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Brother Knights,

Tempus Fugit, Memento Mori. Time Flies, Remember Death. These are the watchwords of our order and since my last article they have featured prominently in our council and in my life. Brother’s Gerrard Tuepah, Val Dumais, Tim Seitz, and Gerry Steenburgh have all passed from this life into the eternal light of our Lord since the beginning of this year. And at the time of writing, my last week has really shown me that time can fly by in an instant. The wife of my cousin Jason Bolton, Lisa, at just 49 years old went to see the doctor because something didn’t feel right on Monday, was taken in for emergency double bypass surgery where something went tragically wrong, and she passed away early the Tuesday morning.

Brothers, we all prepare ourselves in one way or another for the loss of a loved one or friend and as hard as it is to lose someone in old age or due to illness, we often have time to mentally prepare ourselves, but too often we look at death as something that can only take the old and the sick and that the young have their whole lives ahead of them. But we do not know God’s plan. The end of the week found me attending 3 funerals in 3 days. Brother Gerry Steenburgh, Thursday, Father Peter Murphy, Friday, and Lisa’s on Saturday. Br. Gerry had been sick for some time, Father Murphy was in his 90’s, but Lisa was in her 40’s and not expected. It was after I got home Saturday that it really hit me. Thinking about when I gave Jason and Lisa’s 11 year old daughter Emma a rosary and told her to keep it with her, if she feels frustrated, hold it, if she feels angry hold it, if she feels sad, hold it, touch the beads and Our Lady will comfort you, just before her mother’s funeral, and that if she would like to learn to pray it that her grandmother, my aunt Karen or I would help her learn and pray with her.

Remember we know not the time nor the place in which our Lord will call us from this life. Please pray for all these families and for one another. If you have the time, please say the rosary for the deceased and their families.

Tempus Fugit, Memento Mori.

Vivat Jesus!

Ryan Polywkan
Grand Knight

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.

Quickly we will find ourselves approaching the season of Lent again. We seem to move rather quickly from celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour to His death on the cross.

For me personally I find that at the beginning of Advent I have an opportunity to refocus on my faith and to try to do something to build on it, and the beginning of Lent gives me the opportunity to fix, adjust, or add to what I began at Advent and maybe fell behind on, or to get a better understanding of, or add something new all together.

A few years back it was taking up praying the rosary daily and that has become an essential part of my life that makes me who I am. Over the years I have tried and failed but have taken the opportunity each year to at Advent and/or Lent to increase my faith. For Avent 2023 I began praying the liturgy of the hours. This was one of the things that I had failed at in years past, but I had to try it again. I started praying one per day to work on getting an understanding but within a week I was praying two per day which is what is recommended for laymen. I find some days I will pray 3 or 4 and the odd busy day 1, but I’ve managed to stick with it through the month.

I would like to challenge each of you to take the opportunity at lent this year to start something to build your faith, it could be new or something old you’ve stopped and feel the urge to start again or join a faith development program. Even if you just spend a couple extra moments pondering the daily readings, I encourage you to take this opportunity to build on and increase your faith.

God bless you,

Vivat Jesus!

Ryan Polywkan
Grand Knight

Brother Knights,

I would like to thank everyone for the successes of the last few months with our council. There were many things that we were involved in within our community. We had Brother Knights help at St Marguerite Bourgeoys with their welcome back event, a barbeque at St. Teresa of Calcutta school, a barbeque at Newman House on Queen’s University Campus in support to Catholic Christian Outreach, a Parish Spaghetti Supper which was both a welcome for Father Michel and a birthday party for Father John, a Parish Fish Fry, a couple First Friday Eucharistic Adoration events and the continuation of the ASK program. To say September and October have been busy is an understatement. Brother’s, you have made this all possible with your generous ability to jump in and help out when needed. We have no problem with volunteers on the day of the event, however, finding people to help organize these events has become a bit of a sore spot for our council. We need your help prior to these events. Most of them don’t take much time in committee, and we have seasoned veterans willing to pass on their knowledge. Please take advantage of these opportunities while they are available to learn from these dedicated brothers who have committed so much time and effort over the years to make these events of all types happen. We owe them our thanks for what they have accomplished and there is no better way to do that then to learn as much as we can from them and carry the torch into the future.

Thank you for all of your hard work and may God bless you always.

Vivat Jesus!

Ryan Polywkan
Grand Knight

Brother Knights,

I was recently reminded of something that I do not always think about – changes in assignments within our own clergy. Our parish recently underwent some changes with our Associate Pastor Father Paul Mawalla being reassigned to Perth and Father Michel Quenneville returning to our parish for the first time since being ordained a Priest. This move shows us that we must embrace change as it happens. It’s not just those moving that are affected, but also those Priests who remain.

I was recently in a small farming town parish near Lake Huron for Mass while we were visiting my wife’s family and they too had a new priest, Father Ray Lawhead, who was given exactly one week’s notice to move from Lasalle, near Windsor, to Petrolia, near Sarnia, an assignment with 4 parishes. Speaking with him after Mass that Sunday emphasized something that Fr Michel mentioned at our last general meeting, that there is a state of mourning that priests go through when leaving one parish to go to a new one. This is a change with moving away from friends and parishioners that you have become close to, your parish family.

I consider us very fortunate to have had time to plan and hold a farewell party for Father Paul. Father Ray in Petrolia will have to wait to go back to Lasalle for a visit when his time will allow. These men that we are lucky enough to call Father have hardships like the rest of us. They live a life of service, and we should do whatever we can to assist them, and we must always keep them in our prayers.

For all of our Priests, Deacons, and Religious, thank you for everything that you do, and know that we are here for you as Knights, men, and faithful Catholics. May God continue to bless your ministries.

Vivat Jesus!

Ryan Polywkan
Grand Knight

Brothers,

I would like to thank all of you for your support in my first year as Grand Knight. I have learned a lot in this last year.

Just before I took on this role, our council had experimented with our first “event” in a few years, an after-mass coffee social, to knock the rust off. In the year since I took office, we have held 2 golf tournaments, several back-to-school BBQ’s, Newman House BBQ, Fish Fry, Degree Team exemplification at St Mary’s Cathedral, First Communion Rosary presentations, several end of year BBQ’s, school awards at 5 schools, and a Multi-Cultural Food Festival. And I’m probably missing things too.

There is a great amount of planning that goes into each of these events, some more than others, and getting back on track after years of lockdown has not been easy. Everything we’ve done has essentially been a new event. We could not gauge the numbers that we would see as it has been so long since the last time, we held similar events, and we also didn’t know how people would react. Would they keep 6 ft distances, would they wear masks, would they even come? Well, they came! And without your help in these events, they would not have happened.

This coming fraternal year we need you more than ever. We have events lined up but will need help organizing and staffing them. The groundwork is largely laid out now, so that makes things a bit easier, but we need members who have not been out in a while to come back into the fold. Your help is always welcome and ap-appreciated. It has been a very busy year and it is only going to continue to stay busy.

Remember that we are an order based on Charity, Unity, and Fraternity. Our foremost principal is Charity. So please be charitable with your time and abilities assisting your council and parish where help is needed. Thank you to everyone who helped throughout the year in any capacity — you have made this council a tremendous success. And thank you for supporting me. I am still learning and will make mistakes, so I ask that you please keep me in your prayers.

God bless you all.

Vivat Jesus!

Ryan Polywkan
Grand Knight