School History at St. Anthony of Padua

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 for lost articles, served a community of Polish immigrants along the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids

One year later, in 1907, the church opened its grade school, St. Anthony of Padua School, to educate the children of parishioners according to the gospel teachings of Jesus Christ. 200 students attended the five to six-room schoolhouse, which was located adjacent to the church.

In 1957, the school expanded by building a larger structure on 12 acres at 2510 Richmond Street NW, the school’s current site, to accommodate the growing student population. In 2008, St. Anthony of Padua School again remodeled to update its facilities and structure, earning the school a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Today, approximately 265 students attend St. Anthony of Padua School. Our preschool through 8th-grade Catholic school is led by Pastor, Fr. Tony Pelak and Principal, Jenny Pudelko.