St. Anthony's Church | Buffalo, New York
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St. Anthony's Church is the Mother Church for all Italians in the Diocese of Buffalo. It was founded in 1891 and is staffed by the Missionaries of St. Charles (Scalabrini Fathers), an international religious order for the care of migrants and refugees. Masses are held in Italian, Latin and English. Throughout the year celebrations are held honoring the saints, villages in Italy, and civil and religious holidays. The offices of the Vice-Consulate of Italy reside in the church's rectory. Its present pastor is the Rev. Fr. Secondo Casarotto, CS, a native of Vicenza, Italy and member of the American-Italian Historical Association. Father Secondo is an important resource on San Fele history and its legacy in Buffalo life for the San Fele Association of Western New York. Migrants from San Fele, a region of Basilicata in Italy, were among the first groups of Italians to locate in the Buffalo, New York area. The Sanfelesi were founders of St. Anthony's parish and instrumental in the funding for the building of the beautiful edifice that mirrors church structures in Italy.
In 1904, the San Fele community donated two stained glass windows that are located near the south altar, where the statue of the Madonna di Pierno, which was donated during the 1890s, is displayed. In 2001, the San Fele Association funded artist Vanessa Di Bernardo to restore the Madonna. Gilding of the crowns and flowers that adorn this statue, cast in 1886, was also completed. The San Fele community of Western New York wishes to extended its heartfelt thanks to St. Anthony of Padua Church, our Mother Church, for its past, present and future assistance and service to the Italian community of our area.
