St. Anthony's is a growing parish which is pleased to host a new initiative by the Franciscans - an Anglican order of friars. They have established a house in St Anthony's vicarage as a base for training novices. The mission of the Franciscan order is growing and diverse, firmly bringing our parish to the centre of the vibrant community life of Byker. It is therefore most appropriate that our patron - St. Anthony of Egypt - is considered to be the founder of Christian monasticism.
Rooted in the Catholic tradition of the Church of England, the ceremonial and teaching in our services reflects the 2000 year history of the church and incense is used on high days and feast days to help add to the dignity and prayerfulness of our worship. The Eucharist is offered at St. Anthony's twice per week, where we are newly nourished by the word of God and Christ's sacramental presence, enabling us to stand as a witness to God's love in our community and granting us a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. Our worship on Sundays is moderately formal, while our Wednesday Eucharist is comparatively more relaxed. We have tea and coffee after both services to further help build our sense of community.
In addition to this, the Franciscan community have established “Taize and Tea” services, these offer unique and powerful opportunities for reflection, meditation and prayer in a way that you perhaps have not experienced before. These services hold true to the key components of the Taize Community: engaging with youth culture & combining music and prayer. These services reach out to all people, regardless of their personal position (at that moment) to meditate and reflect in the presence of God.