By Michael Motes

It was "old home week" at St. Anthony's parish in West End as the crowds assembled for a three-day celebration to mark the 75^th anniversary of the founding of the historic West End church.

A special guest returning for the celebration was the immediate past pastor of St. Anthony's, Bishop Eusebius J. Beltran of Tulsa, who served as pastor from 1972 until his appointment as Bishop last April.

Weeks of preparation went into the three-day event. The church was freshly painted in anticipation of the arrival of the hundreds of guests, former parishioners and well-wishers helping to mark the auspicious occasion.

Festivities officially began Sunday, June 11, with an Open House hosted by Father John Adamski, pastor. June 12 was "Memory Night" with parishioners sharing their reflections on the long history of St. Anthony's and exhibiting old photographs and memorabilia. A concelebrated Mass on June 13 and a reception brought the anniversary events to a close.

For a glimpse into the history of St. Anthony's, we are indebted to Sister Carol Patron, principal of St. Anthony's School, who compiled a special souvenir booklet outlining the past 75 years. The old photographs accompanying this article were reproduced from the St. Anthony's Catholic News special edition marking the golden anniversary of the parish in 1953 and are used through the courtesy of Van Buren Colley.

Sister Carol's history takes us back to 1903:

On Sunday, September 20, 1903, St. Anthony's Parish was dedicated at a solemn Mass celebrated by the Right Reverend Benjamin Kelly, DD., Bishop of Savannah. He was assisted by Father O. N. Jackson, pastor of the new parish, and Father John Gunn, SM, pastor of Sacred Heart Church.

In 1903, St. Anthony's congregation consisted of a total of about 20 families. The West End area was originally a part of the Immaculate Conception Church, and it was largely through the efforts of Mrs. Joel Chandler Harris and her Catholic Ladies Aid Society of West End that the parish came to be. Father O. N. Jackson responded to the ladies' plea to establish a Church in West End, and recommended to the bishop both the formation of and a name for the new parish. Thus, the first Mass in the parish came to be celebrated on the Feast of St. Anthony, June 13, 1903, in the home of Mr. and Mrs. George W. Corley at 742 Lawton St., SW.

By 1911, the new parish had grown so much that ground was broken for the basement of the new St. Anthony's Church. Within eight years, the youngest Catholic Church in Atlanta had become one of the strongest members of the diocese. The Ladies Guild continued their support of the church by aiding in the purchasing of the church property and building, and by contributing to the monthly expenses of the church.

In 1912, St. Anthony's opened its parochial school with two Sisters of Mercy teaching the first and second grades. The first school building was located at 651 Ashby St. The second school building, located on the site of the present school, was given to St. Anthony's in 1917 by Miss Hannah Kuhn. That same year the Sisters of St. Joseph took over the education of St. Anthony's youth. The present school building was erected and dedicated in 1934, mainly through the efforts of the second pastor of St. Anthony's, Monsignor Harry Clark.

The present Church was dedicated on January 15, 1924. The pastor, Father Jackson, was ill at this time, and Father James E. King was serving as administrator. Then on January 1, 1926, Father Harry Clark was appointed as the second pastor. During his term, which lasted until his death in 1935, Father Clark guided the establishment of the Nocturnal Adoration Society, the erection of the school, and the establishment of the St. Anthony's News.

In 1936, Father James H. Conlin assumed the leadership of the parish, and the present rectory was erected under his direction. Father Conlin remained pastor until January, 1939, when Monsignor Joseph Croke was appointed as the second Domestic Prelate to serve as pastor of St. Anthony's. Monsignor Croke was pastor until his death in October, 1951. During his 13 years at St. Anthony's, he made many improvements in the Church properties, including the basement, school, and convent.

Father Joseph R. Smith succeeded Monsignor Croke as pastor in November, 1951. Father Smith completely remodeled the basement auditorium and kitchen, and inaugurated the Holy Name Society Breakfast. But his stay at St. Anthony's was cut short by his death in July, 1952.

December, 1952 saw the return of Father James E. King as pastor. Father King was elevated to the rank of Monsignor on April 19, 1960. During his administration the Mission of the Blessed Sacrament was started, with Mass each Sunday at the Knights of Columbus Hall. This Mission became a parish in 1960. In 1954, a school bus service was started, and in 1959, an annex to the school was built in the back yard of the convent.

December 3, 1969, a fire in the rear of the church created much damage to the building, but the rugged fore doors contained the fire in the rear. It was necessary to remodel and repaint the building. Along with this, a new sacristy was constructed in the rear of the church.

In December of 1963, Monsignor retired and became Pastor Emeritus until his death in October, 1965. He was replaced by Father Donald Kiernan, who was also later elevated to the rank of Monsignor. During Monsignor Kiernan's term as pastor, he made many improvements in the parish plant, including redecorating the rectory and convent, air-conditioning the church and rectory, remodeling the convent chapel and church basement, and steam-cleaning and repainting the church and rectory. The present organ was purchased during this time also. The tradition of having two large decorated evergreens on either side of the altar at Christmas was also inaugurated during his term.

In August 1968, Revered Michael McKeever assumed the pastorship of St. Anthony's. During his term until 1972, Father McKeever was responsible for upgrading the school cafeteria and renovating the convent by means of an Urban Renewal Loan.

In 1972, Reverend Eusebius Beltran assumed the leadership role of this historic parish. In 1974, Father Beltran was elevated to the rank of Domestic Prelate. Monsignor Beltran continued many of the fine traditions of the parish and reached out to the community to make St. Anthony's a viable part of the West End community. Under his guidance, the school has prospered and grown until today it has a long waiting list of students who wish to enter.

Monsignor Beltran also erected a modern day-care center on the school grounds, where some 60 children are registered. Under another parish program, hot, nourishing lunches are prepared and served Tuesdays through Fridays to several hundred people at a very nominal price by the ladies of the Friendship Club and volunteers from among parishioners. Also during his term, Monsignor Beltran instituted many activities for senior citizens, including numerous trips to local activities and bus tours around the United States.

Then, on Tuesday February 28, 1978, St. Anthony's Parish and the city of Atlanta received the joyful news that Monsignor Beltran had been appointed as the second Bishop of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Bishop Beltran was installed in Tulsa on April 20, 1978.

Father John Adamski, who had resided at St. Anthony's for two years, succeeded Bishop Beltran as pastor. We welcome him, and look forward to continuing the fine traditions of St. Anthony's Parish under his leadership.