St. Anthony of Viareggio

Introduction

Saint Anthony of Viareggio in Rose Green, within the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, began as a bungalow called Roughlands, bequeathed to the Servite Friars in 1961 by Mr Brown for the construction of a church.

History

The building was gutted and extended to form a Mass centre, with renovation planned and overseen by a Servite friar, including a free-standing tri-form tower.

Parish life

Alpha runs several times a year in the parish, offering a chance to explore the Christian faith in a no-pressure environment. Every Easter many people are initiated into the Roman Catholic Church in the parish. A group of volunteers provides a cooked breakfast on Sundays for homeless people in the Parish centre in Bognor. The Society of St Vincent de Paul in the parish provides support to many in material need and friendship to those who are isolated or lonely.

The Knights of Saint Columba are a men's fellowship group that works throughout the Bognor area helping those in need and helping run parish events throughout the year. The Catenians are an association of Catholic laymen committed to their Faith, their families, to those in need and to each other, with a local Circle comprising parishioners from around Bognor Regis, Chichester and Midhurst.

Youth Cafe is a fortnightly space for people in years 7–13 to encounter Jesus through Friendship, Food, & Prayer. The Parish Leadership Team, led by the Parish Priest, discerns the vision for the parish and decides on the strategy for its implementation. Since 2006 Bognor has been home to an ethnic chaplaincy to the Polish community in Bognor and the surrounding areas. The Liturgy Group meets to ensure that the praise and worship of God in the Mass and other celebrations is planned and co-ordinated so as to enable all parishioners and visitors to participate in prayer.

The parish has a parish primary school, St Mary's, and with the other parishes in the area founded St Philip Howard High School, Barnham. In the parish a number of initiatives reflecting the live simply ethos have been established, of which Samara's aid and the Homeless breakfasts are but two examples.