WHAT IS THE CATENIAN ASSOCIATION?
The Catenian Association is a brotherhood of over 7,000 Catholic men in the UK. The Catholic faith and the family are the bedrocks of the Association. There are 300 Circles or Groups in Africa, Australia, Ireland, India, Malta and the UK. A core aim is to advance the interests of young Catholics and assist them in their choice or pursuit of their career. The Catenian Bursary Fund helps young Catholics between 16 and 25 to take part in a community-based project at home or abroad, which has a clear benefit for others as well as widening the life experience of the participant.
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THE CATENIAN ASSOCIATION GIVES AN OPPORTUNITY TO:
Michael Reidy, 2017-18 President of Maidstone Circle of the Catenian Association (136), presents a cheque on behalf of the Catenian Bursary Fund to Megan Fisher, of Harrietsham, Kent.
Megan travelled to Nicaragua to work for ten weeks with Raleigh International in an area of extreme poverty. Projects included basic hygiene and sanitation, health and education.
Maidstone Circle is one of 9 in Kent and South London. Like all Catenian Circles it has a regular monthly meeting. The Circle meets at the Grange Moor Hotel, 4-8 St. Michael’s Road, Maidstone, ME16 8BS every second Monday of the month except August. After meetings members and visitors have a simple meal at the hotel, good conversation and a glass of beer or wine.
Maidstone Brothers are active in the local community and parishes. There are presently 27 members. The Circle has a comprehensive social programme and participates in the events of local Circles in the Medway Towns, Swale, Ashford, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells.
Parishioners of Catholic Churches in Maidstone, Bearsted and West Malling areas are most welcome to come along to our events. There is no obligation to join the association.
Please contact Dennis Edwardes for details of any event you would like to attend,
Tel: 01622 720830
Maidstone Circle’s Social Programme caters for young and old with Masses for special occasions, family days, quizzes, clergy evenings, wives and guests evenings, pub meals, dinners, children’s activity days, walks, the theatre and concerts. There are Catenian weekends and functions in the UK and abroad.
Membership is open to Catholic men, married or single, over 21 years from all walks of life. There are no limitations on occupation, income or race. Wives of members are not required to be Catholic; many are not and enjoy Catenian life to the full.
For those who are interested applications for Membership of Maidstone Circle are always welcome.
To enquire about joining the Catenians, please contact Dennis Edwardes.
Tel: 01622 720830,
Email: d.edwardes5@gmail.com
Brother Dennis Edwardes and his wife Sirpa help out with the children in one of Mother Teresa’s Roses’ Homes in India
To find out more about Mother Teresa’s Roses’ Homes and the work they do click here.
They provide a social network which helps Catholic lay men live out their various vocations as husband, father, friend, work colleague, committed Christian and active Catholic.
Help is offered to members and their families through practical and spiritual support; by steadfast friendship in times of trouble; by financial help whenneeded and through prayer. This support continues with ongoing concern for a deceased member’s widow and dependants.
Support is based on lasting friendships, built upon the firm foundation of a shared faith.
Friendship is developed by meeting monthly in the local Circle or Group followed by a meal or other refreshments; by providing a varied social programme in which wives and families may be fully involved. Catenians may attend Circle or Group meetings anywhere in the UK and abroad.
As mentioned above, it was founded in Manchester in 1908 by the Bishop of Salford who called for the Catholic laity to use their various talents to take a leading role in all aspects of society.
In today’s frantic, competitive and secular environment it offers an oasis of calm where social and spiritual refreshment can be enjoyed to redress the work/life balance for all the family.
No, but Brothers are active Catholics who, because of their beliefs and values, play a proactive role in their parishes and in the wider communities where they live and work. They actively promote the Christian viewpoint on moral issues in an increasingly secular society.
Yes. Catenians help young Catholics through their Bursary Fund as mentioned above and by giving career advice; working and praying actively for vocations to the priesthood and religious life; raising money for a wide range of charities or by their voluntary services.
