Council 11957 - Antonio G, Vittorini Memorial Pasta Dinner for Vocations

By: Paul Biebere - Mon, Jan 27, 2020 3:30 AM

Posted For: Council #11957

     Members of St. Therese of Lisieux, Council 11957 in Shelby Township, MI. scored a triple-header by honoring a Brother Knight Deacon at the Antonio G. Vittorini Memorial Pasta Dinner for Vocations. Brother Knight, Deacon Don Sandstrom, was honored for his 25 years of service as a Deacon during a Corporate Communion Mass and the pasta dinner that followed. Deacon Don also serves as Chancelor in his Council and is a past Grand Knight. The late Antonio G. Vittorini was a member of the St. Therese of Lisieux Council 11957 and was serving a State Secretary of Michigan before his untimely death.  Antonio worked diligently for vocations and providing schlorships for seminarians. After passing, the Brother Knights of Council 11957 renamed the annual pasta dinner, that he had started many years ago to raise money for the seminarians, to the "Antonio G. Vittorini Memorial Pasta Dinner for Vocations".


     Despite an eight-inch snowfall that morning followed by freezing temperatures in the evening, over 130 people attended the dinner. The Clergy guests included; Bishop Robert Fisher who lead off with an opening prayer, Monsignor John Kasza, Pastor of St. Therese of Lisieux Parish and Chaplin of Council 11957, Fr. Charles Fox representing the Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Fr. Paul Ballien who is the Archdiocese of Detroit Chaplin for the Knights of Columbus and Deacon Andrew Mabee who represented the Seminarians. Other Clergy in attendance were Brother Knights Deacon Jerry Campernel, Deacon Don Sandstrom and Deacon Greg Willoughby. State Secretary Walter Winkle, Jr., State Treasurer Christopher Kolomjec and State Advocate Barry Borsenik represented the Michigan State Council at the dinner. 


     Events after the dinner included speeches by some of the Clergy and State Council members and a 50/50 raffle. Members of the Vittorini family were present and Antonio's grandchildren drew the winning raffle tickets. With the generous donations of those present and the proceeds from the raffle, $4,300 was raised to support the Seminarians.


     To view pictures from this enjoyable evening, click the link below.


 2020 Antonio G. Vittorini Memorial Pasta Dinner - Rev.

Council 11957 - Council #11957 Events and News

By: Paul Biebere - Fri, Jan 10, 2020 3:30 AM

Posted For: Council #11957



There is much going on within the Knights of Columbus in the next couple months and news to share. Please note where volunteers are needed to work special events and volunteer to share your time.


Council #11957 Events



  1. January 11th - Council 11957 will hold a  Free Throw Competition in conjunction with St. Kierans Parish in the St. Kierans gym. This is for children ages 8 through 13. Check in is at 8:30 a.m. with the competition beginning at 9:00. 

  2. Jan. 18th - The Antonio Vittorini Memorial Pasta Dinner for Vocations will be held in the Social Hall after the 4:30 p.m. mass. Workers will be needed for the event set-up and to clean up afterward. If you can help set up, please arrive by noon that day.

  3. Also on Jan. 18th, there will be a Corporate Communion at the 4:30 mass. Members are asked to attend in coat and tie. We will file into church as a group. Deacon Don will be honored at this mass for his 25 years service as a deacon and will be presenting the homily. Please plan to attend.

  4. On Jan. 24th, the Right-to-Life movie "Unplanned" will be shown at St. Therese at 6:30 p.m. The Knights will be serving popcorn and non-alchoholic beverages during the movie. Your services will again be needed as 8 - 10 workers will be needed for this event.

  5. The next pancake breakfast will be Feb. 9th. As always, volunteers are needed to set up, cook, serve and clean up after. One of our long-time volunteers, Mark Neven, is still recovering from heart surgery and will not be able to help at this event. It may take several new volunteers to replace him.

  6. Feb 28th - First Fish Fry

  7. A new fund raising event, "A Night at the Races", is being planned for May 4th. This promises to be a fun event for raising money for our council. There will be more details to follow. Volunteers will be needed (25-30) to run this event for it to be a success. If you would like to assist with the planning process, please contact John Lamanna.


Other Events - there are several events, some of which support the Detroit Archdiocese Vocations League, going on at other parishes. They are:



  1. Jan. 19th - 17th Annual JFK Knights of Columbus Polish Dinner. Dinner will be from 12:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and the cost is $13/plate. The JFK Knights Hall is at 33320 Kelly Rd., Clinton Township. Call Wally at 586-791-5656 if you have questions.

  2. Feb. 14th - St. Michael K of C Valentine Dinner Dance at Fernhill Country Club. The cost is $45/person with an open bar. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. with dinner at 8:00 and dancing until midnight. Call one of the following if you would like tickets or have questions: Curt Best 586-382-9397 or Tom Nevedal 586-247-1034. Fernhill is at 17600 Clinton River Rd, Clinton Township

  3. April 18th - District #23 Knights of Columbus "Night at the Races". Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 and races beginning at 7:00. The entry fee is $35 in advance or $40 at the door. The fee includes dinner and open bar. For questions or tickets, call Sue Thorn at 248-408-6354. The hall is at 1195 Gratiot Ave., Maryville, MI


Council #11957 News



  1. As you have probably read or heard, the initiation ceremony for 1st - 3rd degree knights has been streamlined. All will now be done at one ceremony, with no secrecy ritual, that will last about thirty minutes and include members of the participants family. Each parish is to have it's own team of five knights for conducting this ceremony. Please contact Rick Fisher if you would like to be part of the team.

  2. The Right-to-Life petition that was circulated at St. Therese far exceeded the number of signatures required for approval. All the signatures are now being verified by the State. This initiative will be on the November Michigan ballot if the petition is certified.

  3. Our MI Drive raised $9,200 for special needs organizations. Checks will be distributed to the following organizations in February:
    Aspire, Parents Who Care, ARC of Macomb, Special Olympics, Macomb Academy, Glen H. Peter's School and Eisenhowere High School Special Education.

  4. On January 6th, Dennis Dysarz and the St. Leo's Kitchen Group from St. Therese delivered a check for $5,000 to the Malta Medical and Dental Group at St. Leo's. This organization provides dental services for needy veterans. They were very appreciative of this donation and one happy recipient of new dentures proudly displayed his new pearly-whites. To see pictures from this presentation, click the link below.


Malta Medical & Dental Donation


If you have any questions about the above events or have any recommendations, contact Grand Knight Rick Fisher at GK11957@mikofc.org