The story of the erection of this altar is in itself a minor miracle. Fr. Benedict Przemielewski constantly dreamed of building this sacred but costly modified reproduction of the Donatello altar in the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua. Fr. Benedict kept a picture-postcard reminder of it at his desk. It was not until 1927 that the force of many unsolicited donations made him realize that the dream was a possibility.

The "weighty job of assembling the components was handled by the Tomasi family of Florence, Italy. The altar alone is composed of 15 tons of marble quarried in Italy and was shipped in two-ton blocks. The statues cast in antique bronze and burnished weigh about 400 pounds each, while the "Crucifixion" with the life-sized corpus weighs about 800 pounds.

The bronze statues are of, from left to right, Saint Louis Bishop of Toulouse, Saint Casimir ( Patron of our Church), Saint Francis of Assisi (founder of the Franciscan Order), The Virgin Mother with Christ-Child, Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Daniel the Deacon (Patron of Padua), and Saint Prosdocimus ( first Bishop of Padua).

Thirteen bronze bas-relief panels replicas of the Donatello originals are mounted in the altar frontal. In the middle of the bottom tier is presented "The dead Christ between two Mourning Angels" on His right and left, angels singing and playing musical instruments. On the top tier are the two panels of miracles worked through Saint Anthony. On the left Miracle of the Ass, and on the right Miracle of the Avaricious Man's Heart (for a close view of the panels go to this link). Off to the side of altar, one on each, is a bronze relief. On the left is the coat of arms of Archbishop Curly and on the right the coat of arms of the Franciscan Order.

  At the foot of the Cross, the Virgin Mother with her infant is in the act of rising from her throne. A diadem of cherubim crowns her head and sphinxes adorn her throne as she lifts the Christ-Child forward in a gesture inviting adoration. Despite her majestic air, a sad foreboding covers her beautiful face. On the rear of the throne is a bas-relief of Adam and Eve under the tree of Paradise representing the sin that required the sacrifice of the tree of the cross.