About St. Anthony · Fort Recovery, Ohio
St. Anthony Catholic Church is a small historic parish located in the unincorporated community of Padua (also called St. Anthony) in Washington Township, Mercer County, Ohio, just outside the village of Fort Recovery. The parish was established in 1852 by German Catholic settlers and today remains an active congregation of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. It is one of seven parishes in the Holy Cross Family of Parishes (NW-1), which was formed in July 2022 under the archdiocese's 'Beacons of Light' restructuring. The parish gathers for a Saturday vigil Mass and a Thursday evening weekday Mass, and continues a beautification project to restore its 1879 landmark church.
- Established
- 1852
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Rev. Alexander (T.) Witt
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati (Holy Cross Family of Parishes / Northwest Deanery Family 1)
Why belong here
St. Anthony is a small, close-knit rural parish where generations of farming families in the Mercer County community of Padua/St. Anthony have worshipped since 1852. The parish gathers for a Saturday vigil Mass and Thursday evening weekday Mass with Eucharistic Adoration, and shares ministries — choir, youth, religious education, RCIA, bereavement, evangelization — across the Holy Cross Family of Parishes. Visitors are welcomed into a historic 1879 church now in active restoration, with a parish hall in the former 1940 school and two adjoining cemeteries marking the community's deep roots.
Mass times at St. Anthony
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM
- Thursday 5:45 PM – 6:30 PM
Adoration times
- Thursday 5:45 PM – 6:30 PM
History of St. Anthony Parish
St. Anthony parish traces its roots to the 1830s, when German Catholic and Lutheran immigrants settled at the crossroads that became State Route 49 and St. Anthony Road in Washington Township, Mercer County. Originally known as Padua, the community first worshipped with monthly Masses offered by Father Joseph Albrecht from St. Joseph parish in Victoria. In 1852 the residents received permission to form their own parish, and in 1853 — with the help of their Lutheran neighbors — they built a small log church about a quarter-mile north of the intersection, each family chipping in $4.00. By the 1870s the log church was too small, and in 1874 parishioners laid the cornerstone for the present brick church, designed by architect Anton DeCurtins and built by a Mr. Van Oss of Minster. The building was finished in 1879 and has been enlarged, refreshed, and restored over the decades — with major renovations in 1946, the Vatican II era (1960s), 1998–99, 2002, and the current multi-phase beautification project.
- Settled in 1830s by German immigrants; originally called Padua
- Parish established 1852; log church built 1853 with Lutheran help
- Cornerstone of present church laid 1874; building finished 1879
- Steeple, sacristies, stained glass and frescoes added 1900; pipe organ 1903
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, July 26, 1979
Architecture & Historic Significance
St. Anthony's is a single-story brick church on a basement, with stretcher-bond walls, a slate gabled roof, and distinctive square pilasters at the corners of the facade. Architectural historians classify it as a second-generation Precious Blood church, with its tall central tower and spire — added in 1900 — being atypical of that generation. The interior features frescoed walls, stained-glass windows donated by individual parishioners, a large high altar installed in 1880, and a pipe organ installed in 1903. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as part of the Cross-Tipped Churches of Ohio multiple-property submission, alongside 32 other buildings (including 25 other churches) related to the Society of the Precious Blood.
- Architect: Anton DeCurtins; builder: Mr. Van Oss of Minster
- NRHP reference #79002821 — added July 26, 1979
- Foundation stone quarried and hauled from New Bremen
- Time-capsule tin box sealed into the cornerstone (1874)
Parish Staff & Clergy
St. Anthony is shepherded as part of the Holy Cross Family of Parishes. The Pastor of the family is Father Alexander T. Witt, assisted by three Parochial Vicars. Two deacons, religious-education coordinators, a director of music, a business manager for the Fort Recovery cluster, and other support staff serve the seven parishes.
- Rev. Alexander T. Witt — Pastor
- Rev. Ethan Moore — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Joseph Kumar Pasala — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Barry Stechschulte — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Daniel Kahlig
- Deacon Roger Kaiser
- Stephanie Rutschilling — Religious Education Coordinator (HT, SA, SM)
- Ron Johnson — Director/Organist, Music Ministry
- Amy Lennartz — Business Manager (Fort Recovery)
- Natalie Ashbaugh — Director of Youth Ministry
- Cindy Muhlenkamp — Director of Evangelization
- Ginny Fortkamp — Bereavement Ministry Coordinator
Music Ministry
The parish shares a Music Ministry across the Holy Cross Family of Parishes, with an Adult & Youth program and a Mixed Choir directed by organist Ron Johnson. The historic pipe organ (installed 1903) continues to be part of the parish's worship life.
- Director/Organist: Ron Johnson
- Adult and Youth Choir components
- Mixed Choir
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education for St. Anthony is coordinated through the family-of-parishes model. Stephanie Rutschilling serves as Religious Education Coordinator covering Holy Trinity, St. Anthony, and St. Mary, working with families to prepare children for the sacraments and ongoing catechesis.
- Stephanie Rutschilling — Religious Education Coordinator (HT, SA, SM)
Becoming Catholic (RCIA / OCIA)
Adults preparing to become Catholic, or Catholics seeking full communion, are welcomed through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (now called the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults). Inquiry and formation are coordinated across the Holy Cross Family of Parishes.
- RCIA / OCIA (Becoming Catholic)
Youth Ministry
The Holy Cross Family of Parishes shares a Director of Youth Ministry who organizes faith formation, service, fellowship, and retreat opportunities for teens across all seven parishes, including St. Anthony.
- Natalie Ashbaugh — Director of Youth Ministry
Bereavement & Evangelization
Pastoral care for grieving families and outreach to those seeking deeper faith are coordinated across the family of parishes. Ginny Fortkamp leads the Bereavement Ministry and Cindy Muhlenkamp directs Evangelization efforts.
- Ginny Fortkamp — Bereavement Ministry Coordinator
- Cindy Muhlenkamp — Director of Evangelization
Church Renovation & Beautification Project
A multi-phase beautification project, undertaken with Blanck Studio, is restoring the historic sanctuary. Phase I (original contract $53,380) addressed wall preparation, crack repair, dome restoration, faux finishes on the reredos and side-altar surrounds, the front-wall proscenium arch stencil, and restoration of the main and side altars. As work progressed, additional approved expenses included painting the sanctuary archway angels, touch-up painting of statues, new entrance doors, drywall and painting of the Priest and Server Sacristies, and replacement of sanctuary floorboards. The Joseph and Maryann Diller family gifted $6,000 to fully fund repainting and updating of the Stations of the Cross. Phase II, estimated at $100,000, will paint the rest of the church and the choir loft and redesign the confessional.
- Phase I lead contractor: Blanck Studio
- Includes dome restoration, reredos faux finish, proscenium arch stencil, altar restoration
- $6,000 Diller family gift for Stations of the Cross
- Phase II ($100,000): painting remainder of church and choir loft, confessional redesign
Cemeteries
The parish maintains two burial grounds. The original cemetery lies about a quarter-mile north of the present church, near the site of the first 1853 log church, with a single marker listing the early settlers buried there. The newer cemetery was established behind the current church after construction; the first burial there took place in 1876, and additional ground has been acquired over the years to allow for continued expansion.
- Original cemetery (north, near log-church site) — early-settler burial ground
- Newer cemetery (behind present church) — first burial 1876
Parish Facilities
Adjoining the church are a former rectory (built 1906, no longer used as a residence since 1999) and a former two-story brick parish school (built 1940, operated until 1978) that now serves as the parish hall and performance space for the community.
- Former rectory (1906) adjacent to the church
- Former parish school (1940) now used as parish hall
Holy Cross Family of Parishes (Archdiocese of Cincinnati)
St. Anthony is one of seven parishes that make up the Holy Cross Family of Parishes (NW-1) in the Northwest Deanery of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The family was formed as part of the archdiocese's Beacons of Light initiative, implemented July 1, 2022, which reorganized parishes into families that share clergy, staff, and ministries while keeping each parish's local identity and sacramental life.
- Parish families include: Holy Trinity (Coldwater); Mary Help of Christians (Fort Recovery); St. Anthony (St. Anthony); St. Joseph (St. Joseph); St. Mary (Philothea); St. Paul (Sharpsburg); St. Peter (St. Peter)
- Pastor: Rev. Alexander T. Witt
- Parochial Vicars: Fr. Ethan Moore, Fr. Joseph Kumar Pasala, Fr. Barry Stechschulte
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Albrecht1852 (founding pastor from St. Joseph, Victoria — offered Mass monthly before parish was erected)
First priest to serve the community; came from St. Joseph parish in Victoria.