St. Anthony, Milwaukee

Our Parish Roots

St. Anthony Parish was founded 150 years ago by Bishop Henni in 1872 to serve the German Catholics moving to a rapidly expanding Milwaukee. The church originally consisted of one building, which served both as a parochial school and temporary church. The building was completed and consecrated by Bishop Henri in November 1872. St. Anthony served as a temporary cathedral after a 1935 fire ruined the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. To this day, the church retains a cathedra, a bishop’s chair. Today, Saint Anthony continues to serve as a church and parochial school. The school continues a rich history of continuing education improvement and delivery to the community, serving nearly 2,000 Pre-K-12 students across five campuses. St. Anthony is an austere example of the German Gothic Revival style. The Gothic style is meant to shine light down on the congregation and have it look up to heaven, inviting the divine presence. St. Anthony is a legacy and expression of German culture with its architecture and art

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Our Share

Our church’s Gothic architectural style was designed to allow light to shine down on the congregation and have it look up to heaven, inviting the Divine presence. To reflect this, the ceiling of the church will be painted in a beautiful blue with gold-leaf stars spotting expansive arches. Additionally, we will also be repairing the windows of our church to protect our parishioners and visitors from the natural elements. Making the necessary capital improvements will allow us to continue to be a vibrant beacon of God’s Word and to grow our mission and ministry.