Since 1887, St. Anthony of Padua Parish has been a presence in Fairport Harbor.
Originally a mission parish, the cornerstone for the first church was laid in 1899, followed by a school in 1926. The early parishioners were Irish and German, followed by Hungarians and Slovaks. As the Hungarian population grew, the diocese provided a Hungarian priest. St. Anthony remained a Hungarian national parish until 1947, when the diocese declared it a territorial parish. It remains an active parish community with Deacon George Malec as parish life coordinator and Father Greg Schaut as presbyteral moderator.
Each year, the parish celebrates its patronal feast with a Mass and picnic as close to St. Anthony’s feast day (June 13) as possible.
This year’s event included Mass, a picnic and ice cream social featuring Pax et Bonum (cherry and roasted pistachio) ice cream, one of two flavors developed for the Jubilee Year of St. Francis which is being celebrated this year in honor of the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis.
St. Anthony in Fairport Harbor is one of seven parishes and two shrines in the Diocese of Cleveland designated as pilgrimage sites for the Jubilee Year. Deb Kacsala, parish pastoral associate, said they have seen an uptick of pilgrims visiting the parish for the Jubilee Year, including some who joined parishioners for the recent feast day celebration, which began with an outdoor Mass under a tent. The Mass included a special prayer for St. Anthony.
The parish provided hot dogs and hamburgers, beverages and cake, while parishioners brought a variety of side dishes to share. A DJ provided music and there were games.
Father Pete Mihalic, the former pastor, who retired in 2020, attended the event and parishioners thanked him for his 50 years of priestly ministry.
Kascala said as the weather has gotten warmer, more visitors have come with their pilgrimage passports and signed the parish guest book.
“When visitors do come, we show them around and share a little bit about our parish community and learn about them as well. If they choose to stay and pray in the church, they are welcome to stay for as long as they would like,” she added.
Click here to learn more about the Jubilee Year, including the diocesan pilgrimage sites.
