The Knights of Saint Columba  Southend-on-Sea are a lay apostolate working for the good of the Catholic Church within the Borough of Southend. We support our parish priests and clergy as our primary mission and have been doing this since January 1st 1928. We also help, support and work in the wider community of Southend by assisting other local groups and local charities both Christian and secular, who are also working in the Southend area.

Much of our work is done ‘behind the scenes’ from activities such as putting together the Rosary on the Coast in Westcliff, distributing information and resources around the parishes in a timely manner and marshalling important events to ensure things run smoothly. 

We pray all the time too, and regularly organise pilgrimages to various places often taking parishioners with us to share the occasions.

Members often run and lead Stations of the Cross, parish devotions especially through the Rosary and many members are key people in their particular parish helping parish life and supporting our clergy.

We also support many charities and causes both Catholic and non Catholic sometimes through fundraising although fundraising is not our main purpose. We help with the local foodbank and support collections of items for them.

We promote and fundraise for the Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society especially through a parish-to-parish walk each year.  We run a ‘Keep Christ in Christmas’ campaign in the run up to Advent and involve both Catholic and Anglican parishes with this. We distribute Easter posters to promote Holy Week in the same way and support Ecumenical services to support unity regularly. We deliver the White Flower Appeal each year in more than one parish for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children and promote SPUC within the parishes. We support CAFOD, Missio, the work of the SVP, VisionAid Overseas, Tools With A Mission, HARP (the Southend Homeless charity), and the Nuns at Nazareth House.

We have organised and are running the Catholic contribution to the Southend Churches Together Winter Shelter scheme at Sacred Heart during the winter, and we are also the first non parish group in the Diocese to achieve the CAFOD Live Simply award.

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We have an action committee to support our activities and anyone can be invited to be a part of this committee putting together functions, fundraisers, and socials including raising awareness and support for church services and special Masses and we meet as a Council once a month.

Membership of the Knights is open to men aged 16 and above who are practicing Catholics in full communion with the Catholic Church.