DRAFT Parish Contributions - Stories and Photographs - SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL, KNUTSFORD, CHESHIRE A History of the Parish, and Roman Catholic ...
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A History
of the Parish, and Roman Catholic Church
of
SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL,
KNUTSFORD, CHESHIRE
1985-2020
Parish Contributions - Stories and
Photographs
DRAFT
Edited by Stuart Jones
2
This is a temporary addendum to the parish history. It holds text
contributions, pictures and their captions prior to use in the main
history.
Contributors are:
• Jackie Butler
• Sikha Dutton
• Raffo family
• Sean McGhee
• Edmund Myerscough
©Copyright the Parish Priest of St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church,
Knutsford, 2021
This book is available to download from the Parish Website -
https://stvincentsknutsford.org/parish-history .
3
Contents
1 Rosary Group 7
1.1 Origin of Our Parish Rosary Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.2 Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2 Prayer Group 13
2.1 An introduction to the Prayer Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.2 The Prayer Group from the perspective of a newly baptised Adult
Catholic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3 Canon Cahill 23
4 Father John Joyce 25
5 St Vincent’s School 27
6 Altar Servers with Canon Cahill 29
7 Millennium celebrations in Tatton Park 31
List of Figures 32
5
Rosary Group
1.1 Origin of Our Parish Rosary Group
The Parish Rosary Group was born from the vision of two parishioners,
Bernadette Neville and Jackie Butler.
Bernadette used to join with a friend, Anne Colley, every week to pray a
Rosary. It was always her desire to include more parishioners and occasionally
the numbers would swell to three, but her vision was to pray the Rosary with a
larger gathering.
Jackie’s zeal to pray the Rosary grew after many pilgrimages to Medjugorje.
Her daughter’s late husband, Wayne Weible, was a speaker and author of the
books on the apparitions of Our Blessed Lady in Medjugorje. After reading
Wayne’s first book ‘The Message’ and accepting an invitation from her daughter,
Judi, to visit this Holy place, Jackie embarked on the first of many pilgrimages,
each time taking with her a parishioner from our parish or that of St. Pius, Alder-
ley Edge. Her desire to pray the Rosary grew ever stronger after each pilgrimage,
as she learned and experienced the power and beauty of this holy prayer, prayed
alone and with a group. At God’s appointed time, the Holy Spirit gave Jackie a
nudge to gather parishioners to pray and share time together. Jesus said, ‘Where
two or three are gathered in my name I am there in the midst of them’.
The opportunity came when a friend invited Jackie for coffee and on her
acceptance of the invitation, suggested they could pray a Rosary together and
possibly ask some friends to join them. As Jackie knew of Bernadette’s desire
to join with others to pray, she was the first to be asked and, of course, readily
accepted, as did several other parishioners. The rest is history as this was the
birth of the Parish’s now wonderful Rosary Group.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the group couldn’t meet together, as they
usually did, in each others homes, but their friendships were a lifeline during the
lockdowns, especially for those living alone, with many phone calls, emails etc.
The Rosary group, as it stands, on writing this article, has been meeting for
about twelve years and everyone is welcome to join them, to pray a Rosary and
bring their needs before the Lord. Last but not least they also enjoy a coffee or
tea and a chat.
Over the years the Rosary Group has supported a number of charities. These
include
71.2. PHOTOGRAPHS CHAPTER 1. ROSARY GROUP
• The Church in Need
• Mary’s Meals
• Kasupe
1.2 Photographs
Figure 1.1: Early days of Rosary Group at the home of Isabella Robertson - 2009
Front row left to right........Sheila Sills, Bernadette Neville, Sikha Dutton.
Back row left to right..........Pauline Gough, Isabella Robertson, Beryl Morrison
Source: Jackie Butler
Taking full advantage of the lifted Covid restrictions in March 2021, six
members - that was the maximum number allowed - of the Rosary group met
in Pat Flood’s garden, yesterday, to pray, chat and share experiences. It was
such a blessing to get together after a long unwanted absence and we were truly
blessed with the gorgeous weather! (see figure 1.4)
8CHAPTER 1. ROSARY GROUP 1.2. PHOTOGRAPHS
Figure 1.2: Rosary Group at a lunch with a member who was moving out of
Knutsford
Source: Jackie Butler
91.2. PHOTOGRAPHS CHAPTER 1. ROSARY GROUP
Figure 1.3: Rosary Group circa 2017
Front row left to right ........Pat Flood and granddaughter, Sikha Dutton, Maureen
Sayers, Beryl Morrison.
Back row left to right..........Pat Ellis, Sheila Sills, Margaret Leonard, Jackie But-
ler, Margaret Randhawa, Hannah Shaw, Bernadette Neville, Liz Tredwell
Source: Jackie Butler
10CHAPTER 1. ROSARY GROUP 1.2. PHOTOGRAPHS
Figure 1.4: Rosary Group at their first meeting after Lockdown restrictions lifted
in March 2021: Clockwise from bottom left - Hannah Shaw, Andrea Ross, Pat
Flood, Marie Prescott, Pat Ellis
Source: Jackie Butler
11Prayer Group
2.1 An introduction to the Prayer Group
‘From small beginnings come great things!’ This was most certainly true of
the Parish Prayer Group. Two of the parishioners Liz Tredwell and Sheila Mc-
Callum had been attending a prayer group at Mount Carmel Convent in Alderley
Edge, for several years. As their attendance meant traveling some distance from
Knutsford, they were inspired to approach Father Cahill with a suggestion they
start a prayer group in St. Vincent’s parish.
Father readily agreed and in the years following joined the meeting himself
on many occasions.
Liz and Sheila went on to invite other people to join their newly formed
prayer group and the first member was a longstanding and faithful parishioner,
Kath Selby. She brought with her a a superb voice and her singing was always a
true asset to the meetings. One of her favorite sayings was ‘when you sing, you
pray twice’ and her singing indeed ‘lifted the roof’!
The prayer meetings generally started with ‘prayer and praise’ but there was
a missing element, that of music to accompany the singing and so Liz decided
to learn the guitar and fill the void. It certainly brought the meetings to life
and helped immensely with praising God! Marilla Ness also joined the guitar
playing, until her life moved on and she left Knutsford.
The group first met in each others homes, but as it grew larger and the num-
bers swelled it changed venue to the sacristy at church.
Their gatherings were very much led by the Holy Spirit, as they prayed, med-
itated and brought their intercessions and intentions before the Lord. The gifts
of the Spirit were poured out upon the meetings and were active amongst the
members and as a consequence touched the wider community.
The Prayer meetings were held every Thursday morning and Sister Edward
from Mount Carmel Convent joined the group, once a month, to lead a Bible
study, which was much enhanced by her having lived in the Holy Land for many
years and immersing herself in the culture. On her 90th birthday they had a little
celebration in the group and Sister was absolutely delighted that the birthday
cake, sitting on the table was for herself. When she walked into the room she
saw the cake and thought it was for somebody else!
The prayer group went on several weekend retreats, including a lovely week-
132.2. THE PRAYER GROUP FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A NEWLY
BAPTISED ADULT CATHOLIC CHAPTER 2. PRAYER GROUP
end at Ampleforth College and also attended the Catholic Charismatic Confer-
ence weekend, in Liverpool, on several occasions. To add a little humor (not
funny at the time) Liz Tredwell and Jackie Butler, having closed their rooms on
the last day of a Conference, left their suitcases in a place NOT requested and
then went to enjoy breakfast. On their return and to their horror, they noticed
the cases had vanished and were nowhere to be found. They were located, at a
later date, somewhere in another county, having been loaded onto a coach taking
another group home!
Joining with other churches, the prayer group hosted days of renewal both
in St. Vincent’s parish and also visited other parishes in the area. These spe-
cial days were enjoyed by all and proved fruitful, both spiritually and socially.
Prayer Group members helped in organizing and running an Alpha Course at St.
Vincent’s, with Pat Raffo at the helm, meeting once a week for several weeks. It
included their providing a meal, watching the Alpha Course videos and leading
discussion groups. Although somewhat exhausting, it was definitely worthwhile
as it proved popular and advantageous to the parishioners.
Maundy Thursday was a date for the group’s diary every year as Sheila Mc-
Callum invited them to her home to partake in an enactment of the Passover meal,
sharing samples of the food and reading the exact words used during Jesus’ life
on earth.
Although the prayer group played a big part in the lives of the members, it
eventually folded due to age related illness and the passing away of several of
the group having been up and running for over twenty years.
Whilst active the Prayer Group supported the Sylvia Wright Trust charity.
2.2 The Prayer Group from the perspective of a newly
baptised Adult Catholic
The prayer group welcomed visitors after Mass on a Thursday. Bernadette
Neville’s little box with cups coffee, tea and biscuits was removed from a cup-
board labelled prayer group in the sacristy. The kettle was boiled and everyone
sat down to greet each other and catch up on the weeks news.
They met newcomers with warm smiles and handshakes and of course a hot
drink. Sheila McCullum would start the meeting with prayer for those gathered.
Liz Treadwell then playing the guitar and handing out song sheets began the
praise and worship to God through music and voices lifted high. Hands raised
and some ladies on their feet it was something to behold. Such love expressed
to The Lord. Newcomers felt the desire to join in and experience the Holy Spirit
moving amongst these great women of prayer.
142.2. THE PRAYER GROUP FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A NEWLY
CHAPTER 2. PRAYER GROUP BAPTISED ADULT CATHOLIC
New members were encouraged to sing too as the ladies were quick to share
the song sheets with joyful smiling faces. They certainly were filled with the
Holy Spirit praising God in this special way, together.
Then prayers began for all the needy of the parish, friends and family and be-
yond. The depth of concern for those in need of prayer was so genuine and com-
passionate. Clearly the Holy Spirit in action once again. Newcomers learning
the power of prayer as testimonies of healing were shared. Finally Jackie Butler
would share Rosary beads and pray cards amongst those that needed them. Beau-
tiful hand- made wooden beads from Medjugorie. The newcomers astonished at
the kindness of sharing holy things so freely.
Once a month Sister Eddy as she was known read scripture and shared a
reflection with the prayer group. The Holy Spirit working once again with the
word of God.
The newcomers were so blessed to both witness and share this grace filled
group of ordinary ladies of the parish doing extra ordinary works for our Lord.
The prayer group truly brought about the formation of the newly baptised that
attended into prayerful beings. What a gift to the parish!
Figure 2.1: Prayer Group outside Sheila MCallum’s House - (L-R) Pat Raffo,
Shelia McCallum, Margaret Pickup
Source: Raffo Family
The following photographs were taken at a Christmas Celebration for the
group held at Pat Raffo’s house - the month is December, the year is sometime
between 2001 and 2003.
152.2. THE PRAYER GROUP FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A NEWLY
BAPTISED ADULT CATHOLIC CHAPTER 2. PRAYER GROUP
Figure 2.2: Celebration for Sister Edward’s 90th Birthday 2011
Left to right front row......Beryl Morrison, Margaret Pickup, Sister Edward,
Sheila McCallum, Martha Armstrong.
Back row left to right........Isabella Robertson, Anne Syers, Kath Selby, Liz Tred-
well, Bernadette Neville, Mary Bowden.
Source: Jackie Butler
162.2. THE PRAYER GROUP FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A NEWLY
CHAPTER 2. PRAYER GROUP BAPTISED ADULT CATHOLIC
Figure 2.3: Celebration for Liz Tredwell’s birthday at home of Jackie Butler 2000
- Left to right.....Margaret Pickup, David and Liz Tredwell
Source: Jackie Butler
Figure 2.4: Celebration for Liz Tredwell’s birthday at home of Jackie Butler 2000
- Left to right.....Jackie Butler, Liz Tredwell
Source: Jackie Butler
172.2. THE PRAYER GROUP FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A NEWLY
BAPTISED ADULT CATHOLIC CHAPTER 2. PRAYER GROUP
Figure 2.5: Celebration for Liz Tredwell’s birthday at home of Jackie Butler 2000
- Liz Stone, Sheila McCallum.
Source: Jackie Butler
Figure 2.6: Celebration for Liz Tredwell’s birthday at home of Jackie Butler 2000
- Kath Selby, Mary Bowden.
Source: Jackie Butler
182.2. THE PRAYER GROUP FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A NEWLY
CHAPTER 2. PRAYER GROUP BAPTISED ADULT CATHOLIC
Figure 2.7: Prayer Group Christmas Celebration - (L-R) Shelia McCallum,
Pauline Gough
Source: Raffo Family
Figure 2.8: Prayer Group Christmas Celebration - (L-R in the foreground) Is-
abelle Robertson, Jackie Butler
Source: Raffo Family
192.2. THE PRAYER GROUP FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A NEWLY
BAPTISED ADULT CATHOLIC CHAPTER 2. PRAYER GROUP
Figure 2.9: Prayer Group Christmas Celebration - (L-R) Pat Flood, Bernadette
Neville, Elizabeth Tredwell
Source: Raffo Family
Figure 2.10: Prayer Group Christmas Celebration - (L-R) Pauline Gough, Paul
Raffo, David Tredwell
Source: Raffo Family
202.2. THE PRAYER GROUP FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A NEWLY
CHAPTER 2. PRAYER GROUP BAPTISED ADULT CATHOLIC
Figure 2.11: Prayer Group Christmas Celebration - (L-R) Bernadette Neville,
Elizabeth Tredwell, David McCallum
Source: Raffo Family
21Canon Cahill
This chapter shows photographs of Canon Cahill at work in the parish.
Figure 3.1: Canon Cahill: Baptism of Philip Raffo, 1984
Source: Raffo Family
23CHAPTER 3. CANON CAHILL
Figure 3.2: Canon Cahill: First Communion 1991 - (L-R) Pat Raffo, Philip Raffo,
Canon Cahill
Source: Raffo Family
24Father John Joyce
This chapter shows photographs of Father John Joyce at work in the parish.
Figure 4.1: Father John Joyce after his last mass in the parish receiving a gift
from Sean McGhee (President of Knutsford Catenians)
Source: Sean McGhee
25St Vincent’s School
In 1988 Ron McCormick retired as Headteacher of St Vincent’s Primary
School but continued to live in St Vincent’s parish until his death in 2019. Fol-
lowing his retirement Mrs Gertude Clementson was appointed Headteacher. Dur-
ing Mrs Clementson’s time as Headteacher a new uniform was introduced which
included green branded sweatshirts, white polo shirts with the school logo and
also green branded t-shirts for Physical Education. The new uniform was grad-
ually phased in, with the old uniform consisting of a shirt, green tie and grey
jumper/cardigan continuing to be allowed to be worn in school until 1994.
Father Cahill regularly said whole school masses. At the end of these it
was customary for him to announce which of the school’s houses (St George,
St Patrick, St Andrew and St David) had collected the most house points since
the previous mass. Rather than just announce the winning house Father Cahill
asked the younger pupils to guess which house had won. Not all pupils realised
there were only four houses and thought it was a game of ’Guess The Saint’, so
the guesses often included St Paul, St Peter and one of Father Cahill’s favourite
guesses - St Joseph.
Like other schools in Knutsford and beyond St Vincent’s adopted a new ver-
sion of cricket known as Kwik Cricket, aimed at children aged 11 and under.
Like with football and netball there were matches against other schools in the
area and one year children from St Vincent’s were selected to demonstrate this
sport at the annual Cheshire Show.
In 1991 Mrs Anne Jones was appointed as Deputy Headteacher (not to be
confused with another Mrs Jones who had recently retired from teaching 4-6 year
olds within the school.) In 1994 following the retirement of Gertude Clementson,
Mrs Jones was promoted from Deputy Headteacher to Headteacher.
Mrs Jones’ first year as Headteacher saw the construction of the mobile unit
in the school grounds, with initially half of it being used for the new St Vincent’s
pre-school and the other half being used for creative activities by the school chil-
dren. This freed up space in one of the corridor bays in the main school building,
which allowed the creation of a small computer bay. The computers installed in
this bay were very basic in comparison to today’s computers - they had no Inter-
net, no speakers, no CD/DVD drive and no USB ports. However, they did have a
Microsoft Windows operating system installed and each computer had a mouse.
The computers that the school had prior to that were BBC Micro/Acorn comput-
ers, which many schools had adopted in the 1980s, these didn’t all have mice
27CHAPTER 5. ST VINCENT’S SCHOOL
and didn’t have a friendly easy to navigate user interface like modern computers
generally have.
There were also a number of other changes following the appointment of Mrs
Jones as Headteacher. The regular whole school masses were dropped in favour
of new class masses (whole school masses being reserved for Holydays of Obli-
gation), while a new format school assembly was held every Friday afternoon
celebrating the achievements of the past week. Not only did the house which
gained the most house points get recognised but individuals who had earned a
significant number of house points were awarded a certificate as well. Certifi-
cates were also, on occasion, awarded to individuals who had worked hard to
achieve their full potential in a particular area. For example, swimming certifi-
cates for how hard a pupil had been trying, rather than for being able to swim a
complete length of the pool unaided.
A new tradition introduced by Mrs Jones was a whole school theatre trip in
December. For the first year this was to see The Tinder Box at New Vic Theatre
in Staffordshire (a theatre in the round.)
28Altar Servers with Canon Cahill
Father Cahill’s view was the optimum number of altar servers for a Sunday
mass was three and that altar servers shouldn’t serve every week. Having three
altar allowed the processional cross and acolyte candles to be used at every Sun-
day mass and ensured that there were enough jobs for all the altar servers to be
doing something. To facilitate this he created five teams which each had three
altar boys in them. Following consultation with some of the parents Father Cahill
agreed to also allow girls to become altar servers from the mid 1990s, which re-
sulted in the total number of altar servers increasing to 21, allowing seven teams
of three altar servers. A number of altar servers became servers while attending
St Vincent’s Primary School and remained servers until they left Knutsford to
attend university aged 18, helping to maintain a high number of altar servers in
the parish.
While Father Cahill usually preferred teams of three, he liked as many altar
servers as possible to attend Holy Week services, the Christmas Midnight Mass
and masses for other special occasions, such as a visitation from the bishop. For
special occasions he liked altar servers to process in with the tallest at the front
and the shortest at the back, this also meant the altar servers taller than Father
Cahill were the ones furthest from him.
The role of the altar servers stayed pretty much the same during the period
when Father Cahill was parish priest. There were just a couple of minor changes
after Father Cahill implemented a recommendation from Bishop Brian Noble
to offer communion under both species at Sunday masses. That did, however,
increase the number of Eucharistic Ministers required at each Sunday mass from
one to three.
During Father Cahill’s last couple of years as parish priest at St Vincent’s,
two ’visiting priests’ (as Father Cahill liked to call them) became regular faces
while Father Cahill underwent operations and recovered from them. They were
Father Louis St John and Father Anthony Wild. After Father St John had said
a Maundy Thursday mass he said to the altar servers and Father Cahill that St
Vincent’s has some of the best altar servers he has worked with during the many
years he has been a priest. Father Cahill retold that story a few weeks later but
omitted to say ’some of’ before saying ’the best’! Perhaps, Father St John is best
remembered for his strong singing voice. When he was standing in for the Feast
of the Assumption, the musicians were on holiday but Father St John decided
we would sing hymns anyway as he could lead the singing, despite no musi-
29CHAPTER 6. ALTAR SERVERS WITH CANON CAHILL
cal accompaniment. The first Sunday that Father Wild stood in the new parish
meeting rooms were under construction and he commented that Father Cahill
was continuing his reputation for getting things built.
30Millennium celebrations in Tatton Park
To celebrate the new millennium, what was described as a ’Once in a Thou-
sand Years Christian Celebration’ was held on St Vincent’s doorstep, in Tatton
Park in June 2000. Christians of various denominations came far and wide to
attend and numerous bishops (both Catholic and Anglican) were in attendance.
Some of the events on the day included a talk by Father Gerry Proctor, an in-
terview with Songs of Praise presenter Diane Louise Jordan and an open air ec-
umenical service. A number of St Vincent’s parishioners attended the event,
joined by Father Cahill. However, the event was held on a Sunday and Father
Cahill didn’t want it to disrupt the usual Sunday schedule at St Vincent’s church,
so he left early to ensure he was back to say the 5.30 mass as normal.
31List of Figures
1.1 Early days of Rosary Group at the home of Isabella Robertson -
2009 Front row left to right........Sheila Sills, Bernadette Neville,
Sikha Dutton. Back row left to right..........Pauline Gough, Is-
abella Robertson, Beryl Morrison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.2 Rosary Group at a lunch with a member who was moving out of
Knutsford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.3 Rosary Group circa 2017 Front row left to right ........Pat Flood
and granddaughter, Sikha Dutton, Maureen Sayers, Beryl Morri-
son. Back row left to right..........Pat Ellis, Sheila Sills, Margaret
Leonard, Jackie Butler, Margaret Randhawa, Hannah Shaw, Bernadette
Neville, Liz Tredwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.4 Rosary Group at their first meeting after Lockdown restrictions
lifted in March 2021: Clockwise from bottom left - Hannah Shaw,
Andrea Ross, Pat Flood, Marie Prescott, Pat Ellis . . . . . . . . 11
2.1 Prayer Group outside Sheila MCallum’s House - (L-R) Pat Raffo,
Shelia McCallum, Margaret Pickup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.2 Celebration for Sister Edward’s 90th Birthday 2011 Left to right
front row......Beryl Morrison, Margaret Pickup, Sister Edward,
Sheila McCallum, Martha Armstrong. Back row left to right........Isabella
Robertson, Anne Syers, Kath Selby, Liz Tredwell, Bernadette
Neville, Mary Bowden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.3 Celebration for Liz Tredwell’s birthday at home of Jackie Butler
2000 - Left to right.....Margaret Pickup, David and Liz Tredwell 17
2.4 Celebration for Liz Tredwell’s birthday at home of Jackie Butler
2000 - Left to right.....Jackie Butler, Liz Tredwell . . . . . . . . 17
2.5 Celebration for Liz Tredwell’s birthday at home of Jackie Butler
2000 - Liz Stone, Sheila McCallum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.6 Celebration for Liz Tredwell’s birthday at home of Jackie Butler
2000 - Kath Selby, Mary Bowden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.7 Prayer Group Christmas Celebration - (L-R) Shelia McCallum,
Pauline Gough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.8 Prayer Group Christmas Celebration - (L-R in the foreground)
Isabelle Robertson, Jackie Butler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
33LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF FIGURES
2.9 Prayer Group Christmas Celebration - (L-R) Pat Flood, Bernadette
Neville, Elizabeth Tredwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.10 Prayer Group Christmas Celebration - (L-R) Pauline Gough, Paul
Raffo, David Tredwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.11 Prayer Group Christmas Celebration - (L-R) Bernadette Neville,
Elizabeth Tredwell, David McCallum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.1 Canon Cahill: Baptism of Philip Raffo, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.2 Canon Cahill: First Communion 1991 - (L-R) Pat Raffo, Philip
Raffo, Canon Cahill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.1 Father John Joyce after his last mass in the parish receiving a gift
from Sean McGhee (President of Knutsford Catenians) . . . . . 25
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