When the national fraternal cross of the Knights of St Columba was last on it’s journey throughout the Provinces of the Order it arrived in Province 4 (Northumbria) on its travels.  With the permission & support of Head Teacher Simon White the Cross went into the chapel of St Robert of Newminster School in Washington.  The Cross is meant to bring Brothers of our Order together in prayer & during the time it was in St Robert’s many of the staff & pupils visited the chapel to view the Cross & offer prayers.  A lasting impression was made.

So impressed was Mr White that he asked if he could promote a similar concept among the Partnership of Schools which is made up of 11 of the 21 diocesan comprehensive schools & they meet regularly to exchange ideas of how best to promote our Catholic Education Service.

Our Provincial Grand Knight, Tony Semens, teaches Design & Technology at St Robert’s & he designed & made the new cross.  Difficulty was found in finding a suitable corpus for the new cross & it was eventually donated by Fr William Bellamy of St Michael’s Church in Newcastle upon Tyne.

At a ceremony in the school chapel of St Robert’s on Friday 6th July Bishop Kevin Dunn blessed the cross which Brother Tony presented it to Simon White for it’s launch & journey through our schools in the new school year beginning in September.  Also present at the ceremony were Supreme Director David O’Neill & Provincial Action & Youth Officer Terry Ford.

A little serendipity shows here as Simon White’s grandfather – Danny White – who is a parishioner of St Michael’s recently celebrated his 100th birthday.  A case of grandfather’s parish helping grandson’s school!

Fifty Knights and wives from the former Shrewsbury Province came together again on the Feast of St John Plessington in July for the traditional Mass at St Francis Church, Chester, to commemorate the diocesan saint’s martyrdom and to enjoy a reunion dinner afterwards.

The feast day had always been a feature of the spiritual life of the Province and although four Councils transferred to Liverpool and one to Salford last April the tradition is continuing. The 42 year-old “underground” priest was hung drawn and quartered at Gallows Hill to the west of Chester in the reign of Charles II.

This year, for the first time, South Wirral Council arranged a meal afterwards at the Watergate Hotel as a reunion social occasion. But due to problems at the Watergate the meal had to be relocated at the last minute to the Stanley Palace - a half-timbered building in the centre of old Chester. It was built in 1537, well before John Plessington was born, and is reputed to be haunted. No ghost was spotted on this night, however.

It was a most enjoyable evening for Knights, wives, priests and deacons. It was agreed to make it an annual event. Arrangements were made by Past DPGK Ben O’Donnell and Past Provincial Chaplain, Rev Deacon Paul Sutton, now in Province 2 and Past PGK Pat Jones, now in Province 8.

The picture shows the celebrant, Fr Philip Atkinson, holding a relic of the martyr after Mass, supported by some of the Brothers from South Wirral Council.

Barrhead Council 429's service to the local community has received the recognition of East Renfrewshire County Council. From the first year that Council 429 was formed, it has been noted for its high profile in the local community being involved in numerous community projects. The Council undertakes various charity walks to support a variety of organizations, with St Vincent’s Hospice, Church Fund raising, Parent Teacher Association, the Local Handicapped Group and Elderly People Support Group to name just a few of those benefiting from their activities.

The Grand Knight Brother Harry McGunnigle, having been praised by the speakers for his dedication and hard work, after having taken over the post at short notice due to the ill health of the previous Grand Knight, was almost speechless with surprise and delight when presented with the wall clock, in recognition of the Council's work, by Councillor Danny Collins, Deputy Leader of East Renfrewshire Council.

In January 1966 Rev Fr David Duane (pictured left) was appointed Assistant Priest at St. Mary’s, Barrow, a town famous for it’s shipbuilding and also the ruins of the 12th century Furness Abbey. Hence Barrow-­in-Furness. Prior to going to Barrow, He was the junior priest of six in a large Preston Parish. Six! Those were the days! Within weeks, of arriving in Barrow he was introduced to and got involved with the KSC and the rest is history. He was hooked on the Knights.

Now, 40 years later, as Member of Honour, a Council and Provincial Chaplain, he has many fond memories: attendance at Supreme, Provincial and local Council meetings, the biennial Masses at Christ the King Cathedral in Liverpool, the Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome in 1975.

Fr David says "It has been said that the core work being done by the KSC is at Council level and that what is required in the Order is quality, not quantity and a small, active Council can do more work than a large one. Looking back to the late 60’s when I was Chaplain to the now defunct Council 19 in Barrow, a plea went out for volunteers for the Samaritans, which had just been founded in the town. Could the KSC help in any way? You can guess what the answer was, as it was when the Papal visit to the country took place."

Fr David looks after two churches in the Lake District: Grasmere where he lives and where the poet Wordsworth is buried; and Glenridding on the shores of Ullswater, where the poet got inspiration for ‘The Daffodils’. The Church of Our Lady of the Wayside hosts the annual Mass for the deceased members of the Order in Cumbria on the second Sunday of July each year at 3pm.

On Friday 13^th October, the North Wales Province hosted their annual Fun day, for children with disabilities, at the Rhyl Sun Centre. This event, now a regular in the North Wales calendar, has been running since 1991 and is now in its 15^th year. Handicapped children come by the coach load from all parts of the North West, for an action packed day out at the famous Sun Centre, swimming and playing in and around the pool. By lunch time their appetites are ready for the free food and which goes down well. Later, when they leave a goody bag is distributed to each as they go out, amid cries of “See you next year”.

One of the children’s helpers, Gerard from Preston, said that the children look forward to their day out and compete amongst their school mates as to who should be able to go. He said “We brought a party of 35 children with 7 helpers. Those children that attend the Fun-day are being rewarded for all their hard work at school". Brothers in the Province find the whole day’s event is very friendly and say it is a pleasure to be instrumental in bringing happiness to so many, but recognise that without the generous help of sponsors, this event could not be put on. The North Wales Province is indebted to all their sponsors and ask you to please support them.