These Knights do good deeds for the Sault (2 photos)

Sault Ste. Marie being a hockey-minded town, the term ‘Knights’ immediately evokes images of St. Mary’s College high school hockey, the OHL’s London Knights or the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights expansion team.

However, another group of ‘non-hockey’ Knights has existed locally since 1904.

Sault Ste. Marie’s Knights of Columbus fraternity, which consists of five councils, stems from the formation of the Knights of Columbus in the U.S. in the 1880s by Roman Catholic priest Michael McGivney, as a group dedicated to helping Irish immigrants settle in America.

It evolved into a Roman Catholic fraternity devoted to providing charitable services, expanding to 1.9 million members in nearly 15,000 councils in many countries around the world.

“We’ve spread to the point now where we’ve provided non-profit housing. Columbian Towers (at 277 Northern Ave. East) is run by the Knights of Columbus,” said Len Donnelly, Knights of Columbus District Master Fourth Degree. 

Donnelly, who has been involved with the group for 55 years, recently accepted, along with fellow Knight Bob Turco, complimentary SooToday coffee mugs, the local Knights being the subject of this week’s SooToday Midweek Mugging.

The Knights are holding a Gala Brunch for the Alzheimer Society Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma District from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Apr. 29 at Grand Gardens North at 1324 Great Northern Road, with all proceeds going to the local Alzheimer office to help those afflicted with that illness.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $12 for children 10 and under, free for children three and under, and are available at Grand Gardens North and the Alzheimer Society office at 341 Trunk Road (tickets also available at the door at Grand Gardens North).

“It’s not just ‘church.’ That’s the kind of thing the Knights have done over the years. If you go back in history, we donated something in the vicinity of $300,000 to the hospitals for equipment years ago.”

One must be a male, Catholic and 18 and over to join, while the ladies have served in Catholic Women’s League of Canada chapters over the years.

“My wife is a member of the Catholic Women’s League and tells me ‘we do our thing, you do yours,” Donnelly chuckled.

Each of the five local Knights of Columbus councils, with 355 members combined, has its own meeting place in town, but a key meeting place is on the upper floor of the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board (H-SCDSB) office at 90 Ontario Avenue, the site of the former Mount St. Joseph College.

“The largest donation we ever made was to the General Hospital, and ARCH. When ARCH was beginning we provided them with office space to get going. The Soup Kitchen was another one…the van which they used to pick up donations was purchased by the Knights,” Donnelly said.

The Pregnancy Centre, Women In Crisis, St. Vincent Place, Christmas Cheer and Special Olympics are other groups which have benefited from help from the Knights over the years.

“It basically gives me an opportunity to become involved and give back to the community I’ve lived in,” said Donnelly, who operated a local business in the Sault (O’Sullivan Donnelly Funeral Home) for many years. 

“My Dad got me involved in the Knights. My family worked hard for the Knights, and charity’s important to me,” said Bob Turco, a Knights of Columbus District Deputy for District 38, and a 43-year member of the fraternity.

“We enjoy giving back to the community. You’ve got to give. You give, you get something back,” said Knight John Shoust.

“There’s so much need out there. It’s very, very difficult to pick and choose who to give to because there’s so much need. But, we do our best,” said Knight Ed Corelli.