St Anthony of Padua

Introduction

St Anthony of Padua Church in Fakenham, within the Diocese of East Anglia, was officially dedicated in May 1909.

History

The Catholic community in Fakenham first gathered for Mass in 1898, meeting in various locations. By 1907, a plot of land was purchased for the construction of a parish church, located between Butchers Hill, Hayes Lane, and Wells Road. In the 1940s, the present chancel was added, the materials used reflecting post-war austerity.

The stained glass at the West End, installed in 1905, is the work of stained glass manufacturers Jones & Willis. The centre window bears the arms of the Pope.

Parish life

The parish supports CAFOD, the Catholic Agency for third world Development. The parish supports Aid to the Church in Need, a Pontifical foundation supporting persecuted Christians. The parish supports Stella Maris, the Church's outreach to seafarers. The parish supports Pax Christi, the Church's work for world peace.

The Sacrament of Confirmation is administered to Catholics aged 14 and above after appropriate preparation. Couples wishing to marry should inform the Parish Priest at least 6 months before, a year if possible. Sick people are visited at home by parishioners, and Holy Communion is taken to housebound people by the Parish Priest and lay Extraordinary Ministers. The church maintains close ties with Churches Together Fakenham and the National Shrine of Our Lady in Walsingham.

Sacraments and pastoral care

Babies and adults are baptised into the Church, with the first approach made to the Parish Priest, and baptism normally takes place during Sunday Mass or at other times in agreement with the parish priest. Children and adults who are new to the faith or have been baptised in other denominations are received into the Catholic Church after appropriate instruction and discussions. From time to time arrangements are made for individual or communal celebration of the Sacrament of the Sick or of Anointing.