Aylesford Priory 2017

Our Day Pilgrimage to Aylesford Priory Sunday 11th June 2017

Having just celebrated the feast day of our Patron Saint Columba on Friday 9th, it was fitting that our Council once again journeyed to the Knights Southern Area Pilgrimage at Aylesford Priory where we are always made to feel at home.

Just like last year, we took a coach of Knights and parishioners from across the Southend parishes, and we were delighted that two of the nuns from Nazareth House were able to join us.

With the Southend sunshine in tow, we arrived with plenty of time to settle in for the 51st Annual pilgrimage and Mass was said by Monsignor Matthew Dickens (Vicar General for Southwark) with Reverend Father Innocent Obonyi concelebrating on the feast of the Holy Trinity. Monsignor Matthew recognised and thanks the Knights across the country for the work we do for our clergy, for our parishes and for the community, and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve and support our clergy in working in our communities.

During Mass, three of our members amongst thirty three were elevated to full Knighthood with our Supreme Knight Brother Charlie, and Deputy Supreme Knight Brother Bertie leading the short ceremony.

Brothers Duncan, Charles and Jerry (front to back) ready to become full Knights

After Mass, and then lunch, we had time to wander around the peaceful grounds that the Carmelites care for so well, and the day finished with a Rosary Procession and Benediction before boarding the coach back to Southend. All in all a brilliant day with a chance to reflect, to give thanks, and to be together with our families and friends.

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.

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

Knights of Saint Columba Council 192: Southend-on-Sea

Charity Jazz Concert in aid of Saint Peters parish, Eastwood

Saturday 10th October 2015

When Council 192 voted to hold a fundraiser to help the parish of Saint Peters in Eastwood, our first concern was that the Mazenod Hall in the grounds of the parish is the largest hall of the Catholic parishes within the Southend Deanery. 

• Would we be able to fill the hall? 
• Would we have to strategically place the tables and chairs to make it look fuller than it would be?

We need not have worried.

We had our own secret weapon; the wonderful Sandy Rand, wife or our current Chairman Liam who spent several weeks canvassing on the phone to ensure that the hall was full to capacity with people (not just local Catholics) from all over the local area.

On the ground, many of our group were available after Mass at Saint Peters in the two weekends beforehand and the evening was publicised within the newsletters of the five Catholic parishes around the Borough of Southend. In the final few days leading up to Saturday 10th October, the numbers attending just grew and grew to the point where we ran out of the main tables for the hall. We ran out of table number displays that we had produced as we never expected to run an event with more than ten tables.

We had 128 guests which amounts to the biggest function we have put on for a number of years. It certainly was an interesting trip to the supermarket to get the complimentary wine that was in the price of the ticket as we must have looked like a couple of desperate chaps with a trolley weighed down with alcohol.

As well as guaranteed excellent music which we will get on to in a minute, we also provided free tea and coffee, nibbles on the tables and a stylish compilation of contemporary jazz on mp3 to get the feet tapping in anticipation of the show to come. The whole evening had a professional 'gig' feel to it from the ambience to the promotion throughout. We pulled out the stops to make it a good fundraiser for the parish even to offering free lifts to help people get to the evening and safely home again.

The band were called ‘The Southend Jazz Co-Operative’ and they were absolutely superb as well as appearing without charging us for their performance. A part time but very professional band numbering around the 20 member or more mark. Here is their website (www.southendjazzco-op.co.uk) and if you ever see them advertised as performing near you I would highly recommend going to see them. You will not be disappointed. 

Part of the pull of the evening was fish and chips offered within the ticket price of £10 a head so with a keen entry charge we had to ensure that we had a good attendance to show a respective amount raised which was also supplemented by the raffle.

A big thank you has to be said to Oban Road Fish and Chip Shop in Southchurch. This small outlet hidden in the middle of a suburban Southend side road worked tirelessly to freshly cook and wrap fish and chips for all present. We needed two cars to collect and bring all the hot food back to the hall and the fish shop staff looked shattered when the last portion was boxed ready to take. Everyone commented how nice the food was, and it truly was, but with serving teas and coffees plus all the washing up meant that those of us involved in the running of the evening certainly enjoyed the music but did not get a chance to sit and watch though the evening flowed perfectly. I only wish I could have taken more pictures.

When it was all done and dusted, we were able to present Parish Priest Father Jeff Woolnough with a cheque for £829.62 for the parish.

Why did we do it? Firstly, we knew that the parish needed some support financially and although the Knights are not a fundraising organisation ‘per se’, we are able to get events like this rolling. It was hard work but we enjoyed it and we are there to support the clergy and the parishes around us. Needless to say, the day after we were shell shocked.

(D Dillon 10th October 2015)