BUTLERSBRIDGE APOSTOLIC SOCIETY

I am grateful to Mrs. Kathleen Duffy and her daughter Mrs. Mary Shannon for preparing the following article

This society was founded in the early 1960s ('63/'64). The then diocesan president Mrs Boyd of Belturbet with a view to forming a branch in our area approached Mrs Veronica Dunne. The first meeting took place in Mrs Dunne's sitting room and the founder members were Veronica Dunne, Kathleen Hickey, Kathleen Duffy, Kathleen Cusack, Anna Treacy and Mary Tierney.

Meetings were held once a month and for many years were in Mrs Dunne's, then in the vestry of St Aidan's Church and later Mrs Duffy's.

Mrs Boyd provided the branch members with information regarding the work to be done, the patterns to be used and how the completed work was to be sent to the missions. At that time the big concern was how they would buy the materials needed. Since none of the ladies owned or drove a car, they took the bus to Dublin. All purchases were made in Clery's. Normally Mrs Dunne and two other ladies would travel so that they could help in carrying back to the bus the bales of material, etc., which they had purchased.

At the monthly meetings all patterns were cut out and the ladies took their specialised items home with them. All the sewing was done in their own homes. Each month completed items were returned and work was collected for the next month. The ladies who sewed made vestments, albs, boys' surplices and soutanes, finger cloths, purificators and altar cloths. Those who did not sew knitted white socks and Aran sweaters for the priests, jumpers for the children and crocheted clothes for the babies.
To fund all this there was a house-to-house collection once a year. In addition many local people did some knitting, crochet and embroidery, which could be sold and very generously donated wedding, dresses and Communion dresses to the branch.

When Fr Pa Joe Flynn was ordained the ladies made his first vestments. Each year the society displayed their work in St Aidan's Church and also at the diocesan AGM in St Augustine's hall. Mrs Kathleen Duffy from our branch, diocesan president for two years, is the only surviving founder member and is an honorary member of the society, which is still going strong. The ladies of Butlersbridge did a job they can be very proud of, in the work they do and have done for the priests on the missions.