The student Knights of St Columbanus at Queen’s University Belfast undertook a walk, run or cycle from Bangor to Bobbio, Italy, this Lent in an attempt to raise funds for St Vincent de Paul.
The initiative took inspiration from the pilgrimage route of their patron – St Columbanus – and sought to complete the equivalent of the 1,500 mile journey from Bangor to Bobbio.
Tracking their progress, they posted regular updates along the way as they made their virtual journey. Reaching Bobbio earlier this week, the Catholic Knights raised £1,800 altogether for St Vincent de Paul.
The Knights themselves raised a total of £892 pounds, which was match-funded by a donor, bringing the sum to £1,774.
Posting on Facebook about the work St Vincent de Paul do in their area, which inspired their choice of charity, the Knights said SVP “are tackling such challenges as gaps in Universal Credit, assisting Asylum Seekers with warm clothing which their £35 per week food vouchers don’t cover, loneliness among locals who have been isolated further by the pandemic, school uniforms for local children and much more”.
St Columbanus arrived in Milan in 612 and was granted land between Milan and Genoa by King Agilulf of the Lombards, to be used as a base for the conversion of the Lombards to Christianity. St Columbanus erected a monastery there in 614 and died there the following year.
