• The Knights of St Columba marked both the end of the centenary celebrations of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima and the 50th anniversary of the Abortion Act with specially intentioned Masses on Friday 8 December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Tea-lights were commissioned for this occasion and were lit at the beginning of the Masses while the Rosary was recited afterwards. In Liverpool Province the Mass was held at St Francis of Assisi, Garston at 9.30am and was presided over by Archbishop Malcolm McMahon, national spiritual adviser to the order. Members who were unable to attend were requested to recite the Rosary personally.• On 25 November the Embrace Liverpool youth conference was staged in the Metropolitan Cathedral, bringing together many young Catholics to take part in another inspiring faith and networking event. As with the first two editions of Embrace, in 2014 and 2015, this one was supported by the order and judging by the numbers present and their great enthusiasm, the conference is going from strength to strength. It was a real fillip that both Archbishop Malcolm and Bishop Tom Williams were able to attend. The Knights had their own display stand and offered an excellent presentation to an audience of young men and women in the Columba Chapel, courtesy of Brother Danny Grimes, action and youth officer from Council 9 (seen addressing the assembled group in the photo).
• We congratulate our new Supreme Knight, Brother Bertie M Grogan, who was elected to the order's highest office at the Annual Supreme Council Conference in Glasgow on 27 October. He previously held the office of supreme director of membership and development, and succeeds Brother Charlie McCluskey who served as Supreme Knight for the past three years. Brother Charlie was also made a Knight of St Gregory last year, and his official investiture will take place during midday Mass at St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow on 14 January under the auspices of Archbishop Philip Tartaglia.
Websites: www.ksc.org.uk and www.kscprov02.weebly.com
Email: dpokeane@aol.com