St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in New Jersey is an exquisite example of Victorian-Gothic architecture. It’s located right on the corner of Monmouth Street in downtown Jersey City. Now the oldest Polish-speaking parish in the state, the church was built to serve the growing Polish Catholic community in Jersey City during the late 19th century.

In the 1870s and 1880s, the Polish Catholic population of Jersey City was rapidly growing, but there was no Catholic Church on this side of the Hudson River. Instead, the Polish community had to take a ferry into New York City to attend Polish language mass at St. Stanislaus Church on Stanton Street.
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
In 1882, the Polish community decided to come together to build their own Catholic church, right in Jersey City.
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
They finished construction on a humble, wood-framed church in 1884. Soon, it was serving over 10,00 families.
To better accommodate the growing parish, the pastor, Father Ladislaus Kukowski, began overseeing construction on a much larger church, which would become St. Anthony’s.
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
The cornerstone of St. Anthony’s was laid in 1892.

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The building boasts a magnificent Victorian-Gothic brownstone facade and is adorned with stained glass windows in the Munich style.
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
The interior features beautiful Felix Lorenzoni marble altars.
The church is such a significant landmark that it was added to the State and the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
St. Anthony’s continues to serve the spiritual needs of the Catholic community in Jersey City today.
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
The church offers weekend and weekday masses in English, Polish and Latin.

To plan a visit or to attend mass, visit the official website of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in New Jersey here.

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457 Monmouth St, Jersey City, NJ 07302, USA