Social Committee Forthcoming Events

2013.
24 January. Meal with the Ladies (after Mass for Deceased Wives and Circle Meeting). Ring-around early January.
21 February. Meal at Silver Wok. Details later.
1 March. "Back to Broadway". Capitol Theatre. Details and booking open soon.
23 March. Saturday Lunch with the Ladies. Venue: Charlie Choys, Crawley. Ring-around early March.

More activities are being planned.

Circle Christmas Dinner 13th December 2012

Before the hungry masses arrive

Meeting old friends

Brothers Mike Georgeson and Peter Newell

Yvonne and Peter Frisby

Brother President sounds the trumpet to welcome the guests

Irene and David Innes

Pauline and Dennis Law

Brother Secretary drives home a point

Brother Gerry demonstrates the hand jive

Dominic Moorhouse and Margaret Brzezina

Kathryn Hayden demonstrates the orange-spotted blowy thing (I)

Kathryn Hayden demonstrates the orange-spotted blowy thing (II)

Post meal relaxation

Did Brother Roy choose his tie to set off the Benemerenti medal?

Brothers Philip Hayden and Roy Martin share a joke

Food, Ladies and Vocations

Not necessarily in that order, of course!

Last month's Catenian meeting, held on Thursday 22 November at Goffs Park hotel, was doubly special (well in this scribe's humble opinion anyway).  Not only was it followed by a buffet at which members were joined by wives and widows, but we were also privileged that our Circle chaplain Fr Terry Martin joined us to receive a donation made by the Province towards vocations work in the diocese.

Bro Provincial President looking
delighted with his win in the raffle!
With him is his lovely wife Mary

Crawley Circle holds a meal at which the ladies join the gentlemen four times a year; this has in the past always been after a regular Circle meeting, but recently we have decided to try making two of the occasions a weekend lunch at a local pub or restaurant.  One such lunch was held in September and was voted a success.  On this occasion we met, as traditional, after the meeting, with the ladies enjoying wine and soft drinks whilst the gentlemen were about their Brotherly business.  These meals are greatly enjoyed by all and, as the Other Half of a Catenian Brother, I appreciate both meeting up with the other ladies and also feeling included in the life of the Circle.  Occasions like this reflect that the activities of the Catenian Association are so much wider and more inclusive than just the monthly meetings, central though those are.

I believe our Circle is unusual in having its own Chaplain.  Fr Terry Martin was an obvious choice as he has been a priest in the parishes of both Crawley and Horsham, where most of our Brothers live and worship.  He is currently Vocations Director for the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton and lives in Crawley.  These personal connections and the longstanding interest of the Catenian Association in supporting vocations work mean that Fr Terry is doubly valued by our Circle.

Bro Provincial President and
Fr Terry with our donation
towards vocations work

After Goffs Park had provided us with their usual tasty standard of catering, we were pleased to host a presentation made by another special guest - Provincial President Joe Fackler (of Seaford Circle), who we were delighted to welcome along together with his equally special wife Mary.  On behalf of the Province, Bro Provincial President Joe gave Fr Terry a cheque for £1,000 to support his dedicated and enthusiastic vocations work.

All in all an evening that was sociable, enjoyable and meaningful all in one!  The fun will continue this week when we have our Circle Christmas dinner... get those glad rags out again...

Visit to Worthing & Chanctonbury Circle - 16 October 2012

Our hosts welcome us to the meal

 A party of seven from Crawley Circle visited Worthing & Chanctonbury Circle on what may well be their last meeting as a circle. Because of increasing difficulty in finding people to fill the circle officer positions, they have applied to hand back their charter as a circle and revert to the status of a group.

As far as we could make out, being a group entails less work and more fun - how do we apply?

Brother President Edek tries to think of some jokes for his speech

Brothers Andrew Brzezina and Mike Newman at the end of the table

Our Provincial Counsellor Brother Gerry Lydon gets his chance to speak

Brother President Edek and Brother Andrew consider some weighty points

Clergy Night Photos - 5 October 2012

Follow the links below for a complete set of photos taken during the Clergy Night. The numbers were sadly very much down from last year for a variety of reasons, but a good time was had by all.

If you wish to download an individual photo simply right click on it and select "Save As..."

Set 1
Set 2
Set 3

The palace from the garden side

A party of twenty-two Catenians, family and friends went to visit Buckingham Palace in the afternoon, dodging the torrential rain of the morning. It should have been twenty-five but unfortunately three people were unable to attend at the last minute because of illness.

One of the very helpful staff in her smart uniform

We were not allowed to take photos inside the palace, which was a great pity because there were some amazing things to see. In addition to the State Apartments, the major attraction for this visit was the Jubilee Diamond exhibition. Next time we see a piece of jewellery in a royal portrait we'll be able to say "I've seen that one close up!"

Buy, buy, buy! In the shop after the visit

The Foley Niblick

The whole party (with the exception of Peter Frisby who took the photo)

The 31st annual playing of The Foley Niblick took place on Thursday 6th September. Twenty four players enjoyed the superb weather and most acquitted themselves well on the course. Manus McDermott was the winner of the Niblick and now stands head and shoulders above all previous winners as he has now won for the sixth time!

The Pat McDermott trophy was won by David Tillson of Brighton Circle.

John Byrne won the guests prize and Evelyn Rock won the Ladies prize.

Keen competition on the course transformed to camaraderie in the clubhouse and we were joined by another three brothers and two more guests making a total of twenty nine persons for a most enjoyable lunch.One of the guests was former Brother Mike Butler who was the first winner of"The Foley Niblick" 31 years ago.

As a vehicle for raising funds this was a conspicuous success and with donations from players and others who could not attend and then the famous "Niblick Raffle" we raised £485 for Fr Chris McGuinness in his missionary ministry. A cheque for this amount in Tim Foley's name has been sent.

We would like to pay tribute to the generosity of all those who contributed to this majestic sum. They were superb, particularly in these times of financial austerity.

Objet trouvé

Brother President Edek came across the following the other day. It shows our distinguished Brother Secretary in his heyday:

Blessings to all readers, from Lourdes

The Grotto, peaceful and prayerful at midnight - the best time to visit

Together with our daughter Aila, who has been written about elsewhere on this blog, I was privileged to be part of the Arundel & Brighton Pilgrimage to Lourdes this summer: where all Catenians, especially Crawley Circle, and blog readers were remembered in prayer.  It was a truly amazing experience and I would warmly encourage anyone and everyone to go, whether as a helper or able pilgrim (or, of course, a "VIP" as the sick or disabled are known).  The care, the consideration, the fellowship and the spirituality cannot really be described - if you can, do go and experience it for yourself.  I cannot thank enough the amazing helpers of all ages, who anticipated Aila's every need and who enabled her to have a week that was not only spiritual and healing but also great fun!

At the Lourdes Family Group
fancy dress party, Bishop
Kieran proves that a holy week
can also be a fun one!

Whilst Aila did not "pick up her mat and walk", the growth in her confidence and happiness after a very difficult year were nothing short of miraculous - thank you, Our Lady of Lourdes!  She is now in a much better place psychologically from which to tackle the autumn term, which swill see her not only back in education but at a new college, now as a wheelchair user.  We are thankful also that the building work on our disabled house adaptations is coming on apace and hopefully should be finished in about three weeks' time.  There are still expenses to be incurred with decorating and equipping the new spaces (and the newly modified old ones) but we are so very grateful to everyone who has supported us and Aila's Fund in any way and enabled this life-changing work to happen.  This includes the Crawley Catenian Circle both as an official Group and as individuals.  Thank you and God bless.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES

O Holy Virgin, in the midst of your days of glory, 

do not forget the sorrows of this earth. 

Cast a merciful glance upon those who are suffering,

struggling against difficulties,

with their lips constantly pressed against life's bitter cup.

Have pity on those who love each other and are separated.

Have pity on our rebellious hearts.

Have pity on our weak faith.

Have pity on those we love.

Have pity on those who weep,

on those who pray,

on those who fear.

Grant hope and peace to all.

AMEN

Visit to Nymans Gardens 13 August

I would like to take the liberty of adding a few words to Bro Mark's excellent set of photos below in order to celebrate a lovely trip out. With apologies, I haven't much erudite to say about all the historical and horticultural details that our guide Valerie entertained us with - they were excellent, and very interestingly presented, but unfortunately I don't trust myself to report them accurately.  Perhaps someone else can help!

I would, however, encourage any readers who get the opportunity of a guided tour of Nymans Gardens to jump at the chance.  Perhaps - like Bro Edek and myself and probably most of us who went along on Monday - you have visited Nymans many times before, but it is a different experience when you have someone explaining the background of the place to you.  Everything came alive with quite another significance, even beyond the obvious natural beauty we had enjoyed so many times before.  Well done and thank you Valerie!

During our stroll around the Gardens we learned a great deal about the horticultural approach of Nymans' gardeners both past and present and about the architectural history of the house (which in my ignorance I had always supposed to be a genuine medieval/Elizabethan structure!!).  We were shown how the present Head Gardener is trying to restore the Garden to something closer to its original vision, which has required some pulling up and thinning out but all to very good effect.  The afternoon was mostly dry although our little group did blossom forth with a display of umbrellas once or twice (well this was an English country garden in the summer, after all.)  Wide views across the Weald provided a stunning backdrop to our walk. 

We finished up with tea and excellent cakes in Nyman's cafe.  All in all a very pleasant afternoon - "time well spent" indeed.  Thank you National Trust, Nymans and Bro Mark!

Setting out, full of energy

Brother Peter shows his sensitive side

Our excellent guide Valerie

Ooh! Come and feel... it really is spongy!

Valerie shows us "The Puddle", which hopefully will be restored
to a lily-bearing garden pond once a troublesome leak is dealt with

A welcome break and a chance to enjoy the scenery

A house that was not all it seemed

Amazingly, Nymans'  extensive beds of annuals
are all planted out in one day!  The choice of date
is determined by the lunar calendar, which in turn
determines the height of the water table

The umbrellas blossom

Our 600th meeting in words!

A time to meet friends old and new

Unable to choose which of the two sets of superb photos below to grace with my less than superb prose, in the end I've decided to create an entirely new post for the write-up of Crawley Circle's 600th meeting...

The meeting took place last Friday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Crawley, preceded by a champagne Reception for the ladies and visitors and followed by a three course dinner and speeches.  I can't of course comment on the meeting itself, but I am given to understand that it went very well.  I can comment on the other two parts of the evening which were thoroughly enjoyable.  It was fantastic to see such a big gathering (over 160 in total, I believe) - the gentlemen looking distinguished, as ever, in their black ties and the ladies all radiant in lovely "posh frocks"!  The fellowship and support that are such a feature of Catenian life were tangible, especially in the presence of so many visitors and guests from other Circles.  Our three course dinner of salad, salmon (it was Friday after all) and lemon torte was both delicious and served with great politesse by the hotel staff.

Even on the golf course
those Catenians look natty

Unfortunately Bishop Kieran Conry was unable to join us due to an overrunning event in Stoke and heavy traffic delays, but it was a pleasure to welcome the Catenian Association Grand President Bro John Mottram and other distinguished Brothers such as the Grand Vice-President, Provincial President, Vice-President and Director, with their lady wives.  Bro Circle President Edek spoke after dinner, mentioning the importance of our Catholic beliefs as the ground of our identity and activities as Catenians and the pillars of faith, family and fellowship around which Catenian life revolves (and getting in a few jokey jibes at lawyers and golf players along the way, taken I am sure in good spirit!  Bro Andrew and Stella, you were spared this time as a joke about bee keeping was written out of the final script... I'm sure it can be revived for a future occasion though).  Bro Edek proposed a toast to the ladies and guests which was replied to by Bro Grand President John Mottram.  Bro Dominic Moorhouse offered "a brief history of Crawley Circle" which was most interesting.  

The end result - no sign of those legs
paddling frantically away

Although the event ran as smoothly as well-oiled clockwork on the night, an awful lot of hard and at times stressful work had gone into the organisation; or to use another simile, it was a classic case of a beautiful swan apparently gliding effortlessly along whilst under the waters its legs were paddling twenty to the dozen!  The swan's legs in this instance were Bro Vice-President Mark Forster, who together with Bro Mike Newman, Bro Roy Martin and MC Bro Gerry Lydon (and I'm sure others too) did the Circle proud.  Thank you, and well done.

Thank you, in fact, to all who attended the evening and to all those who were unable to attend but who are a part of the Catenian Association and particularly of our province and of Crawley Circle.  I know you will all agree with me when I say that last Friday's fantastic celebrations were in essence a reflection of the goodwill, fellowship and community spirit that is "the Catenians".

Your humble scribe is off on pilgrimage to Lourdes tomorrow with Arundel & Brighton Diocese.  I will be sure to remember all Catenians and their families in prayer at the grotto.