Shrine Church of St. Anthony of Padua - New York, New York

(Photo by Amanda Hudson)

Destination: Religious and movie-making history meet in New York City at the Shrine Church of St. Anthony of Padua. The church is located four blocks south of Washington Square Park on the corner of Houston and Sullivan streets, in Greenwich Village one step into the SoHo neighborhood. It is close to New York University, Chinatown and Little Italy areas.
Masses are Saturday, 5 p.m. and Sunday, 9 and 11 a.m.  Weekday Mass is offered at the rectory across Sullivan Street from the front doors of the church.
Why to go:  The church is the oldest existing Italian parish in the United States and the second Italian parish ever founded here. The building is the first parish church built by Italian immigrants in the U.S. Franciscan friars staff the parish, as they have since it began.
For 142 years, it has ministered to Italians, as well as jazz musicians, beatniks, artists, actors and, now, the rich and famous living in the area. Even a saint was a member: St. Francis Xavier (Mother) Cabrini. once taught in the parish’s religious education program.
The church boasts a Jardine Pipe Organ that was built around 1888, when the church was erected. It was built as opus 933 by George Jardine and Sons Organ Company of New York. From its beginning, it was considered to be both historic and grand. It was overhauled in the 1950s with some parts changed and some compromises made. The church has kept up with repairs and tuning, with some major work done in recent years including a rebuild of the organ console into a state-of-the-art modern organ console by the John Klauder Organ Company.
Special events: On weekends from March to mid-December, you can enjoy St. Anthony’s Market on the Houston Street sidewalk. The market, called a “best find” in one book and featured in an article entitled “The Best Place to Look Like A Movie Star for under $15,” also has been written up in Vogue, New York Magazine and other publications.
Access: Didn’t look handicapped accessible, like most all of New York. Everywhere are lots of stairs.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Kids will like the “movie wall” inside the church. They may recognize scenes from “Godfather II,” “Moonstruck,” “Men in Black,” and other movies shot there.
Info: Address: Shrine Church of St. Anthony of Padua, 154 Sullivan St., New York City, NY 10012. Phone: 212/777-2755 Web: http://stanthonynyc.org

- Compiled by Amanda Hudson

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