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It is good for us to know something of our roots so that we can really understand our own lives in their place in society in our place in the world.  It is good for a Parish and people in a Parish to know something of their roots.  Saint Anthony’s  has a long and rich history.  The celebration of the Mount caramel feast, likewise, has a lengthy and  interesting story.

On November of 1903, Monsignor Joseph H. Conroy, as Vicar General and Administrator of the Diocese, gave permission to Father Royer to “erect a building for the spiritual needs of the children in the section of Watertown known as the ‘flats’.” On December 14, 1903 the Sacred Heart Fathers purchased a house and lot where the church now stands with the idea that it would be converted into a Chapel and school for religious education.

The Catholic the directory for 1903 showed that the priests from Our Lady of Sacred Heart were in charge of the chapel at West Watertown.  Very early on it was given the name: “Saint Anthony’s”, because it is so identified in the directory for 1905.  So for the first 10 years, the small group of immigrant families were cared for by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

Father Claudius Sechi was ordained as a secular priest at Sassari in Sardinia on December 7, 1904.  He worked in his home diocese for six years before going to Rome to study Canon Law for two years.  It was while in Rome that he met an American priest from the Ogdensburg diocese, Father Onesime Boyer, who happened to be recommended to Father Sechi when he was looking for a teacher to help him learn Italian.

At the end of the school year in 1912, Father Sechi obtained permission from his Bishop to travel for six months to America as he had the opportunity to accompany his sister and brother-in-law who were coming to New York.  Father Sechi must have gotten an extended leave from his Bishop because he ended up spending a year in New York City, serving as an Assistant at Saint Stephen’s church.  Eventually he came to visit Father Boyer at Benson Mines and through him was recommended to Bishop Gabriels.

To his great disappointment, Father Sechi, upon his arrival here, found the conditions were not what he expected.  Led to believe that the church he was to serve was already firmly established, he was shocked when he found instead only a small weather beaten wood structure that had been a private dwelling before it was converted in makeshift fashion to religious purposes.  There was no rectory and he lived for a while in Saint Patrick’s rectory.

In time Father Sechi was able to find rooms where he could rent and begin to support himself by giving music lessons.  The early years must have been extremely difficult and all the while there was the likelihood that after World War One ended, that his Bishop would order him home again.  It was not until 1919 that papers were filed to officially incorporate Saint Anthony’s Church.  Once this was done, then the church could purchase for $3,500 a building that had been bought in 1903 by the Sacred Heart Fathers.

In 1920 Father Sechi announced plans for new church.  The old chapel was moved from the front to the rear of the lot.  The cellar was gone and cement basement walls were completed and covered with a temporary roof.  For the next 10 years the church basement served as a place of worship.  The bishop required that $30,000 should be on hand before construction could continue.

Despite the fact that Father Sechi was able to get some papers from his home diocese to allow permanent transfer to the Ogdensburg Diocese, he did become a naturalized citizen of the United States on June 25, 1921, an action that indicate that the bishop of Sassari was losing what ever chances he might have thought were his to bring Father Sechi home again.

Finally at the beginning of the great depression there was enough money on hand to continue with the building of the church.  On April 5, 1930 the upper church construction was begun by the contractors Burns Brothers and Haley under the direction of the local architect Mr. David Kieff.  The church was completed in late fall and solemnly blessed by Bishop Conroy and December 14, 1930.

At the time Father Sechi to charge there were upwards of 100 Italian families in Watertown.  By 1923 he was able to report 203 families, comprising 2800 souls and 500 children under religious instruction.  Total summer offerings for the year were $1400.  Five years later 268 families, but the growth was slow.  By 1935 there were over 300 families and in 1937, 410 families.

1937 was a big year for Father Sechi.  He went home to Sardinia and was finally able to bring back a document that would allow his official transfer to the diocese of Ogdensburg.  While Father Sechi was away, Father Fix was in charge of the parish.  With the Bishop’s encouragement he was able to organize a drive to raise money for convent and rectory.  The old church hall was remodeled and equipped for a sister’s convent.  The house of Mrs. Rose Gaffney was purchased for a rectory.  Four sisters of the order of Religious Teachers Filippini we’re assigned in September 1937 to do social service work and teach religion.  An assistant priest was assigned, the sisters convent opened in September, the rectory in December, $3000 was paid on the church debt and Father Sechi was invested as a Monsignor, a Papal Chamberlain, by Bishop Conroy on December 12, 1937.

When Monsignor Sechi retired in June, 1954, the parish was out of debt and had $33,000 in the bank.  The new pastor Father Lynch was able to repair the outside of the church and redecorate the interior for the 25th anniversary of the church dedication, observed in 1955.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the next year the adjacent lots and houses on the corner of Bellew Avenue were acquired.  When Bishop Navagh stopped at Saint Anthony’s on June 13, 1957 on his way to installation the next day at Ogdensburg, he learned that a new rectory was to be built.  “Oh, no, ” he said, “you’re going to have a catholic school first.” Plans for the campaign were totally revised.  In October of that year $156,000 was pledged to build a new school and convent.

The ground breaking was in March 1958 and construction was hurried along so that classes began for the first five grades in September that year.  Bishop Navagh formally blessed the new school and convent on May 17, 1959 and at the same time invested Father Lynch as Monsignor.  Monsignor Lynch was transferred to Clayton in 1960 and was succeeded by Father Paul Brunet, who was made Monsignor while at Saint Anthony’s.  Father Aloysius Isele became pastor in 1964 and then Father Henry McFadden in 1966.  Father McFadden led a successful debt reduction campaign and prepared the way for planning a new rectory.  In July 1971, Monsignor Anthony Milia came back to the parish as Pastor.  He was the first native priest of Italian decent ordained in the diocese of Ogdensburg.

One of the first tasks he accomplished as a new Pastor was the establishment of the parish council.  The church was extensively repaired and redecorated.  New pews, furnishings and carpeting were installed.  Aesthetic arts of Montreal supervised the renovation and renewal which was completed in July 1972.  The roof of the school was repaired and a new roof put on the convent.

In 1978 a new parish house, designed by Moran & Yaussi of Watertown was constructed by Deline construction company was occupied.  For 40 years the priest lived in a prefabricated Sears Roebuck house.  In 1978 Saint Anthony’s was pleased and proud to have a comfortable and well built parish house to serve both the priest and the people.  All of those improvements have been made because of the generosity of the people through their weekly envelopes, the Mount caramel feast, bingo, spaghetti suppers and many acts and projects of just plain hard work.

The Mount Caramel pavilion was completed for the feast in 1979.  This combination food pavilion and garage was built by Deline construction and Jeff-Lewis Board Of Co-operational Educational Services.

Since 1937 Saint Anthony’s has been blessed by many hardworking and dedicated young priests.  Father Joseph A. Conti served the longest from 1969 to 1979.

On October 1, 1983 Bishop Stanislas J Brazana ordained Vincent J Frattalli and Richard C. Warner, Sr.  as permanent deacons.  They are the first two and only permanent deacons ordained in the parish.

In 1986 Saint Anthony apartments was built on a portion of land sold by the parish and Frank Palumbo to a nonprofit corporation formed by Saint Anthony’s parish and the Italian and American Civic Association.  Catholic charities of the diocese of Ogdensburg helped the corporation get a grant from the department of housing and urban development.  It has 30 units of housing for senior citizens.

On January 1, 1988, the newly formed Altar/Rosary society was initiated.  The Rosary Society and the Altar Society merged to form one society.

In October 1989, Monsignor Milia completed 30 years as Diocesan director of the society for the Propagation of the Faith.  In May 2000, Monsignor Milia celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.  A year later, Bishop Gerald Barbarito accepted Monsignor’s request to retire as pastor after serving 31 years.  A retirement party was held at IHC junior senior high school to honor Monsignor Milia for his many years of faithful service to the people of Saint Anthony’s.

In August 2001 Father Donald A. Robinson was installed in the seventh pastor of Saint Anthony’s.  A year later Father Robinson commenced a capital campaign to raise funds necessary to renovate the interior of Saint Anthony’s church.  The people of the parish were very supportive and generous as the goal was reached a very short time.  Patrick Beyer and sons, Southington, CT began the restoration at the beginning of the New Year 2003 and the parishioners moved back into the renewed church on Holy Thursday evening, April 17, 2003.  Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito rededicated the Church on the Feast of Saint Anthony, June 13, 2003.

Over the years the people of St. Anthony’s have provided for good Catholic education and formation for their young people both in their Catholic school and religious education program.

After many years of study and reflection it was decided to reconfigure and consolidate the Catholic schools in Watertown.  Saint Anthony’s School closed in June 2004.  A newly consolidated Catholic School System opened in September 2004 with IHC Primary, IHC Intermediate, and IHC junior/senior high school.

Father Robinson celebrated his 25th anniversary ordination to the priesthood in May 2005.  With the growth of Fort Drum and expanding development of Arsenal Street, many new families have moved into the area and the parish community of Saint Anthony’s continues to grow.

As the people of Saint Anthony’s look forward to 100 years, they can truly rejoice in the blessings of the past: of the leadership they have enjoyed from the time of Father Sechi, for the work of the parish societies, for the reputation and accomplishments of Saint

Anthony’s School, the great work of the Filippini sisters, for the men and women who have served as Lay trustees over the years, for the priests who have served here and for the growth that has kept pace with the growth of Watertown.

One of the great accomplishments of the parish has been its celebration of the Mount Carmel feast.  It is one of the longest continuously running parish festivals in the whole Northeast.  In 2006 the parish celebrated its 90th anniversary of Mount Caramel.

On July 16, 1251, Our Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Simon Stock in England and placed in his hands the habbit which was to be the distinctive garb of the Carmelites.  Pope innocent IV blessed this habit and attached it to many privileges, not only for the members of the order, but also for those who entered the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

There’s a longstanding tradition to be enrolled in the scapular of our Lady of Mount Carmel at the time of First Holy Communion.  Once a person has been enrolled, he or she is enrolled for life.  There are many benefits accorded to those who wear the scapular and have the devotion to our Lady.

Italians have great devotion to our Lady under the title of our Lady of Mount Carmel.  On January 1, 1916 a congregation of the blessed virgin of Mount Carmel (Congregazione Della Benedetta Vergine Del Carmine) was incorporated for the men of Saint Anthony’s parish.

The first celebration of the Feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel at Saint Anthony’s was July 16, 1916.  In the beginning, the statue of the blessed virgin of Mount Caramel was carried on the shoulders of 4 to 6 members of the Society.  The procession was accompanied by a band, followed a longer route that today.  It was concluded at the church with a religious service.  Afterwards food stands, games and other attractions help the people to celebrate the Feast.

Before 1951 when Arsenal Street was widened, it was customary to celebrate three Feasts of Saint Anthony’s:

June 13-the Feast of Saint Anthony

July 16-the Feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel

August 16-Feast of Saint Rocco

Because the Arsenal Street bridge and the new State road were under construction for so long, the parish initiated one big celebration for Mount Caramel rather than three separate celebrations.

In the late sixties and early seventies, a celebration of Mount Carmel was expanded.  Carnival rides were introduced; fireworks climaxed a celebration.

By the late seventies, it had gained a reputation for good Italian food, the occasion for family reunions, and a great social event for the city of Watertown and the neighboring communities.

It has given rise to some similar celebrations in other parishes.  While Mount Caramel has been a great source of financial help for our parish we hope that its religious and family celebration will always be the most memorable aspects of the feast.  To enjoy good food together with our parish family and friends on the occasion of our Lady’s Feast is CELEBRATION indeed!