St. Philip Neri Knights of Columbus 9539

St. Philip Neri Council was the recipient of two awards at the Saskatchewan Knight's of Columbus State Convention held recently in Prince Albert. Brother Denis Benard accepted the Award for Family and our Deputy Grand Knight, Ron Schira accepted a "Faith in Action" award. Congratulations!

Knights and their families from St Philip Neri 9539 joined together in August to clean the trees and overgrowth at the outdoor Stations of the Cross at Queens House Retreat and Renewal Centre in Saskatoon, SK. These beautiful Stations were originally donated by the Knights of the Saskatoon Diocese in 1961.

Christ is risen! Alleluia, Alleluia! Wishing all Easter blessings.

Council 9539 hosted the last stations of the cross this past Friday, March 31st. Brothers Rick Murza and Ray Hickey provided the readings while Worthy Grand Knight Art Evoy lead the singing. Brother Bob Worobec made 2 large pots of meatless borscht soup that was enjoyed by all following the service. Thanks to all the Knights who helped with set up, tear down and clean up!

On February 11th and 12th our St Philip Neri Knights and their wives hosted our first Soup’n Bun. This idea was brought forward by Bro Reg Reiter as a way to bring our church community together. In addition we used this as a means to raise money to support our Knights of Columbus In Support of Life group which is hosting it’s Annual Gala on February 25th. We set up a Free Will Offering and raised over $610 !!!
The sense of community was obvious as many partakers sat and visited for over an hour after and then many pitched in to help with the clean up. We had about 15 of our members and their wives involved in organizing, making soup and buns as well as performing all of the duties required to accommodate the 120 -130 people who were fed during the two sittings. Thank you to Brother Ray Hickey (and Judy) for stepping up and really getting the planning under way along with Bro’s Reg Reiter and Brian Colquhoun our other core organizers. As well their wives played an integral part in helping this event succeed.
It’s not often we have a project that involves this level of participation and it’s gratifying to see so many help out. And isn’t it wonderful that we can gather together for an enjoyable function like this and use it as a means to support those who can’t help themselves, in this case, the unborn.
To all the Knights and their wives who contributed, thank you!
“Here I am” humanity as God wants it.

On February 5th we hosted our 2nd Annual Family Skating Party. It was a beautiful winter's day for an event like this as the temperature was just below freezing and everyone had a wonderful time. There were many skaters, some just visited, children played at the playground and most enjoyed a hot dog or two with hot chocolate (whipped cream and marshmallows -Yum:) There were 50-60 participants.

Every once in a while we are taken back in time and that is what happened on this day. Last year Fr Ken laced them up and this year Merv Schneider took a break from hot dog prep to show off his old skates and his old skating skills that haven’t been used for 40’ish years. He managed to stay on his feet the whole time and once we got him connected to a chair he was either cruising with it, or sitting on it. Great job Merv! I couldn’t get the videos to send so I will try send them separately.

This event was planned and organized by Bro Ken Meier and his wife Chris. 7 or 8 other Knights were on hand to help when needed. It was very well organized and I’m sure we will continue to host this event annually, weather permitting.

“We as a small group of people united in a common cause can be a powerful force for good, and that by working together as a team we can make a difference in our parishes, our communities and our world”

I’m sure we have all seen the beautiful new roof barrier at St Philip which was completed in August. For this project to have taken place, we have to give credit to Brother Bob Worobec. Bob (with help from many KofC members, especially Tom Kurjata) spent a great deal of time researching for a design with price options and then he shared with others to get their feedback before moving forward with a final proposal. Sleepless nights and all, he handled it very professionally as he lead the way from start to finish.

As the price was quite substantial, our council decided to donate up to $5000 as a matching grant and it didn’t take long for one anonymous parishioner to step forward and match it bringing the total to $10,000 which covered almost 40% of the total cost.

Many of us early on, assumed we would likely need to pay someone for installation, however in the end our Knights completed the installation under the leadership of Bro Bob Worobec and Bro Carl Kot. They were joined by Art Evoy, Mike Thibeau, Bernie Schulte, Ken Dunn and Ron Schira

Below is a list of some of the initiatives our Knights have undertaken to support our church, our faith, our community and those in need.

Coats for Kids
Wheelchair Foundation
Refuge Fund
Blackstrap Camp
Family Fun Events
Basketball Free Throw
Friendship Inn
Dynamic Catholic Book Program
Prairie Knights Music Festival
Str8up
Bosco Homes
Priests Retirement Fund
Yubu Development Agency Inc (African Humanitarian Mission)
Mission Aviation
Olive Branch
St Philip Church Upgrades
Queens House Retreat Centre
Teen-Aid Saskatoon
Saskatoon Pregnancy Options Centre
L’Arche Saskatoon
Catholic Christian Outreach
K of C In Support of Life
Novena for Life
Ring Bells for Salvation Army

“Here I Am” is humanity as God wants it.

Our St Philip Neri Knights of Columbus have held many BBQ’s over the past years and hope to host many more in the future. These events serve to raise much needed funds to support the important initiatives our Knights undertake. Brother Merv Schneider leads the way by booking available dates and organizing food and helpers.

Pictured here are some of the volunteers and others who have stopped to socialize. ‘Can’t spend all of our time working’ :)

If you find yourself at the Preston Crossing Canadian Tire on a day when we are running our barbecue stand, be sure to support us or just stop by to say hello.

On December 3rd, our Knights hosted a fun family event at the church, organized by Brother Ken Meier and his wife Chris. They had beautiful little bird houses for the kids to paint/decorate as well as ginger bread cookies to decorate. In spite of all the good planning, the turnout was not great. The kids that did come enjoyed themselves with decorating and hot chocolate.

5 Knights and 4 wives attended and were ready and willing to help where needed, thank you.

Thank you to Ken and Chris for all of the planning and work. This is such a positive initiative and maybe if we change the way it is promoted, next year we can do it again with greater success.

Nine of our Council members helped by ringing bells again this year. This is a major fund raiser for the Salvation Army which helps those in need in many areas. The donations range from loose change up to $100 per donor and many thousands $ are raised for the needy each year through this campaign.

Brother Merv Schneider organized the shifts as in the past years as well as working multiple shifts.

Thank you to all who helped and please consider adding your name to the list next year if you couldn’t make it this year.

Our council's Ron Denis lead the way with Don Brophy from Mother of Perpetual Help Council 9538 and we delivered 30+ coats to St Mary's school. Teacher Darcy Thomas was very appreciative as will be the many students who will benefit from this initiative. Coats For Kids is a wonderful Knights program.

Brother Ron D couldn’t be there the day of the delivery as he was working out of province but he not only lined everything up, he was responsible to accept multiple shipments of coats to his compound at his place of work. He unloaded, organized and stored the product to accommodate other Councils as well.