Review of 2016 - Our Faith in Action

Putting our Words into Action

2016 has been a busy year for us; much more than in previous years. With new members joining and willing to involve themselves in our work we have been able to answer the call for help much more than before and therefore become more relevant as a result. That is not to say that to be relevant means to be actively working for our Council because we have a significant portion of membership who due to ill health and age can no longer physically support our work but have the means to support us through prayer which is a stable part of what we do.

Below is a summary of our activities from month to month as a collective but this does not take in account the continued week in and week out parochial support across our parishes that many of our members as individuals provide. Those who are Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, ushers, choir members, Master of Ceremonies for Mass, altar servers, school governors, CAFOD representatives, SVP members, friends of Nazareth House, parish council members, and the work carried out as individuals for many other charities and support groups during the year such as volunteering each week for the Southchurch Foodbank.

As individuals we also celebrated the Year of Mercy and we also took parishioners from Sacred Heart Southchurch to Brentwood Cathedral in April to go through the Year of Mercy door opened there and many of us readily support our parish priests with whatever urgent support we are required to give. Our main work and support of the Church and clergy starts with the seven Catholic parishes in our area but this does extend beyond our boundaries when we are asked to do so, and we do also support parishes from the Anglican Communion when mutual support is welcomed.

Our year started as it always does with our Anniversary on January 1st and this year we gathered for Mass at Nazareth House with Father William and a fantastic way to begin a New Year on the right foot.

Also in January...

• We supported Christian Unity week
• Delivered the White Flower Appeal for SPUC at the parish of Saint Peter in Eastwood 
• Collected 300 unwanted spectacles for VisionAid Overseas collected from Anglican and Catholic parishes all around Southend,
• and ran a coffee morning at Sacred Heart

Plans were already afoot to launch our application for the CAFOD Live Simply award which was applied for in February, and we also brought a new member into our fold, supported the Real Easter Egg campaign, ran a parish social evening for the BCCS Quizzylympics, and were present for all our local Ecumenical Stations of the Cross in Leigh-on-Sea and Eastwood.

March saw us delivering the Brentwood News to all parishes around the deanery (13 churches), brought in another new member, supported another one-off Ecumenical Stations of the Cross in Southchurch, and prepared for our Bollywood evening to be held in April for the charities and causes we were supporting for the year.

After installing our officers for the year, April was the month we focussed on our Bollywood evening with a whole range of prizes to be won in our huge raffle. It was a very busy evening with 108 people being fed and entertained whilst raising much needed funds for Missio, Nazareth House and our Diocesan fund for the training of new priests.

May saw us helping out at the Mass for the Ordination of Father Michael, along with supporting local events and joining the Essex Savers Credit Union for local ethical banking. We also began to hand out the SPUC Pro Life Times around our parishes, and were involved in the 50th Anniversary events at Holy Family.

June was just as busy! We ran a full coach to the KSC 50th annual Aylesford pilgrimage where four of our number became full members, we held a parish to parish sponsored seafront walk for the BCCS starting with Mass at the parish Our Lady Help of Christians and Saint Helen in Westcliff and finishing with refreshments at Saint George and the English Martyrs parish in Shoeburyness and we distributed the new Brentwood News issue around the parishes as requested. 86 additional pairs of unwanted spectacles were also collected from the parish of Saint Luke in Prittlewell for VisionAid Overseas and passed to Williams Opticians for their sorting and passing to the charity.

July began with our presence being requested at a joint community event in Westcliff with a stand to promote what we do locally, and we had members present to help with a foodbank collection from Tesco. We were busy organising our October Community Fayre and along with holding a social for ourselves to catch up, we also gave Father Lee a farewell lunch to say thanks for all his support and held a quiz for CAFOD as part of the Sacred Heart parish CAFOD campaign.

Happily due to school being out we kept August as free as we could... however, we were requested to hold a nine day Novena for peace, reconciliation and harmony which we did in the churches of Sacred Heart and Saint John Fisher, and we also held our own annual BBQ for members to take stock in the sunshine which shone brightly in sunny Southend! Mid August saw us take a coach full on a day trip to London starting with sung Mass at the beautiful parish church at Saint James Spanish Place in London and preparations were made for our CAFOD World Day of Prayer service on September 1st.

Following our CAFOD World Day of Prayer service, we were then busy handing out both the new issues of SPUC Pro Life Times and the Brentwood News around all the parishes again, and on September the 21st we celebrated our 1000th meeting with Mass and a social which was another event that took some organising but was very rewarding to be a part of.

October saw the final distribution of the SPUC Pro Life Times, and we began to sell the BCCS annual draw tickets around the parishes like we did the previous year. The build up to our first Community Fayre took centre stage but the week before we still found time to organise and hold our second parochial pilgrimage for the sick from Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Joseph to the parish of Saint Peter in Eastwood. Our Community Fayre was six months of planning and with 19 exhibitors being showcased to the local community we felt we promoted a lot of good causes and ideas and will be looking to organise another Fayre for 2017. We hadn't finished for October as the following weekend we held an awareness drive for our Polish community for them to talk to us and gain an understanding of what we do following a request by their parish priest to do so.

November saw Father Michael becoming a Member of Honour, we were present at our annual Memorial Mass for deceased members at Brentwood Cathedral, and as well as distributing the latest Brentwood News and Diocesan Directories, we continued to travel around the parishes to sell more BCCS Annual Draw tickets in support of their work. Father Gerry became a Member of Honour, and we ran a Christmas quiz for the Sacred Heart CAFOD project too.

We ran the bottle stall at the Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Joseph parish Christmas Fayre on the 3rd December, and continued to sell more BCCS Annual Draw tickets in the parishes and then held a Christmas social for our members and widows the following Saturday. The next day we ran the coffee morning on behalf of the parish of Saint George and the English Martyrs for their funds and individual members began collecting extra food supplies to be passed to The Storehouse (who were at our October Community Fayre) in support of the homeless and needy of Southend for the Christmas season. We ran our Keep Christ in Christmas sticker and poster campaign again for the start of Advent and if we missed any parishes of any denomination that needed supplies of these then we apologise in advance and will look to supply any parish next year if you would like to get in touch. We were also able to support another of our Community Fayre exhibitors by passing Hopeworx an oil heater, toaster, microwave and unwanted crockery to support their work in the community.

All this is on top of the regular monthly meetings we hold, the quarterly countywide meeting we attend, the regular committee meetings and evenings spent discussing and planning the future.

2016 did provide us with many challenges. We are currently putting plans together for 2017 and hopefully we can focus on more quality than quantity of activities but it is difficult to plan for the unknown as we found this year however we will do our best moving ever forward.

Thank you for your continued support.

History Made in Great Wakering

HISTORICAL EVENT –

I attended last Sunday evening’s Catholic Service at Saint Nicholas Anglican Church, Great Wakering, which was organised by C.A.M.E. (Catholic, Anglican, Methodist and Evangelical Organisation) who work in the Wakering and Shoebury area for ecumenical collaboration. 

In truth I thought there were only going to be a handful of people attending on a cold November Sunday evening, but how wrong could I be. The church was packed to capacity with at least 110 people wedged into the ancient pews. Father Brett Adams, the Catholic Parish Priest at Shoebury, led the service, with the assistance of Reverend Kim, Saint Nicholas’ Priest, and Pastor Norman from the local Methodists. 

Saint Nicholas, a Norman Church, is 1000 years old and it was the first Catholic Service held there in 500 years, since the Reformation. A predominantly Catholic congregation enjoyed a simple service that included hymns, readings and prayers; Anglicans and Methodists also joined us. Although I couldn’t attend the celebration in the hall afterwards, Father Brett reported he thoroughly enjoyed the event and hoped that strides could continue to be made between the different Christian organisations in the area. I concur with Father Brett and recommend your attendance at future events.

Liam Rand

Community Fayre 2016

We got there in the end! The day worked out very well with a steady stream of people coming in to meet the different exhibitors throughout the three hours. Feedback from all involved was that they had gained some good contacts and leads and were given good exposure which was a part of the ethos of our event.

As part of our efforts to achieve the CAFOD #LiveSimply Award we sat down early in the year to see how we could help other local charities, local support groups and local businesses that are clearly doing very good work in the community but this would have to be above and beyond the work we already carry out. We had to challenge ourselves but be mindful that we all only have a few hours a week spare around jobs, families and other commitments so it had to work well. As with all our Live Simply efforts, we did not just want to run an event there and then with who we already knew and worked with, as we wanted to stretch ourselves and our capabilities and I am glad we did. By doing so we have met many more local champions in the community; if we had doubled the floorspace we could have increased the exhibitors as people were contacting us up to 48 hours before the doors opened to see if we could fit them in and sadly we just couldn't. We will need to review what we can do better for next year so as to maximise our floor space, fit the most people in and naturally improve our advertising. Information was sent to the Southend Echo who published this both online in the weeks leading up Saturday 22nd and on the 19th they ran a short article in their paper to support our event. Details were also sent to BBC Essex.

So what happened?

Firstly this would not have been successful if the public had not turned up in number. Regardless of how many exhibitors we had booked, it would not have counted had the hall been empty. For this we have to thank the many church parishes from many denominations within the Borough of Southend for their help in promoting our Community Fayre. With posters placed on noticeboards, newsletter inserts, web entries and so forth the word was spread. In particular we had great publicity from Sherry at Southend Soup, Mick at Essex Savers Credit Union, Dan at SAVS, Chris at CAFOD Brentwood, and Karen at Crowstone United Reformed Church amongst many others who provided great support. Thank you all.

We produced a series of signs and banners to support the function itself and although the community fayre was not a fundraiser, to cover costs we ran a raffle using #fairtrade products either bought from Sainsburys Southend or from CAFOD, and both exhibitors supported the raffle through donations with a huge fairtrade hamper provided by Sainsburys Southend, and a wonderful CAFOD mug, Romero Cross and candle from CAFOD also.

Fair trade was one of the themes of the community event to encourage people to consider buying items that are fair trade to support those workers producing the items. Considering others outside of our community is a part of caring for the greater good and is our own way of looking to change our own actions to be more considerate across the board.

The light refreshments we used were all fair trade as much as they possibly could be from the tea bags, the coffee, the kit kats, to the brown sugar and the white sugar used. The milk we used was locally sourced and delivered to us that morning by N.F. Collins and Son Dairy in Rayleigh Essex who are a long established local dairy with a traditional milk round delivering to people's doorsteps. Using glass milk bottles that are washed and reused is a great recycling method and the doorstep delivery removes the need to carry large plastic containers of milk from the shops and having to dispose of the container afterwards too. N.F. Collins and Son were one of our exhibitors and thanks go to them for their kind donation of milk for the refreshments and support on the day.

With so many local charities, local support groups and local businesses coming together under one roof to encourage the public to work with them and to offer help to the public, many people came away saying how much they enjoyed the Fayre and found it very useful. After all, this day was for the people of the Borough of Southend to help them and the wide spectrum of help on offer went a long way to giving support where support was needed.

For ourselves, the Knights sold second hand books for Nazareth House, collected old mobile phones, unwanted currency for Missio, used postage stamps, and unwanted spectacles for Vision Aid Overseas whom we have been supporting for a number of years now.

We are also supporting Tools With A Mission locally and suggested the public bring unwanted tools with them on the day to pass over to the TWAM team to take away which they did and this was fantastic to see. Hopefully with the collections we are organising we can fill a transit van! I have three very large and very strong cardboard boxes stacked in my dining room to be filled for a van (much to the annoyance of my wife) so hopefully I can get them filled and out of the house before I am out of the house first!

Thank you to the Nuns at Nazareth House for allowing us use of the hall especially after our original hall booking fell through in the summer. For the last year we had been raising funds to support their work so it was providence that they came to our rescue! Just before the end of the Fayre, we were proud to present them with a cheque from monies raised throughout the year to support their work in the community.

We are already talking about doing this again next year and next time we can add improvements that will involve contacting both Southend MPs as soon as we have a date to see if we can get them involved if they are free and we will also aim to see if the Mayor of Southend is free also.

If you couldn't make our event, please still check out our exhibitors as they will either be able to help you or you may be able to help them.

Here are some pictures of some of the stalls and displays. Apologies as at the time of writing this I do not have (good) pictures of every single stall and with everything going on I struggled to remember to get around and take the photos needed.

The Exhibitors:

• Essex Savers Credit Union
• Sainsburys Superstore - Southend
• NF Collins and Son Dairy
• Southend Soup
• SAVS - Southend Association of Voluntary Services
• KSC Southend - Knights of Saint Columba
• SVP Southchurch - Saint Vincent de Paul Society
• CAFOD Brentwood
• Southend In Transition
• The Hub Southend
• Storehouse
• Hopeworx
• Alzheimers Society - Southend
• Havens Hospices
• Catholic Clothing Guild
• CWL Westcliff - Catholic Womens League
• BCCS - Brentwood Catholic Children's Society
• Tools with a Mission 
• Nuns of Nazareth House

1000th Meeting

Our 1000th meeting, Mass and Social

Southend-on-Sea 192 was born on January 1st 1928 and on Wednesday 21st September 2016 we celebrated our 1000th meeting with Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Joseph; the parish where it all started for us.

Our Charter and the original minute book from our very first meeting in 1928.

We were in the upper room of the magnificent hall at Our Lady of Lourdes and we held a rapid 1000th meeting that had to be finished to allow us enough time to prepare ourselves for Mass at 7.30pm; and we were ready in quick succession. A record short meeting time for us and Board of Director Michael Malone commented that ALL meetings of ours should be completed in that amount of time. Just goes to show how us men can waffle on in our own way.

30 minutes before the start of Mass

With the room prepared for our return after Mass we headed into the church to gather our thoughts and to remember past members gone to their rest. As the start of Mass moved closer, many of the Knights present gathered to the side to lead a procession up the main aisle towards the altar and it was some procession as we were through the three verse entrance hymn before everyone had taken their places.

Our new book of remembrance was placed at the foot of the altar to remain there throughout Mass and within its pages are recorded the names of past members resting in peace.

Father Jeff Woolnough, Chaplain to our Council said Mass for us on the Feast Day of Saint Matthew with two other priests con-celebrating - Father Graham (one of our Members of Honour) and Father Paul Dobson from Ontario Canada, and much was made of our successes that evening although we are very much aware of the work ahead of us as we look to consolidate our numbers and back up our words with continued action.

Monsignor Canon Kevin Hale VG, another of our Members of Honour, who was also present kindly gave us a rousing congratulations which was very nice of him to do that.

Five of our number were presented with their Silver Jubilee Awards by Provincial Grand Knight Robert Sobola and Supreme Board Member Michael Malone for 25 years unbroken membership and as decorated members they join our two Golden Jubilarians of fifty years plus membership who incidentally are both Past Provincial Grand Knights also. We were graced with the presence of several of our Provincial Officers, neighbouring Council members, widows and families of Brothers now gone to their rest, and many friends we have made on our journey.

A respectable number of guests in the congregation then joined us for drinks and a buffet after Mass in the hall offering a chance to catch up and chat, to view artefacts and old photographs from the Council's history, and discuss the future direction of the Knights as an Order.

The old photographs and information we put out was well received by those present especially when looking for history involving family and members no longer with us. It was especially fitting to be able to display awards to former stalwart members over the years donated by families after the brother had died but showing how pivotal their contributions had been in earlier days to ensure we reached our 1000th meeting milestone in our 88th year of existence.

All in all a very uplifting evening was had by all. Thank you to all those involved in making this happen. To the wives who ran the buffet and drinks and cleared up, to all the guests, widows, family members and friends and especially our clergy for taking part in making this a special occasion.

Community Fayre in Westcliff-on-Sea

Saturday 22nd October 2016

Nazareth House, 111 London Road, Westcliff, SS1 1PP

The Knights have organised a Community Fayre at Nazareth House in Westcliff for the people of the area and we have several local charities, local groups and local businesses that have something to offer both locally and globally.

This is to happen on Saturday October 22nd between 10am to 1pm.

The whole ethos of the event was to gather and offer many groups and charities working in the Southend area all under one roof for the benefit of the people of the area, with Fair Trade and supporting others being a part of the thinking too.

There are several exhibitors that have not been confirmed as yet but to date, those with a table display will be:

• Sainsburys (from Southend Superstore) who will be bringing their range of Fair Trade products for people to see (not to buy though) and the concept of Fair Trade will be one of the underlying currents of our event
• Essex Savers Credit Union will be there to help stop people using loan sharks by offering local ethical banking protected by the FCA. The credit union is there to help those on low incomes and help is also needed from people who have income to save which can be used back in the community
• We have Southend Soup coming who are a micro funding project group working and helping small groups in Southend to make a difference
• We have NF Collins and Son Dairy from Rayleigh coming along and they offer a milk round and still do the glass milk bottles which get reused, and have local milk. Particularly helpful for people who struggle to carry milk home from the shops or who are housebound
• We have the SVP - St Vincent de Paul Society that tackle poverty and disadvantage by providing practical assistance to those in need regardless of denomination
• Southend Association of Voluntary Services (SAVS) will be present amd they are an independent charity known as a council for voluntary service or CVS. That means they work behind the scenes to help local charities and community groups achieve their full potential
• Catholic Agency For Overseas Development (CAFOD) is an aid agency and an international development agency standing beside people living in poverty – whatever their religion or culture
• The BCCS or Brentwood Catholic Children's Society will be in attendance and they provide social workers for counselling and support to children and young adults up to the age of 18 in schools of all denominations
• We also have the Alzheimer's Society to give help and advice to those dealing with dementia or who are affected by dementia also
• A re-use centre called Hopeworx based in Rayliegh provide affordable used furniture for the community
• The Knights will also have a table to collect used stamps, old mobiles, and unwanted currency and will be collecting unwanted spectacles for recycling with VisionAid Overseas.

We will also be having a raffle of fantastic Fair Trade items and we will have a second hand book table too.

It will be open from 10am to 1pm and is free to enter.

There will be light refreshments such as Fair Trade Tea and Fair Trade Coffee and home made cakes.

Come and meet some great local people and get some help and ideas whilst having a decent cuppa.

Parochial Walk Sunday 16th October

Parochial Pilgrimage For The Sick

In 2015 the Knights ran a church to church pilgrimage from Saint John Fishers' to Sacred Heart and did it in silence whilst praying for the sick for that parish both known and unknown. We felt it was received well as we opened it up to parishioners and Father Tom joined us, so we have planned to do the same in Leigh-on-Sea this year on Sunday 16th October.

Starting at the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Joseph we will be present and take part in Mass at 8.00am, then after Mass gather outside for a few minutes for anyone wishing to join us before departing.  We then will be walking in silence praying for the sick all the time with a stop halfway for a group prayer and onwards until we reach Saint Peter's. The walk is under two miles. We would then remain at Saint Peter's to attend the next Mass at 10.15am before departing. We would stop halfway on the walk to say a prayer as a group. There may even be a coffee morning after the 10.15am Mass but we would need to check nearer the date.

Parishioners are welcome to join us, gathering outside immediately after 8am Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Joseph in Leigh-on-Sea.

Logging the hours: Our 1000th Meeting approaches this September 2016

What is so special about making it to our 1000th meeting? 

It is not as if we have reached our centenary year as that would be in 2028 and still a long way off but what is the 'big deal'? 

Well, firstly we have had to pull up our sleeves on many occasions just to keep going as the prospect of closing has come up at meetings in the past and like most volunteer organisations connected to the Church, it is always a looming possibility especially with an element of members, who shall I say are of a certain mature pedigree and disposition.

Southend-on-Sea 192 began life on the first of January 1928; New Years Day! They were certainly keen. 192 was also the first Knights Council in the Borough of Southend but we have not been the only one as there have been two other Councils with 'Southend 310' borne from 192 and starting up on the 28th February 1937 to cover the East side of Southend out to Shoeburyness leaving Council 192 with the strongholds of Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Joseph in Leigh-on-Sea and Our Lady Help of Christians with Saint Helen in Westcliff-on-Sea. 192 became dormant during the years of the Second World War unlike 310 who operated in some capacity throughout,

Looking through our old minutes and record books we have had a number of interesting people present at our meetings. Among them, Cardinal Francis Bourne, Archbishop of Westminster graced us with his presence back on 9th February 1930. One of our members became a priest in our Diocese; Father Gordon Godfrey RIP, and several of our members became local politicians and campaigners for many causes, so our meetings have been in the past, and still remain vibrant gatherings for both spiritual and Catholic action. 

And it all started with our first meeting held in the Our Lady of Lourdes hall in the parish grounds of Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Joseph, and on September 21st we are back in that parish to hold our 1000th meeting.

This September 21st 2016  we will start our meeting early which will be adjourned before our final prayers so that we can move inside the church to prepare ourselves for Mass. During Mass, a number of our members will be recognised for consistent membership of 25 years of more by being presented with their Silver Jubilee Award, and we hope to have not only a number of local clergy presided but Knights from Province and other Councils in attendance.

At the end of Mass we will move back into the hall to conclude our meeting with our closing prayers in time for our clergy and guests to then join us for a social gathering with food and wine, and a display of Knights Memorabilia and documents will be on show including old photographs.

As the saying goes, "There is never a dull day in this office", and we hope to continue serving those in need, serving our clergy, and serving the Catholic Church for another thousand plus meetings.

Vigil for CAFOD's World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

Thursday 1st September 2016

Last nights' Vigil for CAFOD's World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation at Sacred Heart Southchurch highlighted God in all of creation both in the Mass and in the Vigil that followed. It was an absolute pleasure to have Father Krysztof of the Polish Mission leading us throughout the evening and we thank him for his time and support.

We were reminded of the glorious gift of creation, reflected on a passage by Pope Francis from Laudato Si, heard the story of Susana living in the mountains of Bolivia in South America and her struggle to grow crops to feed her family, and we listened to Jesus telling the parable of the mustard seed recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.

After carefully chosen prayers of intercession, we were led into Exposition of The Blessed Sacrament and Benediction before closing with a hymn.

Everyone present was invited to take home a pot containing soil and a mustard seed or two as a remember of the events of the evening and by taking care of the seed, helping it to grow and flourish.

A fitting way to end the evening.

VIGIL FOR CAFOD's WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION

We invite you to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on Thursday 1st September at Sacred Heart Church, Southchurch – Mass starting at 7pm is followed by a vigil to include exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Pope Francis calls us all to celebrate this opportune moment to

“reaffirm [our] personal vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation, as well as his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live.” 

The Mass will be led by Father Krystov of the Polish Mission, all are welcome. The service will conclude by 8:30pm.

From Southend to Aylesford 2016

The 50th Annual Pilgrimage to Aylesford Priory Sunday 12th June 2016

This was the 50th pilgrimage to Aylesford of Province 12 although it is now known as the Southern Provinces pilgrimage and the many coaches and travellers brought with them the rain and overcast conditions but this did not dampen the mood at all.  When our full coach left Southend-on-Sea early that morning, we were basking in glorious morning sunshine but we all knew that the weather would change. There was a time when we used to depart from Southend by boat and meet coaches at the other side of the Estuary but for the time being, we will continue to serve the local parishes by putting on a coach with local pickups for now.

Every Sunday nearest the feast of Saint Columba, the Knights have made Aylesford in Kent its spiritual home.

Umbrellas to the ready

Ever since the Knights helped with the rebuilding of the Priory after World War Two of which many of our deceased members were personally involved with, we have made the pilgrim journey to celebrate Mass, and this year we were honoured to have Reverend Father Innocent Obonyi M.S.P. presiding for us and on this 50th anniversary it was fitting that Father Innocent said Mass for us as the Provincial Chaplain for Southwark Province 12. Assisting with Mass were Reverend Deacons Alan Boxall and John Newman, and with pilgrims crammed into the sides under shelter from the rain, Father Innocent preached his homily about forgiveness in this Year of Mercy. Present were Supreme Knight Brother Charlie McCluskey and Deputy Supreme Knight Brother Bertie Grogan, and Brother Charlie commented after Mass that if we took Father Innocent around the parishes to talk about the Knights then our numbers would swell to twenty thousand.

Reverend Father Innocent Obonyi

Due to the adverse weather, the Full Knighthood degree was transferred from after the homily to immediately after Mass had finished so that it could be carried out in Saint Joseph's chapel where seventy brothers from twenty-four Councils were raised to full Knighthood. We were delighted that four of our members at Southend 192 were part of those raised to full Knighthood and the rain held out for photos afterwards.

Our four from Southend-on-Sea

In the afternoon, we processed en masse through the 'Rosary Way' finishing in the open air church for Benediction, recitation of our Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady and sang the National Anthem in honour of Her Majesty's 90th birthday before all departed our separate ways home with renewed vigour and undampened spirits.

Thank go to Liam and his wife Sandy for their efforts with filling the coach.

Walking the 'Walk'

Walking the 'Walk' for the Brentwood Catholic Children's Society (BCCS)

Group photo at the end of the walk with certificates

On Saturday the 4th June, the Knights ran our annual seafront sponsored walk for the BCCS from Our Lady Help of Christians and Saint Helen in Westcliff-on-Sea to the parish hall of Saint George and the English Martyrs in Shoeburyness. A walk of various guises has taken place each year for must be over twenty years without a nod towards the archives but it must be noted that this would not happen without the support of our parish priest at Saint Helens; Father Joseph who without his support this annual event would stumble. Father Joseph gives us our starting point; a Mass for everyone involved to participate and not just those walking.

We are also thankful to the parish of Saint George who allow us to use the hall for rest and refreshments at the end and we have not always had clear established start and finish points in the past.

Margaret

There are several other key players who also play a major part in the success of our walk - Julie from the BCCS who is ever present in the hall at the finish in her own time to meet and greet the weary travellers and hand out certificates with gratitude. Husband and wife Frank and Val who open and set up the hall and provide hot drinks and a mountain of biscuits for the walkers to enjoy and always with a welcoming smile which really does help. Also thanks must go to Margaret who every year raises extraordinary amounts of funds for the BCCS and without Margaret we really would miss the effort and promotion that she brings.

Frank and Val

So what happened this year? Well, the return of the winter weather we had during the week was pleasantly replaced by the 'right' walking weather when we set off. It wasn't too hot and it wasn't too cold with cloud cover and no wind. A contrast to previous years which have either been blistering hot sunshine or persistent drenching rain. Cars were left in Shoeburyness early in the morning and those from Shoeburyness were collected and taken to Saint Helen's for the start of the 10am Mass.

One of the pier trains in the gloom of the cloud and below the train are the still waters of the Thames Estuary

We had fourteen walkers in total with John and Hilary making the train journey (not the pier train) from Stratford to Westcliff-on-Sea to walk separately to the main group and met us in the hall at Saint George's. We had Brian walking from Saint John Fishers in Prittlewell having locked up that church after morning service and walking the extra journey to meet us on route, and a thank you must go to Faustina who did most of the walk despite not being well and stopped on route to get the bus back home.

As always the seafront walk is never a race and we have a Knight to the front of the column of walkers and one at the rear to keep an eye anyone who may need some assistance and also to stop our chairman from pretending to tie his shoe laces while the others continue and then nipping into The Castle pub for a swift pint before catching a taxi back to the fold before anyone notices. That last sentence may not be true but it is always best to be prepared!

Walking along the seafront in Westcliff-on-Sea with the tide in (to the left of the picture)

It is always fun to find out who was first to reach the hall and then to shock them that as 'winners' they have to do a lap of honour which naturally is the whole walk again. We did the five and a half miles in good time and the walk gives those walking an opportunity to catch up and talk and it is surprising to not realise how quickly the walk can be finished when one walks with others in conversation and taking in the beautiful views along the seafront.

It is early days yet before we find out how much the whole event raised. Exposure and promotion is always good and the funds raised go towards the great work that the BCCS do not just in the Catholic schools around Essex but their demand sees them regularly called to other schools to help young children also and it is an honour for us to be able support them in any way we can.

We hope to be able to continue to run the walk again around May/June 2017 and we always welcome new people taking part as every penny raised regardless of the how much or little or always very much appreciated.

Thank you to all who took part and to all who supported in any way.

Learning by Observing; Saint Saviours Eco Coffee Morning May 21st 2016

On visiting the Eco Coffee and Swap Shop at Saint Saviour's Anglican parish in Westcliff-on-Sea recently I was privileged to see how they make it an annual success, and to see how their community get things done in a different way to how we would operate.

A sign stated that to be 'Christian was to take care of our environment', and the community were doing this thoroughly with information and ideas everywhere to be seen as well as recycling tubs for ink cartridges, mobile phones, stamps, batteries and even Council recycling bags to take home with you. The tubs were all labelled 'Caring for God's Creations' with an explanation as to how these are recycled and where the money raised from the mobile and stamp recycling goes. They had a swap shop running that you could take items to for a voucher to exchange for something else if you wished or you could simply donate to help others. They were reusing items to make crafts and they had a raffle of items including items that were eco-friendly. Reverend Father Lee Mullen was quietly sitting at a stall making crafts backing up the parish with action which was very good to see instead of the customary token hello before retreating out of view. Amidst all this, the church was open. With the Church at the centre of this event there was even a chance for quiet reflection and that was the balance that created an air of calm amongst the excitement.

Just one of the ideas for people to discover

The organising left nothing to chance as signs directing you to the different areas were easy to follow and there was information just everywhere. The people were warm and inviting, the drinks and cakes were fantastic but the detail and attention could be found in everything. For instance, they were selling 'Kit Kats' that were Fairtrade 'Kit Kats' ensuring a decent wage for those involved in the production of the chocolate which is of course only 'fair'. Care for others and care for the environment was the wrapper for the days event.

In line with our very own CAFOD LiveSimply award that we are pursuing this gave a great opportunity to preview what our event could achieve later in the year. We plan to hold a community event in a hall providing information on a range of initiatives to help local people, support and protect the environment and do it inside a Christian environment. Through a conscious decision to take care of our resources and to look after our environment we wish to adhere to the duty of care outlined in Laudato Si by Pope Francis.

Of course an event like this only works with the backing of the community regardless of the exhibits, information and support that is available on the day. The Knights of Saint Columba covering Southend are not tied to any specific parish as we work everywhere in the Borough of Southend but we hope we can offer something to the community once we have our date set around October time.

Naturally we will be providing refreshments such as Fairtrade tea, coffee, and yes even Faitrade Kit Kats with thanks to Saint Saviours parish for the 'heads up'!

By Damian Dillon
Knights of Saint Columba 
Southend-on-Sea 192

Successful and Fun Evening at Our Bollywood Night - Saturday 16th April

Our Bollywood Night on Saturday 16th April raised £1,115.83 so a big thank to all who contributed in any way.

It was hard work that started back in 2015 when the original plan was to have an auction but we changed it to an evening of Indian culture with an Indian buffet, music and film, and we held a raffle with a staggering 21 prizes to offer. We sold just over a thousand tickets for the draw and with 21 prizes the odds were good of winning one of the prizes and we had 108 people at the door all greeted with their own garland for the evening.

Mike with coffee ready to meet and greet the 108 guests for the evening

Thank you to all the people and businesses that contributed and helped to make the evening a success at the Mazenod Hall in the grounds of the parish of Saint Peter in Eastwood. We had a slideshow projecting a promotion of all the businesses, contributors, and the raffle prizes onto a large wall throughout the evening so that those present were aware of how the evening was being supported.

Most of the prizes on display before the start of the evening

During the evening, guests took the chance to have their picture taken professionally by Picture Perfect Pro who also donated one of the top prizes. This proved popular with the guests who had travelled from all around the parishes of Southend and from further a field also.

The run of tables ready for the range of hot Indian food.

The Ashiana Indian Restaurant in Southchurch provided the food for the buffet at a great price with a wide selection of dishes to choose from and they brought it, piping hot to the hall for us straight from their kitchen. Everyone was delighted with the food and one couple won two tickets to Sunday lunch at the Ashiana in our raffle draw. For dessert Liam had risked a frozen car that afternoon by buying a car load of ice cream tubs that had people coming back for seconds. Duncan with Phil manned the bar and were serving drinks all night long including Fairtrade tea and coffee as part of our commitment to our CAFOD LiveSimply work that our Council are working towards.

The raffle draw as it was under way

We drew tickets for the prizes in two intervals; just before the food was served for prizes from twenty -one down to ten, and then after dinner our ten top prizes with the flat screen TV being the first prize - just to build some excitement. The money raised on the evening is to be split across several charities that we are supporting currently, with the main benefactors being MISSIO, Nazareth House in Westcliff-on-Sea, and the Brentwood Ecclesiastic Education Fund for the training of new priests in our Diocese.

It was a real joyful evening, and for everyone to say how much they enjoyed themselves as they left to go home was good to hear. We tried hard to better our Jazz evening from September 2015 and I think this Bollywood evening was equally as good. Special thanks to go all the Knights present who helped with setting up the hall, working throughout the evening and clearing up afterwards. The wives were fantastic too especially with organising the men in the kitchen as the amount of washing up was phenomenal. We tend to struggle to take pictures as the evening progresses because we are always in the thick of the action and the same applied here as all the Knights were busy each doing their own particular task to keep the evening flowing as smoothly as it could.

Promoting our sponsored walk on June 4th

Onwards to our next event which is our sponsored walk for the Brentwood Catholic Children's Society on June 4th and we couldn't miss the opportunity to promote this to our valued guests (along with our Knights pilgrimage by coach to Aylesford Priory on the 12th June too; closest Sunday to the Feast of Saint Columba).

Thank you all.

Social at St Peters on Sat 16th April with brilliant raffle prizes

Raffle Prizes to be drawn on Saturday 16th April 2016

On Saturday 16th April the Knights of Saint Columba present a celebration of Indian culture through food, film and music at Saint Peter’s Mazenod Parish Hall, Eastwood, Essex. It will be a two course Indian buffet to include vegetarian options, followed by ice cream priced at £10 per person. Wine, beer, juice, tea and coffee will be on sale. 

It is a chance for people across the parishes with the Southend Deanery to get together with members of the Knights and to enjoy a fun social evening together with several parishes all together.

During the evening, our raffle will take place once all ticket stubs have been collated and placed into the draw, and then one ticket at a time will be drawn for each prize.

Because of the generosity of several businesses, individuals, and organisations, we have had donated a large array of prizes for the draw. There were too many to list on the tickets sold so we have had to produce a list on the internet for participants to view.

Below is the current list last updated on Friday 25th March.

There are still gifts and details to be confirmed which will be added to the list below as we get them.

If you wish to buy any tickets, please contact us on the above details:

RAFFLE PRIZES (last updated on Friday 25^th March)

·      42” Toshiba Television

·      Picture Perfect Pro – Professional photographer – Family portrait printed onto 16” x 12” canvas  worth £150

·      2 Tickets for a show at the Cliffs Pavilion (details of show to follow)

·      2 Tickets for the Odeon Cinema

·      Bottle Whisky

·      Bottle Brandy

·      Bottle Champagne (x2 prizes)

·      2 People for Sunday Lunch at Ashiana Restaurant, Southchurch

·      A Limited Edition Print (details to follow)

·      Bottle Red Wine (x3 prizes)

·      Bottle White Wine (x 3 prizes)

·      Tomassi’s Restaurant Voucher

·      Strand Productions – A Days Course – “Script Management” worth £200