K of C celebrate 75 years

Duane Hicks

A long-time service club which continues to go strong here, the local Knights of Columbus celebrated their 75th anniversary Saturday night with a banquet at La Place Rendez-Vous, and a service Sunday at St. Mary’s Church.
One of the highlights of Saturday evening was the recognition of four local knights who each have over 65 years of service: Ernie Brunetta, Claude DeBenedet, Bill Fostey, and John Duchnicki, the last of whom is the sole surviving charter member of Rainy Lake Council No. 2766, which was inaugurated on March 3, 1936.
On behalf of MP John Rafferty, MPP Howard Hampton gave out certificates to Brunetta, DeBenedet, Fostey and Duchnicki.
Emcee Georges Blanc read a letter of congratulation from Rafferty to the four recipients, which stated: “It is an incredible achievement to have volunteered your time and devotion to the church and to the community for over half a century. Your actions, your personal commitments to family, to fraternity, to the service of others less fortunate, are an inspiration to all of us.”
As well, Bishop Frederik Colli of the Thunder Bay Diocese presented Duchnicki with the Bishop’s Medal, honouring him for his dedication to the Knights of Columbus as well as his service to St. Mary’s Parish.
And Ontario State Deputy for K of C Joe Salini and Immediate Past Ontario State Deputy Arthur Peters presented Duchnicki with a certificate from Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, to honour the 75th anniversary.
“It’s not very often that we see charter members, but I am really trilled that we have Mr. Duchnicki to be able receive [this] … To be able to present this to a charter member means a great deal to us,” he mentioned.
Brunetta, DeBenedet, Fostey and Duchnicki also received certificates of service from the Ontario State Council during a celebration at Sunday mass.
There was no shortage of congratulations to Rainy Lake Council as a whole on its 75th anniversary Saturday night.
In the aforementioned letter from Rafferty, he noted the K of C have been a “positive force in the community.”
“The selfless acts of kindness and generosity you have shown over the years has helped shape our community for the better,” said Rafferty.
Hampton noted how honoured he is to have grown up in a community with service organizations like the K of C making sure “everybody was looked after and nobody was left behind, and nobody was shunted away in the corner.”
“Because of your history of giving to the community, over and over again, and never really asking anything in return, I think I can speak on behalf of a whole lot of young people who grew up here: Thank you for making this one of the best places in the world to grow up,” he remarked.
“You gave a lot and deserve to be recognized for that,” added Hampton.
On behalf of council and himself, Mayor Roy Avis expressed gratitude and appreciation to the K of C for their community contributions over the past 75 years.
“Being a native of Fort Frances, I’ve had the opportunity first-hand to witness your community involvement,” he noted.
“No matter where we look, you have touched lives of all ages, be it at the hockey rink, ‘Meals on Wheels’, kids’ camps or raising money for special projects, you have left your mark,” added Mayor Avis. “Your efforts have been greatly appreciated and greatly improved the quality of life of our citizens for doing this.”
Bishop Colli thanked Rainy Lake Council for its support of the diocese, parish and bishop.
“I know that comes from living faith within you, and that makes me even prouder as the bishop,” he noted.
Father Francis Puddicherry said the celebration is a time to be thankful for all that has happened in the past, but also think about the future, and wished the K of C more successful years ahead.
Don Marquis, Faithful Navigator of La Verendrye Assembly-Fourth Degree, gave congratulations on behalf of his group, while, Herman Rodrigues, Grand Knight of Rainy Lake Council No. 2766, thanked everyone for all their work over the last 75 years, and also thanked those who made Saturday’s gala come together.
He pointed out that Kathy Mueller should be recognized for making a special 75th anniversary banner, which will placed at the altar at St. Mary’s for the rest of the year.
The Northwest Catholic District School Board chair Anne-Marie Fitzgerald sent the K of C a letter expressing “sincere appreciation for the great work and generosity of the Knights of Columbus over the organization’s 75 years in Northwestern Ontario.”
“The students appreciate the smiling faces of the knights who come into our schools to celebrate the masses, speak on Remembrance Day, or to organize the basketball free-throw contests,” the letter noted, amongst other praise for the K of C.
 The Catholic Women’s League also sent the K of C a card of thanks and donated the centrepieces for the tables at Saturday’s banquet.
Blanc also read out a letter of congratulations from Dennis Olinyk, Grand Knight of Father Florentine Council in Rainy River, who noted Rainy Lake Council “has left an indelible print on the reputation on the Knights of Columbus in the District of Rainy River throughout the past 75 years, of providing works of charity, unity and fraternity.”
K of C history and future
Brunetta took time to share a brief history of Rainy Lake Council No. 2766.
He noted K of C have come a long way over the years, from holding its first meeting in a classroom at St. Mary’s School to the building of the K of C hall on he 800 block of Scott Street.
Local members worked countless hours of volunteer labour, but ended up with a facility which hosted countless banquets, weddings, socials and other activities over the years. The K of C held three bingos a week and rented the hall to other service clubs to run their bingos.
“I might add, we were successful in supporting many charitable organizations, such as the Arthritis Society, Salvation Army, the La Verendrye Hospital building drive in the amount of $100,000, and minor hockey,” noted Brunetta, adding that it’s estimated that K of C has donated in excess of $500,000 to minor hockey over the years.
Brunetta mentioned that recently changes in provincial regulations affected the K of C ability to raise funds and presented them with new challenges.
“Fortunately, we have a new group of young members with new vision and vigor, who are more than able to take on these challenges and lead us in faith and spirit in the coming years,” he added.
Guest speaker for the evening was Peters, who reflected on the important role K of C plays in the life of the church and community, and how they can invite others to embrace their message.
He stressed that beyond being a fraternity, the K of C must be sure to focus on the role of families in the organization and the ability of the order to involve family as a whole.
Guests of honour at the head table included Fr. Pudicherry. Bishop Colli, Salini, Peters, Rev. Bob Grynol, Deacon of St. Mary’s Parish, Columbus Club president Alan Brady and wife, Marie, district deputy Luke Schill and wife, Josie, Rodrigues and wife, Verlaine, and Marquis and wife, Rachel.
Blanc, himself a former Grand Knight of Rainy Lake Council No. 2766, also recognized former Grand Knights in attendance Saturday, including Ron Bernardi, Don Doupe, Cecil Duffy, Harold Huntley, Jim Lowey, Jim McLeod, Greg Mercure, Dan Pierroz, Luke Schill, and Leo Tremblay.
Some knights from Atikokan also attended the dinner.
Myron Hawryluk provided music during cocktail hour and dinner, while Pauline and Zack Jolicoeur performed a number of songs during dessert.
As mentioned above, the 75th anniversary celebration continued Sunday, where Brunetta, DeBenedet, Duchnicki and Fostey were honoured at mass at St. Mary’s Church.
At that time, there was three cheque presentations. The K of C gave a cheque for $32,000 to Riverside Foundation for Health Care, completing their $100,000 pledge to the “Care Close to Home” campaign to complete Phase IV renovations at La Verendrye Hospital.
The K of C also gave out a $10,000 cheque to the St. Mary’s Building Fund, completing their pledge of $15,000.
And a cheque for $3,700, donated by La Verendrye Assembly-Fourth Degree members, to pay for the sign at the entrance to the church which reads, St. Mary’s Parish Centre.
A luncheon for the entire parish community was held after mass, with about 250 people attending.