- Antonio Demo
Father Antonio Demo (born on April 23, 1870 in
Lazzaretto di Bassano ,Italy - 1936 inNew York City ) was a New York City priest and civic activist. He studied at seminaries in Italy and emigrated to the United States in 1896. He initially did missionary work in Boston and then served as assistant pastor ofOur Lady of Pompei Church on Bleecker and Carmine Streets inManhattan . In 1900 he was appointed as apastor of the church, which served what was then a largelyItalian-American community.In 1923 Father Demo learned that the church would have to be demolished to allow extension of the Sixth Avenue. Father Demo organized a campaign to buy another property and to build a new church, rectory, and parochial school. The new church opened in 1928.
In 1935 Father Demo became Pompei's pastor emeritus and superintendent of its
parochial school . He died in 1936 in New York, and thousands of parishioners and friends, including MayorFiorello La Guardia , paid their respects.In 1941, the intersection of
Bleecker Street and Sixth Avenue was named Father Demo Square. [ [http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=6444 FATHER DEMO SQUARE - Historical Sign ] at www.nycgovparks.org]Notes
External links
* [http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=6444 Biography of Father Demo]
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