St Anthony of Padua has been honored by countless numbers of people since his canonization by Pope Gregory IX in 1232. He has been honored for a century now in this parish. The early priests and people chose St Anthony of Padua as the patron and protector of this parish when Bishop Lenihan blessed and opened the first Church of St Anthony, 10th June, 1906.
That first church, which now serves as the parish community centre, was built as a place for Catholic worship in the Waiuku district. It stood as a bold symbol of faith for the pioneer families of those days. In this jubilee year we salute those pioneer Catholics who arrived in this district. They built a church that was also an expression of their vision and hope for the future.