Father Angelo Anthony holds a deep reverence for the beauty of the past, as befits the pastor of Dayton’s oldest churches.

The future is very much on his mind these days, even so, as a supporter of his parishes’ successful campaigns for One Faith, One Hope, One Love.

“I tell people it’s the difference between ‘maintenance mode’ or reaching into the future,” he said.

“We could stay with the status quo, but we’re asked by the Gospels for more than that. We want to grow, evangelize, reach out to people in need.

“There’s a recognition that it’s been many years since the last capital campaign. We emphasized looking beyond the local parishes, helping the voice of the Church. It’s important because we are a universal church.”

At the same time, he noted, “the campaign also recognized local needs.”

Father Angelo, a priest with the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, is pastor for three churches established before the Civil War. They are Emmanuel (Dayton’s oldest church, founded in 1837), St. Joseph (the city’s second-oldest, 1848) and Holy Trinity (1860). Their share of funds from One Faith, One Hope, One Love will help maintain those beautiful churches.

“The three historic buildings have various maintenance needs because of their age,” Father Anthony said. “People come here and their prayer experience is enriched because of these surroundings.

“Germans were the founding group at Emmanuel, then Italians and Irish went off and started St. Joseph’s. It’s the traditional Irish-Italian church here. St. Patrick’s Day is very big here. These are three churches but [parishioners] represent some 40 Zip codes. People come here because their families are from here or their parents were married here.”

He said a strong factor in the success of One Faith, One Hope, One Love in his parishes has been the diversity of priorities: Catholic Education, Local Parish Priorities, Fostering Vocations, Caring for Retired Diocesan Priests, and Catholic Charities and Social Services.

“With the variation in categories, anyone could focus on which area they most wanted to help with their donation,” Father Anthony said. “It’s really an awareness of pride in our Catholic faith and wanting to see the faith grow.”