Pic Extras

Pic extras Mums the Word

May I begin by wishing a happy new year to you all. Before looking forward, though, I would like to reflect on the year just passed – a busy time for the Liverpool UCM.

Our activities were varied, from bring-andbuys to raffles to Macmillan coffee mornings. We went on trips together. We held a party for the late Queen’s Jubilee. One of our members, Margaret McDonald, was invested with the Pro ecclesia et Pontifice Cross by Archbishop Malcolm McMahon at St George’s, Maghull.

On a sad note there were four foundation closures in the past year so let us hope that the new year will bring in new members who, in turn, will open more foundations.

Looking ahead, the members of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (WUCWO) have been invited to an audience with Pope Francis and a Thanksgiving Mass on Saturday 13 May. It will take place in the Pope Paul VI audience hall at the Vatican. From there they will travel to their general assembly in Assisi, scheduled from 14-20 May.

Mrs Val Ward, a former national president, is our representative for WUCWO and she has replied on our behalf to commit 2,000 Masses and Rosaries to the Spiritual Bouquet for Pope Francis’ intentions. We have approximately 2,000 members in the UCM. That means we are asking all of our members to dedicate one of their Masses and say one Rosary for Pope Francis. To get in touch about this, contact wucwo2023assembly@gmail.com.

• Our next Bi-monthly Mass is on 18

January at St Gregory the Great,

Lydiate. Please make every effort to attend as we will be presenting charity cheques for the Priests’ Training Fund and the Whitechapel Centre.

Wishing you all good health for the year ahead,

Maria Pimblett Media Officer

A century of service News from the Liverpool Province of the Knights of St Columba

Welcoming two new members

Now that the Covid pandemic has thankfully subsided and life has returned to something near normal, it is pleasing to note that the Order is getting back to recruiting new members locally. We had the great pleasure recently of welcoming Philip Higgins and Terry Hulme as new members of Council 18 in Widnes. Their installation took place during 11am Mass at St Bede’s in Appleton Village, Widnes, on Sunday 30 October. They are seen in the photo on the front row wearing their purple collarettes.

• Every three years the Order choses what is known as its National

Action Project which raises funds for a deserving cause. Over the last three years the beneficiary was a home for deprived children in India and for which thousands of pounds were raised.

That project has now ended and will be replaced by Let the

Children Live, a cause described as a charity of last resort for children from the streets and shanty towns of Colombia, based in

Medellin, the country’s second-largest city. We will be letting you know more about this in due course and how you can contribute.

For information about the charity, visit the website: www. letthechildrenlive.org

• The KSC continues to use digital technology to connect members to services nationally and there were weekly rosaries conducted online throughout October and a special Rosary was transmitted nationally on 24 November for the 55th anniversary of the Abortion Act.

Websites: www.ksc.org.uk www.kscprov02.weebly.com Email: dpokeane@aol.com