Casper St. Anthony 1970-1980 Pat McCarthy

Casper St. Anthony
1970-1980
Pat McCarthy

The parish history for St. Anthony’s Catholic Church of Casper for the years 1970 - 1980 inclusive follows:

This decade of the parish life records many significant changes. August 15, 1980 marked the 60th anniversary of the present church building. Father Charles Brady was named the new pastor on August 27, 1968, to replace Msgr. Thomas F. O’Reilly, V.G., who retired as pastor but continued until his death on March 22, 1974, to serve the diocese as Vicar General. On August 10, 1969, the North Side Center was dedicated and the first director, Sister Catherine Milder was named in June 1970.

Within a few months of Fr. Brady’s taking charge of the parish, he made extensive improvements in both the church and school, and had purchased the property on the corner of H and Durbin Street for what was to become the North Side Center. The Center served many functions, Mass was said on Sunday, the “well-baby” clinic, sewing classes, and some social welfare was conducted from the Center. In 1972, Fr. Brady established the Bargain Shop, which operated until 1976 on McKinley Street. During the summer of 1972, he fulfilled his ambition of building a Grotto in honor of Our Lady. A long needed Parish Hall was purchased at 606 South David in 1976.

Sr. Maureen Whalen was assigned as principal at St. Anthony School in 1967 and served until 1975 when she was elected to the office of Regional Representative for the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in this area. Sister Janice Mary Pertle generously accepted the post as principal and served in this post until 1980 when it became necessary for all of the sisters who were teaching to accept teaching positions or school graduate training closer to the Motherhouse. In May of 1980, the fifty-three years of the Sister’s teaching at St. Anthony School came to an end and a new principal, Mr. Daniel Quill, became the first lay principal in the long history of the school. In 1980, the faculty of St. Anthony’s became a complete lay faculty.

At the request of Bishop Newell, Father Lawrence Etchingham was transferred from St. Patrick’s Church in Casper, to become the next pastor at St. Anthony in June of 1977. That same year, Fr. Etchingham renovated the sanctuary in the church, replacing the temporary altar with a new marble altar to match the decor of the beautiful sanctuary. The following year, a new public address system was installed in the church.

Because of the excessive cost of education, in 1978, St. Anthony School introduced “negotiated tuition.” Each family was asked to pay what they could afford for the actual cost of educating each child, which was estimated to be $450.00 per student. Most parents accepted this reality and the excessive deficit spending for the school slowly began to turn around. By 1980, parents were assuming a substantial share of the cost of education and requested that the ninth grade be added to the school. An increase in enrollment of over sixty students demonstrated the concern the parish has for their community parochial school. During the year of 1980, energy saving windows and doors were installed throughout the school at a cost of $94,000.

The convent that was built in 1954 to house some thirty nuns was closed in 1980. A smaller convent to house five sisters was established at 604 South Durbin, and presently two sisters live in this convent. One administers to the aging of the parish, the other teaches private piano lessons. It is hoped that in the future, additional sisters will find a desire to serve in parish administration.

The first parish council was established in 1978 and has assisted the pastor in many important parochial decisions. In 1980, the building known as North Side Center became the headquarters for the St. Vincent de Paul Salvage Center. This lay administered society serves a need for the entire community of Casper.

With a continued growth of the parish, it became obvious that the present parish hall was not adequate. It was decided that plans which had been considered many years earlier be explored to establish the parish hall in the basement of the church. The parish hall was sold for $200,000, and a contract let for $194,000 for the renovation of the church basement to house the parish hall. It is estimated that the new parish hall will be 25% larger than the old hall and much more convenient.

During the past five years, the City of Casper has shown considerable growth due to the exploration for new energy to serve the needs of our country. As the city grows, thought must be given to establishing new parishes. Property was bought west of the city in the Red Butte area in 1976. It is planned that additional sites will be purchased in the near future for additional growth to the community.

Back to INDEX		Casper St. Anthony 1970-1980 Pat McCarthy The parish history for St. Anthony’s Catholic Church of Casper for the years 1970 - 1980 inclusive follows: This decade of the parish life records many significant changes. August 15, 1980 marked the 60th anniversary of the present church building. Father Charles Brady was named the new pastor on August 27, 1968, to replace Msgr. Thomas F. O’Reilly, V.G., who retired as pastor but continued until his death on March 22, 1974, to serve the diocese as Vicar General. On August 10, 1969, the North Side Center was dedicated and the first director, Sister Catherine Milder was named in June 1970. Within a few months of Fr. Brady’s taking charge of the parish, he made extensive improvements in both the church and school, and had purchased the property on the corner of H and Durbin Street for what was to become the North Side Center. The Center served many functions, Mass was said on Sunday, the “well-baby” clinic, sewing classes, and some social welfare was conducted from the Center. In 1972, Fr. Brady established the Bargain Shop, which operated until 1976 on McKinley Street. During the summer of 1972, he fulfilled his ambition of building a Grotto in honor of Our Lady. A long needed Parish Hall was purchased at 606 South David in 1976. Sr. Maureen Whalen was assigned as principal at St. Anthony School in 1967 and served until 1975 when she was elected to the office of Regional Representative for the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in this area. Sister Janice Mary Pertle generously accepted the post as principal and served in this post until 1980 when it became necessary for all of the sisters who were teaching to accept teaching positions or school graduate training closer to the Motherhouse. In May of 1980, the fifty-three years of the Sister’s teaching at St. Anthony School came to an end and a new principal, Mr. Daniel Quill, became the first lay principal in the long history of the school. In 1980, the faculty of St. Anthony’s became a complete lay faculty. At the request of Bishop Newell, Father Lawrence Etchingham was transferred from St. Patrick’s Church in Casper, to become the next pastor at St. Anthony in June of 1977. That same year, Fr. Etchingham renovated the sanctuary in the church, replacing the temporary altar with a new marble altar to match the decor of the beautiful sanctuary. The following year, a new public address system was installed in the church. Because of the excessive cost of education, in 1978, St. Anthony School introduced “negotiated tuition.” Each family was asked to pay what they could afford for the actual cost of educating each child, which was estimated to be $450.00 per student. Most parents accepted this reality and the excessive deficit spending for the school slowly began to turn around. By 1980, parents were assuming a substantial share of the cost of education and requested that the ninth grade be added to the school. An increase in enrollment of over sixty students demonstrated the concern the parish has for their community parochial school. During the year of 1980, energy saving windows and doors were installed throughout the school at a cost of $94,000. The convent that was built in 1954 to house some thirty nuns was closed in 1980. A smaller convent to house five sisters was established at 604 South Durbin, and presently two sisters live in this convent. One administers to the aging of the parish, the other teaches private piano lessons. It is hoped that in the future, additional sisters will find a desire to serve in parish administration. The first parish council was established in 1978 and has assisted the pastor in many important parochial decisions. In 1980, the building known as North Side Center became the headquarters for the St. Vincent de Paul Salvage Center. This lay administered society serves a need for the entire community of Casper. With a continued growth of the parish, it became obvious that the present parish hall was not adequate. It was decided that plans which had been considered many years earlier be explored to establish the parish hall in the basement of the church. The parish hall was sold for $200,000, and a contract let for $194,000 for the renovation of the church basement to house the parish hall. It is estimated that the new parish hall will be 25% larger than the old hall and much more convenient. During the past five years, the City of Casper has shown considerable growth due to the exploration for new energy to serve the needs of our country. As the city grows, thought must be given to establishing new parishes. Property was bought west of the city in the Red Butte area in 1976. It is planned that additional sites will be purchased in the near future for additional growth to the community. Back to Top