The Knight Shield - December 2025

Great work of our Council continues!

Trunk or Treat – Unfortunately, I was unable to attend. It was reported to me we had 10 cars passing out candy. The weather was perfect, and we had a bunch of kids participate. I believe we had 200 hot dogs consumed! That tells me we had a lot of kids and parents out there enjoying themselves. Thanks to our Kitchen crew, the Knights and their wives who dressed up, handed out candy & helped with the games.

Memorial Mass – On a more somber note our Council had six Knights who passed away during the last 12 months. The Knights who passed are, Karl Sziisz, Mike Lombardo, Ralph Colosimo, Angelo Garavagila, Hank Kwiatkowski and Thomas Kalkman. It is our Council’s tradition to have a memorial plaque made for each of the fallen Knights. In addition to the plaques a Memorial Mass is celebrated at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. The plaques will be displayed at the Seminary. These Knights will be missed. Please keep them in your prayers. Thanks to Jeff Gapczynski who drove me and Kurt Buhlinger to the Seminary for the Mass.

Flag Retirement – Thank you Phil Kwasny for handling the flag retirement. Phil spent the entire weekend at all the Masses collecting flags. Interesting note: Phil has collected over 300 flags over the past three years.

Coats for Kids – Lorri and Ray Coughlin and I delivered 36 coats to Erie Elementary under our Coats for Kids campaign! With cold weather approaching, the staff at Erie were very thankful to get the coats. I am extremely grateful to Lori Coughlin. She purchased all 36 coats. I just showed up for the picture! Thank you Lorri!

Corporate Communion – We had a Corporate Communion November 16 at 11:30am Mass. We had a decent showing...a little lighter than usual. Fr Jim recognized the Knights during his homily for all the service we do for the church. Serving the church and serving Jesus!

Charity Poker- Thanks to Chairman Don Kosnik for taking this over from Mike Hartel. The rookie did pretty good for his first time out! No issues with the licenses and getting all the volunteers. He even knew the State gambling person who visited us to check us out. We passed with flying colors. Looks like we will net over $4,000. Additional thanks to George Loewen, Stan Labuda (they did two days), Vince Ursini, Marv Lehman, Dan Steele and Ray Sobieski for volunteering their time.

Christmas Party - The Fourth Degree Christmas Party is on December 13 after the 4pm Mass. Don’t have to be a Knight...all are welcome ($35 per person; $60 per couple, payable at the door). The evening will contain entertainment by the “Sisters Act Out” comedy group, good food & beverages. Contact Art Krygowski at 586-322-9411 to reserve a spot.

Pilgrim ICON- Council will have the Pilgrim ICON of the Scared Heart of Jesus for the week of January 18, 2026. The Knights will be leading a Divine Mercy Chaplet during Tuesday Adoration on January 20 at 3PM.

Scholarship Program – Resolution was read in to establish a scholarship program funded by the St Paul of Tarsus Council using funds raised from the Rosary sales and Charity poker. The Catholic Education scholarship will be available for high school and elementary education for a family member of our Council or a parish member. Initial budget is $3,000 per year for 3 years. Three scholarships for $1,000 each will be granted each year.

Upcoming events before next general meeting: THANKSGIVING! November 27

Coat Drive for Capuchins November 29 & 30

Ham & Kielbasa sales November 29 & 30

Cookies with Santa December 7 12:45pm

Exemplification December 11 at St Paul of Tarsus at 6 PM (before Council meeting)

Next Council meeting is Thursday December 11. Meal at 6:30 pm, Meeting at 7:30pm.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING & HAVE BLESSED AND MER- RY CHRISTMAS!

Gary Skarb 

The Knight Shield - November 2025

    Great work brother Knights! Our Council got a lot accomplished in October starting with the road cleanup, living rosary, pancake breakfast and we will finish off with Trunk or Treat at the end of the month.

    Road clean up there were 11 knights who helped on a beautiful Fall day. We knocked it off in about an hour. Thank you Chairman Greg Csernai who worked setting this up & thanks to the rest of the road crew Vince Ursini, Don Kosnik, Jim Harla, Art Krygowski, Ray Coughlin, Stan Labuda, Rob Hannigan, Ken Krause, Art Crowe.

    Living Rosary turn out was pretty good. An estimated 72 people showed up and participated. The day started off blustery and cloudy with rain threatening. Mother Mary fixed that...by the time the rosary started, the clouds broke and it was sunny and breezy. Had a surprise guest show up...Tom Pardo, our Church Director, who is recovering from a broken heel. Keep him in your prayers while he goes through his recovery. Special thanks to Phil Mularski, Vince Ursini and Dr Rob Amsler who arrived early to set up the sign, get tables & chairs set up, and got the PA system up & running. Phil & Vince did a great job leading the rosary.

    Pancake Breakfast was a success. We made $1,072! So many people too thank for making this a success...all the people who helped set up, the folks who helped serve, and the kitchen & cleanup crews. Thank you all for your time & help. You may not realize this, but it takes tremendous effort to make this happen. It starts weeks ahead of time from taking inventory, and ordering and picking up food and supplies. A day before, guys are prepping the kitchen & Knights and wives are setting up the hall. On the day of the Breakfast, the Kitchen Crew arrives at 6 am to start food preparation! All the volunteers arrive to help, collect the money, serve food, run 50/50 then clean up afterward. Truly amazing!

    Council agreed to have the Pilgrim ICON of the Scared Heart of Jesus for a week sometime between Jan 11- Feb. Knights will be leading a Divine Mercy Chaplet during Tuesday Adoration. More info to follow

    The Fourth Degree Christmas Party is on December 13 after the 4pm Mass. Don’t have to be a Knight, all are welcome. $35 per person; $60 per couple. Entertainment, singing nuns comedy group, good food & beverages.

    Upcoming events before next general meeting: Trunk or Treat Oct 26; 2pm north parking lot. Memorial Mass Nov 2; 10am Sacred Heart Seminary Flag retirement Nov 8 & 9; Church gathering space.

Next Council meeting is Thursday November 13. Meal at 6:30 pm, Meeting at 7:30pm.

Vivat Jesus ! 

Gary Skarb 

The Knight Shield - October 2025

    Please keep fallen Knight, District Deputy Dan Nowakowski and his family in your prayers. He passed away suddenly...literally 3 weeks after he presided over our officer installation. Dan always supported our Council. In my short time as Grand Knight, Dan was very helpful to me. He will be missed. Rest in peace. There will be a service for him on October 3, 2025, at St Hubert Church, 10am in state, 11am Mass, luncheon to follow.

    Thank you Phil Mularski for handling the Membership Drive the first weekend in September. Your talk generated a lot of interest. Several Knights asked me about transferring into our council, and a father and son spoke to me, took our handouts and said they would join. We got some names and, hopefully we will be holding an exemplification for new Knights!

    Corporate Communion was decently attended considering it was the same day as the church picnic where a lot of the Knights and their wives were helping out. It was nice that Deacon Mark acknowledged the Knights during the Mass intensions. Thanks to the Color Corps for another strong showing. Their presence always makes it special.

    In my opinion, the church picnic was a success. The Knights played a big part in that success. We were everywhere! Thanks to our “Kitchen Crew” Kurt Buhlinger, Jeff Gapczynski, Ken Krause, Tom Gray, Rich & Lisa Miller, Ray & Lorri Coughlin, Ken Grobbel, Stan Labuda, Steve Kargenian, Paul Parker & Dan Steele. Not to forget other Knights who were there helping out or were at our information table; Worthy Field Agent Don Wesley, Mike Essad, Art Krygowski, Phil Mularski and Larry Bukowski.  Thanks to Ken Dudley for taking pictures for our website. Check out all the photos he took on www.spotknights.com . Special recognition to Vince Ursini who was one of the leads on the Picnic Committee. He was all over the place and his efforts paid off. If I missed anyone, my apologies. One last thing, it wasn’t just the day of the picnic, the Knights put in a lot of time and effort with committee meetings, getting and preparing the food, setting up and taking down tables & chairs and cleaning up afterwards. We’ve got a great Council!

Please pray for our country. It seems to me there is a lot of hatred out there. Lord harden not their hearts!

Next Council meeting is Thursday October 9. Meal at 6:30 pm, Meeting at 7:30pm.

Vivat Jesus ! Gary Skarb 

The Knight Shield - September 2025

    Thanks to our District Deputy, Dan Nowakowski, and our District Warden, Ed Perkins, for presiding over our Officer installation at our last Council meeting. Please keep Worthy Dan Nowakowski and his family in your prayers as he is dealing with some challenging health issues.

    We presented the Family of the Month to Janet Valentine. She contributes to the faith life St Paul’s being a sacristan, lecturer, leading the rosary to name a few. She was honored to receive the recognition.

    We made a $1,900 check presentation to Vietnam Vets Chapter 154 from the money collected from our fireworks parking. They greatly appreciated the donation and noted that they will assist any vet. They have a small museum dedicated to the Vietnam Vets at their office on 15 mile road and invited us to visit anytime. Thank you, Ken Krause, for finding a local charity to donate the money collected.

    Steve Kargenian and I met with Fr. Jim & Deacon Mark and presented the $8,000 check from money raised from our fish fries. The money will go to CSA. Fr. Jim expressed his appreciation and support of the Knights.

    Thanks to Phil Kwasny for making the wheelchair drive a success. He worked both weekends & collected 17 wheelchairs! All the chairs were donated to the Clinton Township Fire Department. 

    Council Camping trip on July 31-Aug 2 had good weather and looked like all enjoyed the camping.

    Council Picnic on August 23 had a good turnout & good weather. Based on the feedback I received everyone had a good time. Thanks to all who assisted Kurt in setting up. Thanks Kurt for having the picnic at your place again.

    Our next Corporate Communion is September 14 at the 9:30 Mass. Please arrive by 9:15 am and wear your polo shirts, gray or black.

    The Parish Picnic is on September 14 from 1-5pm. Knights will have an information table set up. We will need a few volunteers to be at the table.  We can discuss further at the next general meeting.

Next Council meeting is Thursday September 11. Meal at 6:30 pm, Meeting at 7:30pm.

Vivat Jesus!

Gary Skarb 

Stanley Thomas Singer, Jr. June 29, 1933 - July 28, 2025

 Obituary

  It is with heavy heart that we announce the passing of Stanley T. Singer, Jr. on Monday, July 28, 2025, at the age of 92. He was a beloved Husband, Dad, Grandpa, Opa and friend. Stanley was born June 29, 1933, in Detroit, MI to Stanley and Agnes Singer. He was the oldest of three brothers, Ralph (passed away October 9, 2023) and Joe (Sara). He married Iris on November 12, 1960, and together they shared 64 years of marriage. They raised two sons, Stan (Jill) and Eric (Liz). He has three grandchildren, Meghan, Kaitlin, Henry (Jordan) and a great grandchild, Dean.  

    Stanley enjoyed a full life of traveling abroad with Iris and friends and taking family vacations.  His many hobbies included golfing, hunting, building model trains, and photography.  He was a devout Catholic, attending St. Lawrence in Utica, and a member of the third- and fourth-degree Knights of Columbus for over 60 years. Stan and Iris were also inducted into the Knights of Holy Sepulchre in 2014.  Stanley proudly served in the United States Army and was involved in the Boy Scouts of America for many years.

    He obtained a bachelor’s degree from U of D and held an MBA from Central Michigan University. Stanley worked at Ford Motor Company for 34 years, retiring as the Quality Manager of the Utica trim plant in 1996.

Stanley will be greatly missed. Please join the family in honoring his life at a visitation on Friday, August 8th, 2025, 2-8 pm, with a 7:00 pm Rosary at the Wasik Funeral Home, 49150 Schoenherr Rd, Shelby Township. Mass of Christian Burial will begin with Mr. Singer in state at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, 44633 Utica Rd, Utica on Saturday August 9th, 2025, at 9:30 am followed by a 10 am Funeral mass.

Military honors to follow the mass.

Henry Bruno Kwiatkowski July 18, 1940 - July 10, 2025

 Obituary

Kwiatkowski, Henry Bruno. July 10, 2025. Age 84. Beloved Husband of the late Patricia. Loving Father of the late Jeffrey (Deanna) and David (Michele) Kwiatkowski. Adored Grandfather of Trevor David and Blake R. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital or Shriners Children's. Memorial Gathering 9:30am until the time of the 10:00am Memorial Mass on Wednesday, July 30, 2025 at St. Paul of Tarsus Church, 41300 Romeo Plank Rd, Clinton Township, MI 48038. Inurnment Resurrection Cemetery. Please share memories with the family at their "On-Line Guestbook" at WujekCalcaterra.com

The Knight Shield - August 2025

    Brother Knights I want to express my gratitude for being chosen by my fellow Knights to be the Grand Knight of our Council. It’s an impressive Council with a great group of Catholic men in it. I’m a bit nervous taking over the Grand Knight position; however I know you guys will do everything to assist me as I learn the ropes.

    Briefly my background...I’m a cradle Catholic & middle kid of 3 older brothers & two younger sisters. I grew up on the east side of Detroit (Harper Van Dyke area). Attended Catholic schools until 5th grade when we moved to Eastpointe. I’m married with three children & have been a member of St Paul’s since 1990. I worked in the energy business most of my career.

Finally I want t thank PGK Vince for his two years of service. He got a lot accomplished in the Council. I’m sure I’ll lean on him as I start my tenure. I look forward to serving St Paul and our Council,

Council summary:

    Our ice cream social was a success. Thank you chairman Ken Krause for putting this together & getting the event moved indoors due to weather uncertainty.  Thanks for all who helped dishing out the ice cream & cleaning up.

    Thanks to our fireworks “parking attendants” who did a superb job of getting approval to collect $5 for people to park in the church parking lot. The guys organized this in literally a few weeks & everything went off without a hitch! We collected $1,600 that will be donated to The Vietnam Veterans of America 154 located on 15 Mile in Clinton Twp. Thank you Chairman Ken Krause for putting this together so quickly & thanks to Knights John Vollmer, Mike Essad, Rob Amsler, Greg Csernai, Larry Grabowski, Ray Coughlin, Vince Ursini, Kurt Buhlinger, Frank Lucido, Rob Hannigan, Ken Grobbel, Joe Phillips, Stan Labuda, Rich Miller, and Art Krygowski. A special shout out to the Ladies of the Knights who helped out to Lori Coughlin who brought food, Lisa Miller helped park cars and Christine Krause who helped clean up afterwards.

Vivat Jesus!

Gary Skarb

The Knight Shield - July 2025

A celebration of another Successful year for our Council!

    The Council’s annual Potluck Dinner was a terrific time with a great turnout. Hopefully you were part of the 75 strong celebration. The dinner was terrific, and we had more than (30) side dishes and desserts! Such a great time to socialize with the “Ladies of the Knights” and other family members in addition to our Knights.

    Kurt Buhlinger and Ray Coughlin presented the “big” check to the Parish in support of the Fish Fry events.  Council officers were appreciative of the support of the Parish, facilities and Father Jim for his many blessings during the 6-week event.

    Congratulations to our Knight of the month John Vollmer who was a great aid in our Fish Fry events and just accepted an officer position. Also, congrats to our Family of the month 

    The Knight of the Year went to a very worthy Rob Amsler who initiated the Rosary bracelet program and steered the Coats for Capuchins program that delivered over 2000 coats and garments to the Capuchin center during a very cold winter. 

    Family of the Year went to Vince and Andrea Ursini. Thanks to my wife for her leadership of the Coats for Kids program.  I personally am happy to participate in the Knights,  Journeyman and Men’s group....all of which help to make this Parish so successful. We are humbled for your recognition. Thank you.

    It was my privilege to acknowledge three additional Lifetime Achievement Awards this year. Jim Lambertus has been a Knight for 18 years, but he’s supported this Parish for much longer as a greeter and usher. He’s one of the first people I met here at St Paul’s when we joined the community.  Frank Burda was a Council Officer for many years, the latest position being the Lecturer. He served his country in the military and government as a helicopter pilot. Kurt Buhlinger is one of our treasured officers who just makes things happen in the Council.  Currently a Trustee, Kurt leads our kitchen crew for the Fish Fry, Pancake Breakfasts and multiple other events during the course of the year. He’s been a member of the council for 29 years, whoa . . .Thank you, all gentlemen, for your contributions to this Council, Parish and community.

    Thank you to Don Wesley – Field Agent who gave us another great insurance overview at our Council Potluck. It’s no joke that I learn something new every time Don talks. Schedule an appointment to review your situation with him. There’s no doubt this Knight will help your family protect your future.

    The next Corporate Communion is on June 29th at the 7:45 a.m. Mass. Let’s turn out with the color guard and show support for our Parish.

    July has one of our fun events of the year, The Ice Cream Social! Ken and Christine Krause, our chairman, are rolling up their sleeves and getting ready to dish out some delicious ice cream and some social fun with our Parish family. What better way to get your sugar high!

    Also, join us for the Council Camping trip at the end of July at Addison Oaks. It’s always a fun time with the team, and look for the Picnic dinner announcement there at the campground.

    Happy to have served as our Council’s Grand Knight for the past two years. It’s been a privilege to help steer this Council with all these determined brother Knights, and of course these wonderful programs that help people right here in this community. I could not be more proud of the work we accomplished together. Please support our next Grand Knight, Gary Skarb and his new team of officers, as you have me. One thing is for sure, this Council will continue to minister to our Parish and community.

Have a great 4th of July and celebrate the red, white and blue!

God bless our Council, and God Bless the Knights of Columbus

Vivat Jesus!

Vincent Ursini

Angelo Vincent Garavaglia - August 8, 1931 – June 7, 2025

Angelo Vincent Garavaglia, age 93 passed away on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Angelo was born in Detroit, Michigan.

An instate for Angelo will be held Saturday, June 14, 2025 from 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM at St. Paul of Tarsus Catholic Church, 41300 Romeo Plank Rd, Clinton Township, Michigan 48038. A funeral mass will occur Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 10:00 AM, 41300 Romeo Plank Rd, Clinton Township, Michigan 48038. A committal service and burial will occur Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 11:30 AM at Resurrection Cemetery, 18201 Clinton River Rd, Clinton Township, Michigan 48038.

Obituary Link

The Knight Shield - June 2025

       All Hail, Mother Mary . . . Our Lady of Guadeloupe Oh . . . what a month it has been!!

    In one week, starting May 10th, the Council cleaned up Canal Road, lead the Rosary Rally, participated in the SPOT volunteer dinner, welcomed the Silver Rose into our Parish, lead the Services during the week including a very special Silver Rose Service with Father Jim, assisted the Parish Picnic committee in raising funds and assisted with the Missio Ad Gentes Marian concert hospitality. Whew ! 

    Thanks to George Loewen our chairman for the Silver Rose committee. He engaged the Women of Faith and the Journeymen to lead Rosaries during the week, saying the initial Monday opening Rosary himself. Participating in the Silver Rose activities, which is a Global Knights of Columbus mission, was one of those weeks I’ll remember forever. Those that attended, gained a much better understanding of “Our Lady of Gaudelupe” and was treated to a very special Marian Stole worn by Father Jim with a very special story regarding that particular stole. Thanks also to our Worthy State Faith Director Bob Bagley and his wife Laura, who delivered the Silver Rose to St Paul’s from a Parish in Mio and picked it up to deliver it to it’s next location on Mackinaw Island at the end of the week.

    The Marian Concert by Missio Ad Gentes choir was terrific. With little expectation, Father Paola led the group of 36 young people with such wonderful voices, singing such beautiful songs about our Mother Mary. The entire concert was very uplifting and inspirational. If you’ve not yet had an opportunity to support this group, I would strongly encourage you find their next concert and GO TO IT ! It was a fitting end of a week full of prayerful celebration to our Blessed Mother.

    The opening Rosary Rally for that week was well attended and God smiled on us with a beautiful morning. Tom Pardo, our Church director, did a great job organizing the event and our Worthy Chancellor, Paul Parker, was at his best leading the Rosary. Thanks to all that participated and lead the Mysteries with special thanks to Celeste for helping to close the ceremony.

    The Council welcomed another new Knight in Steven Strat during the May General Meeting. Welcome Steven ! Special thanks to George Loewen and the Exemplification team, which did a great job. And thanks to the support of our District Deputy Dan and District Warden Ed who have supported our Council so well during my term as Grand Knight. This brings our new members up to a total of (14) for the fraternal year. Great job Council !

    Congratulations to our 2025 / 2026 Officers elected during the May General meeting. Thanks for accepting the challenge to lead this wonderful Council over the next year. Know that your service is welcomed and appreciated ! Let’s all stand with our New Grand Knight Gary Skarb ! 

    Thank you to Don Wesley – Field Agent, and Attorney Charles Shaw, for making our Fraternal Benefits Night May 1st an exceptionally informative meeting. Although it was a disappointing turn out, the question-and-answer session was excellent and reminded us all of making sure our wills, trusts, insurance & beneficiaries are updated and current!

    A great way to wrap up the month of May was with the Michigan K of C State Convention. The pageantry of (8) archbishops presiding at all (3) Masses was an experience to remember.

    The unexpected charisma and humor of Archbishop Weissenberg of Detroit and his special message to the Knights regarding his own personal help through the DAVL program was delightful and encouraging. The pride we felt as we saw some highlights of this past year’s charity and outreach programs which affected so many lives throughout this state and others. And the work continues with $50,000 raised at the convention for the ASAP program. The purposeful message of our State Director, Barry Borsenik, of resolve to help our communities and cleric. The Knights of Columbus is ALIVE and THRIVING in our state of Michigan.

    Don’t miss our June Potluck to celebrate our new Officers and the accomplishments this Council has made over the last year. It’s gonna be a fun time with a great meal, Council announcements and achievement awards for the year.

God bless our Council and God Bless the Knights of Columbus

Vivat Jesus ! 

 Vincent Ursini