History of the St. Anthony Catholic Parish of Riga
Origins and the First Church (1935–1969)
1935: As the number of Catholics (mainly Latgalian immigrants) in the Moscow suburb grew, Bishop A. Springovičs founded a spiritual center on the grounds of a porcelain factory.
1936: Under the leadership of Provost A. Oļševskis, a building purchased in the Ogres Street area was rebuilt into a church. It was consecrated on May 23, 1936.
Parish life: Services and singing were held mostly in Latgalian. Alongside this, an active social life flourished (concerts, lotteries). Boļeslavs Jermaks and later his son Jānis Jermaks served here as organists.
Soviet Rule and the Move to the Cemetery Chapel (1969–2004)
1969: The Soviet authorities decided to demolish the church in order to build a student sports hall in its place. The parish's protests and a trip to Moscow did not save the building.
December 1969: The parish moved to Lielā kalna Street – a former Orthodox wooden chapel in Ivan's Cemetery.
Activity at the cemetery: Despite the premises being burned down a year later, the building was restored. The parish spent more than 20 years at the cemetery. Several provosts served the parish, including Vilhelms Ņukšs (later a bishop) and Oļģerts Daļeckis.
2004: The chapel building was returned to the Orthodox community. The parish temporarily dispersed, but its inventory was placed in the newly built Holy Trinity Church in Purvciems.
Building the New Church in Ķengarags (since 2009)
2009–2012: So that the parish would once again have its own church, the search for a location began under the leadership of Monsignor O. Daļeckis. In 2011, land was acquired in Ķengarags, and at the end of 2012 a building permit was received.
Construction: The new church was built in under two years, using only the donations of the faithful. The project was designed by architect Marija Zēberga.
