At the time of this writing, we just began Lent and we wait in anticipation for the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings.
My wife Lori and I pray that each of you and your family experience a Blessed and joyous Easter.
As former State Chaplain, now Bishop of Hamilton, once said “Jesus, by his passion, death and resurrection, offers each of us His mercy, love and forgiveness. He invites us to become like the apostles, courageous witnesses of his resurrection, love, compassion and mercy”.
The Knights of Columbus have been compared to messengers of hope and heralds of the Good News. Remember we have the ability to reach out to others, provide them with comfort and kind words, to give people hope and inspire them to join the Order and develop a closer relationship with Jesus.
Let us continue to pray for healing, pray for good health, pray for peace and good will, pray for freedom and protection and pray for those who do not know the resurrection of Jesus is for all who seek Him and ask Jesus to come into their life.
Jesus is the true healer, miracle worker, our defender and protector against Satan and promise keeper of salvation and life everlasting with God and Himself. Our faith provides us hope, love and peace with Jesus our King of kings.
I pray that Easter and Pentecost will be extraordinary in 2026.
Vivat Jesus, The King of kings!
McGivney Relic Tour
By: State Deputy, David O. Gelinas
Brother Knights,
As I reported in the December State bulletin, Ontario has been blessed to have a First-Class Relic of Blessed McGivney. The relic was in Ontario from mid August until the first week of November. It passed through 9 District Deputies to give to their Councils that requested the relic. Having received a summary report from little 25 Councils and 1 1,400 people atte and other oppor relic. I am sure involved and it i people came out thank all the co priests that made McGivney relic in brought it over to the State Deputy from a severe h favours that have priest is investigating these favours. Ontario was given the relic again in mid January and another tour has been scheduled for the relic for a second time. This tour will be completed at the April State convention in Ottawa. I encourage Grand Knights and other delegates to visit with the Blessed McGivney Relic when you are at the convention.
Caption: Relic visit to St John Evangelist Church in Woodslee. (left to right) SKs Ron Barnhard, Denis Coutu, Gord Edwards, Fr. Danny Santos, Laverne Martins, Jerry Marcotte and John Chenier.
McGivney Relic visits the coveted Statue Sitethat Bears his Name in September 2025, the McGivney Statue Site Steering Committee met a Heavenly Rest Cemetery in Windsor to acknowledge the relic. The Committee oversees the wellbeing and engages in promotion of the site.
McGivneyRelicvisitsthecovetedStatueSite thatBearsHisNameInSeptember2025,the McGivney Statue Site Steering Committee metaHeavenlyRestCemeteryinWindsor to acknowledge the relic. The Committee overseesthethewellbeingandengagesin promotionofthesite.
Totherightoftherelic,isshownoneofthe 12inchreplicastatueswhichareavailable topur-chase Lefttorrightare:SKsJerry Marcotte, Gord Edwards, John P Semaan, Ken Bosse, Carl Baillargeon and Paul Brownlie.
PhotobyCherylEdwards
To the right of the relic, is shown one of the 12 inch replica statues which are available to purchase. Left to right are: SKs Jerry Marcotte, Gord Edwards, John P. Semaan, Ken Bosse, Carl Baillargeon and Paul Brownlie
Bro. Matthew Demeter, holding the McGivney Relic, shares a moment with his brother Christopher at the Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington, Ontario. Matthew was a school teacher and a parishioner at St. John the Baptist Church in Burlington. Bro. Matthew died on December 29, 2025. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew him.
Parishioners approach to encounter the McGivney Relic.
McGivney Relic Tour
visit to
Fr. David Twaddle of St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Oshawa, is shown with the McGivney Relic as State Secretary, Joe Bodnar, on the right, along with members of Council 9989 gather in support. State Secretary Joseph presented the relic after each mass and 350 faithful approached to touch or to pray with it. The poppies worn by a few of the brother knights coincide with photo being taken on November 9, 2025, just prior to Remembrance Day, 2025.
DD Ken Bosse offers the McGivney Relic to a parishioner at St. Michael's Church in Leamington. The relic received numerous displays of reverence.
Fr. Nelson Cabral, of St. Micheal's Parish, Leamington, acknowledges Mc Givney Relic in September 2025 as presented by DD Ken Bosse. Formers District Master Gord Edwards and Reg Campbell from Maidstone and Essex assist as Honour Guard. In the foreground is State Deputy David Gelinas.
DD Ken Bosse is shown in procession with the McGivney Relic at St. John de Brebeuf Church in Leamington. State Deputy David Gelinas is shown on the left. The relic visited numerous sites in Essex County.
Vivat Jesus, The King of kings!
Relic
St. Clement Church, McGregor, FDM Gord Edwards, Fr .Danny Santos and DD Ken Bosse.
Honour Giard assisting are SK Renfred D'Souza, PFN, and SK Ray Stephensen, PGK, PFN, Bishop Reding Assembly 1981, Oakville.
BrotherKnights,
Warriors to Lourdes Program
By: State Deputy, David O. Gelinas
His Excellency, The Most Reverend Bishop Scott McCaig the Military Ordinate of Canada since April 2016 has presented information and an appeal to the Canadian Association KnightsofColumbusregardingtheWarriorstoLourdesPilgrimageforCanadians.
The 2026 Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage occurs during the 66 International Military PilgrimagefromMay22 –24 ,2026. th nd th
TheWarriorstoLourdesPilgrimageallowsallmilitarypersonneltotraveltotheShrineof Our Lady of Lourdes in France. The International Military Pilgrimage was established in 1946 to promote reconciliation and peace after WWII. Lourdes has become a place of prayer and healing for active-duty military and veterans alike. No one understands the valueofpeacebetterthanthosewhoenduredwarandconflict.
Keep in mind that many countries will be sending active-duty military and veterans but Bishop Scott is looking for financial support toward our Canadians. Unfortunately, the Federal Canadian military cannot financially help this important Pilgrimage so for Canadians,therefore,itmustbesupportedatthegrassrootslevel.
To read an article from the Catholic Telegraph about this Warrior to Lourdes Pilgrimage, clickthislink.
Joinmereflectingonthis-“EternalLifeistoparticipateinthecommunityoftheDivi y Father,theSonandtheHolySpirit”.Becomingawarethatalreadyyoueternallybelongtothemandarewith themiseternallife.JesuslovesyouwiththesameperfectionandintensitythatHelovesandtheFatherandthe Spirit.However,torejectthisinvitationandawarenessistorejectlifeitselfandsimplytastedeath.Howareyou aware that you are participating in this life even if you don’t feel it? How are you called to believe in this profoundtruth?
Mother Teresa, St Teresa of Calcutta, reminds us to “be happy in the moment”. Further, to find God in the vulnerable and suffering person is to allow the Risen Christ to work through you. Archbishop Fulton Sheen explains that the Incarnation, the Death and Resurrection of Christ continues to happen through you as a memberoftheBodyofChrist Indeed,Jesusisbeingborn,dyingandrisinginyou Jesushasrisenandisalivein you!Wedon’thavetoalwaysfullyunderstandthismysterytocelebrateit,yetthemoreweappreciateitwe cometorealizeitasagiftoftheHolySpirit.
LetuslookattheparadoxofthoseinUkraine,theMiddleEastandelsewhereintheworldatthistime.Amidthe suffering and death, there are those through whom the Risen Lord is alive and truly visible. We witness significantorperhapssmallhumbleactsofgreatfaithandheroism,despitethecloudsofdoubt,destruction anddeath Onepersonmayhavelittleornohopeinlife,yetanothercomestotheirsidetowitnesstotheRisen Lord.Likewise,Heinvitesyoutobethatvesselaswellforthosenearby.
We Ontario Knights of Columbus brothers enjoy working with passion, determination and creativity to support our councils, parishes and communities. Raising funds for charity is a very important part of this support. Across our province, we work best when we strive together, efficiently and effectively, at both the local council and State levels to advance our programs and achieve results that we could not achieve otherwise.
Our Ontario Knights of Columbus 50/50 Raffle is an excellent example of this kind of determined and creative cooperation and is a well-respected element of our continuing success.
For the raffle that ended with final draw on December 30, 2026, together we generated a record-breaking pot just shy of $50,000 ($49,270) with the lucky winner, Thomas Krueger, taking home $24,635. Congratulations Thomas!
For the current raffle, with final draw to take place at the 2026 Ontario State Convention on Sunday April 26, the pot and the excitement continue to build. For this raffle’s $500 early bird draw, which took place on Tuesday February 17, 2026, the fortunate winner was Wayne Caskanette. Congratulations Wayne! The pot for this raffle is already in excess of $17,000. Let’s aim for and achieve a total pot of $100,000 or more for the final draw!
Through our raffle-focused newsletter, The Raffle Rouser, distributed to all Ontario Knights, we actively promote raffle ticket purchases. The Raffle Rouser also is strategically released just before major gift-giving opportunities. In this gift-giving vein, we have worked with our raffle service provider, rafflebox, to enable purchase of 50/50 raffle tickets as gifts, e.g. for birthdays and wedding anniversaries.
Currently, some 298 councils out of some 460 active councils participate in the 50/50 Raffle (65%). Together, we can increase participation, benefiting both individual councils and Ontario State. It’s also very important to keep in mind that increasing participation means increasing both the number of councils participating and the number of tickets that each participating council sells.
ONTARIO KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS 50/50 RAFFLE
Tickets easily can be purchased on-line at ontariokofc.ca. There are four ways to pay for purchases: debit, credit card, Google and Apple Pay. The more tickets you buy the lower the price of each ticket. You can buy 10 tickets for $10, 40 tickets for $20, 125 tickets for $50 and 300 tickets for $100.
Importantly, councils customarily receive a commission of 25% on their tickets sold, which is an excellent source of revenue for funding councils’ charitable programs. Using rafflebox as our on-line service provider is Canadian, easy to use, user-friendly and extremely cost effective, with fees of only 5% of ticket price.
To further assist councils with raffle ticket sales, for example, in conjunction with council events, Point of Sale (POS) handheld devices are available for rent or purchase ($35 per month rental Office is also strongly committed to supporting g councils free use of a POS machine for two-week assist and provide further details.
Let’s keep working together successful, especially for the 2026 Ontario State Convention!
Vivat Jesus, The King of kings!
BURSARY PROGRAM & CANADIAN UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS
MARK YOUR CALENDARS, BROTHER KNIGHTS – OTTAWA AWAITS!
And gentlemen, let’s not forget the Ladies Program.Ourwivesarewarmlywelcomedwitha wonderfulprogramoftheirown—andifhistory tells us anything, they usually have more fun than we do! While we’re debating resolutions, they’rebuildingfriendshipsandenjoyingOttawa in style. Somehow, they always return smiling… and possibly better organized than when they left.
Therearereports,yes.Butthereisalsolaughter, fellowship, and those late-night conversations where we solve every problem facing the Order —atleastuntilbreakfast.
Every Council deserves a voice. I encourage you to register early and join us in Ottawa. You will return home grateful you came and maybe evenwiththerighttiethistime.
Vivat Jesus, The King of kings!
OUR SUPPORT OF VETERANS CONTINUES
By: Bruce S. Poulin, IPSD
Members will recall the official unveiling of a cenotaph at the Andy Carswell Building (Veterans’ House Canada) located at 745 Mikinak Road, Ottawa, on April 24, 2025 – the day before our 2025 Annual State Convention, also held in Ottawa.
Then State Deputy, Captain Bruce S. Poulin (ret’d) from Council #485 in Ottawa wanted to commemorate 125 years of the Knights of Columbus in Ontario during his term in office by promoting our Knights’ historical support for our military and veteran communities during times of war and in peace.
After much consultation with the local veteran community, it was agreed to build a cenotaph (at an approximate cost of $75,000) for our homeless veteran community residing at the Andy Carswell Building. Its purpose is to provide a place for the residence to find some solace and a focal point for community outreach events.
This project was parsed three ways. The first major part was the construction and unveiling of the cenotaph on April 24, 2025. The next phase saw the burial of a time capsule in October 2025. The third and final phase relates to the groundskeeping and the memorial bricks.
These custom-engraved heritage bricks will become part of the walkway at the cenotaph and will enhance this prayerful site. As we complete the final touches, we invite you to promote the legacy of support between our Veteran community and the Knights of Columbus in Ontario by purchasing one of these bricks while there is still some place available.
OUR SUPPORT OF VETERANS CONTINUES
You do not have to be a member of the Knights of Columbus to purchase a heritage brick. All funds will be managed by the Ontario State Office.
Our State Advocate, Captain Earle DePass (ret’d), is the point of contact for these memorial bricks, should you have any questions. SK Earle may be reached via email to; State Advocate@Ontariokofc.ca or on (613) 363 8884.
Yes - I/We would like to purchase one brick(s) at a cost of $100.00 for a 4” x 8” brick or $150.00 for an 8“x 8” brick. (Please complete additional sheets for each additional brick.)
Please complete this order form and make cheque payableto: KofC Veterans’ House Canada Bricks, c/o Ontario State Office, Knights of Columbus, 393 Rymal Road West, Hamilton, ON, L9B 1V2, (905-388-2731), For information please e-mail: stateoffice@ontariokofc.ca
Your Name: ___________________________________
Address: ______________________________________
City/ Town, PostalCode: ______________________
Phone Number: ______________________________
E-mail: _________________________________________
Name or Names to be engraved: Max 3 lines with 16 characters per line 4” x 8”; Max6 lines with 16 characters per line 8” x 8”. (K of C Emblem is also available.)
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