About St. Anthony · Rosati, Missouri
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church (Chiesa di Sant'Antonio di Padova) is a small Italian-heritage parish in the unincorporated hamlet of Rosati, Missouri, in Phelps County. Founded in 1906 by Italian immigrant families who had settled the area around Knobview Station in the late 1880s, the parish is one of the most distinctively Italian-rooted Catholic communities in the state. It is today part of the Phelps County Catholic Community, clustered with St. Patrick Parish in Rolla and Immaculate Conception Parish in St. James under a single pastor, and lies within the Diocese of Jefferson City's Southeast Deanery.
- Established
- 1906
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Rev. Jason T. Doke
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jefferson City
Why belong here
St. Anthony of Padua is a small but historically rich parish where descendants of the original Italian immigrant families still gather each week for a quiet Tuesday morning Mass. Worshiping here means praying in a church first built by grape-growing Italian settlers in 1906, and continued in the present 1947 brick building — a tangible link to one of Missouri's most distinctive Catholic communities along old Route 66. As part of the Phelps County Catholic Community, the parish shares clergy and resources with St. Patrick in Rolla and Immaculate Conception in St. James, giving parishioners a wider family of ministries, faith formation, and confession opportunities while keeping their own intimate Italian-rooted identity.
Mass times at St. Anthony
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment
- After Tuesday Mass at St. Anthony in Rosati
History & Italian Heritage
St. Anthony of Padua is one of the most distinctively Italian-rooted Catholic parishes in Missouri. It was founded in 1906 by immigrant families from northern Italy who had first attempted to farm cotton in Arkansas and, after malaria devastated their colony, resettled at Knobview, Missouri, with the encouragement of Archbishop John J. Glennon of St. Louis. The community's viticulture — planted originally with Italian vine cuttings that did not survive, then revived with Concord grapes from a French colony in Dillon — defined the surrounding hills and remains a living part of Rosati's identity.
- Parish founded 1906 by Italian immigrants from northern Italy
- First pastor: Fr. Ottavio (Octavio) Leone, sent by Archbishop Glennon
- Community originally called Knobview; renamed Rosati on 1 February 1931
- Rosati named after Bishop Joseph Rosati (1789–1843), first bishop of St. Louis
- Three church buildings: 1906 (burned 1918), 1919 (burned 1946), 1947 brick (present)
- Centennial celebrated in 2006 — Chiesa di Sant'Antonio di Padova Centennial
Parish Identity & Patron
The parish takes its name and identity from St. Anthony of Padua (1195–1231), the Portuguese-born Franciscan preacher and Doctor of the Church who is venerated as a powerful intercessor and patron of lost things. His feast day is June 13. The parish's official Italian name, Chiesa di Sant'Antonio di Padova, reflects the founders' Italian identity and language — early sacramental registers were kept in Italian.
- Official Italian name: Chiesa di Sant'Antonio di Padova
- Feast day: June 13
- Early records written in Italian
Clergy & Staff
St. Anthony is part of the Phelps County Catholic Community and is pastored together with St. Patrick in Rolla and Immaculate Conception in St. James by a single priest. The current pastor is Rev. Jason T. Doke, ordained in 2013, who also serves as Chairman of the Diocesan Building Commission. A retired priest in residence, Fr. Pat Dolan, assists the community. Deacons Matt McLaughlin, Kenneth Arthur, and Tom Manion serve the parish cluster; Deacon McLaughlin also serves as campus minister for the Newman Center at Missouri S&T.
- Pastor: Rev. Jason T. Doke (also pastor of St. Patrick, Rolla and Immaculate Conception, St. James)
- Retired Priest in Residence: Fr. Pat Dolan
- Deacon Matt McLaughlin (also Campus Minister, Newman Center at Missouri S&T)
- Deacon Kenneth Arthur
- Deacon Tom Manion
Phelps County Catholic Community
St. Anthony belongs to the Phelps County Catholic Community, a three-parish cluster that also includes St. Patrick in Rolla and Immaculate Conception in St. James. The parishes share a pastor, parish office, and a number of ministries, including St. Patrick School (a Catholic elementary school serving the cluster) and the Newman Center campus ministry at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Together the community publishes a combined weekly bulletin with Mass intentions and announcements for all three parishes.
- Cluster parishes: St. Patrick (Rolla), Immaculate Conception (St. James), St. Anthony (Rosati)
- Shared pastor: Rev. Jason T. Doke
- Parish Office: 316 E. Scioto St., St. James, MO 65559
- Parish Office phone: (573) 265-7250 (Immaculate Conception line)
- St. Patrick School serves cluster families
- Newman Center at Missouri S&T served by Deacon Matt McLaughlin
Parish Office & Contact
Day-to-day administration for St. Anthony is handled through the shared Phelps County Catholic Community parish office in St. James. The office is open Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from 8:00 to 11:30 AM. The cluster's bookkeeper and secretary is Judy Bonham.
- Mailing Address: 316 E Scioto St, St. James, MO 65559
- Phone: (573) 265-7250
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish Office hours: Mon / Tue / Fri, 8:00–11:30 AM
Visit & Location
St. Anthony of Padua sits in the small unincorporated community of Rosati, just off Historic Route 66 between St. James and Cuba. Travelers can reach the church from the south outer road of I-44 by turning south onto County Road 3640; the church is at the intersection of CR 3640 and the railroad tracks. The building — the parish's third, completed in 1947 — remains a quiet landmark of Italian Catholic life in central Missouri.
- Address: 21670 Co Rd 3640, Rosati, MO 65559
- Located between St. James and Cuba on Historic Route 66
- From south outer road of I-44, take CR 3640 south
- Church at intersection of CR 3640 and the railroad tracks
Diocese & Deanery
St. Anthony is a parish of the Diocese of Jefferson City, in the Southeast Deanery. Its primary diocesan listing is at diojeffcity.org/st-anthony-rosati/. The parish's history is drawn from Loretta Pastva, SND's Proclaiming the Good News in the Heart of Missouri.
- Diocese: Diocese of Jefferson City
- Deanery: Southeast
- County: Phelps
- Diocesan parish page: diojeffcity.org/st-anthony-rosati/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Octavio (Ottavio) Leone1906
Sent from St. Louis by Archbishop Glennon; first pastor; early records in Italian.
- Fr. Charleville B. Faris1924
Suggested renaming the town Rosati after Bishop Joseph Rosati.
- Fr. Thomas Reddin1928
- Fr. Cornelius Moynihan1939
- Fr. John Manion1947
Served during the building of the present brick church.
- Fr. Raymond Rau1955
- Fr. Robert Scobee1961
- Fr. Joseph Busaldca. 1964
- Msgr. Bernard Gronerca. 1966
- Fr. Henry Wiessmanca. 1970
- Fr. Christopher Jelenic1972
- Fr. Raymond Rau1973
Returned for a second assignment.
- Fr. Jerome Bestgen1980
- Fr. Fred Elskamp1987
- Fr. Joseph Hoi1991
- Fr. Thomas McGrath1998
- Fr. Brendan Lawless2001
- Fr. Donald Siciliano2004
- Fr. Brendan GriffeyAssociate pastor (retired 2022)
Formerly associate pastor of Immaculate Conception (St. James) and St. Anthony (Rosati); retired from active ministry in 2022.