CLICK HERE TO VIEW PREVIOUS UPDATES RECORDED IN THE WEBSITE DIARY |
7th November 2013
• Go to the APPEALS section to read the latest news and inspiration from Fr David Cullen.
• Robbie Dempsey's contact details have been amended — are yours up-to-date? (Check the CONTACTS section).
29th October 2013
• Go to the REUNIONS section to see photos that John Byrne took of the recent 'Gathering' at Templeogue.
A further meeting is planned for December, so contact John if you wish to join him.
Thank you, John.
• There seems to be a problem with the photos that I posted of the WF's Centenary (at Bishop's Walthm, Heston and Galashiels). I will look into this and deal with it asap. A cursory look tells me that access to the picasaweb site has been altered.
(I used it as a store-and-display facility to minimise the size of the Pelicans' website).
• BREAKING BAD NEWS : click on this.
9th October 2013
•The latest news from Fr David Cullen (Chipata,Zambia) is now displayed in the APPEALS section. Fr David's letter includes several heart-rending stories of some desperately poor people that he and his colleagues are trying to help — demonstrating, once again, how relatively small donations can make a real difference to people's lives.
(If you feel that you are able to help, contact Fr David by email).
Thank you Robbie (Dempsey) for forwarding this to us.
4th October 2013
•Mike Ellis and John Joyce have written a progress report on how the Africa Medical Aid Project (AMAP) is progressing. They set up the project in January and more than £3,000 has already been donated so far. Included in the report is a detailed Income and Expenditure Account — which hopefully wil encourage more people to take part.
Go to the APPEALS section to view this.
13th September 2013
•Mike Ellis kindly sent us the sad news that Peter Jennings died recently, aged 67.
Please go to Page 20 of the OBITUARIES section to read the first tributes that have been published.
Mike has wriiten a letter of condolence to Peter's wife Stella and their two children, Sarah and Joseph.
14th August 2013
• Maurice Billingsley has sent me 2 links to up-to-date views of Monteviot:
http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/57135/details/monteviot+house/
He has also made some suggestion regarding people featured on GALLERY Page 201.17th July 2013
• On my return to the website after an unavoidable delay, I find that I have amassed a sizeable backlog of emails that require attention. As always, sincere apologies to any of you who have been waiting a response. Over the coming weeks I will do my best to get up-to-date.
I start with drawing your attention to the Totteridge Appendix (St Edward's). Winfried Hartfig has sent me even more listings of staff and students who attended St Edward's during the period 1969 - 1971. Once again, Winfried has sent us a mass of information to add to this part of the archive — and this time it's in text form, making it accessible to our 'Quick Search' facility.
Many thanks Winfried ‚ and to those, such as Maurice, who have supported his efforts.
13th May 2013
• Have you looked at the photos that Winfried Hartfig contributed recently? Go to GALLERY Page 407 to see the start of 6 pages of staff and seminarians at Totteridge in 1970.
Many thanks Winfried — this is another substantial contribution to our website.
9th May 2013
• One of our main contributors to the REMINISCENCES SECTION is Mike Mearns, whose memories are as clear as the words he uses to describe them. If you visit this part of the site now you will find two more of these nuggets : "It was only an English textbook but . . ." and "Fond memories of Fr Geoff Riddle", one of the staff at St Columba's when Mike was there.
7th May 2013
• Fr David Cullen WF has written again to give us an update on his life in Chipata, Zambia. He takes great care to write these regular letters, keeping faith with those who send money etc to help the extremely poor people that he and his SVP team look after.
He leads such a busy life that it's hard to understand how he finds time to write. Please take time to read these accounts — now available in the APPEALS section ; you may find that you, too, will be able to help him in his work.
• I am looking forward to meeting up again with John and Carole Fowles when they are in the London area. They are currently visiting their daughter in Norway and will be back here in the UK on 16th (May). Before they head back to Canada on 24th they also hope to visit Eric Creaney up in Scotland.
24th March 2013
• The sixth page of Winfried's photos can now be found in GALLERY Page 412.
• You may be interested to know that there are nearly 6,000 photos held on our website — displayed in the GALLERY and elsewhere.
23rd March 2013
• The fifth page of Winfried's photos can now be found in GALLERY Page 411.
18th March 2013
• Another page of Winfried Hartwig's photos : GALLERY Page 410.
• Thank you for your recent emails. I hope to answer all of them by the weekend. (Yes!)
13th March 2013
• Winfried Hartwig has contributed a large number of photos from his time at St Edward's. This means that they are 44 years old, so I have had some 'enhancement difficulties' with this collection. I'm sure you'll agree, however, that they make a significant addition to our GALLERY.
Winfried has also supplied a great deal of annotation and I'd be grateful if you would try to identify the few missing names/ faces and places.
Go to GALLERY Pages 407- 409 to view the photos.
Thank you Winfried. (Many more to come).
• The response to the proposed one-day reunion at Ealing has been poor so I will contact Fr Chris Wallbank to thank him for his kind invitation and suggest that later in the year might suit more people.
3rd March 2013
MINI REUNION at the Whte Fathers' house in Ealing, London
The following have expressed their interest: Tony Smyth Robbie Dempsey John Morton Mike Ellis Andrew Rampling |
PLEASE LET PAUL WEST KNOW BY 11TH March IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND This event will only take place if at least 10 people wish to attend |
25th February 2013
• Abbot Peter Johnson's recent photos of St Columba's and Dryburgh are now on display at GALLERY Page 406 .
Many thanks for these excellent pictures, Peter.
The originals were much larger in fact, but space is always a consideration with this ever-expanding website.
Peter might be able to help circularise the larger scale versions via email if he can find the time.
23rd February 2013
• A photo of Fr Geoffrey Riddle has been added to Page 59 of the HISTORIES section. Did you know him?
22nd February 2013
•Unfortunately I was unable to keep to last week's promise, but have managed to transcribe the article 'Another Geoffrey's Fifty Years In Africa' — taken from the current White Fathers' magazine. It is a very interesting account of one man's missionary work in Africa and I am indebted to the WFs for permission to re-create it here.
I intend to add some photos next, but in the meantime the text is ready on Page 59 of the HISTORIES section.
15th February 2013
• Please read the article by Fr Terry Madden entitled 'The Pelican Project' which you will find in the APPEALS section. It was first published in the recent White Fathers' magazine and was not intended primarily as a fundraiser.
11th February 2013
• There are several items in the pipeline, one of which is Fr Dick Kinlen's video — currently under scrutiny by Tony Smyth, Maurice Billingsley and Winfried Hartwig (who has also submitted many more photos).
• Dom Peter Johnson has taken some photos of St Columba's and its environs.
Question:
Do we need yet more of these? YES, if they are as good as this.
I hope to get these and other items up and running for the coming weekend.
• Please have a look at the entries on offer in the SOUNDS FAMILIAR Appendix — and let me know of any favourities of yours that might be suitable for inclusion.
2nd February 2013
• Fr Donald MacLeod, the new editor of the White Fathers' magazine, has kindly given me permission to continue reproducing selected items from that publication. Today, therefore, I have taken an article written by Fr Ben Henze and added it to the REMINISCENCES section. It's entitled "The Laughing Jesus".
28th January 2013
• Our Treasurer, Pat Gibbons, is undergoing a knee operation this week, so will be unable to perform his role for a while. He has suspended the (up-to-date) bank account and on his return to good health will make a decision as to whether he continues to act as Treasurer. It may be that someone with similar experience and fortitude might come forward at that point and offer to take over.
Pat has been performing this role for nearly 20 years now — and, at the very least, this is an opportunity for us all to send our thanks and good wishes to him.
• Following on from yesterday's reminder regarding the Website Diary, the website's Message Bank is now up-to-date— with all messages left by visitors during 2012.
This archive now contains alll messages recorded since 2000 (when the website began). It is not feasible for me to include email addresses with each message because these often change quite freqently.
Have a browse at this other part of the website's 'mini-history'.
27th January 2013
• Maurice Billingsley has sent me a a very welcome link to a BBC news report about the malaria vaccine his brother is working on:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20968046
To quote from the video: "Malaria kills more than 650,000 people every year and scientists say they are close to finding a vaccine, but the method of testing for a vaccine has long been time-consuming and risky to transport . . . "
Maurice sent this link to me at the start of the new year, so apolgies for the delay.
• You may have noticed, umpteen years ago, that I had begun to archive the annual UPDATES — starting the New Year on a fresh webpage. This is an attempt to record a mini-history of this association of ours ('The Pelicans') which Eugene and Jarlath started all those years ago.
This UPDATE record, however, only starts in the year 2,000, when the website was begun. So I start the new year with my own APPEAL for anything that YOU might have which pre-dates 2,000. I wouuld particularly like to scan any of Eugene's newslatters, for example. Mine go back to 1998 — which are on display in the NEWS section. Have you any earlier editions?
• I've just received my first scam letter that is written in French (from you-know-where). I'm very grateful to Fr Hugh Monaghan, therefore, for equpping me with an O Level that would would save me from the clutches of Mme Annie Juliette all these years later.
21st January 2013
• Go to the APPEALS section to read an update on
The Africa Medical Aid Project from Père Zacharie SORGHO, M.Afr.
This was sent to me by Mike Ellis, along with a translation from French to English (in case you need it).
Mike writes "Many thanks to all of you who have already committed to supporting this project on an on-going basis.
We are most grateful to you all and you have kindly provide sufficient funds to allow the first consignment of antiepileptic drugs and penicillin to be organised.
We hope they will be sent out this next week – subject to the war there not getting any worse."
18th January 2013
• There's another inspiring update from Chipata, sent to us from Fr David Cullen WF via Robbie Dempsey.
Go to the APPEALS section to read all about daily life in the mission at Chipata, in Zambia.
• 17th January 2013
Fr Dick Kinlen discovered the folowing video by accident and writes:
"Maybe someone who was in Eastview will appreciate this slideshow of
the US White Father's seminary in Onchiota in the 1960's."
This was quite a find. The photos are annotated — superimposed over each photos — but some are hard to decipher.
Are you able to help
to identify any of the characters featured? If so, send the detail to me and I will build this into the video.
Many thanks to Dick for passing this on. Unltimately, it will be added to the Eastview webpage ("Houses of study").
12th January 2013
• I have added comments left by Mike (Mearns) on the obituary to Brother David (James Kennedy) who died in 2011, aged 95.
Many of our younger generation (!) will remember Brother David when he served at St Columba's and The Priory.
The secret of his longevity must have been very hard work.
5th January 2013
• Mike Mearns has provided us with some refreshingly personal comments to add to the obituaries of Fr John O'Donohue and Bill Lynch.
• Mike Ellis and John Joyce have launched The Africa Medical Aid Project, an appeal to help Fr Zacharie Sorgho in Mali to obtain supplies of drugs for a group of his parishioners who suffer from Epilepsy and Noma.
Read all about AMAPin the APPEALS Section and see if you could help.
• There are 3 people who have expressed an interest in joining a 1-day reunion at the WFs' house at Ealing (London). No date has been set yet but I will let you know details as soon possible. Early May is a likelihood, if it can coincide with a London visit by John and Carole Fowles (from Canada). Email me if you would like to attend.