History of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
Manteca, California
Our First Church
Before 1914, water was very scarce in the Valley. As such, there were only a few families of varied
nationalities living in the area. The Catholics of the district were served in the missions of Atlanta and
Lathrop. With the formation of an Irrigation District, however, more families settled into the area. It is
believed that in the late 1913 or early 1914, Father McGough and his assistants from St. Mary’s in
Stockton started to come to Manteca, regularly, for Mass. At that time, Mass was celebrated in
Cowell’s Hall at the corner of Yosemite Ave. and Manteca Rd.
In late 1914, it is believed that $4,000 was raised to
build a permanent church. Since there were only about ninety-five Catholic families in and around
Manteca, it was extremely difficult to raise funds. At that time, the church owned three lots that were
part of the Cowell tract. The property on E. Yosemite Ave. and Sherman St. was chosen as the site
of the first church and parish house. The church, one of the prettiest little structures in the San
Joaquin Valley, had seating for three hundred people. This project cost approximately $50,000.
The dedication services for Manteca’s new Catholic Church was held on Sunday, June 18, 1916. It
was officiated by the Most Rev. Archbishop Hanna of San Francisco. Father Grant of Burlingame,
assisted by Father McGough and Father Sorasio, performed the High Mass. The church, on that
Sunday morning, was filled to overflowing.In 1917, the Parish of St. Anthony was established. The
first pastor was Father Marchisio who served the parish until 1926. As the community grew,
additional seats were needed in the church. In 1924, the building was extended by thirty feet and
made cruciform. This expansion project increased the seating from three hundred to about four
hundred.
Father Tozzi made plans to install a bell in the bell tower when he became the second pastor in
1926. The bell was installed in 1929. On the afternoon of September 12, 1960, the church was
severely damaged by fire. The bell was saved and was used in the next church that was built.
Our Second Church
Groundbreaking
When the 44 year-old historic building was literally destroyed by fire, plans to build a new church
were immediately started. Masses, at that time, were transferred to the school hall (completed in
1955) and Portuguese halls.
On February 23, 1961, the permit was issued for the construction of the new church and rectory at
the northwest corner of North St. and Fremont Ave. Monsignor William Burke officiated the GroundBreaking Ceremonies on April 30, 1961.
Construction
The Manteca community watched the new church walls go up with great interest. The church was
built of basalt block with a seating capacity of 1,000. The marble altar, predella, altar rail, and
baptismal font were imported from studios in Pietrasanta, Italy. The hand-carved statues of Our Lady
of Fatima, St. Joseph the Worker, and St. Anthony were also from Italy.
Placing the bronze Cross
On November 21, 1961, the six hundred-pound, fourteen-foot, bronze cross was placed on top of
the new church by helicopter. Scores of townspeople cheered and cameramen recorded the event
as the helicopter neatly positioned the cross in place.
The formal dedication of St. Anthony Church was on May 6, 1962, by the newly appointed Bishop of
Stockton, the Most Rev. Hugh A. Donohoe. St. Anthony has the distinction of being the first church
to be dedicated in the new Stockton Diocese.