Father Stommel and the St. Anthony Of Padua Roman Catholic Parish of Ambler
- Yen Ho
- May 8
- 4 min read
The St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Parish of Ambler revealed a unique story of how one pastor never gave up on helping those in need. He travelled around the Philadelphia area to find any Catholic community, and built several churches for them in their respective towns without traveling so far away from home. Ambler was one of the lucky towns that Father Henry Stommel stopped by while on his Missionary travels.
Father Henry Stommel and the Missionary Movement
Father Henry Stommel (1842-1917) was born in Ruperichteroth, Germany on June 23, 1842. The largest city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia section is currently Cologne with "deep-rooted Catholicity" where Henry would explore around the city and visit the famous church, the Cologne Cathedral.
He was educated in the American College at Louvain, Belgium where he was ordained as a priest on September 11, 1870.
Fun Fact # 1: Bishop Walter Steins of Calcutta, India officiated his ordination. It was considered the "happiest day of his life."
"The principle of 'keeping busy' seemed to have endowed the eager student with a disposition of piety and cheerfulness that was rarely to be found in a person of mediocre talents. His vision of the future was not an idle dream of a large and wealthy parish in Cologne; no; his zeal for saving souls amongst the friendless, the abandoned and the pioneer Catholics in a strange land was ever a strong temptation for him to leave home and friends for the missionary work in the harvest fields of the United States of America. The large and prosperous cities of America had no attractions for him, but the wild plains and the unexplored mountains of the golden west lured him from the shores of Europe to the 'sweet land of liberty' - America."
- Leo Gregory Fink
His intention was to explore the "sparsely" populated sections and prairies of the United States, but things took a better turn when he was appointed as a curate at the former St. Boniface Church in Kensington, Philadelphia. After serving at the church, Henry went on to do work for the poorest people of the parish. He established an evening school for young men of the church where they learned mathematics, English literature, reading and writing, book-keeping and religious training.
After working in North Philadelphia for nine months, Henry was called to be the pastor at the poorest parish in the country: St. John the Baptist in Haycock Township, Bucks County. Many of his friends were concerned he wouldn't survive in the mountains of Haycock, but Henry was confident that God is on his side, and will survive. When he arrived in 1871, he bought a horse and a small carriage for his missionary labors. During his four years as the church's pastor, he established a Parochial School. Henry went on to take care of the St. Agnes Church in Sellersville.
From the 1870s and 80s, Henry established and built seven churches, creating the "Missionary Movement":
St. Lawrence, Durham Furnace
St. Rose, Piusfield
St. Stanislaus Church, Lansdale
St. Martin Church, New Hope
St. Isidore's Church, Quakertown
St. Bonaventure's Church, Fairhill, Philadelphia
He desired to stay in Doylestown after serving at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel for 15 years, but he was called to return to Philadelphia to serve at the St. Alphonsus' Church.
In Search for More Catholic Families
Father Stommel came across Ambler during the town's early development, and found only three families of Catholic faith. Despite the small number, Henry was confident in establishing a church in the town. People found this to be "a fool's errand," but he had a vision for Ambler's future in hopes to grow more influence for the newly built St. Anthony's Church.
In April 1886, the church's cornerstone was laid, and in September the same year, the church was dedicated. The church was established at the same time, but it closed for a period of time until it was reopened in 1928.
In 1955, an additional part of the church was constructed.
On Christmas Eve, 2000, a fire broke out that heavily damaged the church. As a result, the church was rebuilt on the other side of where the original church was located. The church was rebuilt with original stained glass windows and the steeple. It was dedicated on April 28, 2004.
The project cost $11 million, but only $3.5 million was covered by insurance.
Bibliography
Baldwin, Lou. "St. Anthony Parish in Ambler marks 125 years." Catholic Philly. Last modified June 15, 2011. https://catholicphilly.com/2011/06/news/st-anthony-parish-in-ambler-marks-125-years/.
"Emmy Simon Postcard Collection." Wissahickon Valley Historical Society. Accessed June 20, 2024. https://www.wvalleyhs.org/whittocks-whitpain/.
Fink, Leo Gregory. "Father Stommel: 'Church Builder.'" Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia 48, no. 4 (1937): 399-419.
Finrarelli, Linda. "St. Anthony of Padua Church in Ambler celebrating 125 years." The Reporter. Last modified September 24, 2021. https://www.thereporteronline.com/2011/04/20/st-anthony-of-padua-church-in-ambler-celebrating-125-years/.
Mueller, A. H. Atlas of the North Penn Section of Montgomery County, Pa., Plate 26, 1916.
Philadelphia Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide, v. 1, n. 10 (1886): 119.
"Rev. Henry Stommel." Ambler Gazette. January 3, 1918. Page 4. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_10816.
Scott, J.D. North Pennsylvania Railroad 1886 Philadelphia - Bucks - Montgomery Counties, Ambler, 1886.
Smith, J.L. Montgomery County 1893, Ambler Borough, 1893.
"Twenty-Five Years a Priest." Ambler Gazette. September 19, 1895. Page 3, top of column 5. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_11631.
#pahistory #ambler #forestavenue #romancatholic #church #historicpreservation #architecture #germany #cologne #philadelphia #doylestown #buckscountypa #henrystommel
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