About St. Anthony · Fayetteville, Tennessee
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church is a small, mission-minded Catholic parish located on Huntsville Highway in Fayetteville, Tennessee, belonging to the Diocese of Nashville. Founded in 1967 and originally named St. Raphael, the parish was renamed St. Anthony of Padua in 1982 after an anonymous donor made a large contribution to the building campaign for the current worship space. Today the parish is served by Father George Panthananickal, CMI, and serves roughly 240 registered families — many of whom commute across the Alabama state line from the booming Huntsville area. The parish is bilingual (English and Spanish), runs a robust religious-education program, is home to St. Raphael Council of the Knights of Columbus, and recently dedicated a long-awaited Faith Formation Center in 2021.
- Established
- 1967
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Father George Panthananickal, CMI
- Diocese
- Diocese of Nashville
Why belong here
St. Anthony is a tight-knit, bilingual Catholic community where nearly every parishioner can find a way to serve — from the choir, Women's Altar & Rosary Society, and Hospitality and Outreach, to the Knights of Columbus (St. Raphael Council), Family Life, Religious Education, and RCIA. With about 240 registered families, a pastor who knows his people, and a brand-new Faith Formation Center with 12 classrooms and a 300-seat hall, the parish combines the warmth of a small church with the programs and facilities of a much larger one. The Saturday evening and Sunday morning Masses, weekday Masses, monthly Spanish Mass, Friday Eucharistic Adoration with Benediction, and Saturday confessions make for an active sacramental life.
Mass times at St. Anthony
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Friday 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM, ending with Benediction
Welcome & Parish Mission
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church publishes a clear parish mission on its website, signed by Father George Panthananickal. The mission calls the parish to minister to the spiritual needs of its faith community through worship and service; to awaken, connect, and reconnect members with the Catholic faith; to reach the unreachable through outreach programs; to welcome everyone in an affirming environment of Christian fellowship; and to develop a spiritually active and financially stable community that evangelizes and makes authentic disciples of Jesus Christ.
- Stated parish mission statement published on the home page
- Welcome message from Father George Panthananickal, CMI
- Online donations accepted through Pushpay
- Office hours: Monday–Thursday 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (closed Friday)
Our History
The parish was established in 1967 in Fayetteville, Tennessee, originally under the name St. Raphael. The first building was dedicated in 1953, and during a fundraising campaign to build a new church in 1982 an anonymous woman offered a large donation and asked that the parish be renamed St. Anthony of Padua. The current worship space was dedicated in 1983.
- Established 1967 as St. Raphael
- Renamed St. Anthony of Padua in 1982 during the building campaign
- Current church dedicated 1983
- Faith Formation Center dedicated May 2, 2021 by Bishop J. Mark Spalding
Faith Formation Center — A Dream Realized
The St. Anthony Catholic Faith Formation Center is the most significant recent chapter in the parish's life. First proposed in 2007, shelved by the recession, formally approved by the Diocese of Nashville and Bishop David Choby in 2013, contracted in 2016, delayed nearly two years by a water-permit dispute with the City of Fayetteville (settled in federal court), hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and complicated by hard rock on the site, the project finally reached completion with a State Fire Marshal's certificate of occupancy in March 2021. Bishop J. Mark Spalding blessed and dedicated the new building on Sunday, May 2, 2021, with several hundred parishioners and 12 visiting priests present.
- 12 classrooms
- Full kitchen and storage
- Multi-purpose hall seating up to 300, usable for basketball and volleyball
- Project cost approximately $1.3 million
- General contractor: Brindley Construction of Pulaski
- Project planning chair and parish–contractor liaison: Richard Paladino
- Designed to serve the parish's religious-education needs 'for the next 20 years'
Religious Education & Faith Formation
Religious Education is led by longtime director Patty Wright, with Richard Paladino chairing the parish council's portfolio. Before the pandemic the program served roughly 120 students each year; pandemic-era enrollment fell to about 60 students, with hopes of growing past pre-pandemic levels in the new Faith Formation Center. The old parish hall, the cry room, and even the pastor's house had been pressed into service as makeshift classrooms; today each grade has its own dedicated classroom with space to store materials year-round. The parish also hosted Totus Tuus, the Diocese of Nashville's summer catechetical program, in 2024.
- Director of Religious Education: Patty Wright (15+ years in the role as of 2024)
- Pre-pandemic enrollment ~120 students annually; ~60 post-pandemic
- Totus Tuus 2024 summer program
- Faith Formation Center provides 12 dedicated classrooms
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
The parish runs a formal RCIA program under the chairmanship of Richard Paladino. It is open to the unbaptized, Christians baptized in other churches seeking full communion, Catholics who still need to receive Confirmation, and Catholics simply wishing to learn more about the faith. RCIA brochures are available in the church vestibule.
- Chair: Richard Paladino
- Open to unbaptized adults, baptized Christians, and Catholics seeking Confirmation
- Information brochures available in the church vestibule
Mass & Sacrament Schedule
St. Anthony offers Sunday Mass at 8:30 AM, Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:30 PM (with Rosary at 5:00 PM), and a Spanish Mass on Saturday at 7:00 PM. Weekday Masses are celebrated Tuesday through Friday at 9:00 AM, with an additional Friday evening Mass in Spanish at 7:00 PM. Confessions are heard Saturday 5:00–5:30 PM or by appointment. Eucharistic Adoration is offered Friday 9:30–10:30 AM, concluding with Benediction.
- Sunday 8:30 AM
- Saturday Vigil 5:30 PM (Rosary 5:00 PM)
- Saturday 7:00 PM (Spanish)
- Tue–Fri 9:00 AM
- Friday 7:00 PM (Spanish)
- Confession: Sat 5:00–5:30 PM or by appointment
- Adoration & Benediction: Friday 9:30–10:30 AM
Parish Organizations & Ministries
The Organizations page on the parish website lists more than a dozen lay ministries, committees, and groups, each with a named chairperson. They cover worship, faith formation, fellowship, hospitality, finance, facilities, and outreach — a remarkably broad portfolio for a parish of about 240 families.
- Social Action — Lettie Buchanan
- St. Anthony Women's Altar & Rosary Society — Julie West-Troy (monthly Bunco, twice-yearly bake sale)
- Choir — Michele Wilson (meets Wednesdays 6:30 PM)
- Communications — Pat Bronner
- Cursillo Group
- Family Life — Aracely Castillo
- Finance Board — Richard Paladino (with Lisa Patterson, Vicky Richardson, Sherrie Gill, Bruce Balsama)
- Hispanic Community Integrator — Eduvena Ruiz (co-chair: Elizabeth Ruiz)
- Hospitality and Outreach — Delia Colbert
- Parish Council — Chairman Olin Yancey
- Prayer Line — Pat Bronner
- Buildings and Grounds — Dennis Morgan
- At Large — Billy Pace
Knights of Columbus — St. Raphael Council
St. Anthony is home to St. Raphael Council of the Knights of Columbus, chartered in January 2000 with 30 founding members. The council is open to Catholic men 18 and older and supports both the parish and the wider community through charitable, religious, social welfare, and public relief works. Its national-charity focus is the M.R. Foundation and other mental-health charities; locally it supports the Association of Retarded Citizens, the Literacy Council, and the Skills Development Center. The council meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM in the parish's Memorial Hall.
- Grand Knight: Jacob Peavey
- Chartered January 2000 with 30 charter members
- Meets 2nd Tuesday of each month, 6:30 PM, Memorial Hall
Hispanic Community & Spanish-Language Ministry
St. Anthony's Hispanic community has grown steadily, prompting the parish to add Spanish-language Masses and devotional support. Father Panthananickal himself learned Spanish to celebrate Mass for the community. A Hispanic Community Integrator (Eduvena Ruiz, with co-chair Elizabeth Ruiz) coordinates the ministry. The Diocese of Nashville's mass-schedule page lists a Saturday 7:00 PM Spanish Mass and a Friday 7:00 PM Spanish Mass; the parish website currently highlights the Saturday Spanish Mass.
- Spanish Mass: Saturday 7:00 PM (parish website); Friday 7:00 PM listed by Diocese
- Hispanic Community Integrator: Eduvena Ruiz
- Father George learned Spanish to celebrate Mass for the community
Worship & Music
Music at St. Anthony is led by Choir Director Mrs. Michele Wilson, who is also one of the parish's organists alongside Julia McCalip. The choir rehearses on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM in the church sanctuary and welcomes new members at any time — inspired, the parish notes, by a quote from Rev. Oliver Wilson: 'the woods would have little music if no birds sang except those who sang best.' Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and a Ministry of Lector are formally established and documented in the parish's published documents.
- Choir Director & Organist: Michele Wilson
- Organist: Julia McCalip
- Rehearsals: Wednesdays 6:30 PM in the sanctuary
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Ministry of Lector
Parish Life, Outreach & Stewardship
Beyond worship, the parish's organizations page emphasizes hospitality, outreach, and social action. The Hospitality and Outreach committee is chaired by Delia Colbert; Social Action by Lettie Buchanan. The parish conducts a stewardship program supported by online giving through Pushpay. Bulletin documents published on the parish website include the 2025 Pastoral Council By-Laws, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Ministry of Lector, and St. Anthony Facilities Use Guidelines and Policies — a sign of an organized and transparent parish community.
- Online donations through Pushpay
- Hospitality and Outreach — Delia Colbert
- Social Action — Lettie Buchanan
- Published Pastoral Council By-Laws (2025), EMHC and Lector ministries, and Facilities Use Guidelines
Contact, Office & Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Anthony by phone at 931-433-6525 or by email at [email protected]. The parish office is located at 1900 Huntsville Highway, Fayetteville, TN 37334, and is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (closed Friday). Parish registration forms are available in both English and Spanish on the website.
- Telephone: 931-433-6525
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM; closed Friday
- Parish Registration Forms in English and Spanish (PDF downloads)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father George Panthananickal, CMI2013–present
Appointed pastor of St. Anthony in 2013; also serves as pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Pulaski. Revived the campaign for a Faith Formation Center, learned Spanish to serve the growing Hispanic community, and led the parish through the 2021 dedication of the new center.