St. Anthonys Catholic Church

St. Anthony's Life | Our First Church | Our Second Church | Our Pastors

Before 1914, water was very scarce in the Valley. As such, there were only a few families of varied nationalities living in the area. The Catholics of the district were served in the missions of Atlanta and Lathrop. With the formation of an Irrigation District, however, more families settled into the area. It is believed that in the late 1913 or early 1914, Father McGough and his assistants from St. Mary’s in Stockton started to come to Manteca, regularly, for Mass. At that time, Mass was celebrated in Cowell’s Hall at the corner of Yosemite Ave. and Manteca Rd.

In late 1914, it is believed that $4,000 was raised to build a permanent church. Since there were only about ninety-five Catholic families in and around Manteca, it was extremely difficult to raise funds. At that time, the church owned three lots that were part of the Cowell tract. The property on E. Yosemite Ave. and Sherman St. was chosen as the site of the first church and parish house. The church, one of the prettiest little structures in the San Joaquin Valley, had seating for three hundred people. This project cost approximately $50,000.

The dedication services for Manteca’s new Catholic Church was held on Sunday, June 18, 1916. It was officiated by the Most Rev. Archbishop Hanna of San Francisco. Father Grant of Burlingame, assisted by Father McGough and Father Sorasio, performed the High Mass. The church, on that Sunday morning, was filled to overflowing.In 1917, the Parish of St. Anthony was established. The first pastor was Father Marchisio who served the parish until 1926. As the community grew, additional seats were needed in the church. In 1924, the building was extended by thirty feet and made cruciform. This expansion project increased the seating from three hundred to about four hundred.

Father Tozzi made plans to install a bell in the bell tower when he became the second pastor in 1926. The bell was installed in 1929. On the afternoon of September 12, 1960, the church was severely damaged by fire. The bell was saved and was used in the next church that was built.