St. Anthony's Catholic Church is like family

MILAN — The welcoming atmosphere at St. Anthony's Catholic Church made Father Francis Mariadas feel at ease.Mariadas, 37, stepped foot into the church last July after serving as an assistant pastor in Toledo. He came to the United States in 2016, having learned English in seminary."This is my family," he said of the Milan parish. "What makes our church so beautiful is the people."For more than 150 years, St. Anthony's has served Catholics in the Milan area and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2016. Mass takes place 8 a.m. Sundays, 9 a.m. Tuesdays and 4 p.m. Saturdays. About 180-200 people come to the Sunday mass. St. Anthony's Catholic Church on Main Street in Milan on Wednesday, April 3, 2019.The parish's congregation formed in 1865, the year the Civil War ended. A church building was dedicated the following year in November."Rev. F.X. Obermueller recognized the growing needs of Catholics in Milan and purchased a lot on Main Street with a small frame house," the parish's website states. "This house was converted into a school and served as a temporary church. Services took place once a month until the current St. Anthony's building was completed."A new school was built in 1872, but it closed in 1931. A new addition, which includes the parish's social hall, was constructed in 1987. Since 2004, it's been a sister parish with Norwalk's St. Mary's Catholic Church.St. Anthony's Catholic Church on Main Street in Milan on Wednesday, April 3, 2019.Mariadas grew up Catholic in India, a country where 77 percent of the population is Hindu, according to the Pew Research Center. He credits his father for his interest in becoming a priest, joining the seminary at 19-years-old."My father never compromised his faith," Mariadas said.The original St. Anthony's Catholic Church was built in the 1800s. Parishioners aren't shy to serve others, church leaders said. They take communion to senior citizens, lend a tender ear to grieving families, pass on prayer requests to each other, minister to and give back to area children and more. Blood pressure checks are offered after mass the first Sunday of the month.In July, the church seeks to begin its $10,500 sanctuary renovation project and hopes to finish by Christmas.Get to know St. Anthony's Catholic ChurchAddress: 130 Main St., MilanPhone: 419-499-4274Website: milanstanthony.orgFacebook: St. Anthony's Catholic ChurchReach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com, follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood and on Facebook.com/CaitliNearhoodFather Francis Mariadas stands inside the church at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Milan on Wednesday, April 3, 2019.