St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Woburn, MA

St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Woburn, MA

Pillars & Foundations documents an exploration of communities, as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe. The hope is to provide a window into these organizations allowing those who might not other wise venture in to appreciate these thoughtful, often intimate groups in our midst. Faith centers embody a drive to make a difference which they deliver upon, regardless if it is with one person looking for hope & community, or a recipient of their expansive charitable work.

This post is unique in that my only photos are from the interior of the church. I attended a 4:00 pm Mass and the lighting wasn't conducive to getting good exterior photographs. A sketch of the exterior of the building can be found on Woburn Catholic Collaborative's webpage. 


Horn of Plenty on display for the Thanksgiving Holiday

Building  & History

St. Anthony's was started in 1908 as a mission of Saint Charles Borromeo Parish which is still located in Woburn center. The brick and limestone structure, described as Italian Romanesque architecture on Saint Charles's history page, was built over 1927 through 1928. 

From the roadside I had anticipated St. Anthony's to be more contemporary, however it has ornate, traditional stained glass windows, and large columns that line the sanctuary which embody the Romanesque character. The interior is largely off-white, and a parquet style wood floor beneath the pews is a unique touch. The organ resides in a curved balcony above the entrance. It appears to specifically for this purpose as opposed to an area of extra seating (typically no longer used) which is often seen in early 20th to late 19th century Catholic Churches of New England.


The Mass

The Mass was traditional, very well attended, and a cantor lead the parish in the selection of music/ responsory hymns that framed the homily and the Holy Communion. Mass closed with a prayer led by Father Thomas Powers, where support was asked from St. Michael.

Also of interest is a write-up in the bulletin about prayers for those who have died, and an explanation of purgatory. It describes purgatory as a process rather than a place. It explains that when people pass away, they go through a transformation, cleansing themselves of remaining fear or sin and self-centeredness in light of the redemption of Christ.  

Outreach/Activities

Saint Anthony's webpage links to a Catholic Social Justice site where various resources to combat poverty, racism, and other social ills are listed, as well as various written pieces or news links. The Saint Anthony/ Woburn Catholic site also lists various resources for religious education including a calendar of events. The bulletin mentions an upcoming parish pilgrimage to Lourdes that Fr. Powers will be attending.


Text and photographs by George Parks
Sources are embedded in links



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our Lady of the Rosary, Sabattus, Maine

Image
Our Lady of the Rosary, Sabattus, Maine At the end of 2017 I decided to set out on a personal journey to explore and experience the services of many different churches and faith based organizations, predominantly near where I live in Massachusetts. These institutions are important, often overlooked and even misjudged centers of our communities that seek to make a positive impact on their participants as well as others through their generosity and public service. I knew from the outset  of this project that eventually I would make my way home to Our Lady of the Rosary , my childhood church. It probably has been 20 years, maybe more since I stepped through those doors which played such a crucial role in my childhood. This church was my community, it contributed to my moral compass, and many of my earliest memories have this pillar of Sabattus, Maine woven into them. I went to school here up until the 3rd grade, and I had my first communion and confirmation at this church. Somewher
Read more

First Congregational Church, UCC, Melrose, Massachusetts

Image
First Congregational Church, UCC, Melrose, MA Pillars & Foundations was started as an effort to explore my surrounding communities through their religious institutions, and to share my experiences at them with my neighbors and beyond. These organizations that are both social and spiritual, leave lasting impressions on the communities that they are in, and I find in my experiences that I've taken them for granted, and I suspect I'm not alone. What strikes me what all of these institutions strive to do is make a difference, and they do, regardless if it is one person looking for hope & community, or a with recipient of their charitable work. Building & History People who pass by the low profile octagonal church in Melrose should not be fooled by the contemporary campus. This organization has a long history ( information on FCCM website ) in the community dating back to 1848. The new building was constructed in 1970 following a fire tha
Read more

Immaculate Conception Parish, Malden, MA

Image
Immaculate Conception Parish, Malden, MA My visit to Immaculate Conception on Ash Wednesday is part of an effort to explore and experience the services of many different churches, predominantly near where I live in Massachusetts. These institutions are important, often overlooked and even misjudged centers of our communities that seek to make a positive impact on their participants as well as others through their generosity and public service. It is possible that through this activity I may eventually consider a long term relationship with one of these pillars and foundations of the community, however I am eager to do a lot of exploring first. Building and History The parish itself was founded in 1854 however the current sanctuary appears date from the mid 1960s. The church building is modern, but still possesses a more traditional layout. It has art deco features throughout the church, and I had always assumed that it may have been older than it actually is. The stained
Read more

Most Blessed Sacrament Parish - Wakefield Massachusetts

Image
Most Blessed Sacrament, Wakefield, MA  I chose a local Catholic Church, Most Blessed Sacrament (MBS) for my first true entry of this blog. I thought I would start out where I am the most familiar. It was very cold on this morning, after mass the temperature still read only 8℉. Normally I would have walked here, but not today. As I drove into the parking lot the sound of ice and compacted snow made that snapping and rubbing sound that all of us in colder climates know. The lot was largely empty, there was a breeze, and despite steady weekend traffic on main street, a sense of quiet. I was concerned at this point that the mass may even be cancelled as the atmosphere outside the church was desolate. Thankfully the door was open and I was greeted by a friendly usher, and a surprising amount of warmth considering the temperature outside. I made my way to the back of the church and took in my surroundings. The building: The dark stained beam interior reminded me of Sacred Heart i
Read more

Porter's Burial Ground, Danvers, Massachusetts

Image
Porter's Burial Ground, Danvers, Massachusetts On another one of my weekend walks I stopped into Danver's town center, did some exploring and took a break for a drink. While wandering around I came upon Porter's Burial Ground , which is also known as High Street Cemetery. This cemetery is the resting spot for veterans of several wars including the French & Indian War, Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, and the Spanish-American War.  Information on some of these older cemeteries is actually quite extraordinary. People have taken time to catalogue graves, photograph them, and occasionally write some details about the individuals. Sites such as Findagrave, and Gravematter provide links to these. Next time I am in a cemetery with history such as this, I really should take time to do research while I'm there. In a google search to find discussion points for this posting I came across one interesting story about a lost Revolutionary War Grave of Army P
Read more