Catholic Church of St Anthony of Padua
The present church was built in 1976 during the large housing development that occurred in the three areas that make up our parish: West Moors, Ferndown, and Verwood.
A significant part of our historical and spiritual heritage is Bl. William Pyke, one of the English Martyrs of the Reformation, who lived in West Moors. You can read about him here. His martyrdom in 1591 was part of the 16th Century persecution that greatly reduced the Catholic population in this area. As with most of England, a public Catholic presence was only able to gradually reemerge, thanks to the steadfastness of a few.
For the next four centuries Catholics in the area were served by two different religious houses based at Stapehill, about 3 miles from West Moors (and within what is now St Anthony's parish). First, in about 1610, the Jesuits established a college at Stapehill where they remained until the Jesuits were (temporarily) disbanded by the Pope in the early 1800s. Stapehill then passed to a community of Cisterian nuns who founded an abbey there in 1802.This pattern of Catholics being served by religious houses (rather than a parish church) was common throughout England during the penal years but, as elsewhere, a regular church was eventually built for the express purpose of serving the local congregation. "From about 1922 Mass in West Moors was said at Lisheen, the home of the Burke family. The house was next door to the present St Anthony’s and the land for a church was purchased some years later as the congregation grew and a temporary church was erected in 1928. In 1970 Father Philip French began the campaign to build the present complex. More land was acquired, presbytery and hall were built first and the church was opened on 8 December 1976. Mass was celebrated in the church hall before the church itself was built and the hall still has the large altar crucifix on the wall.
"The present Church replaces the old wooden building which had become far too small, erected in 1928. When it was demolished the area was landscaped. The modern church was built in 1975-76, solemnly blessed by Bishop Restieaux on Our Lady's Feast day in December 1977 and consecrated on 8th December 1980. The relics enclosed in the High Altar are those of St Maria Goretti" (Sally Woodhead,
Now for the important bit ( the cache)
Telephone Number for the priest on notice board 01202 ABCDEF
The Cache is at N50 49.(E+F)B(A-D) W001 53.(B+E-D)F(C+E)
The sum of all digits 42
Normal rules apply to find the cache you must sign the log.
Happy Caching .
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