St. Anthony's Parish moves to Kraainem

As the community grew, it became evident that Fr. Bailey’s full time presence in Brussels was necessary to serve the needs of the parishioners.  In 1975 the Franciscans purchased a house on Avenue l’Oiseau Bleu (54) which effectively became the parish centre as well as Fr. Michael’s residence.  For the next five years, English-speaking individuals and families continued to arrive in the Brussels area.  The community experienced the need to provide for a full programme of religious education as well as more room for adult education and for other parish events.  In 1980, the community began its search for larger premises and asked the Irish Franciscans to support their intentions. This began a long process that culminated in finding the premises in Kraainem that had become vacant due to the closure of a lay-operated catechetical centre.