The first church in the territory that is now St. Anthony of Padua Parish was the first Catholic Church in all of South Jersey, then called St. Mary of the Assumption, and now marked by Mary-in-the-Pines Cemetery. It was created to serve the Irish immigrants in the Batso-Pleasant Mills area, and was completed in 1827. In 1965, St. Anthony of Padua was established in its own right as a parish with Rev. Umberto Carta as the founding pastor. Today it is a diverse faith community with approximately 700 families. The construction of a new parish hall is currently underway.