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Our parish, under the patronage of Saint Athanasius,
a third century Bishop, was founded in 1960 to serve the spiritual needs of the growing
east side of the Town of Reading. Originally 250 families we have grown to over
1900
households. This includes many who, although outside of the geographical boundaries of the
parish, chose Saint Athanasius as their primary parish because of its particular style of
worship, the warmth of its welcome and many of the ministries available for service.
St. Athanasius Church was designed by the architectural firm of Louis A. Scibelli and
Daniel F. Tully
in 1959. The church, when designed, was the largest "Hyperbolic Paraboloid" roof shell in the Western Hemisphere and perhaps the world at that time.
It's stained glass windows were fabricated by Tolleri of Florence, Italy
from the designs of Scibelli and Tully. The original altar was designed to be in the abstract form of an Alpha and Omega symbolic of the quote in the gospel "I am the beginning and the end."
The "screen" [the lattice wall, no longer there] between the seats and the inner lobby was specifically designed to provide insight to the constant change once felt by the churchgoer on entering thru the front doors into the compressed space of the Narthex.
[St Malachy's
in Burlington and St Timothy's in Norwood
were also designed by Tully.]
Here are some of the architectural Plans for the Original Building of St. Athanasius
Parish:
Excavation began in 1960, the construction continued for about 16 months
with the dedication by Cardinal Richard Cushing of St. Athanasius Parish
in 1962:
| The Pastors of St. Athanasius |
Rev. Thomas D. Conway
Ordained February 2, 1960
June 30, 1997 to September 12,2005
R.I.P. on October 25, 2009
Rev. William T. Kremmell
Ordained May 26, 1966
September 12, 2005 to June 27, 2010
Rev. Darin V. Colarusso
Ordained May 26, 2006
Current Pastor
| Patron
Saint - Saint Athanasius |
b.? d.373 Feastday: May 2
St. Athanasius, the great
champion of the Faith was born at Alexandria, about the year 296, of Christian parents.
Educated under the eye of Alexander, later Bishop of his native city, he made great
progress in learning and virtue. In 313, Alexander succeeded Achillas in the Patriarchal
See, and two years later St. Athanasius went to the desert to spend some time in retreat
with St. Anthony.
In 319, he became a deacon, and even in this capacity he was called upon to take an
active part against the rising heresy of Arius, an ambitious priest of the Alexandrian
Church who denied the Divinity of Christ. This was to be the life struggle of St.
Athanasius.
In 325, he assisted his Bishop at the Council of Nicaea, where his influence began
to be felt. Five months later Alexander died. On his death bed he recommended St.
Athanasius as his successor. In consequence of this, Athanasius was unanimously elected
Patriarch in 326.
His refusal to tolerate the Arian heresy was the cause of many trials and
persecutions for St. Athanasius. He spent seventeen of the forty-six years of his
episcopate in exile. After a life of virtue and suffering, this intrepid champion of the
Catholic Faith, the greatest man of his time, died in peace on May 2, 373. St. Athanasius
was a Bishop and Doctor of the Church.
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