Congratulations to Alexis Kiley and Michael Ogden on receiving the Au Lac Council 10724 Catholic Education Scholarship Award!
Their essays were chosen as the best from the Immaculate Conception School 8th grade class on the topic of "Why a Catholic High School Education is Important to Me." They will each receive a $1000 scholarship paid to the Catholic high school that they will attend next year. We thank their parents for choosing a Catholic education for Alexis and Michael and we say best wishes for their high school years and beyond!
Pictured L-R: Alexis Kiley; WGK Pat Bohr; Michael Ogden
Click here to download the flyer for the Mandy Borsenik Golf Outing on August 17th at Green Acres Golf Course in Bridgeport: Mandy Borsenik Golf Outing Flyer
Congratulations to Father Peter Robertson Council #7582 for winning the State Faith Program Award for their Eucharistic Procession held in Freeland, MI!
The purpose of the Eucharistic Procession was to bring Jesus in the Eucharist to the village of Freeland on the Feast of Corpus Christi. It was the culmination of the 3 years of Eucharistic Revival and was meant to bring parishioners and others into a relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist.
The Eucharistic Procession started and ended at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Freeland, MI which is in the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan and processed through part of the village of Freeland, Michigan after Mass on June 2nd, 2024 - The Feast of Corpus Christi!
The council is imbedded in the parish and has always been counted on to be there for the parishioners and her pastor. Since we don't have a facility to manage, our council focuses on developing the faith of our brother Knights and the parishioners and since this was the culmination of the Eucharistic Revival, the time seemed correct to start this tradition in the parish.
Our Program Director took the lead and obtain permission from our pastor, Fr. Christian Tabares. We then reviewed any available material concerning how to plan and execute a Eucharistic Procession. The next step was to get a team of parishioners together to plan and execute the procession.
We identified the equipment and positions and met monthly then bi-weekly as the time drew closer to the Feast of Corpus Christ. We built excitement and interest in the church by showing short videos of Eucharistic Processions and also placed the baldacchino in the gathering so people would ask questions. The parish was bombarded with information concerning the procession in the weekly e-mail blast, bulletins and pulpit announcements.
On the day of the Procession and towards the end of Mass, our pastor set expectations for the congregation so they knew what to do and to allow those who were not participating in the procession the opportunity to leave before the procession began.
The procession began and ended in the sanctuary of St. Agnes and people were given an opportunity to adore Jesus in the Eucharist upon our return as he was placed on the altar. People were invited to touch the monstrance, corporal or altar to ask for God's blessings and healing as God deemed appropriate. Adoration was completed with singing and returning Jesus in the Eucharist to the Tabernacle.
Congratulations to the 2025 State Life Program Award Winner - St. Mary of the Hills Council # 13950 for their project to build a new Little League Challenger Division field for those with special needs!
The Special Olympic Initiative was introduced by the State Council under Life. This initiative involved the raising of funds to help build an A.D.A. compliant baseball field for Clinton Valley Little League Challenger Division Senior League. The goal was to raise $75,000 to complete the building of the field. Doing so would give Neil Reid Park two diamonds for those with special needs. Should we accomplish this goal, the Knights of Columbus could name the Senior League Field. This program benefits those with special needs by providing a facility where they can play baseball. The Challenger Division of Little League Baseball is designed for mentally and physically disabled youth to enjoy the full benefits of Little League participation in an athletic environment structured to their abilities. More than the skills of baseball learned through the experience, the value of the Little League Challenger Division is found in the proven therapeutic and socialization benefits of participating in sports, the strengthening of participants' selfesteem, the opportunities to mainstream into other divisions of play, and the disciplines of teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play which are hallmarks of the Little League program. The intent of the Challenger Division is to give everyone a chance to play baseball regardless of limitations. The significance of this new baseball diamond is best expressed by one of the athletes when asked why she loves baseball. The athlete told her mom that playing baseball gives the players an opportunity to feel "normal." The construction of the new A.D.A. compliant baseball field strengthened the relationship between the Clinton Valley Little League Challenger Division Senior League and the Community Parks and Recreation Department. Moreover, the new baseball field will bring to light in the public eye the extent of involvement of the Knights of Columbus MI Drive and the organization’s commitment and support to those who have special needs.
Congratulations to Fr. William Welsh Council 11756 for winning the 2025 State Family Program Award for Feeding the Hungry in St. Clair County.
Fr. William F. Welch Council No. 11756 is extremely proud to enter under the Community category our “Feeding the Hungry in St. Clair County, Michigan” program. This is a program that offers volunteer opportunities to help those in need through various local non-profit organizations. This program unites members of our council, our ladies auxiliary, our parish, our brother knights from our tri-district area, local businesses , other denominations of churches, and organizations. All are united to answer Christ’s command: “Give them some food yourselves.” Mark 6:37 This project has brought awareness of the extent of hunger in St. Clair County and the current shortage of food donations. It also has in place, a distribution plan to place an estimated $312,000 (130,000 pounds) worth of baked goods/year to the hungry of St. Clair County. This program is making a difference to thousands of people every month. Our members are proud to take ownership of what needs to be done. Several have commented that this is the reason they joined the Knights of Columbus. We did it by implementing three core principles of the Knights of Columbus: Charity, Unity and Fraternity.
Congratulations to Au Lac Council 10724 on winning the State Community Program Award for their Veteran's Memorial Project!
As the Knights of the Au Lac Council worked to improve our parish cemetery, we realized how many veterans were laid were to rest there. Dave Furtah, Joe Whitenight, and Jim Mattina began discussing how fitting it would be to have a memorial to honor these brave souls. IV. OVERVIEW – David Furtah & Joseph Whitenight; Project Co-Chairmen We explored many options and decided to purchase a memorial stone with each veteran’s name engraved on it. Then it was time to raise the funds needed for this project, research every name that would be engraved on the stone, choose the type of stone, and improve the area selected to place the monument. With the approval of Pastor Fr. Joe Esper and the cemetery manager, Patrick Pordon, we began to design and improve the area near the flag. It was necessary to put in electrical service, a water line to the cemetery, a catch basin, asphalt, and concrete work. Money was raised from both the 3rd Degree Council and 4th Degree Assembly. We held a spaghetti dinner where we served over 200 folks, we held meat bingo, euchre parties, charity gaming events, and asked for donations from interested parties. It took approximately two years to complete the project from start to finish. A ceremony was held to dedicate and bless the monument on June 1, 2024. The dedication was attended by Fr. Joe Esper, many parishioners, the Knights of Columbus Color Guard, and a Vietnam veteran, Jim Hellybuck, who survived an intense battle during the war. After the ceremony, many families took the opportunity to take group pictures gathered around the stone honoring their departed relatives.
On Sunday, June 1st, St Fabian Council #13362 conducted an exemplification of Charity, Unity, and Fraternity. 3 men were exemplified as 3rd Degree members of the Order, 2 from St Francis Council #4401 and 1 from St Fabian Council #13362.
Pictured here from left to right are:
1st row: Christian Johnson and Dr. Joshua Burkhard (4401), John Yun Z Qiu (13362)
2nd row: George Curran (4401 MD), Mike Kandah (4401 GK), Moses Mina (13362 Treasurer), Dan Wolocko (4401 Family Director)
3rd row: Scott Dewicki (13362 DGK) Jose Cayeo (13362 GK), Gary Mallia (DD112), Tom Oulette (13362 PD), Adrian VanBourgondien (13362 PGK)
Today’s beautiful readings for the Ascension instruct us how to carry on the work of the Apostles. We’ll discuss that great commission in today’s Dad Talk:
