Our History at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Community

St. Anthony of Padua Church was established by Father Otto Rezktenwald and a small group of Catholics on August 26, 1906. The church, which was named after St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of lost articles, served a community of Polish immigrants along the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids.

In 1907, the church opened its grade school, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School, to educate the children of parishioners according to the gospel teachings of Jesus Christ. Fifty years later, in 1957, the parish expanded by building on a new property at 2510 Richmond Street NW – the parish’s current site – to accommodate the growing parish community. In 1994, a new church was built to expand and update the facilities and structure.

Over the years, the Catholic community has been faithfully served by several priests: Father Bernard Zajdel, Father Edmund Goldbach, Father Raymond Oosdyke, Father Fred Pasche, and Father Mark Przybysz, to name a few. In 2023, St. Anthony of Padua Parish was blessed with Father Tony Pelak, the parish’s current pastor.

Today, approximately 1,600 families are registered parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua, and 300 students attend St. Anthony of Padua School.