Prayers, please, for Brother Brian Hargreaves..

Hi Terence,

 I need all the prayers of all my Brothers please. In the past two days I have done nothing but attend hospitals for tests.

Yesterday I saw the Oncologist at Chorley Hospital and today have had a CT scan. Tomorrow I have an MRI scan at RPI and on Friday the ‘Multi- Disciplinary Team’ will, hopefully, decide what treatment is necessary.  If it is surgery for tissue, I go to Liverpool or Birmingham if it’s bone. With luck on my side, I will know the outcome of the tests by  Friday. I think I’ve been ‘fast tracked’!

I’ll keep you informed of my progress.

Fraternal greetings

Brian Hargreaves

(Past Grand President)

Furness Circle welcomes two new brothers

 Left to Right

John Calvert (Membership Officer), Christian Elliott, Brian Tate (Circle President), Darius Rzepzyk, Terence Donnelly (Provincial President), Bernard Swarbrick (Provincial Chamberlain)

Golf winners

Besides the Provincial golf shield being contested there was also the Oswald Goodier trophy for the winning brother from a Preston circle and the John Carr trophy for the best non Preston circle brother.  These were won by Andrew Robinson (Preston South) and Steve Hardacre (Longridge) respectively.  This was an open competition and the winner of the ‘Clarity Jug’ was Brian Finney for the best placed non Catenian.

[l to r] Steve Hardacre, Terence Donnelly (Provincial President), Andrew Robinson, Brian Finney

Longridge triumph again

Longridge Circle retained the Provincial golf trophy at Fulwood Golf Club on 22 October 2014. 

Pictured [l to r] are the winning team of Brian Ryan, Joe Carroll, Steve Hardacre and Terry Ryan with Provincial President Terence Donnelly.

Preston 14 Circle - change of arrangements for the October meeting

Preston Circle 14 were due to have a Circle Mass for 

deceased Brothers prior to the Meeting tomorrow night, (Tuesday 28th Oct.) unfortunately this will now not go ahead. Instead the Mass for Deceased Brothers will take place before the November meeting.

Please remember the

meeting tomorrow starts at the later time of 8pm

Directions to Westmorland Circle's new venue

Directions to Castle Green Hotel, Kendal.
Click on the map to enlarge it.

Provincial Mass for Deceased Brothers & Wives

(Artwork by Hannah)

Just for a laugh!

A 'first' for Garstang Circle!

Brother Brian Winstanley was presented with his 60 years commemorative miniature by

Garstang Circle President, Colin Barnes.

Brian is the first brother in Province 10 to receive the miniature since Grand Council made them available to members who had completed 60 years continuous membership.

Left to right on the photo are:

Colin Barnes, Mary Winstanley, Brian Winstanley and Provincial President:  Terence Donnelly.

Brian received his 60 years' commemorative scroll in August from Grand Vice-President Peter Woodford. (The miniatures were not available then.)

Last of the Summer Wine?

'Last of the Summer Wine'??

Chorley Circle's Centenary Dinner

Chorley Circle recently celebrated their Cenetenry with a dinner at Shaw Hill Hotel

Fylde Coast Joint Meeting

The annual joint meeting between Blackpool & the Fylde and Lytham St Annes Circles was attended by 60 brothers including 24 visitors from within Province, three from Wigan (Province 1) and three from Brooklands (Province 17).

Memories of Brother Jack Parkinson

Bro. Cliff Owen MBE, (Chorley) in September 2004 calling in at the Provincial Bowls final, held at St Mary’s Chorley.

Standing left to right:

Bro. Provincial President, Bernard Swarbrick, (Burnley Circle), Bro. Jack Parkinson, PPP, (Chorley Circle) and Bro. Director Gerry Martland, (Burnley Circle)

Preston 14 Circle's Charity Night

Contact the Circle Secretary for more information

Mark and Maxine’s first engagement

Mark and Maxine Conroy, had their first Catenian engagement only hours after leaving the Grand Council meeting at which Mark had been installed in his new role.  The occasion was Lytham St Annes Circle’s premier annual event – President’s Mass and Ladies Evening. 

The photo shows (l to r) Mark and Maxine Conroy, Mike and Anne-Marie O’Malley, Fr David Burns, Sandra and Terence Donnelly (Provincial President)

Provincial Day of Recollection

In July, over fifty students from the Chorley, Leyland and Euxton areas travelled to Lourdes on the Archdiocese of Liverpool’s annual pilgrimage. Several of the students received Bursary funding to help finance their trips. They assisted the sick and handicapped pilgrims in many ways during their week’s stay.

The importance of the work carried out by these young people, and how valued they are by the pilgrims and organisers, cannot be overstated.

Two of the students who received Bursary funding are Vicky Harrison and Emma Whitney. Vicky is pictured above receiving her cheque from Chorley Circle President Brother John Holland, watched by Circle Charities Officer Brian Bunting, and Emma is pictured below receiving her cheque, again from Brother President John, watched by Fr. Peter Stanley, Parish Priest of St. Joseph’s, Chorley. 

Elvis Came to Longridge!

Proof that Elvis came to Longridge
(In the form of Fr, David Chinnery of St. Wilfrid's parish, Longridge)

Centenary Celebrations at Chorley Circle

On 18^th May Chorley Circle (23) celebrated its 100^th anniversary. The Centenary meeting was held, 100 years to the day, at Shaw Hill Golf and Spa Hotel, attended by 24 Chorley Brothers and 76 visiting Brothers, including Brother Grand President Bob Butler. The minutes of the inaugural meeting held on 18^th May 1914 were read out from the original minute book. Pictured above are Bob Butler, John Holland (Circle President), Mary Holland and Kathy Butler.

The Return of ABBA at Longridge Circle's Dinner Dance!

'ABBA Nights'

left to right:
Benny (Bernard Hunt),
Anni-Frid (Jane Priest)

Agnetha (Clare Hardacre: John's wife), 

, Bjorn (John Hardacre: Steve's brother)

The guests were also entertained by 'Elvis' 

(Fr. David Chinnery from St. Wilfrid's parish in Longridge.

North Lancashire students visit Uganda

Our Lady's Catholic College, Lancaster,  sent a group of students with some teachers to Uganda in July to do student workshops, teacher training courses, sharing skills and music and getting to know fellow students in several schools in a remote district of Uganda.

They raised £18,000 for the trip before they went, not all for their travelling costs in getting there. They sent £3,500 ahead of their arrival, which was used to build a library/communal centre where they met with some of the Ugandan students when they arrived there.

The group took with them in their luggage, scientific instruments, books, computer equipment, musical instruments and basics such as pencils and pens etc, which were  purchased from the money, (many thousands of pounds worth), they had raised to give to the schools they visited.

They gave an excellent  presentation on their return, to the people, organisations and businesses who supported the project.

The photo shows the group together with (left) Wilf Gill (President of North Lancs Circle)  and Bill Arnold (Charity Officer N Lancs Circle) (right).

North Lancs Circle supported this venture from their own funds. 

'The Entertainer'!

President Steve Hardacre entertains the audience (and embarrasses Jane ) at Longridge Circle's Dinner Dance.

 Pictured above are some of the students from Holy Cross Catholic High School, Chorley, who went on the Liverpool Archdiocese trip to Lourdes in July. Their coach was Coach 8 and the Team Leader was Richard Charnock, a teacher at All Hallows Catholic High School in Penwortham.

Some of the students received grants from the Catenian Bursary Fund towards the cost of the trip.

A new bishop for the Diocese of Leeds

Monsignor Marcus Stock has been appointed the new Bishop of Leeds by Pope Francis. 

The bishop-elect is the outgoing general secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference for England and Wales and will be the 10th Bishop of Leeds. 

He was ordained priest in 1988 and served as parish priest across the Birmingham Archdiocese, most recently at the parish of the Sacred Heart and St Theresa in Coleshill. He also served as director of the Diocesan Schools’ Commission and since 2009 he has been general secretary of the Bishops’ Conference.

Broughton-in-Craven Circle is the Leeds diocese.

(Photo and text from The Catholic Herald)

60 Years' Scroll

Grand Vice President, Brother Peter Woodford, presented Brother Brian Winstanley of Garstang Circle with his 60 years' scroll at the recent circle meeting.

Burnley Charity Event

Burnley Circle's Weekend Away

Pictured here are some members of Burnley Circle at The Bedford Hotel in Lytham.
Bro. President, Peter Nuttall and his wife Margaret arranged a weekend for the Circle to have a convivial weekend together on the Flyde coast on the weekend of September 26th/28th. The picture shows a happy group of Burnley members but we do realise that the photograph was taken before Burnley played against West Brom. on Sunday, September 28th.!! (T.D.)

New Trophy for Longridge Circle

The combined semi-finals and final of the annual Catenian Province 10 bowls competition was held at St Joseph’s Catholic Social Club, Chorley on a glorious sunny day on Sunday 31^st August.  The final was played between Longridge and Chorley Circles, after the teams from Ribble Valley and Broughton-in-Craven Circles, had lost their respective games. The spectators from around Province were then treated to a masterly piece of bowling.  

Lawrence Ibison (who is the Presidents Marshal in Longridge Circle) was losing 10 – 20 and with the state of play in the other games at this point, it looked as though Chorley would take the cup.  However, when Lawrence was handed the jack after his opponent had put it into the gutter he now controlled the game and, winning the next consecutive 12 lengths, went on to win 22 – 20 to secure victory for Longridge, 3 – 2 overall, much to the delight of his fellow teammates.

The picture shows from L to R: Peter Western, Terence Donnelly (Provincial President), Steve Hardacre (Longridge President and team member), Bernard Davis (Team Capt), John Hardacre, Lawrence Ibison and Peter Lowe.