthony's always considered themselves "color-blind". That helped the parish adapt well to the changing neighborhood and continued to serve New York City's most recent arrivals with open arms. Fr. Bernard Russell (pastor, 1945-1966), together with his associate, Msgr. Gerald Ryan, and with the Sisters of Maryknoll, worked untiringly with the community, and many Black families adopted the Catholic faith. Maryknoll Sister Maura Clarke, who lived here and taught at St. Anthony of Padua School from 1954 to 1959, was later martyred in El Salvador in 1980 with three other missionaries.
In the 1970s, the South Bronx was devastated as a result of catastrophic crime and widespread arson. The neighborhood's collapse forced St. Anthony of Padua School to close its doors in 1977, but the next chapter of our parish's history had already begun. The contemplative life of the Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa began in 1976 in the convent of St. Anthony on Union Ave., and St. Mother Teresa herself lived here for a time at the very beginning of the community: she returned several times to stay here for short visits, and the some of her personal effects from that time are kept at the convent. Meanwhile, Msgr. John Steltz guided the parish through the 20 most difficult years of the history of the South Bronx, which saw most of the neighboring buildings burned or destroyed, and most of the historical documents and photos from our early history lost forever.
A new orientation to the Spanish language in the continually changing neighborhood followed. In 1985, Bishop Francisco Garmendia, the first Spanish-speaking bishop of New York, moved the Charismatic Center to St. Anthony's former school building. In 1987, Fr. Peter Ensenat, the first Puerto Rican priest of the Archdiocese, became pastor. In 1990, after Fr. Ensenat's untimely death on December 12, Fr. Josu Iriondo, later ordained bishop in 2001, succeeded him. In 1998, the Siervas de Cristo Resucitado congregation of religious sisters was founded with a Mass in the chapel of the Centro on June 8. From their beginnings here, they have expanded to 6 communities in 4 countries.
Bishop Joseph Espaillat, consecrated bishop in 2022, has been pastor since 2015.
THE NINE PASTORS OF ST. ANTHONY'S
Rev. Otto F. Strack
1903-1915
Archbishop Joseph F. Rummel
Bishop of Omaha (1928-1935)
Archbishop of New Orleans (1935-1964)
1915-1924
Msgr. Anthony J. Rothlauf
1924-1943
Rev. William B. Duggan
1943-1945
Msgr. Bernard F. Russell
1945-1966
Msgr. John A. Steltz
1967-1987
Rev. Peter M. Ensenat
1987-1990
Bishop Josu Iriondo
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of New York
1991-2015
Bishop Joseph A. Espaillat, II
Auxiliary Bishop of New York
2015-present
RELIGIOUS SISTERS AT ST. ANTHONY'S
Sisters of Christian Charity (founded in Germany, 1849)
1906-1944
Maryknoll Sisters
1944-1971
Sisters of Charity of New York and Dominican Sisters of Sparkill
1971-1973
Missionaries of Charity
1976-present
Siervas de Cristo Resucitado
1998-present
More details about our history are available at: