Chickens ready for sale!

It all started 5 years ago at our Diocesan Apostolic Annual General Meeting in the Abbey Hotel Roscommon in January 2005.  Mrs. Margaret Haughey our President came up with the idea of knitting chickens and decorating them and filling them with a creme egg and selling them for Easter. She even had a sample, and of course patterns.  Needless to say some of us were very sceptical about such a method of fund raising for the Missions. Our usual methods were cake sales, sales of work, raffles, church gate collections, flag days, tea parties, car boot sales, attending ploughing championships etc. However we brought the pattern home. I left it aside and I forgot about it , until I came across it when tidying!!  I decided to give it a try, so I enthused a few more Sisters.  Sr. Ambrose Lee was one of our staunch knitters. She was always very supportive of the Missions and knitted every year for the chicken fund, up to about a month before her death in January 2009 at the age of 97.

Wool and needles came out of drawers and other such places, and everybody started knitting, and we were pleasantly surprised at the result.

Fr. Michael Kelly receiving cheque for €6,000 for Mission in Kitale, Kenya from Mary Doyle (President of Elphin Apostolic Association)

The various colours and the decorating were a novelty, some had problems as to where to put the eyes in relation to the nose as real chickens are rarely seen nowadays!!  It took most of a half hour to knit one chick and further time to decorate, knitters were scarce,  however we proceeded and got more knitters interested. To get sale for them was the next plan. Speaking for myself I took a box of 20  to the hairdresser but called into the Parish office to show some of the ladies our  new invention.  They were delighted and one lady Cora, now deceased R.I.P. asked  “How much are they?”  “€3”  I answered, so she took 3 and gave me €10.  This was a great start so I continued to the hairdresser and left her the 17.  She  rang me shortly afterwards looking for more, she told me one male customer had asked  “What are them things?” She told him they were chicks for Sr. Bríd for the Missions. He said “here” and he took 3 of them by their heads and put €10  in the box!  Our aim was to raise €2000 for Fr. Brendan Foley C.S.S.P  for a motor bike for his Mission in Bolivia.

Mary Doyle (President) with Mr McEvilly

One day a lady visited me to sponsor a Mass kit for her father who had recently died R.I.P.  I was telling her about our project, and showed her the chickens and what they were for. This kind lady, who hosts children from Bellarus, was very enthused and said “We will have to get that Priesteen his motor bike” and so we did.  All over the Diocese, Apostolic members were busy with their chicks and the good news was that at our Annual Display day in Sligo we presented Fr. Foley with €5000.  He was able to get his motor bike and a truck to help him carry out his many missionary duties i.e. taking people to Hospital, carrying materials for building  his Church and many other uses.

Mr Harney receiving cheque from Mary Doyle (President of Elphin Apostolic Association)

Needless to say, seeing the success we had with our chicks, we decided to give it another try for 2007.  Friends and others got busy knitting, and again at Easter, many, many chicks were appearing in the shops and various gatherings and any venue where they could be sold. To make a long story short over €13,000 was raised. This time it was divided between Fr. Edward Veasey, Sligo for help  to equip his Maternity Hospital in Equador, and Fr. Pat Brennan, Knockcrockery, Roscommon for his work in Brazil. After this success story people really got interested and set about to help other Missionaries. This time it was to be divided between the following;

 a)      Sr. Helena Mc Evilly, F.M.D.M. a native of Drum, Athlone, for her work in Nigeria i.e. to buy copy books, pens, catechisms, bibles, a sewing machine, food for women and children who attend classes, and also computers to teach prisoners computer skills.

 b)      Sr. Miriam Brennan, R.S.M. Sligo and Brazil – to buy medication for Aids orphans and school uniforms, books and food for breakfast before school for approx 300 children.

 c)       Sr. Lena Harney, Drum, Athlone and Bolivia – to finish 6 rooms for teachers in Cuz Loma (a mountain district where teachers must live during term time). It costs about €500 for each teacher/room.

 d)       Sr. Bridie Lough, Roscommon and Peru. This mission have 500 families in temporary accommodation after the earthquake in August 2007.

You will be glad to learn that each of the above received €5,000 at our annual Mission Display Day in the Gillooly Hall, Sligo on the 29th June, 2008.  These Display Days are great occasions. Mass is the main focus where many Missionary Priests attend and concelebrate with our Bishop Christopher Jones or his deputy, if he is unable to attend. There is a great  atmosphere on the day, where the Apostolic Workers and their friends and families meet Missionaries – Priests, Brothers, and Sisters – and hear their stories and then present them with items for their work i.e. Vestments, Mass Kits, Chalices, Ciboria, Monstrance, Sick Call sets etc… Of course there is tea and goodies for everybody, and all go away relieved and rewarded for their efforts, and encouraged to think up new ways of improving the ‘chicken farm’ for the next year!

I am not  finished yet! The knitting of our lovely chicks continued to the exasperation, or apparent exasperation of some people no doubt!! but the old  faithfuls continued.  All over and beyond the Diocese of Elphin during the months of January, February, and March, people were busy knitting little chickens and filling them with creme eggs as part of the ongoing  “Annual Chick”  fundraising initiative by the Elphin Apostolic Workers. In the Community Centre in Four Mile House, Roscommon on 28th June, 2009 the following received  cheques of €6,000 each. (Over €28, 000 was raised. In fact €33,000  was taken in but when the expenses  i.e. the creme eggs which came to €5,000 were paid for, we were left with the €28,000.)

 1.   Sr. Kathleen Rooney, a Mercy Sister from Sligo and based in  Mutomo Hospital, Kitui, Kenya (incidently, I  worked in Mutomo Hospital from 1966 to 1983,  so needless to say I was delighted  when it was chosen for the project) requested funds for a nutrition programme for mothers and babies, as well as providing food for the patients in the hospital and people in  the surrounding area.  Kenya and the whole Kitui area suffers from drought, this has to be witnessed to be believed. So Sr. Kathleen will put the money to good use.

 2.  Fr. Tony Hardiman O.F.M. Athlone and Ladyship, South Africa, needed funds to complete a church in his area. Work on the church had commenced many years before and after Fr. Tony arrived in the area last year, the people begged him to finish it. They had many material needs but it was the church they wanted.

 3.   Fr. Michael Kelly, S.P.S. Castlerea, Co. Roscommon, who works in Kitale, Kenya for many years and his greatest need is to educate the children. While there are schools, the parents must be able to pay school fees for the children from the time they commence schooling and they must have full school uniform and books. The cheque of €6,000 will help provide for many children and will also provide a nourishing meal for the children in the school.

 4.   Fr. Stephen Harney, IC, Ballyforan, Co. Roscommon and Venezuela, was the fourth recipient of the funds.  Fr. Stephen needed the funds to provide education, nutrition, and to buy books for a parish library. He provides out-reach programmes for those who cannot travel to the parish centre.

The remaining €4,000 was distributed to other Missionaries in very deserving areas.

As you can imagine people are so surprised at such an amount of money that can be raised from such a simple venture. At present we are well on the way for 2010. The Diocesan President of the Apostolic Workers and myself attended a “Think In Day” in All Hallows College, Drumcondra, Dublin.  It was a very full day and approx three hundred ladies and one man attended, they were a vibrant group and all enthused about how they can continue to help the Church both in Ireland and on the Missions. It was decided to update the Constitutions, and a group of five ladies volunteered to work on a draft of the constitutions. It was a well worth while day and needless to say the average age was 70 plus years. I brought a few chickens and patterns to show anyone who might be interested! Mary (our President) had them in her bag and we got separated, and she being as passionate about chicks as I am sold them! When I needed the chicks they were gone.  Why didn’t I load up the boot!

 The chicken fund for 2010 is for the following.

• Sr. Moira Hawkes, L.S.U. Athlone who is working in Haiti and who will use this money to help victims of the Haitian Disaster.

• Sr. Therese Stritch, a Sister of Mercy from Elphin Diocese who came to school here in Castlerea, a native of Williamstown and who was taught by Sr. Nora Caulfield and who helps me with the eyes!!  Sr. Therese has worked in Kenya for approx 40 years.  She is now based in Turkana desert and needs funds for:  Large water containers, food for boys and girls and adults who attend classes, medical supplies for clinics and outpatients.

• Sr. Nora Summers, a Presentation Sister  who has worked in Africa for many years and celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 2009 is in much need of food for patients with HIV/AIDS, and who are fortunate enough to be supplied with anti – retroviral drugs, but in order for these to work, good food is essential. Children are helped in their education if funds are available.

• Fr. Stan Brennan, a Franciscan Father needs funds for a sterilizer for a medical clinic for St. Francis Hospice in Boksburg, South Africa.

• Fr. James Sharkey, a Kiltegan Father who works in Uyo, Eastern Nigeria, formerly known as Biafra, needs funds to run clinics and help with the roofing of his church.

I will conclude now, but before I finish I want to say there are great people out there who are so generous, willing and helpful, and I ask the Lord to bless and reward them all for all their support and good will (even my nephew took a few dozen to Dublin last year and sold them in his office).  May you enjoy reading this as much as I have in typing it. I am off to my Chicks now as I need to have a few dozen ready for the local Schools tomorrow!!

 Pattern below for the chicks if you would like to become a ‘knitter’!

Knit an Easter Chicken
You will need oddments of yellow wool/thread.
Size 8/9 or 3.5/4 needles
Optional – felt for beak – black wool for eyes – ribbon for neck.
Work through in garter stitch.
Cast on 24 stitches knit 4 rows
Increase at the beginning of every row until you have 34 stitches i.e   10 rows
Next two rows cast off 9 stitches (you now have 16 stitches)
Knit 8 rows straight
Break wool and with a darning needle draw through the 16 stitches and stitch
together leaving the bottom open
Decorate with beak, eyes, and ribbon around  the neck.
Fit a Cadbury’s creme egg snugly into the bottom.
(or any chocolate egg of the same size)

If you would be willing to knit chickens please get in contact with

Bríd McLoughlin rsm
Convent of Mercy
Castlerea
Co Roscommon
email: mercycastlerea@eircom.net
or
TEXT: 087 7462996

Brid McLoughlin rsm
Western Province