St Anthony's Capuchin Friary Church is dedicated to St Anthony of Padua and is located in Hawthorn, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. St Anthony's was built in the 1960s with the generous participation of the Italian community of Melbourne and is operated by the Capuchin Friars.

The Friary Church continues to be a place of prayer, devotion and mercy. It is not a parish church and so serves as a particular centre of evangelisation and popular piety. For over 50 years the Capuchin friars have ministered to the people, hearing confessions and celebrating Mass. 

On various Sundays throughout the year, particular saints, especially those dear to the Italian community, are celebrated in a festive way.

The church is open daily for private prayer and reflection. For Mass times click here. Opening and closing times are shown below.

All are welcome at St Anthony's.

Opening times and Mass times

Private Visits

Monday to Friday: 8:00am to 6:00pm
Sunday: 1:00pm to 6:00pm

Masses

Monday to Saturday: 6:45am

Tuesday: 6:45am and 10:00am

Sunday: 10:00am Italian, 12:00pm midday and 6:00pm

Reconciliation/Confessions

Tuesdays
10:30am to 11:30am
1:30pm to 4:30pm

Thursdays
9:30am to 11:30am
1:30pm to 6:00pm

Fridays
4:30pm to 6:00pm

Sundays
11:30am to 12:00pm midday
5:30pm to 6:00pm

Please ring bell next to the confessional in the church during the above-mentioned times. The above confession times are not available on public holidays.

Please Note – the Friars are at Prayer each day between 7:00am - 8:00am, 12:00pm - 1:00pm and 5:00pm - 6:00pm.

The Friary doorbell at 182 Power Street and the telephone will not be answered between these hours.

Click here to contact us via phone or email

Our church is dedicated to St Anthony of Padua.

St Anthony is one of the most popular Catholic saints and is the Patron Saint of "Lost Things".

Legend has it that one day St Anthony found a lone child, took him in his arms and tried to find his home. When they approached a church, the child said I live here and promptly disappeared. It was an apparition of the baby Jesus.

St. Anthony was born Fernando Martins to a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1195. He entered the Augustinian monastery at the age of 15. After two years he was transferred to the motherhouse of the congregation, the Abbey of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, and was eventually ordained a priest. While he was a priest at the Augustinian monastery, the remains of a group of Franciscan martyrs were brought to the Abbey via a large cortege. Inspired by their example, Fernando said to the Franciscans, “Brother, I would gladly put on the habit of your Order if you would promise to send me as soon as possible to the land of the Saracens, that I may gain the crown of the holy martyrs.” Upon obtaining permission to join the newly established Franciscan Order, Fernando changed his name to Anthony.

St. Anthony traveled to Morocco but soon fell ill. While attempting to return to Portugal, his ship was detoured to Sicily due to a violent storm and high winds. While recovering, Anthony spent his time praying and studying at a hermitage. During a visit from Dominican friars, Anthony was called up to give a homily. Though he tried to decline, he ended up giving the homily, surprising everyone with his eloquence, passion, and holiness. Thereafter, Anthony’s preaching became widely respected.

Venerated the world over as the Patron Saint of Lost Articles, Anthony had a book of psalms that he used when teaching and giving sermons while traveling throughout northern Italy and southern France. He quite valued this book and was distraught when he realized it had been stolen. Anthony prayed, asking God for his book to be returned. After his prayer, the novice who had stolen the book from him returned it. Because of this, a book is often depicted with St. Anthony. His book can be found at the Franciscan friary in Bologna, Italy.

St. Anthony of Padua died on June 13, 1231, at the age of 36 at the Poor Clare monastery at Arcella, Italy (now part of Padua). He is buried in the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, Italy. St. Anthony of Padua was canonized within the year by Pope Gregory IX (his friend), and people began praying for St. Anthony’s intercession when items were lost or stolen.

In addition to being the Patron of stolen and lost items, St. Anthony of Padua is considered the Patron Saint of sailors and fishermen (especially in Spain, France, and Italy), elderly people, harvests, and the mail. Just like St. Jude, St. Anthony preached the Gospel of Jesus with great fervor and can be called upon for intercession in desperate times.

Sunday
10:00am: Italian
12:00pm: English
6:00pm: English

Monday - Saturday
6:45am: English

Tuesday
6:45am and 10:00am

Reconciliation/Confessions

Tuesdays
10:30am to 11:30am
1:30pm to 4:30pm

Thursdays
9:30am to 11:30am
1:30pm to 6:00pm

Fridays
4:30pm to 6:00pm

Sundays
11:30am to 12:00pm
5:30pm to 6:00pm

Please ring bell next to the confessional in the church during those times

Please note: The above confession times are not available on public holidays.

• Capuchin Friars Australia
• Capuchin Mission Office
• Capuchin Friars Minor (Curia)
• Sts Peter & Paul - South Melbourne
• Archdiocese of Melbourne
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• Catholic News
• Mass Readings (Daily)

Conceived originally as a project by an Italian Capuchin, Fr. Boniface Zurli, then constructed and brought to completion in 1960’s. With the help of donations and voluntary labour from generous members of the Italian community, this shrine is adorned with a variety of esteemed and priceless works of religious art. In addition to the abundant use and beauty of the rare and multi-coloured marble, there are the splendid mosaics including one depicting the Calvary scene which is perhaps the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere. Among other artistic features are the many statues carved in wood of the blessed virgin and particular saints held in veneration by migrants from various regions of Italy. Noteworthy, too, are the admirable paintings of the renowned Hungarian local artist, Bela de Valentin, applied to the suspended concave ceiling where even Saint Mary of the Cross finds a place. The image of St. Anthony, Parton of the shrine, which occupies a central position behind the main altar, was sculptured at Ortisei in northern Italy, sent to Padua where it was placed on the tomb of the saint, blessed and inserted with a precious relic and then shipped to Australia

St Anthony's Capuchin Friary Church
182 Power Street
Hawthorn VIC 3122
Australia

Ph: 03 9819 3775

Please Note – the Friars are at Prayer each day between 7.00am - 8.00am, 12.00 - 1.00pm and 5.00pm - 6.00pm

The Friary doorbell at 182 Power Street and the telephone will not be answered between these hours.

Please complete the form below:

The Capuchin friars are one of the largest men’s Religious Orders in the Church, with about 10,500 friars in over 100 countries. We are officially called the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin: ‘Friars Minor’ meaning ‘Lesser Brothers’. We strive to live the Gospel as a fraternity of priests and brothers, praying together as a community, being a source of nourishment and strength for each other so as to go out and share God’s love with others. Our charism of minority inspires us to seek to be lesser in our relationships with others so as to serve God in the other and help build and foster relationships and communion. One of the beautiful things about the Capuchin Order at the moment is that since the Second Vatican Council there has been a lot of work and reflection to gain a deeper understanding of our Capuchin identity so as to be authentic and true to who we are called to be and hence bear fruit for the life of the Church and the world.

We strive to love and serve Christ with something of the desire and burning love of our Seraphic Father Francis – ‘seraphic’ alluding to Francis’ fiery/burning love for Christ that led him to such a union with Jesus that for the last two years of his life he bore the sacred wounds of the stigmata.

As a sign of the way to this union, we profess vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in order to conform ourselves more closely to Christ who was poor, chaste and always obedient to His Father. These vows free us so as not to be so attached to our own will and selfishness – from which sin so often springs – or to possessions so as to be more free to love Christ and His Bride, the Church.

St Francis began a new way of religious life for the friars that was different to monks and to Orders founded to meet a specific apostolic need. Whilst monks were enclosed in a monastery, the friars’ cloister is the world – we are not enclosed. And whilst there are many Orders founded to do a specific kind of work, we were founded firstly to live the Gospel and then to express this concretely in a variety of different kinds of work, but with a special attentiveness towards the poor and marginalised – those who are considered of little value by our society. Traditionally, Capuchins have always been willing to take on those ministries and needs that no one else has wanted to do.

The Capuchins are a reform of the Franciscan movement, whose way of life was approved in 1528. The essence of the reform was to recapture the simplicity of the charism of Francis, with a focus on contemplative prayer, penance and smaller communities of between 3-12 friars. The Capuchin habit provides a witness to the world that the Church is visible, alive and active, and is a sign of our consecration to the Lord. It is brown in colour and – significantly for us – when we put on the habit each day it is a reminder to follow the Lord’s invitation to take up our cross everyday and follow Him – for if a friar stretches out his arms and puts the hood on, the habit forms the shape of the cross. In fact, we are called ‘Capuchins’ because of the long hood (capuche) of the habit – hence it is a nickname that has stuck. But, I guess, more people are familiar with the ‘cappuccino’ coffee that was named after us.

We follow the Rule of St Francis according to the Capuchin Constitutions that help us live the charism of St Francis in our own time and context.

St. Padre Pio was born on May 25, 1887 in Pietrelcina, southern Italy. He was tutored privately until his entry to the novitiate of the Capuchin Friars at the age of 15. Of feeble health but strong will, with the help of grace, he completed the required studies and was ordained a priest in 1910.

On September 20, 1918 the five wounds of our Lord’s passion appeared on his body, making him the first stigmatized priest in the history of the Catholic Church. Countless persons were attracted to his confessional and many more received his saintly counsel and spiritual guidance through correspondence.

His whole life was marked by long hours of prayer and continual austerity. His letters to his spiritual directors reveal the ineffable suffering, physical and spiritual, which accompanied him all through his life. They also reveal his deep union with God, his burning love for the Blessed Eucharist and Our Blessed Lady.

On January 9, 1940, Padre Pio announced his grandiose plans to develop a Home for the Relief of Suffering (the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza). The Casa opened its doors on May 5, 1956 as a 300 bed facility, built on the small, sincere and spontaneous donations and prayers of his followers. He also developed an international network of prayer groups for the support of the Casa and its ministry that continues to live on and grow today.

Padre Pio considered the Casa Sollievo Della Sofferenza (Casa) his “Work”, inspired and blessed by God, to be a haven of relief from suffering for all of God’s children in pain in body or soul. It is a model community of Catholic Christian health delivery, and has grown into a regional referral centre of international renown. Today, with over 1,000 beds and services comparable to most academic research centres of excellence, the Casa is thriving by God’s graces in one of the most remote, desolate and poorest areas of Italy…atop Mount Gargano, four hours from Rome.

Worn out by over half a century of intense suffering and constant apostolic activity in San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio was called to his heavenly reward on September 23, 1968. After a public funeral, which attracted over 100,000 mourners, his body was entombed in the crypt of Our Lady of Grace Church. Increasing numbers flock to his tomb from all parts of the world and many testify to spiritual and temporal graces received.

On the 16th of February 1973, the Archbishop of Manfredonia, Msgr. Valentino Vailati, consigned the documentation to the Sacred Congregation of the Causes of Saints so as to obtain the “nihil obstat” for the beginning of the process of his Beatification.

He was Beatified on 2 May 1999 by Pope John Paul II and on June 16, 2002, over 500,000 Padre Pio devotees gathered in Rome to witness Pope John Paul II proclaim Padre Pio, “Saint Pio of Pietrelcina”.

The Feast of Padre Pio is celebrated on the Sunday closest to the 23rd September each year.

For resources on Padre Pio click here.

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