By Catherine Kempista
In 1925, Rev. J. Francis Tucker laid the cornerstone of St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church at the corner of Ninth and DuPont streets, marking the official start of construction of a parish for the Italian immigrants in Wilmington’s Little Italy neighborhood. A century later, St. Anthony’s parish is a hub of community for its parishioners, students, and families of St. Anthony of Padua Grade School and Padua Academy, legacy families, and neighbors.
While events like the Italian Festival and steady school admissions numbers are factors, many of its leaders credit the parish’s longevity and vibrancy to its adaptability.
“A big part of our success is our willingness to embrace change and our willingness to balance tradition with innovation,” says Anthony Albence, St. Anthony’s parish trustee and co-chair of the 100th anniversary capital campaign. “We take the traditions. We value them, we retain them, but we also continue building on them without losing the spirit and the essential nature of them while keeping them relevant and fresh.”
In the last century, change has been a constant for the parish, from the shifting demographics of the neighborhood to the needs of the community. But its character remains the same.
“Everything changes, and we’re no longer Little Italy in the sense that everyone is Italian,” says Maria Finamore, director of the Via Crucis at St. Anthony’s. “Now, the minority of the people in Little Italy are Italian. But the way the parish remains relevant is by reaching out to the community.”
Unique Roots
The creation and history of St. Anthony of Padua Parish is unique compared with the origins of other Catholic churches in the Diocese of Wilmington.
The 1880s marked the beginning of a significant arrival of Italian immigrants to Wilmington, many settling in “Little Italy” on the west side of the city.
According to A Labor of Love by Cari DeSantis, “Primarily Catholic, these new Americans wanted a place to worship that understood their cultural and religious traditions. They wanted a church of their own.”
The overwhelming support for the project led then-Bishop John Monaghan to appoint Tucker, the first American-born Oblate, to establish a parish for the community in 1924. He was chosen because he was uniquely qualified for the job.
“They made him pastor of St. Anthony’s because he could speak Italian, even though he was Irish American,” says Rev. Jack Kolodziej, provincial of the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.
Because Tucker belonged to the Oblates and wasn’t a diocesan priest, a special arrangement had to be made with the provincial of the order, who is in charge of the Oblate priests in his region.
The Oblates, established in 1893 in France, had created a foothold in Wilmington by founding Salesianum School in 1903.
St. Anthony’s of Padua, which is a diocesan parish, has an Oblate pastor who reports to his order’s provincial. This isn’t the standard procedure for most parish pastors in the Diocese of Wilmington, who report directly to the bishop. The arrangement between the Oblates and the Diocese gave St. Anthony’s a distinct identity, contributing to its ongoing success through the continuity of the order’s mission.
“I would toot the Oblate horn and say it’s because there’s a religious community connected to the school and parish,” says Kolodziej. “Because we’re not just here at St. Anthony’s as individuals, and we’re representing a religious community, a religious order, there’s more of a sense of history.”
St. Anthony’s was also founded as a national parish, meaning it is defined by its Italian culture, not by neighborhood boundaries. And it celebrates three religious patrons, not just one. Because of the involvement of the Oblates and the Franciscan sisters in both the church and the school, the parish celebrates St. Anthony of Padua, St. Francis de Sales, and St. Francis of Assisi.
Each of these characteristics in isolation makes St. Anthony’s unique, but in combination, it created a church that defied many of the established norms of the time and flourished, becoming a definitive pioneer.
Modern Traditions
St. Anthony’s parishioners’ love of their traditions runs deep, which is a direct result of multi-generational involvement in its annual events. But what makes St. Anthony’s events truly stick in the minds of the greater Wilmington community is the longstanding invitation by the parish to its neighbors to join in the fun and get involved.
“We’re very aware that tradition and history is an evolving path,” says Albence, a fourth-generation parishioner. “Our ancestors developed our historic traditions and built new traditions, like the Italian Festival, the Via Crucis, and the procession of the Festival. They continue, but how we present them and how they unfold evolve.”
A perfect example of this model is the parish’s longstanding presentation of the Via Crucis, a passion play depicting the stations of the cross. The original production dates back to Tucker, whose version was used annually until the performances stopped in 1942 due to World War II. In 1961, long-time pastor Rev. Roberto Balducelli brought back the tradition with a revised script, and the tradition continues today.
“I participated in the Via Crucis beginning around sixth grade through my high school years at Padua Academy,” says Roseann Deltefsen, a lifelong St. Anthony’s parishioner and staff member. “In my mind, it was an honor to be able to participate. It is a bit surreal to now be working with the children of my former classmates at St. Anthony’s Grade School — people who were in the Via Crucis with me as a child. It comes full circle.”
A Lenten observance for Catholics, the performances begin on Ash Wednesday and run every Friday until Easter Sunday, requiring the commitment of 80-100 cast members and 30-40 crew members.
Decades ago, the cast was made up of grade school students, their parents, legacy families, and parishioners. But over time, the productions needed to evolve to keep the tradition alive.
“Father Robert insisted you did not have to be a member of the school or the parish to be a part of the Via Crucis,” says Finamore. “He said the Via Crucis, just like the church, is ecumenical; it’s worldwide. Anyone who wants to be a part can be a part.”
While the involvement of parishioners and students from both the grade school and Padua Academy is still customary, the casting calls are open to the community.
“We have a big group of kids from St. Mary Magdalene (in North Wilmington), a big group of children who are home schooled, a few from St. Anthony’s, and a few from Padua. They’re all invited to come,” says Finamore. “And some join just by coming with someone else to see it. They say, ‘I wish I could be in it.’ And I say, ‘Well, show up next week, and I’ll put you in the costume,’ which is exactly what I do.”
The 64-year run of the modern version of the passion play has become a tradition that is synonymous with Lent for Catholics in the region.
“We think Via Crucis at St. Anthony’s creates a sense of community for the parish, but truly, its reach goes beyond that to the entire Catholic community in the area,” says Lindsey Rhein, whose husband and seven children have been cast members for the last 10 years. “A large percentage of participants are members of other area parishes, but come to be a part of this ministry.”
The Next Century
With major anniversaries for the parish and the Italian Festival occurring in 2024 and 2025, St. Anthony’s leadership hopes to sustain the current energy and enthusiasm.
Last summer, the parish welcomed Rev. Vincent Kumar as the new pastor. Upon arrival, he wanted to coalesce a series of events around the theme of Jubilee, starting in the fall of 2024, to celebrate St. Anthony’s history.
“It was nice, especially being brand new to us, to come in and say he wants to celebrate the 100th anniversary, and he wants to make this a jubilee year,” says Judy White, principal of St. Anthony of Padua Grade School. “He’s recognized all the people who helped make this community what it is, like the Oblates, the Knights of Columbus, the Padua Academy staff, our grade school staff.”
Notable among his jubilee events was the return of St. Anthony’s midnight mass, which is a nod to the parish’s first mass held in the temporary chapel on Christmas Eve in 1924.
The events of the last year have run parallel with a capital campaign aimed at creating stability and sustainability for the parish in the next century. Funds will be used for capital improvements at both the church and Padua Academy and to strengthen the Father Roberto Second Century Endowment Fund for its schools and parish.
“We’ve completed one century and are now building on the foundation all of our families and ancestors have collectively built to ensure viability and sustainability of St. Anthony’s in the second century,” says Albence.
Above: A photo of the first mass held at St. Anthony of Padua Church, Palm Sunday, 1926. Photo courtesy St. Anthony of Padua Parish.
A native Delawarean, Catherine Kempista has worked in various communication roles in state government, education, and nonprofits for 18 years. Her passion for writing led to her becoming a freelance writer more than a decade ago. She lives in Wilmington with her husband and three children, and when she’s not with them, you can find her running the track at Bellevue State Park.