About St. Anthony · White River Junction, Vermont
St. Anthony Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in White River Junction, Vermont, part of the Diocese of Burlington. Founded in 1869 to serve the Irish Catholic railroad workers and their families who settled in this Upper Valley rail hub, the parish worships in a striking High Victorian Gothic brick-and-granite church built in 1898 at 15 Church Street. Today the parish is administered by Fr. Cyrain Cabuenas and offers four Masses a week in English, weekly Saturday confession, monthly First Friday Eucharistic Adoration, a religious education program for grades 1–10, and a home for the annual Totus Tuus summer youth program.
- Established
- 1869
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Fr. Cyrain Cabuenas (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington
Why belong here
St. Anthony offers an intimate, historic parish home in the heart of White River Junction where Mass is offered four times a week in English — including a Sunday morning Mass and a Saturday Vigil — with weekly Saturday confession and a faithful Eucharistic Adoration tradition. Parishioners grow together through the Religious Education program for grades 1–10, the annual Totus Tuus summer catechetical program for youth, and the rhythms of First Friday devotions and daily Mass. Welcoming families from across the Upper Valley, St. Anthony combines a 1898 High Victorian Gothic landmark church with the warm, small-parish community life typical of Vermont Catholic parishes.
Mass times at St. Anthony
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM (also by appointment, please contact the pastor)
Adoration times
- First Friday of the month: following the 9:00 AM Mass
- Rectory chapel open for adoration Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Parish History and Heritage
St. Anthony Parish was established in 1869 to serve the Irish Catholic families who came to White River Junction with the mid-19th-century railroad boom. The parish's present home is the 1898 High Victorian Gothic church on Church Street, dedicated that October by Bishop John Stephen Michaud. The church and its longtime parsonage, the Tewksbury House, are both listed as contributing buildings in the White River Junction Historic District.
- Parish established in 1869
- Present church built in 1898 — High Victorian Gothic, brick with granite trim
- Dedicated October 30, 1898 by Bishop John Stephen Michaud of Burlington
- Pastor at the dedication: Rev. William N. Lonergan; sermon by Rev. D. J. O'Sullivan of St. Albans
- Adjacent parsonage (Tewksbury House, c. 1875) at 15 Church Street in continuous parish use since 1896
- Listed in the White River Junction Historic District
Architecture and the Church Building
The church is a well-preserved example of late-19th-century High Victorian Gothic architecture, built of brick and trimmed in granite. Its massing includes a 1½-story front-gable sanctuary flanked by a three-story south tower and a four-story north tower; the second-story tower surfaces carry leaded glass oculus windows with bull's-eye cast-stone casings, and crosses crown the gable and tower peaks.
- Style: High Victorian Gothic
- Materials: brick with granite trim
- Construction cost: approximately $30,000 (1898)
- 1½-story front-gable sanctuary
- Three-story south tower and four-story north tower
- Leaded glass oculus windows with bull's-eye cast-stone casings
Parish Clergy and Staff
The parish is currently administered by Fr. Cyrain Cabuenas, a priest from Borongan, Eastern Samar in the Philippines. The parish has historically been staffed by the Marist Fathers (Society of Mary); a 2011 parish bulletin lists Fr. Kenneth Thibodeau, S.M. as pastor, Fr. Kenneth Ridgeway, S.M. as parochial vicar, and Deacon John Guarino assisting. The rectory office staff have included parish secretary Julieann Preston.
- Fr. Cyrain Cabuenas — current Administrator (parish priest)
- Fr. Kenneth Thibodeau, S.M. — former pastor (Marist Fathers)
- Fr. Kenneth Ridgeway, S.M. — former parochial vicar (Marist Fathers)
- Deacon John Guarino
- Parish historically served by the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers)
Faith Formation and Religious Education
The parish runs a Religious Education program serving children and youth from Grade 1 through Grade 10, with a dedicated coordinator for the elementary grades (1–4), middle-school grades (5–8), and the high-school years (9–10) that includes Youth Ministry. The program is supplemented in summer by Totus Tuus, a week-long catechetical program for young people held at the parish. Family faith formation is a recurring theme in the parish's published reflections, recognizing the central role of parents in handing on the faith.
- Religious Education — Grades 1–4
- Religious Education — Grades 5–8
- Religious Education — Grades 9–10 and Youth Ministry
- Totus Tuus summer youth catechetical program
- Family faith formation resources from the Diocese of Burlington
Sacraments and Sacramental Preparation
St. Anthony prepares parishioners for and celebrates the seven Catholic sacraments in the ordinary way of parish life. Reconciliation is regularly scheduled on Saturday afternoons before the Vigil Mass and by appointment; the Eucharist is offered at four weekly Masses and in Eucharistic Adoration on First Fridays; Baptisms are celebrated; Marriages are arranged by contacting the pastor; and the Anointing of the Sick and other pastoral needs are met on request. Holy Day Masses follow the schedule published in the weekly bulletin.
- Baptism — preparation and celebration through the parish office
- Reconciliation — Saturdays 3:15–3:45 PM and by appointment
- Eucharist — daily and Sunday Mass, plus First Friday Adoration
- Confirmation — preparation through Religious Education / Youth Ministry
- Marriage — contact the pastor to begin preparation
- Anointing of the Sick — by request through the rectory
Devotions and Parish Life
Beyond the Mass schedule, the parish keeps a steady rhythm of devotion. First Fridays feature the 9:00 AM Mass followed by an extended period of Eucharistic Adoration, and the rectory chapel is open for quiet prayer four days a week. The parish also keeps its members connected through weekly bulletins, parish news from the Diocese of Burlington, daily-liturgy readings, and occasional parish events such as the Totus Tuus summer program.
- First Friday Mass and Eucharistic Adoration
- Weekday rectory-chapel adoration (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri)
- Weekly parish bulletin
- Diocesan news and reflections from the Diocese of Burlington
- Daily Mass readings on the parish website
- Totus Tuus summer youth program
Parish Identity and Upper Valley Catholic Life
St. Anthony sits at the geographic heart of White River Junction — the village of Hartford, Vermont that grew up around the railroad junction of the White and Connecticut rivers — and remains a small, welcoming parish for Catholics of the Upper Valley. Its identity is rooted in the Irish-Catholic heritage of 19th-century rail workers and their families, expressed through the long-running presence of the Marist Fathers, and continues today through a faithful celebration of the Mass and sacraments in a landmark 1898 church.
- Located in White River Junction, Hartford, Vermont
- Founded 1869 for Irish Catholic railroad-worker families
- Part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington
- Historically staffed by the Marist Fathers (Society of Mary)
- A contributing landmark in the White River Junction Historic District
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. William N. Lonergan1898 dedication
Pastor at the time the present High Victorian Gothic church was dedicated on October 30, 1898.
- Fr. Kenneth Thibodeau, S.M.2011 (per bulletin)
Marist Father who served as pastor; the parish has historically been staffed by the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers).
- Fr. Kenneth Ridgeway, S.M.2011 (per bulletin)
Marist Father who served as parochial vicar.
- Deacon John Guarino2011 (per bulletin)
Deacon serving the parish.