About St. Anthony of Padua · Buffalo, New York
The Oratory of St. Anthony of Padua is a Roman Catholic church at 160 Court Street in downtown Buffalo, New York, founded in 1891 as the first Italian Catholic parish in Western New York. Originally established to serve the wave of Italian immigrants — mainly Sicilians — who settled along the Erie Canal waterfront, it quickly became the spiritual and social heart of Buffalo's Italian-American community. Today the church is a canonical oratory within the Downtown Family of Parishes (Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo), managed by the St. Philip Neri House, a community of clerics striving to establish an Oratory of St. Philip Neri in the diocese. St. Anthony's continues its role as the mother church of the Italian-American and growing Latin communities of Western New York and Southern Ontario, celebrated for its Italian Renaissance interior and its traditional Latin Mass schedule.
- Established
- 1891
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Rev. Augustine Hoa Trung Tran, Rector (with Rev. Raymond G. Corbin as Canonical Pastor)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo (Downtown Family of Parishes / Family #22)
Why belong here
St. Anthony of Padua offers something rare in the Diocese of Buffalo: a daily traditional Latin Mass schedule (Tridentine rite) celebrated in a beautiful Italian Renaissance basilica, plus a beloved Italian-language Sunday Mass that keeps the parish's immigrant heritage alive. As the historic mother church of Western New York's Italian-American community and a growing home for the Latin community, it is a place where multiple languages, generations and devotions converge. Under the pastoral care of the St. Philip Neri House, the oratory combines reverent liturgy, mental prayer twice a day among the clergy, and a faithful downtown congregation of around 300 families — a tight-knit community open to anyone drawn to the older Latin Mass tradition or to the parish's enduring Italian Catholic identity.
Mass times at St. Anthony of Padua
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 6:35 AM – 7:05 AM (before 7:15 AM Mass)
- Sunday: 8:35 AM – 9:05 AM (before 9:15 AM Mass)
- Sunday: 10:35 AM – 11:05 AM (before 11:15 AM Mass)
- Weekdays: 5:20 PM – 5:50 PM (before 6:00 PM Mass)
- Saturday: 8:20 AM – 8:50 AM (before 9:00 AM Mass)
- By appointment
History of the Parish
Italian immigrants — many Sicilian, fleeing famine and high taxes — began settling Buffalo's Lower West Side / Canal District in the 1870s, drawn by work along the Erie Canal waterfront. In 1883 they asked Bishop Stephen Ryan for a church of their own and were permitted to use the chapel at St. Joseph's Cathedral. On 18 November 1888 Rev. James Quigley was appointed to lead a fundraising committee, and on 10 July 1891 the St. Anthony of Padua Church Society was officially organized. Bishop Ryan laid the cornerstone at Court Street on 2 August 1891 — with a time capsule of community history, names of leaders and 100 pennies — and the first Mass was celebrated 20 December 1891, making St. Anthony the first Italian Catholic church in Western New York. The parish was staffed by the Scalabrini Fathers and quickly became the religious and social heart of Buffalo's Italian-American community. Between 1900 and 1920 Buffalo's Italian population grew from 6,000 to 16,000, much of it anchored at St. Anthony's.
The 1904 Renovation
By 1904 the congregation had outgrown the original two-story building, so the ground-floor bilingual school was relocated and the dividing floor removed to let the sanctuary occupy the whole structure. Architect Albert A. Post led the renovation, transforming the worship space into the elegant Italian Renaissance–styled Roman basilica seen today. Bishop Colton blessed the completed church on 30 September 1906. A separate parish school was built in 1911 and opened in January 1912.
From Italian Parish to Canonical Oratory
St. Anthony's historic identity as the mother church of Buffalo's Italian-American community remains central, but the parish is no longer a territorial parish. Under Bishop Michael Fisher it has become a canonical oratory within the Downtown Family of Parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo. Its day-to-day management is entrusted to the St. Philip Neri House, a community of priests and seminarians living the spirituality of St. Philip Neri, praying mental prayer together twice a day, sharing common meals and recreation, and serving the local Church through several apostolates while working toward the establishment of a full Oratory of St. Philip Neri in the diocese.
Architecture & Interior
Architect Michael Sheehan's original Romanesque building is constructed of brick with Ohio sandstone detailing. It once featured a central octagonal cupola topped by a bronze dome — since relocated to the building's northwest corner — and a two-story layout with a ground-floor school and an upper sanctuary. The 1904 renovation by Albert A. Post removed the school floor and gave the church its present Italian Renaissance interior, a baroque Roman basilica noted for its statuary of Italian saints donated by Buffalo's early immigrants. A horizontal stone band on the exterior still marks where the original first-floor school met the sanctuary above.
- Architect of original building: Michael Sheehan (Romanesque exterior, brick with Ohio sandstone)
- Architect of 1904 renovation: Albert A. Post (Italian Renaissance / baroque basilica interior)
- Interior notable for collection of statues of Italian saints donated by immigrants
- Original octagonal cupola with bronze dome, since relocated to the NW corner
Clergy & Staff
St. Anthony of Padua Oratory is staffed by the St. Philip Neri House. Rev. Augustine Hoa Trung Tran serves as Rector; Rev. Raymond G. Corbin (also Pastor of Blessed Sacrament in the same Downtown Family) serves as Canonical Pastor. Lay staff include Business Manager Patricia Perfetto, Pastoral Ministry Director / Safe Environment Coordinator Mary Balistreri, Music Director Josephine Saia, and Una Voce contact Amy McGuire. Inquiries about the clergy or vocations may be sent to [email protected] or [email protected].
- Rev. Augustine Hoa Trung Tran — Rector
- Rev. Raymond G. Corbin — Canonical Pastor
- Patricia Perfetto — Business Manager
- Mary Balistreri — Pastoral Ministry Director / Safe Environment Coordinator
- Josephine Saia — Music Director
- Amy McGuire — Una Voe contact
Parish Ministries & Community Life
Day-to-day spiritual life is shaped by the St. Philip Neri House, whose members pray mental prayer twice daily and serve the parish through a variety of apostolates. Lay ministries include pastoral ministry (Mary Balistreri), the parish music program (Josephine Saia), and the local chapter of Una Voe, the international federation for the traditional Latin Mass (contact Amy McGuire). About 300 families make up the parish family.
- St. Philip Neri House — managing clerical community
- Una Voe (Latin Mass lay association) — Amy McGuire
- Pastoral Ministry — Mary Balistreri
- Music Ministry — Josephine Saia
- Safe Environment program — Mary Balistreri
Visiting the Oratory
The oratory sits at the beginning of Court Street in the shadow of Buffalo's Art Deco City Hall, at the corner of Court Street and South Elmwood. Drivers are usually routed via Church Street or Niagara Street exits (#190). The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (closed Saturday and Sunday); an emergency line is available at (716) 202-2627. The church is surrounded by modern downtown buildings and parking lots, and is recognized as one of Buffalo's significant historic houses of worship.
- Office: 160 Court St., Buffalo, NY 14202
- Office hours: Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Emergency line: (716) 202-2627
- Fax: (716) 854-2564
- Closest highway exits: Church St. or Niagara St. (#190)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. A. Gibelli1891–c.1893
First pastor, appointed when the church opened in December 1891; served about two years.
- Rev. G. Annovazzic.1893
Succeeded Gibelli for a few months.
- Rev. L. Martinelliafter 1893
Succeeded Annovazzi as pastor.
- Rev. Angelo Strazzoni, C.S.January 1907–December 1919
Took charge in January 1907; later made Provincial of the Scalabrini Order in December 1919.
- Rev. Arnold Vanolifrom 1925
Succeeded Father Strazzoni in 1925.
- Rev. Charles Rossimid-1920s
Had charge of the parish for some time before being succeeded in May 1927.
- Rev. Joseph Foriero, P.S.S.D.from May 1927
Succeeded Father Rossi as pastor in May 1927.
- Rev. Augustine Hoa Trung Trancurrent
Current Rector under the Downtown Family of Parishes; oratory managed by the St. Philip Neri House.
- Rev. Raymond G. Corbincurrent
Canonical Pastor; also Pastor of Blessed Sacrament in the same Downtown Family.