A Parish Founded by Polish Immigrants, Now Led by a Laywoman and the Jesuits
St. Anthony of Padua Church sits on South Pine Creek Road in Fairfield, Connecticut, a short drive from the shoreline and from the campus of Fairfield University. From its earliest days in 1927, the parish has been shaped by the steady rhythms of immigrant Catholicism, the energy of young families, and a deep commitment to social justice that many parishioners consider the parish's signature.
What makes St. Anthony's unusual is its current leadership arrangement. Since February 2019, the parish has been overseen by Dr. Eleanor W. Sauers, a laywoman who serves as Parish Life Coordinator. She is the first laywoman to oversee the daily administration of a parish in the Diocese of Bridgeport, a model not previously used in the diocese. The sacramental and liturgical life of the parish is provided by members of the Fairfield University Jesuit Community, who rotate through the altar on weekends and for holy days.
About 700 parish families participate in the parish's many ministries, and a growing number of young families are joining the church as new residents move into the area. The parish draws members from across Fairfield County, including neighboring Westport, and many describe it as a place for "spiritual refugees" who value its preaching, its lay engagement, and its outward-facing work for those in need.
From Conventual Franciscans to the Fairfield Jesuits
St. Anthony of Padua Parish was founded in 1927 by Polish immigrants from Fairfield, Southport, and Westport, and was originally staffed by Conventual Franciscans. After the Franciscans were no longer available to staff the parish in 2002, Father John Baran, a priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport, was appointed pastor. Under his leadership the parish grew and thrived.
Father Baran lived with muscular dystrophy, which he navigated with courage and humor throughout his ministry, making accommodations so he could keep doing the work he loved. His homilies, his laugh, and his openness to those who had been hurt by other parishes drew people in. He died on March 24, 2018, on the cusp of Holy Week, a moment parishioners still mark each year. Dr. Sauers served as interim leader after his death and was installed as Parish Life Coordinator the following February by Bishop Caggiano.
Father Baran left a lasting mark on the parish grounds. The Labyrinth and Meditative Garden, completed in 2022 in his memory, occupies the site where the parish convent stood until it was removed in 2015. Designed by Liz Short Ramsey, M.S., the labyrinth is an arrangement of plants, bushes, ornamental trees, and evergreens arranged in a single winding path. A brass cross that once marked the convent entrance now marks the center of the labyrinth, fulfilling Father Baran's vision of a "labyrinth sanctuary" for solitude, prayer, and comfort.
Mass Schedule and the Liturgical Team
The weekend Mass schedule is centered on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Saturday Vigil Mass is celebrated at 5:00 PM. Sunday Masses are celebrated at 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, and 11:30 AM. The 10:00 AM Sunday Mass is livestreamed for those unable to attend in person, and recordings of previous livestreamed Masses are available online.
Weekday Mass is not celebrated at the parish church but is offered to the public at Egan Chapel on the Fairfield University campus, Monday through Friday at 12:30 PM.
Liturgies are presided by Jesuits of the Fairfield University community who serve on a rotating basis. Six Jesuits currently share this ministry:
- Father John Mulreany, S.J., Superior of the Fairfield Jesuit Community and Alumni Chaplain at Fairfield University, a first-generation college graduate who entered the Society of Jesus in 2000 after careers in business and education.
- Father John Savard, S.J., Director of Campus Ministry at Fairfield University, a Fairfield native and Fairfield University alumnus who teaches a course called "Finding God in All Things."
- Father Kevin O'Brien, S.J., Executive Director of Fairfield Bellarmine, author of "The Ignatian Adventure" and "Seeing with the Heart," with a long association with the Jesuit Refugee Service.
- Father Ron Perry, S.J., Chaplain at Fairfield Prep, who especially enjoys celebrating the Eucharist and offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
- Father Brett McLaughlin, S.J., Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Fairfield University, whose Ph.D. in Systematic Theology is from Boston College.
- Father Gregory Konz, S.J., Special Assistant to the Dean of the Dolan School of Business, who holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Saint Louis University.
Father Joseph Mantineo, a former pastor of the parish, also continues to be remembered in the parish's prayers.
A Choir that Drawn on World-Renowned Composers
Music is central to the parish's liturgical identity. The Music Ministry at St. Anthony's follows the vision of the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, with the belief that "the primary minister of music is the worshipping assembly" and that full, active participation is the aim above all else.
The choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the choir loft, and all are welcome to join. The choir sings at the 10:00 AM Sunday Mass and at Christmas, Holy Week, and other prayer opportunities, including a Taizé Prayer every Friday evening during Lent. The parish is proud to count two world-renowned liturgical composers, Dan Schutte and Gregory Norbet, as friends and partners in ministry. Schutte and Kathy Flynn lead the singing of the Exsultet at the Great Vigil of Easter, a moment parishioners describe as unforgettable.
Frank A. Macari serves as Director of Music. The Music Ministry frames its work as helping to "Sing a New Church into Being" and sees personal prayer and growth in the Christian life as just as important as the music itself.
Sacramental Preparation and Religious Education
Sacraments are coordinated through the parish office. Baptism is arranged by calling the office. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered by appointment. First Eucharist is generally received by religious education students in second grade in the spring. Confirmation is conferred in the spring, with participation in religious education classes required. Arrangements for the Sacrament of Marriage must begin at least eight months before the desired wedding date, and participation in a diocesan marriage preparatory program is required.
The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is the parish's process for those who have not been baptized, those baptized in another Christian tradition, and those baptized Catholic who have received no further catechetical instruction. Interested adults are invited to call the parish office.
Religious Education classes for children follow an annual schedule with registration forms released each spring for the coming year.
A Labyrinth Sanctuary for Solitude and Prayer
The Labyrinth and Meditative Garden is one of the parish's most distinctive features. Built in 2022 in memory of Father John Baran, the labyrinth follows an ancient spiritual pattern: a single winding path that leads into the center and back out again. Labyrinths have been used in the Christian tradition for contemplative prayer since at least the twelfth century, when the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral was laid in France.
Walking the labyrinth is described in the parish's own guide as a contemplative practice in which the walker arrives, forms an intention, enters the path letting go of mental activity, arrives at the center to connect with the inner self, and walks out again listening for the Spirit's guidance. The Worldwide Labyrinth Locator has recorded close to 6,000 labyrinths in 85 countries.
The site of the labyrinth is itself part of the parish's history. It was the location of the parish convent, removed in 2015. The brass cross that stood at the convent entrance now marks the center of the labyrinth.
Social Justice as a Parish Hallmark
St. Anthony's has a long tradition of charity and service to others. The Social Justice Committee was formed in the fall of 2017 at Father Baran's invitation; over 100 people attended the first meeting. The committee's mission is rooted in the Gospel and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, with four goals: to educate parishioners about the root causes of issues like poverty, human migration, systemic racism, and environmental degradation; to inspire fellow parishioners and the wider community; to explore effective local solutions; and to act in cooperation with other faith-based organizations.
The committee meets the first Tuesday of each month. Over the years it has hosted presentations on refugees and migrants, racial justice in the Catholic Church, microaggressions, food rescue, and Laudato Si'. Lenten book discussions have included "Fat Luther and Slim Pickin's" and "A White Catholic's Guide to Racism and Privilege." Parishioners have built houses with Habitat for Humanity and partnered with Our Woven Community, a program for local resettled refugee women.
St. Anthony's is one of more than 35 churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and civic organizations in Fairfield and New Haven counties that make up CONECT (Congregations Organized for a NEw CT), a non-partisan, racially diverse coalition founded in 2011 that brings critical social and economic issues to local and state leaders.
The parish is also the only Catholic parish affiliated with the Bridgeport Council of Churches, a faith-based, non-sectarian social services agency dedicated to people at risk.
S.A.V.E.: A Parish Response to Laudato Si'
S.A.V.E. (St. Anthony's Values the Environment) is a lay-led parish committee grounded in Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si'. St. Anthony's was the first parish in the Diocese of Bridgeport to submit a Laudato Si' Action Platform Plan.
S.A.V.E. began in the spring of 2021, after parishioners participated in a virtual presentation called "Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream," and the group chose its name in May 2021. Its efforts have included creating the Resurrection Vineyard Garden, an on-campus vegetable garden with produce donated to the Thomas Merton Family Center in Bridgeport; weekly bulletin inserts on recycling and environmental concerns; research into products designed to reduce household plastic; a weekend drop-off bin for recycling plastic bags and film; sponsoring two Fairfield Street Clean-Up Day campaigns; creating a parish liturgy marking the end of the 2021 Season of Creation; and joining the Catholic Climate Covenant coalition as a Creation Care Team.
Centering Prayer and the Prayer Line
The Centering Prayer Group meets virtually on Wednesdays from 9:00 to 11:00 AM. Centering Prayer is described by participants as a simple and powerful way to access a deeper relationship with God and expand one's receptivity to the Spirit's presence and activity. Each week the group prays for all parishioners and for individual intentions. Newcomers are welcome; those interested can contact the parish office for the link.
Individual prayer requests can also be sent to St. A's Prayer Line at stasprayerline@gmail.com, where they are shared with the prayer group and lifted up at the weekly gathering.
Men's, Women's, and Prayer Shawl Ministries
St. Anthony's Men's Discussion Group provides a space for men of all ages to discuss Catholic faith and practice. The group meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 PM in the Church Hall Community Room and over Zoom. Sources for discussion vary from full books read a little at a time to articles from Catholic journals or sections of scripture, and on rare occasions the authors themselves have joined as guest speakers. Contact Brian Kelahan to be added to the email list.
The Women's Group, which previously met at the parish, is currently being reconvened. Women interested in restarting the group are invited to contact the parish office.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry prayerfully creates shawls that are given as a blessing to those who suffer a serious illness or are in bereavement. The group meets at 10:00 AM on the second Saturday of each month in the Community Room.
Lenten Soup Suppers and the Merton Center Collection
The Lenten Soup Supper tradition began 21 years ago as simple community meals of soup, bread, and water during Lent. (Some attendees have been known to bring a bottle of wine.) Contributions of whatever one might have spent on dinner that evening go to support the Thomas Merton Family Center in Bridgeport. The suppers raise awareness of hunger in the area, raise funds for the Merton Center, and build community.
In addition to Lenten offerings, the parish collects food staples and other items each month for the Merton Center's food pantry. Items requested on an ongoing basis include full-size large cereal boxes, individual oatmeal packets, large family-size rice, boxed pasta, spaghetti sauce, tortilla or soft taco shells, shelf-stable boxed milk, canned tuna or other canned meats, dry beans, canned vegetables, granola bars, peanut butter, and tea bags. Donations are placed on racks on the back porch of the Parish Office by the last Sunday of the month and delivered to the Center the last Monday of each month.
Parishioners are also encouraged to support Operation Hope, the Fairfield Food Drive, with donations accepted at 636 Old Post Road in Fairfield, Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
Twelve-Step Meetings on Parish Grounds
St. Anthony's is happy to host a number of 12-step meetings focused on drug and alcohol addiction. Three are women-only and the others are open to both men and women. All are based on the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions developed by Bill W.
Weekly meetings include Sunday evening at 8 PM (Speaker/Step, in the school building), Tuesday evening at 7 PM (Meditation Meeting, in the school building), Wednesday morning at 9:30 AM (Women, in the church basement), Thursday morning at 9:30 AM (Women, in the church basement), and Friday morning at 9:30 AM (Women, in the church basement). A Saturday afternoon Butterfly Group meets elsewhere during cold or inclement weather.
The Seven Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
The parish teaches and applies the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching in its adult formation and parish life: the life and dignity of the human person; the call to family, community, and participation; rights and responsibilities; the option for the poor and vulnerable; the dignity of work and the rights of workers; solidarity; and care for God's creation.
As the parish's own summary notes, the moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members, and the economy exists to serve people rather than the other way around. The parish draws on this teaching in its social justice, environmental, and outreach work.
Pastoral Council and Synodal Listening
The Parish Pastoral Council includes parishioners from a wide range of professional backgrounds, including education, health care, sustainability, law, theology, philosophy, and refugee services. Council members commit to listening to and representing the hopes and wishes of the parish.
In the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022, the parish participated in the global Synod on Synodality, with four delegates selected by Dr. Sauers to represent the diversity of the parish. Eight widely-advertised listening sessions were held, including a session with liturgical and music ministers, a session with the Men's Group, a Soup Supper consultation, sessions after each Sunday Mass, a Town Hall meeting, and a Zoom meeting with the Centering Prayer Group. Ten parishioners submitted additional comments in writing.
The parish's synod report summarized what was heard: a powerful and consoling sense of community and connection; deep concern about Church teaching and culture regarding women and LGBTQ persons; concern about the vitality and viability of the Church in the diocese and country; and, alongside these concerns, gratitude for the Eucharist, enthusiasm for Pope Francis, and pride in being Catholic. Parishioners pointed to St. Anthony's lay leadership, its social justice outreach, and the partnership with the Fairfield Jesuit Community as core to its identity.
How to Join, Give, and Stay in Touch
New parishioners are welcomed to introduce themselves after Mass and to register at the parish office or by downloading the parish census form. The parish office is open at 149 South Pine Creek Road, Fairfield, CT 06824, and can be reached at 203-259-0358 or office@stanthonyffld.org.
Giving is coordinated through GiveCentral, with options for the weekly collection, World Mission Sunday, the Easter Gift, and Monthly Parish Maintenance. Newsletter sign-up is available online, with archives of past newsletters stretching back several years. The parish's e-newsletter goes out several times a year.
The parish's "Just a Word" reflections by Dr. Sauers are published online each week, drawing on the Sunday scriptures and the life of the parish.
A Community That Looks Outward
Across its many ministries and gatherings, St. Anthony of Padua remains a parish that identifies strongly with its community and its Catholic tradition while keeping its gaze on those in need beyond its walls. From the Lenten Soup Suppers and the Resurrection Garden to the Centering Prayer group and the Labyrinth, from the choir loft to the Social Justice Committee, the parish lives out its conviction that "we are one body; when one suffers, we all suffer." Founded by Polish immigrants in 1927, served by Conventual Franciscans, then by Father John Baran, and now by a laywoman in partnership with the Jesuits, St. Anthony's continues to be the kind of parish where, as one parishioner put it, "I met John at a wedding and found some hope."