Father Settimio Crudele, Pastor 1936 - 1972

 

Father Settimio Crudele had a dream. As the pastor assigned to shepherd the souls of the people of St. Anthony church he envisioned a growing, flourishing parish, a vibrant center of the Catholic faith in Bristol. He knew that the key to making his dream a reality was the young people of our community. Fr. Crudele knew that without a good foundation, without a the proper upbringing and training, the children would find it difficult to feel a part of the Church, much less a part of the community in general.

I find it interesting that even though Fr. Crudele was not the founding pastor of
St. Anthony Church, he is the one everyone refers to when speaking about the beginnings of our parish. Perhaps that is because he was right in saying that the hope for our future lies in our children. To provide a good future for St. Anthony Church, he went about establishing our parish elementary school, and latter, a high school as well.

It is a testimony to Fr. Crudele's foresight that our school remains such an essential part of our parish life today. The work that is being done, the education that is being provided, the values that are being passed on, are the result of generous collaboration of everyone in our parish family.

At the same time, the results of this sacrifice and dedication are being felt by the success of our alumni in our community. Everywhere we turn, there seems to be a
St. Anthony alumnus at the top of the class in our high schools, in our local government, in the business community. We have a right to be proud of the way that we, as a parish, are carrying out the dream of Father Crudele. May Almighty God continue to bless our efforts.

 

Reverend Nicholas P. Melo
Pastor of St. Anthony Church, 1989-2006