St Anthony of Padua High School - Paduan Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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?aeilim of $1. CtHarg thmzupnlis, 3, gm April 20, 1960 Reverend Francis J. Lang Church of St. Anthony Minneapolis, Minnesota Dear Father Lang, Congratulations on the new high school building, a welcome and necessary addition to the educational facilities of St. Anthony parish, and an evidence of the fact that this oldest par- ish in Minneapolis is very modern in the provision it makes for the intellectual and moral training of its boys and girls in the studies that bridge the gulf between grade school and college. St. Anthony parish is now one of the few parishes in the Diocese of St. Paul equipped to offer a complete high school course to its pupils and to those of other parishes who may patronize it. With all good wishes for success, I am, Your: very sincerely, gpL4,xss:fE;;ozklv1 63x th. Rev.t James M. Reardon, P.A. Pastor.

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Monsignor James M. Reardon 'IO

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The Story of St. Anthony Gratitude is a virtue much praised but little practiced by the world. Yet St. Anthony parish is the result of an act of gratitude which spanned the centuries. Paddling up the Mississippi in the year 1680 were a group of French fur traders and explorers, accompanied by a Belgian-born missionary, Father Louis Hennepin. They were interrupted in their ascent of the river by a waterfall which Father Hennepin called ttThe Falls of St. Anthony of Padua, in gratitude for the favors done me by the Almighty through the intercession of the great saint, whom we had chosen patron and protector of all our enterprises. Not long after that, St. Anthony proved their trust in his protection. The party, captured by Indians, was safely rescued. Their exploration over, the members left the area, and Father Hennepin returned to France, where he wrote an account of his journeys. The name St. Anthony was thus applied by later Frenchmen and other settlers not only to the falls but also to the surrounding area. And quite naturally it was the name given to the mother church of Minneapolis. St. Anthony Church t1851-186D Who b e l o n g e d to the newly-established parish? Growth of the northern part of the Iowa Territory, as Minnesota was called in the early 180015, was slow. Against a background of Indian quarrels the settlers found life dangerous. Transportation was difficult, and food supplies uncertain. Yet by 1848, when Minnesota was established as a territory, the town site of St. An- thony offered land for sale at $1.25 an acre, and the town was chosen as the site for the University. Since many of these early settlers were French and Indian Catholics, French missionaries labored in the territory. Growth of the Church enabled the bishops to establish dioceses, and St. Anthonyts mission came under the jurisdiction of Father Augustine Ravoux. In 1849 Father Ravoux, pastor of St. Peter's in Mendota, began the building of St. Anthony church. Two years later, When the structure was completed, Bishop Cretin appointed Father Denis Ledon first resident pastor of St. Anthony of Padua parish. Population of the town at that time was 556, according to the ST. ANTHONY EXPRESS. Father Ledon was equal to his task. He furnished the interior of the church and built additional Rt. Rev. A. Ravoux rooms for living quarters. On July 20, 1852, the church was dedicated. On November 5, 1853, at the request of Father Ledon, two Sis- u ters of St. Joseph from St. Jo- li sephts Academy in St. Paul arrived to open a mission school. A former fur-trading store andt warehouse two blocks west of the church housed the new school. Sister Ursula Murphy, one of the pioneer sisters, wrote some years later: Rev. D. Ledon t1851-1855l ttSt. Anthony Mission opened November 5, 1853. Sister Philomene, Superior, Sister Ursula, teacher, cook and housemaid in general with a young lady to assist me; as well as I remember her name was Bridget Malonyf, The following year Father Ledon began construction of a convent-school on the site of the present convent. St. Marys Convent-School, as it was known, was com- pleted in 1855. Although the Iinancial situation was such that the furnishings had to be borrowed, the Catholics who built it were justly proud of their achievement. The St. Anthony Express describes the school in its October 27, 1855 edition: The congregation without foreign aid has erected a large and convenient school building 45 feet by 30 and two and a half stories high. The school is under the direction of five Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph from St. Louis, Missouri. They are able to accommodate thirty boarders and eighty scholars. The attendance varies from 40 to 50, and is steadily increasing. Instruction at present is only given in English, although if desired, instruction will be given in all different branches in French, and also music. Although this school is under the immediate supervision of the Catholic denomination, it is by no means intended as a Sectarian school, and those pupils who do not wish to attend upon the religious exercises or instructions there given, are not required to do so. This coming spring the grounds will be adorned with shade trees and enclosed with a neat fence?