About St. Anthony · Tionesta, Pennsylvania
St. Anthony Church is a Roman Catholic mission church in Tionesta, the county seat of Forest County in northwestern Pennsylvania. Established in 1961, it serves as a secondary mission of St. John Parish in neighboring Tidioute and is part of the Diocese of Erie. The parish is named for St. Anthony of Padua, the Franciscan friar and Doctor of the Church (1195–1231), patron saint of lost things. The mission is located at 112 Bridge Street and offers Mass four times a week, along with the Sacrament of Penance, religious education, and seasonal Holy Week services shared with its sister parish in Tidioute.
- Established
- 1961
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Kalinowski
- Diocese
- Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
St. Anthony offers Catholics in Forest County a steady weekly schedule of Mass and the Sacrament of Penance in a small, intimate mission setting right in Tionesta. Worshippers benefit from a pastor who also serves the sister parish of St. John in Tidioute, giving the two communities a shared liturgical life — including joint Holy Week services and a Christmas/Easter schedule that brings the two congregations together. Religious education for parish youth is coordinated through named leaders, and the mission's connection to St. John Parish gives parishioners access to a fuller range of parish programs and staff support than a stand-alone small church could sustain alone.
Mass times at St. Anthony
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Half-hour before each Mass
- By appointment
About St. Anthony Mission, Tionesta
St. Anthony Church is a Roman Catholic mission located at 112 Bridge Street in Tionesta, Pennsylvania, the seat of Forest County. It is classified by the Diocese of Erie as a secondary mission of St. John Parish in Tidioute, meaning it shares its pastor and is supported administratively by the larger Tidioute parish. The mission was established in 1961 and is dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, the Franciscan Doctor of the Church famous as the patron of lost things. The Diocese of Erie lists the church as a Roman-Rite parish offering weekly Masses and the Sacrament of Penance.
History
St. Anthony was founded in 1961 to bring regular Catholic worship to the small Forest County borough of Tionesta. Because of its small size, the church was set up from the beginning as a mission rather than an independent parish, drawing pastoral leadership from St. John Parish across the Allegheny River in Tidioute. The two communities share their Holy Week and Easter liturgies, with the Easter Vigil traditionally celebrated at St. Anthony in Tionesta and the Easter morning Masses divided between the two churches. Today the mission continues to serve Catholics in Tionesta and the surrounding rural area of Forest County.
- Established 1961
- Secondary mission of St. John Parish, Tidioute
- Hosts the Easter Vigil each year at 9:00 p.m.
Patron — St. Anthony of Padua
The mission is named for St. Anthony of Padua (1195–1231), a Portuguese-born Franciscan friar renowned as one of the greatest preachers of the medieval Church and a Doctor of the Church. He is best known today as the patron saint of lost things, and many parishes bearing his name host the popular St. Anthony's Bread and Tuesday novena devotions. His feast day is celebrated on June 13.
- Feast day: June 13
- Patron of lost things
- Franciscan friar and Doctor of the Church
Clergy and Staff
St. Anthony Mission is shepherded by Rev. Joseph Kalinowski, who also serves as pastor of St. John Parish in Tidioute. A native of St. Julia Parish in Erie, Father Kalinowski was ordained in 1979 and brings decades of pastoral and chaplaincy experience to the Tionesta and Tidioute communities, including 14 years as a U.S. Navy and Army chaplain from 1998 to 2012. Parish support is provided by Crystal Heanen, and religious education for parish youth is led by Patricia Johnston and Kimberly Hunt.
- Rev. Joseph Kalinowski — Pastor (ordained 1979; Navy/Army chaplain 1998–2012; pastorate renewed through July 31, 2030)
- Crystal Heanen — Support Staff
- Patricia Johnston — Religious Education Leader
- Kimberly Hunt — Religious Education Leader
Holy Week & Easter Schedule
St. Anthony and its sister parish St. John in Tidioute coordinate their Holy Week and Easter services so that the small Catholic community of Forest and Warren counties can worship together. The Triduum is centered at St. John in Tidioute, while the Easter Vigil is hosted at St. Anthony in Tionesta. Easter Sunday Mass is split between the two churches.
- Holy Thursday — 8:00 p.m. at St. John, Tidioute
- Good Friday — 3:00 p.m. at St. John, Tidioute
- Easter Vigil — 9:00 p.m. at St. Anthony, Tionesta
- Easter Sunday — 9:00 a.m. at St. Anthony; 11:00 a.m. at St. John, Tidioute
Religious Education & Faith Formation
Faith formation for the children of St. Anthony Mission is organized through the parish's religious education leaders, Patricia Johnston and Kimberly Hunt. As a mission church sharing clergy with St. John Parish in Tidioute, religious education programming is coordinated with that parish to serve youth in both communities. Families seeking to enroll children or to prepare for the sacraments should contact the parish office at St. John in Tidioute.
- Religious Education Leaders: Patricia Johnston and Kimberly Hunt
- Sacramental preparation coordinated with St. John Parish, Tidioute
Contact & Visiting
St. Anthony Church is located at 112 Bridge Street in downtown Tionesta, Pennsylvania. Because it is a mission church, mail and administrative correspondence are routed through St. John Parish in Tidioute. The parish phone line and email address below reach the shared parish office.
- Physical address: 112 Bridge St., Tionesta, PA 16353
- Mailing address: c/o St. John Parish, 25 First St., Tidioute, PA 16351
- Phone: (814) 484-7747
- Fax: (814) 484-0275
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese of Erie parish page: eriercd.org/Mission10423-St-Anthony.html
About the Diocese of Erie
St. Anthony is one of more than 100 parishes and missions served by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, which covers 13 counties of northwestern Pennsylvania including Forest County. The diocesan cathedral is St. Peter Cathedral in the city of Erie. The diocese publishes a unified parish directory, publishes the annual 'Faithful Servants' clergy jubilee feature, and lists St. Anthony under its secondary mission entries for St. John Parish, Tidioute.
- Diocese of Erie
- Forest County, Pennsylvania
- Pastoral coverage through St. John Parish, Tidioute
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph KalinowskiCurrent (renewed through July 31, 2030)
Native of St. Julia Parish, Erie; ordained 1979; served 14 years as a U.S. Navy and Army chaplain (1998–2012); pastor of St. John Parish, Tidioute, with secondary mission St. Anthony, Tionesta.