Path of the Paduan
High in the hills
overlooking downtown
This historic site was founded by the Cincinnati Franciscans in 1888 and has been welcoming and inspiring friars and visitors for more than a century.
Recently, feeling in need of spiritual rejuvenation after an action-packed week, I decided to make a Sunday pilgrimage to the shrine for Mass and a quiet morning of solitude and prayer.
I felt my worldly worries start to
lift the moment I began ascending the long, winding road to the shrine. On either side is
The great Franciscan from
Once you reach the shrine, the chapel makes a first impression of simple beauty. White stone and red brick give the structure an air of purity and modest perfection.
As you go up the front steps, statues of St. Anthony and St. Francis welcome you. The chapel’s sturdy front doors of lightly stained wood look as if they have been masterfully carved from the surrounding trees.
Inside, the interior of the chapel displays a simple eloquence that encourages contemplation. Sunlight streams through stained glass and casts a golden glow on the chapel’s ivory walls, domed sanctuary and muscular pillars. Carved wooden statues of Catholic saints grace the walls along with a series of small wooden crosses with Roman numerals that mark the Stations of the Cross.
Anthonian Air
Originally, I learned, the chapel’s décor was more ornate. It featured eight side altars and two large paintings depicting scenes from St. Anthony’s life over the high altar. In 1978, the paintings were covered and the chapel was redecorated in a simpler style.
Liturgy at the shrine’s chapel is intimate and spirited. With few seats empty at Sunday Mass, the chapel offers an atmosphere of fellowship but does not feel crowded.
As choir voices filled the air — and my heart — I experienced the fraternal fellowship of the Franciscan friars who preside at the liturgy and are scattered about the congregation.
At the back of the chapel is the
national shrine to St. Anthony of
The shrine displays a traditional statue of St. Anthony holding the child Jesus, mural paintings depicting scenes from the saint’s life and a first-class relic. A first-class relic is part of the body or bones of a saint and is stored in a reliquary, a special case for sacred relics.
Visitors can offer petitions to St. Anthony by kneeling in prayer before the shrine and by dropping written intentions into a special prayer box. Prayers can also be typed onto a large scrolling computer screen that displays petitions submitted onsite and at the shrine’s website, stanthony.org.
Charitable Roots
St. Anthony Shrine and Friary has
its roots in charity. In the 1880s, Joseph and Elizabeth Nurre
bought a scenic country estate amid the tree-covered hills of
Construction began in 1888 and, a few months later, the first friars moved into the house.
On Thanksgiving Day of 1889,
Archbishop Henry Elder of
Between 1890 and 1967, nearly 1,000 men lived at the friary for their one-year novitiate. The first novices were invested with the Franciscan habit at the friary on Aug. 15, 1890, feast of the Assumption.
Back then, novices did not leave the grounds except for cases of necessity. They also received new names. But over time, these rules changed; novices were permitted to leave periodically and keep their own names in recognition of the importance of the sacrament of baptism.
Today the friary no longer serves
as a novitiate but as a candidate house that teaches about the Franciscan way
of life. It also plays host to the Franciscan Vocation Office, Franciscan
Archives and
Heavenly Landscape
The holy grounds surrounding St. Anthony Shrine and Friary offer a serene place where all can come for solitude and prayer. After attending Mass, I decided to take a prayerful morning stroll in search of nature’s tranquility.
As you exit the chapel, a small outdoor shrine catches your eye. Flickering candlelight illuminates a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe and invites you inside, where you also find statuary of St. Anthony and St. Francis. Prayer comes easy in the silence, interrupted only by the breeze whispering through the shrine’s hollowed brick walls.
Just outside the shrine, a life-size wooden crucifix adorned with a bronze statue of Christ makes known God’s love and leads you closer to creation. Walking toward the tree line on the horizon, you see the exquisite handiwork of the Divine Artist in a panorama of rolling plains encircled by forest.
Along the perimeter of the land, in the distance, are statues of St. Anthony, St. Francis and Our Lady of Fatima. Their silhouettes make for an impressive sight (and an irresistible photo opportunity).
During my walk through an alcove of branches to visit St. Francis’ statue, I was pleasantly surprised by a family of deer relaxing in the open field ahead.
Amid the natural treasures given by our Creator, it seems St. Anthony helps us find what we are always seeking — peace on earth and the way to heaven.
Robert G. Schroeder
writes from
Planning Your Visit
The shrine is open year-round. Mass is celebrated Monday through Friday at 7:30 a.m., Saturday at 8:15 a.m., and Sunday at 10 a.m. Novenas to St. Anthony are offered Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., followed by a Novena Mass at 7 p.m. For more information, go to stanthony.org.
Getting There
The shrine
is about 12 minutes from downtown
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- June 11-17, 2006
