.JPG)
.JPG)
PORTSMOUTH — Tucked in the northern corner of Aquidneck Island, Portsmouth is served by St. Barnabas and St. Anthony parishes, with the latter celebrating 125 years since its founding.
Father Frank O’Loughlin, pastor emeritus of Jesus Saviour and St. Joseph Parishes in Newport, received his First Holy Communion and Confirmation at St. Anthony and was ordained a priest there in 1980.
At the 125th anniversary Mass, Father O’Loughlin spoke in his homily of the cross being central to the Catholic faith. He noted that the cross hanging in the church today is the exact one that hung over the altar during his 1980 ordination.
Officially founded in 1901, the parish grew out of a small chapel called St. Clement, built in 1882 near the coal mines. Portuguese immigrants “took the lead in building the church... and they built it themselves by hand,” noted church leadership.
Over the decades, several key priests shaped the parish. Spiritan Father Christopher Rooney served as its first pastor, and Father Peter Maguire became its first diocesan priest in the 1970s. Father Bart Buckley served as pastor for 35 years.
“He was well-loved here at the parish,” Father O’Loughlin said. “He was very influential to me, personally, and very close to my family.”
Today, Father David Thurber, pastor of St. Barnabas, serves as the administrator overseeing St. Anthony Parish. Under Father Thurber’s leadership, St. Anthony has established a closer collaborative relationship with the larger St. Barnabas parish to accommodate worshippers from both congregations. Mass schedules are coordinated to avoid overlaps, and parishioners can easily drop offering envelopes at either site.
“We’ve made a conscientious effort to increase the synergy between both congregations—people coming here and going there—and that’s worked out,” said parish leadership.
Longtime parish secretary Joyce Medeiros, who has served for 45 years, noted the community’s quiet devotion when asked what brings people to worship.
“We have a wonderful church. We have wonderful priests that come and help us out, and people just love listening to them.”
