The Catenian Association (or “the Catenians” for short) is an international fraternity of Catholic laymen. Founded in England in 1908, the Catenians soon spread throughout the world, arriving to Australia in 1971. The Catenians now boast more than 9,000 active members across the globe.
The local chapter (or “Circle” as Catenians call them) in South Australia is the Adelaide City Circle (number 387). The Adelaide City Circle began as a Group in March 2021 with humble beginnings starting out of a member’s lounge room. But due to strong new-member demand it quickly grew, and is now recognised as Circle status, with a symbolic ceremony and celebratory luncheon taking place in June 2022 acknowledging this achievement.
The Adelaide City Circle has an average member age of just 40, making it a relatively young and dynamic Catholic brotherhood.
WHY JOIN US?
If you answered YES to any of the above questions, then the Catenians may be for you.
The Adelaide City Circle is full of men who actively live-out their Catholic faith. Their faith is important to them and the Church is central to their families. Our members come from many cultures, they work in many professions, some are married whilst others are single, but what we all have in common is that we profess and share a common love of the Catholic Church.
Fraternity, Faith, Fun and Family are the pillars of the Adelaide City Circle. By being a member, you will regularly be exposed to all of these. We believe all of these qualities are essential for a balanced faith life.
The secular world we live in today can be very hostile to Catholics. It can be difficult as a Catholic knowing how much of your faith to show in your workplace, or on social media. Fortunately, the Adelaide City Circle is full of men who are also facing the exact same dilemmas as you. Often, we see members discussing strategies for navigating social media, or how to best respond to common remarks that may be leveled towards Catholics in the workplace.
Often, recently arrived Catholic migrants from overseas come to South Australia, joining their local Parish community, only to find it exceedingly difficult to make new friends and feel part of their new Parish community. At the Adelaide City Circle, most of our members were born overseas! We have members from Venezuela, England, India, Philippines, Mexico, Zambia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and of course Australia. We are very welcoming of Catholics who are new to Australia and can provide you with an accelerated path of integration into the South Australian Catholic Church for you and your family.
Many of our members have children under the age of 18, and the Adelaide City Circle recognises the importance of ensuring that our Catholic children make friends with other Catholic children. Sadly, opportunities for this in Parishes are all too rare. But thankfully the Adelaide City Circle provides regular opportunities each year for our members, their wives, and children to come together as one big Catenian community for days full of fun, games and enjoyment!
One thing is certain, if your faith is important to you, you’ll feel right at home among your brother Catenians.
WHAT DO WE DO?
We come together as a Circle from 6:30PM – 9PM on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, except December. These are members-only events (men only) and all members wear suits and ties.
We hold our members-only events in a private room at our venue, which comprises first of a meeting followed by a fraternal dinner.
The meeting which occurs first is a little formal and follows a standardised procedure used by the Catenian Association around the world. The meeting lasts for 15 – 30 minutes. Following the meeting is the fraternal dinner, which is informal. This is where we usually invite local speakers to present on a topic of their expertise related to the Church. This could be a Priest, Religious Sister or Brother or lecturer from a Catholic university.
The meeting night also provides ample time to socialise with your Catenian Brothers and to make new friends.
Meals and drinks are purchased by the individual member at each meeting, and we ensure that the prices of these are always affordable.
We also come together as families four times a year. Our Catenian community is quite large, so these events may involve a private Holy Mass, a shared lunch or dinner in a member’s home or a community lunch in the park. We always come together as a Catenian community for both Easter and Christmas, ensuring that our children are front-and-centre at these events.
WHERE DO WE MEET?
The Adelaide City Circle meets at a central venue near the city. As the state’s first Catenian Circle, it made sense for us to meet centrally. When another Circle starts, it may choose to meet in the north or the southern suburbs of Adelaide. But as our name states, Adelaide “City” Circle, we meet close to the city, making it easy for all to attend.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
The Catenian Association is an association, and all members are required to pay an annual membership. This will be discussed with you.
HOW TO JOIN?
The three (3) basic criteria for Catenian membership are,
If you meet the above criteria and wish to proceed with applying for membership with the Adelaide City Circle, then please enter your details in the Form below and we'll be in touch to explain what happens next.
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