The 98th Annual State Council Meeting of the Knights of Columbus of Saskatchewan, held by teleconference on April 25, 2020, due to the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, was a call for Knights to hold fast to the Catholic principles around which the Order was founded 138 years ago. Under the theme “Knights of Fraternity United in Charity” State Deputy Chris Bencharski, the State Executive, and the delegates from around the Province celebrated the past year’s successes and deliberated on how to better serve the Church and the community.
Delegates to the convention passed several resolutions at the 98th Annual Convention:
· That councils conduct “Into the Breach” Videos and Study Guides at their monthly meetings. “Into the Breach” is a video series produced by Supreme Council, which calls upon Knights to step into the breach to be the men that God is calling them to be.
· That we oppose Bill C-7, Extending Medical Assistance to Dying. Saskatchewan Knights of Columbus urge the Government of Canada to proceed cautiously and slow down to ensure that the watershed changes proposed in Bill C-7 should receive the time and attention needed for careful study.
Also, the delegates adopted resolutions concerning:
· The Saskatchewan State Council encourage all councils and its more than 10,600 Brother Knights within the State and their families to use the suggestions in the guidebook ‘Leave No Neighbor Behind’ provided by Supreme Council to offer all types of assistance to Knights of Columbus members, to our parishes, seniors and youth, to our pastors, and our communities.
The State Council elected the following executive effective July 1, 2020: State Deputy – Joe Riffel of Saskatoon; State Secretary – Larry Packet of Davidson; State Treasurer – Marte Clemente Nogot of Saskatoon, State Advocate - Greg Dezorec of Regina, State Warden – Agnel George of Regina. Chris Bencharski of Meadow Lake will continue on the executive as Immediate Past State Deputy. Newly elected State Deputy Joseph Riffel announced the following appointments; State Chaplain Father Ed Gibney and Associate State Chaplain Bishop Bryan Bayda. -
