The Knights Shield - November 2026

    October is off to a good start and our Council is just getting going. The Living Rosary, Challenger Baseball and pancake breakfast were successful. We supported the baby bottle distributions after all the Masses and will be helping out with the collections and counting the donations. We have a great Council, not only do the Knights support our events, we get support from spouses, family members and friends of the Knights...wonderful!  

    Events coming up in November. Plenty of opportunities to support or help out with our events in November. Memorial Mass, Nov 8, where fallen Knights from our Council are honored with a Mass at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. Retired flag collection Nov 7-8, Charity Poker November 9-12, Christmas lights installation Nov 14 (tentative), Holiday meat sales Nov 28-29.

See the calendar for start times.  

Road Clean up – The road cleanup went well. The weather cooperated. We had 10 guys show up and we were done in less than an hour. Thank you Ray Coughlin, Norm Chiado, Dan Steele, Bruce Johnson, Vince Ursini, Bill Murray, Don, Kosnik, John Vollmer and Steve Kargenian. Norm and Bruce were rookies on the cleanup and did a fine job!

Living Rosary - Mother Mary blessed us with a beautiful day! We has 57 people participate saying the Rosary. We had 3 members from the Color Corps participate. We did it a little differently this year. Instead of setting up on the grass we set up the cross and chairs on the east end of the parking. This made it much easier for everyone to get to their seats. I want to thank Tom Pardo and Phil Mularski the chairman for the Living Rosary for putting this together. 

Special thanks to PGK Vince Ursini who had the foresight to request the Color Corps that added decorum for the rosary!

Challenger Baseball – Challenger Baseball is for special needs athletes who play in the Challenger League. All the league teams are invited. It was a fun event! The Challenger Team came in and set up the hall with tables for all the sponsors, put out decorations and candy. The sponsors came in and decorated their tables with all sorts of Halloween decorations and put out more candy to pass out. Then the real fun started, all the kids started to show up. Lots of great costumes, laughing and trick and treating! 

Special recognition to fellow Knight Dan Steele who was able to help the league out by getting the Social hall for their event, due to work being done at their field where they normally would have the event. 

Pancake Breakfast – The breakfast was a huge success! Per our worthy Treasurer, Ray Coughlin, “This ranks as one of the most profitable Pancake Breakfast events in the history of the Council. ” Here are the numbers: approximately 210 breakfast served; $1,400 collected on the breakfast which includes $458 in donations; $352 from 50/50 sales. We had help from a lot of people to make this a success, I wish I could name everyone individually. Thanks to Chairman Kurt Buhlinger for putting this together. 

    Thanks to the people who bought all the supplies, the people who set up the hall, the kitchen crew for the food prep, the servers that included, spouses & family members, the cleanup crew, guys who sold the 50/50 tickets, Vince Ursini wrote a nice article for the Church bulletin.  We got help from the top too -- Fr Jim & Deacon Marc did a nice job of promoting the breakfast at the Masses. Finally thanks to our 

Parishioners for their support!

Pray for Pope Leo’s health. Pray for our Church leaders and our parish priest as we go through restructuring. Enjoy the autumn weather. Get out and vote!

Upcoming events:

Nov 8 Memorial Mass

Nov 7-8 Retired Flag collection

Nov 9-12 Charity Poker

Nov 14 Christmas Lights (tentative based on weather)

Nov 28-29 Holiday Meat sales

Next Council meeting is Thursday November 12.

Rosary at 6pm in chapel, Meal at 6:30 pm, Meeting

at 7:30pm.

Peace and God Bless!

Gary Skarb

The Knights Shield - October 2026

    We just passed the 25th anniversary of the attack on the US on September 11, 2001. We lost almost 3,000 people on that day. I’m sure you remember where you were on that day...I do, like it was yesterday. Keep praying for our Country and never forget!   

    We have a bunch of events coming up in October; please consider joining us. The more we have participating, the easier it is on everyone. Living Rosary Oct 10; Challenger Baseball Oct 11; Baby bottle drive multiple weekends; Pancake Breakfast Oct 18; Trunk or Treat Oct 25. See the calendar for start times.   

    Council Picnic was held on the Buhlinger estate on August 22. The weather started off with a little light misting drizzle; however, the sun came out a little later and it turned out to be a beautiful day. There were about 50 people who attended. Folks brought a ton of dishes to pass — all delicious!  Conversation, food and corn hole were great. This was the final year for the picnic being held at Jane and Kurt’s place. Thank you Jane and Kurt for hosting this for many years and grilling the food. I know it takes a lot to host this. and you and Jane always did a great job.  Next year’s Council picnic will be at Addison Oaks in conjunction with the Council camping outing. It takes about the same time to get to Addison Oaks as it does to get to Kurt’s place, and it’s a more direct route.  There is no fee to get into the park. More details as we get closer to the picnic date. 

    Corporate Communion was on September 13 at the 9:30am Mass. We had a decent turn out. The Color Corps did a great job. Their presence really brings attention to our Corporate Communion. I really enjoy celebrating Mass with fellow Knights and their spouses.  Living Rosary is on October 10 at noon at St Paul’s, rain or shine. Please consider coming to pray the rosary with other Catholics. It is a great event. Bring a family member or a friend. 

    Michigan Columbian – Due to high printing and mailing costs, the Michigan Columbian will no longer be mailed out. It will only be available on line, starting with the October edition. To view the online edition go to: www.MiKofC.org click on MI Columbian, click on the date you want to read. FYI October is already available 

    Finally, as you probably all know, our Chaplin, Fr Jim, will be reassigned effective July 1, 2027. Please keep him in your prayers as he leaves to direct the faithful of his new parish to the kingdom of God. Fr Jim has been very supportive of our Council and will be missed. Please pray for our new pastor for the Holy Spirit to guide him on his new mission. As Knights our Council will support our new pastor to make his transition as easy as possible. 

Upcoming events: 

Oct 8 General Council meeting 

Oct 10 Living Rosary  

Oct 11 Challenger Baseball   

Oct 17 Pancake set up 

Oct 18 Pancake breakfast 

Oct 25 Trunk or Treat  

Oct 26 Officers meeting 

Next Council meeting is Thursday October 8. Rosary at 6pm in chapel, Meal at 6:30 pm, Meeting at 7:30pm.

Peace and God Bless! 

Gary Skarb 

The Knights Shield - September 2026

    Summer is winding down and our Council activities are starting up! I want to thank Ken Krause for arranging to have the Clinton Township TV (CTTV) tape the check presentation to the Clinton Township Foundation for the $2,000 collected from the Fireworks Parking. This will give some exposure to the community that the Knights support the Clinton Township charities, not just our church. Check out your cable channel for the local programming. They will run the video many times over the next week or so. The video should be no longer than 10-15 minutes.  

    We had a special guest at our last Council meeting,  Brother Anthony Solanus Krygowski. Brother Anthony is Art’s son and is still member of our Council. He is in his second year of vows. He thanked us for the donation to help pay for his mission to Honduras to work with the children there. It was a very moving experience. The people have very little material things. Their faith is strong and they are joyful people, and they shared what they have with him and his fellow Brothers. He is assigned to Our Lady of Angels Friary in the Bronx and will be working with the youth and helping to serve meals to over 200 families! Please keep Brother Anthony in your prayers.  

     I want to thank Phil Kwasny our Community Director who will be stepping down from that position that he held for 15 years! Phil did a great job researching request for donations from charitable organizations, making recommendations, keeping track of when and how often donations made and submitting articles for The Michigan Columbian. 

Playing a little catch-up with pictures from Knight & Family of the Month & Exemplification, see below. 

Upcoming events: 

Sep 10 General Council meeting 

Sep 13 Corporate Communion 9:30AM Mass 

Sep 26 Road Clean-up 

Next Council meeting is Thursday September 10. Rosary at 6pm, Meal at 6:30 pm, Meeting at 7:30pm.  

Peace and God Bless! 

Gary Skarb 

In a World Where You Can Be Anything… Be Kind

The Knight Shield - August 2026

It is truly the lazy hazy crazy days of summer! Things are slowing down over the next few months. The Ice Cream Social went well as did the Fireworks parking. We added four new Knights to our Council at the exemplification at our July Council meeting. Some of the Knights and spouses will be enjoying the Council camping trip at Addison Oaks at the end of July and beginning of August. If you can, please join us at our Council picnic on August 22 at Kurt Buhlinger’s place.  Enjoy the rest of the summer!   

Exemplification- We added four Knights to our Council at our last council meeting. Welcome to the Council, Ralph Frontera, Bruce Johnson, Steve Hull and Steve Esiline. Thank you Exemplification Team; George Loewen, Art Krygowski, Phil Mularski, Mike Pasqual and Don Kosnik. They did a fine job.  

Ice Cream Social – There were lots of smiling faces and ice cream after all the weekend Masses. Thanks to all who assisted!  Check out the pictures Ken Dudley took on our website: https://www.spotknights.com/  

Fireworks Parking – We did really well with the parking. It was a long day for those who helped. Please see Ken’s article on the event. 

Council Picnic – Coming up on August 22, starts at 1:00pm at Kurt & Jane Buhlinger’s place. See flyer attached for further information.  

Upcoming events: 

Jul 29-Aug 4 Council Camping Trip 

Aug 13 General Council Meeting  

Aug 22 Council Picnic 

August 24 Officer Planning Meeting 

Next Council meeting is Thursday Aug 13. Rosary at 6pm, 

Meal at 6:30 pm, Meeting at 7:30pm.  

 Peace and God Bless! 

 

Ice Cream Social 

Another successful Knights of Columbus event, the Ice Cream Social is complete with many thanks to all who helped. The new freezer in the kitchen is definitely working and the scooper’s got a work out. Although I know many of you miss putting up and taking down the tent, this event was well received by keeping it indoors in the hall. Thank you to all the Knights that helped with the set up, scooping the ice cream and the clean up after each 

Mass and at the end of the event. 

Ken and Christine Krause 

Ice Cream Social 

What a beautiful night for fireworks. On July 8 at the Clinton Township annual fireworks display the St. Paul of Tarsus Council for the second year in a row, manned the parking lot at church to raise money for a local Clinton Township charity, (The Clinton Township Foundation). The purpose of this foundation is to raise funds and provide recreational and other opportunities for the betterment of the people of Clinton Township. It was formed by the group that raised funds for the all inclusive playground located on the Civic Center Grounds near the Main Branch of the Clinton-Macomb Library.  

Thank you to all the Knights and spouses that helped on a warm sticky night:  Steve Kargenian, Ray Couglin, Greg Csernai, Mike Essad, Lorri Couglin, Christine Krause,  Rich Miller, Lisa Miller, Jeff Gapczynski, Kurt Buhlinger, Frank Lucido, Dan Steele, Art Krygowski, Phil Milarski, Rob, Luke and Martina Purdue. 

Through the generosity of those parking and the hard work of the Knights, a check for $2006 will be awarded to the Clinton Township Foundation at an upcoming meeting. Again thank you for all that worked this event to make it a success.  

Ken Krause

The Knight Shield - July 2026

    I want to thank our newly elected Council Officers as we start next fraternal year. I also want to thank and recognize our volunteer/appointed members of our Council who provide a valuable service to our Council, church and community. Financial secretary, Rich Miller, Program Director, Vince Ursini, Church Director, Tom Pardo, and Community Director, George Loewen, (who will be stepping down this year after many years of service and is being replaced by Tom Gray), COR Director, Mike Essad, Council and Family Director, Craig Thomson (who is handling two positions), Youth Director, Art Krygowski,  and finally Membership Director, Phil Mularski. These Knights support and initiate many programs in Council, Church and Community such as the Silver Rose, Vocation support, Keep Christ in Christmas, Basketball Free throw,  Knight of Month and Year, Rosary Rallies to name a few. Thank you for all that you do!  

    Church Beatification – The guys got together to spruce up the church by laying some mulch and trimming the bushes and trees. They put down 10 yards of mulch and trimmed all trees around the church! That’s a lot of mulch and trimming! The church looks great. Thanks Mike Pasqual, Jeff Gapczynski, Rich Miller, Paul Parker, Mike Essad, Steve Kargenian, Ray Coughlin, Ken Krause, Rob Hannigan, Art Krygowski and Marty Winiarski. If I missed someone my apologies. 

    Pot Luck Dinner – I thought the dinner went well. The hall was pretty full. There was just a bunch of great food and conversation. We handed out the inaugural Scholarship Awards to three very deserving students. We also awarded Knight of the Year and Family of the Year and Lifetime Achievement awards. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the dinner to  make it a success. 

    Special Recognitions – Family of the Year was presented to Christine and Jeff Gapczynski. Jeff was a founding member of the Council and it’s first Grand Knight. He is the Vocations Director and part of Detroit Archdiocese Vocations League, runs the MI Drive and has held many Council and State positions. His knowledge of Council history is priceless. Chris has also been a huge part of this Council. She is the editor and publisher of the Knight’s Shield for many years. No small task! She helps at the fish fries and feeds the crew with her chocolate chip cookies...the best! Jeff and Chris have supported our Council throughout the past thirty years!  They are a great team and an asset to our Council.  

    Knight of the Year was presented to Gino Gattari, long time member who remains very active in our Council. He was a founding member of the Council. Gino most likely has recruited half our members single handedly! He livens up the meetings with his quick wit and great stories.  The award was well deserved.  

Lifetime Achievement Awards– These Knights have 149 yrs of service! The following received the awards: 

Dave Wisneski – Knight 50 yrs; Fourth Degree Knight; Grand Knight; Deputy Grand Knight, Advocate, 3Yr  Trustee; Lecturer (Not present at dinner) 

Rob Tusset – Knight for 54 yrs; Fourth Degree Knight; Recorder/Scribe; Choir; Casey the Teddy bear program 

Joe Phillips – Knight 30 yrs;  Fourth degree Knight; Always willing to help; Fish Fry; Shirt guy; Happy warrior  

Mike Hartel – Knight for 15yrs; Fourth Degree Knight; Grand Knight; DKG; Trustee; Recorder; Program Director (Not present at dinner)

The Knight Shield - June 2026

 A Word from  

Grand Knight Gary Skarb

Keep praying for vocations and our Archdiocese Restructuring. Based on the listening session I attended, there will be changes coming in 2027. Our Council stands ready to support our Church and more importantly Fr Jim!  

Road Clean up – It was a little on the chilly side to start; however, everything work out pretty well.  Ten Knights showed up and it took about an hour to finish the job.  Thanks to Chairman Greg Csernai, Don Kosnik, Art Krygowski, Stan Labuda, Ken Krause, Dan Steele, Frank Lucido, Ray Coughlin and Steve Kargenian.  

Fraternal Benefit night – There were 24 people who attended...decent turnout. I learned a few things about estate planning and long term care from Charles Shaw and our Worthy Field Agent, Don Wesley. Both of these gentlemen have years of experience in their respective fields. The program lasted only an hour but was jam packed with great information. If it’s been a while since you looked at your legal and insurance situation, contact Charles Shaw at 586-226-3805 or Don Wesley at 888-393-7539. 

New Officers elected – The following Officers were elected at our Council meeting on May 14: Grand Knight, Gary Skarb; Deputy Grand Knight, Steve Kargenian; Chancellor, Paul Parker; Recorder, Rob Tusset; Treasurer, Ray Coughlin; Advocate, Ken Krause; Warden, Tony Guido; Inside Guard, Dr. Rob Amsler; Outside Guard, Mike Essad; Three Year Trustee, Dan Steele. Thank you gentlemen for agreeing to serve as Council Officers! 

Scholarship Program – The Council amended the Scholarship program to have the ability to award all  the available scholarship funds if there were no candidates for any one of the categories.  We did get three excellent candidates for Scholarships. Based on the amended program, we awarded three Scholarships to the families. The scholarship funds will be made directly to the schools on behalf of the students who were awarded the scholarships.  We will invite the Scholarship families to the Pot Luck dinner in June to present the scholarships to them.  

Rosary Rally – The parishioners of this parish never cease to amaze me. The day started out with a huge thunderstorm. We moved the Rosary to under the walkway by the bell tower. I didn’t think the event would have many people show up. Mother Mary had other ideas! The rain stopped by about half just before noon, clouds started to break up, the people started to come. By the time we started the rosary, there were 42 people there! Wonderful! Thank you 

Chairman Tom Pardo for setting up the event. 

Pot Luck sign up  – Annual Pot Luck Dinner at our June 11 general meeting!  Please sign up on the Sign Up Genius link so we can get a headcount and enough food for the event. Here is the Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E49A8A82CABFBC07-64151631-potluck  

Upcoming events: 

May 20-22 State Convention 

June 1 Officer planning (Original date May 25 is Memorial Day) 

June 11 Council Meeting Pot Luck Dinner 

June 14 Corporate Communion 7:45 AM Mass 

June 22 Officer Planning Meeting 

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

Peace and God Bless! 

Gary Skarb

The Knight Shield - May 2026

    Our Council gets a well-deserved break in our activities over the next few months. Enjoy the Spring and Summer! 

    MI Drive – Thanks to Jeff and Chis Gapczynski for chairing the MI drive and all the work they put into it to make it a successful fundraising event. I also want to thank Sherri Ignatowski, Phil Kwasny, Kurt Buhlinger and the ladies who provided the wonderful food and anyone else who was helping out at the home base that I might have forgotten. They spend most of their days during the drive feeding the Knights and counting the cash. I also want to thank all the Knights who participated in the collection. The weather was a little chilly; however the Knights came through working their assigned posts. Finally, please consider volunteering to deliver the checks to the designated Charities. You’ll see how grateful the people are to receive the funds and the impact it has on the special needs families. 

    Easter Meats sales – Sales were a little bit down from previous years; however, profits were about the same! Thank you Chairman Jerry Hund for being the front person with Dearborn Brands, getting the orders together and coordinating the delivery of the products. Special recognition and thanks to Ted and Sherri Czarny. They summarize all the orders by last name, set up an order log, then have a numbering system for each of the 70-100 orders! When the order is delivered, there are two or three pallets, they are bagged up and ready for pick up. This process runs smoothly because of what Jerry, Ted and Sherri do! Thanks a million! I want to thank the guys who show up early in the morning to unload the order and put them in the bags. Pictures attached.  

    Scholarship Program – We did extend the due date for turning in the completed information packets to May 1.  We did have one family submit an application. Hopefully, we will get a few more. 

    Fraternal Benefits night – We are announcing the benefits night in the Church bulletin the first few weeks in  May. The Benefits night is on Monday May 11 at St Paul’s. Light meal at 6:30pm, presentation at 7PM. Lots of good information on insurance and financial planning. Hope you can attend. Invite a non-knight to the presentation.    

    Restructuring – At our last meeting, Fr Jim emphasized the need to attend the listening sessions and to ignore any rumors and not to spread any rumors. Nothing has been decided on the status of any parishes!  The Sessions will be at St Paul’s on Monday May 4th 7-9pm & Wednesday May 6th from 7-9pm sign up at: https://restructuring.aod.org/  or call the office 586-228-1210 

    Officer Nominations – Officer nominations were held at our last meeting. We will be holding nominations and elections at our next Council meeting to determine the Council Officers for the next Fraternal year.  

    PGK Mike Hartel Communication- I received a message from our Past Grand Knight Mike Hartel.  His sister Ruth Allore passed away suddenly Monday April 20. Mikes mom, Elaine Hartel, fell and broke 4 ribs and collapsed a lung! She is out of the hospital and recovering. Please keep Ruth, Elaine and the Hartel family in your prayers. 

Upcoming events: 

May 09 Road Clean up Not Confirmed  

May 11 Fraternal Benefits Night 

May 14 General Council meeting  

May 16 Rosary Rally 

May 20-22 State Convention 

June 1 Officer planning (Original date May 25 is Memorial 

Day)  

Next Council meeting is Thursday, May 14. Meal at 6:30 

pm, Meeting at 7:30pm.  

Peace and God Bless! 

Gary Skarb

The Knight Shield - April 2026

    By the time you receive this newsletter our Council will have completed the Fish fries, MI drive, Easter Egg Hunt and Corporate Communion. That is a lot to get done in a month! Thanks to our Council and the various Committee Chairmen and all the volunteers. We couldn’t have done it without you. 

     Scholarship Program – We handed out information packets at all the Masses the weekend of January 31– February 1. We handed out 9 information packets. As of our last meeting, none of the packets have been returned. Deadline for returning the info packets is April 18.

    Brother Knights - If you have a daughter, son, grand-daughter, grandson, niece, nephew, foster child, or any dependent student living in the household of the Knight who is attending an instate Catholic school, your child qualifies for the scholarship!

Please consider filling out an application. click here

    Fish Fry – First fish fries have been successful so far.  We sold out the first four weeks, but came up a little short on March 20. Still a pretty good run so far. It takes a lot of effort to have these fish fries. Set up, food preparation, serving and clean up...we have been blessed with help in all these areas. Thanks to all who help out.

    Easter Egg Hunt – We stuffed eggs for the Easter egg hunt. It was a site to see. A mound of candy with 10 people stuffing candy into plastic eggs. Thanks folks for turning out to help! The Egg hunt was held under windy, cloudy skies, that didn’t stop the fun. The Easter Bunny joined us. There were about 35-45 children (my count) who participated...ages from toddlers to 11 year olds. The hunt went fast...lasted about 10 minutes! Those eggs never had a chance! The children also got to pick two toys from the toy tables! Lots of smiling faces as they were leaving.

Thank you to our Easter Bunny Celeste Triner...she did a great job.

    Corporate Communion – Fr Jim gave a wonderful recognition to the Knights in his homily. Based on the Gospel reading, just as Lazarus was bound, we are bound, not in the sense of restricting us, but in the sense we are bound to serve the church and God’s people. He said the Knights are a good example of this. Some examples I thought of were clothing the poor, our coat drives, comforting the sick, our Casey the Teddy bears donation to the hospital, our MI Drive for special needs and many more. Thanks to the Color Corps for attending. Thank you Mike Pasqual and Mark Kovasity for doing the reading for us at Mass.

    Fraternal Benefits night – There will be a Fraternal Benefits night on Monday May 11 at St Paul. Light meal at 6:30pm, presentation at 7PM. Presentation to include Eldercare, Estate Planning and protecting your hard earned money in retirement...topics of interest to all parishioners. Invite a non-knight to the presentation...good info and a free meal!

    Restructuring - Please consider signing up for the Listening Sessions concerning the Archdiocese Restructuring. The Sessions will be at St Paul’s on Monday May 4th 7-9pm & Wednesday May 6th from 7-9pm sign up at: https://restructuring.aod.org/

    Finally, thank you for all the kind thoughts, words and prays you offered to me after the passing of my mother. They mean a lot to me and it shows what a wonderful Council we have here at St Paul of Tarsus!

We are truly blessed.

Upcoming events:

April 1 Easter Meats pick up

April 5 Easter !

April 9 General Council meeting

April 19 Vocations Dinner

April 27 Office Planning

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

Peace and God Bless!

Gary Skarb

The Knight Shield - March 2026

One of the busiest fundraising times of the year has arrived!

Thanks to our Fish Fry Czar, Ray Coughlin, Charity Poker Chairman, Don Kosnik and MI Drive Chairman, Jeff Gapczynski, we are in good shape to handle all the events.

The MI Drive (Tootsie Roll Drive) is one of our biggest fundraisers. For the small cost of an hour or two of your time it pays off in big returns. All it takes is standing in front of Kroger or Vince and Joes or one of the other designated spots to collect donations for special needs kids. Almost 100% goes to the kids. The only cost is for the Tootsie Rolls. We got new vests, so we'll look sharp soliciting the donations...plus we got QR codes on our buckets so the younger folks can contribute just by scanning the code.

Bonus benefit, the Ladies of the Knights make wonderful food for the guys. It will be hot and ready for you when you come in from your assigned post. Please consider donating an hour or two for the drive on any day from March 27 to March 29.

Quick review on what our Council accomplished since our last Knights Shield: Pilgrim Icon Sacred Heart of Jesus – We had the Sacred Heart ICON for the week of January 18. It is a beautiful picture of Jesus. The Knights lead two Divine Mercy Chaplets, one during Adoration on Tuesday with the parishioners. The second was with just the Knights on Thursday. Thanks to the Knights who lead and attended the Divine Mercy Chaplets.

Coffee and Donuts – We had another coffee and donuts after the 7:45 am Mass. Thanks again to our chairman Rick Okerhjelm for setting up the Social Hall before the 7:45 Mass.

Scholarship Program – We handed out information packets at all the Masses the weekend of January 31 – February 1. We handed out 9 information packets. This is not bad for the first year of the program.  Brother Knights - If you have a daughter, son, granddaughter, grandson, niece, nephew, foster child, or any dependent student living in the household of the Knight who is attending an instate Catholic school your child qualifies for the scholarship! Please consider filling out an application. Forms are available at our website www.spotknights.com.  Thanks again to the Scholarship Committee for their outstanding work getting this program started.

District Free Throw – The District Free Throw Contest was held on January 31. We only had 9 participants — one from St Paul. Our St Paul contestant went on to State! I'll let you know how he did when I get the results. Thank you William Hill for helping out. Thank you Art Krygowski for all your work promoting this event.

Charity Poker – Charity Poker was held Feb 9-12. We did alright. We did close to what we normally make. Thanks to Chairman Don Kosnik for getting all the paperwork filled out and getting the volunteers. Big shout out to the guys who volunteered: Mike Essad (who worked two days), Marv Lehman, Stan Labuda, William Hill, Mike Pasqual, Ray Sobieski, George Loewen and Dan Steele. Couldn't have done it without you guys!

Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest - We had 5 winners in the contest. We awarded two first place winners & two second place winners and one third place winner. Good news, our two first place winners, from second grade and fifth grade, went on to State! We will know later this month if they won at the state level. I'll keep you posted. Thank you Youth Director, Art Krygowski, for coordinating and promoting this contest.

Fish Fry - First fish fry was held Feb 20. It was a success! We started early and sold out early! We had plenty of volunteers before, during and after the fish fry. I can't express enough gratitude for all the additional help. It makes the work load so much easier. We sold our last dinner at 6PM and we had the hall and kitchen cleaned by 7:30 PM, that's a record! Five more to go!

Finally we had a special speaker, Matthew Zinser, from the Mission Ad Gentes group, who will be leading a Lenten program this year. Two of the members are married with children, one with 9 and the other with 10 children! Good Catholics for sure! It will be every Sunday and Wednesday during Lent at 7PM at the Church. Sessions last about an hour. Free babysitting is available. Give it a try.

Upcoming events:

• Fish Fry Every Friday until March 27

• March 12 General Council meeting

• March 14-15 & 21-22 Easter meat sales

• March 21 Corporate Communion

• March 22 Easter Egg Hunt

• March 27,28 & 29 MI Drive

Next Council meeting is Thursday March 12. Meal at 6:30 pm, Meeting at 7:30pm.

Peace and God Bless!

Gary Skarb

Motions passed at the January meeting:

• Approved to purchase table of 10 at Vocations Dinner for $450.

• Approved $100 for purchase of gift certificates to be donated to DAVL Vocations Dinner.

• Approved $250 donation to Macomb Autism Connect.

Capuchin coat collection (January 18, 2026)1200+ coats and garments

 

The Knight Shield - February 2026

It’s been a busy start to the New Year. Our Council has once again stepped up to serve the Parishioners of St Paul.

Christmas Eve Baby Jesus Procession-The tradition continues with the Knights processing the Baby Jesus in church and laying Him in the crèche outside the Church. The women of Faith processed with the Knights and laid the Baby Jesus in the inside crèche.  Fr Jim started this tradition last year and enthusiastically supported the Knights continuing the tradition.  We are blessed to have Fr Jim!

Coffee and Donuts – We knocked off another coffee and donuts after the 7:45 am Mass. Thanks to our chairman Rick Okerhjelm for setting this up.

Christmas Lights – Thanks to all the guys who took down the Christmas lights in the cold and snow. It took only a little over an hour! Good job

Capuchin Coats Collection Part II – Parishioners of St Paul’s came through again! We packed 7 vehicles to take down to the Capuchin distribution Center! Estimated 800 jackets & 300 hoodies, sweaters, gloves, hats & blankets! Amazing! Thanks to all the guys that helped collect coats at all the weekends. Thanks to the guys who packed the vehicles on a cold morning and drove down to the Capuchins Center.

Scholarship Program – The program initialization is completed. A table will be set up at all the weekend Masses on Jan 31 and Feb 1 to distribute information packets and answer any questions. 

Fish Fry – First fish fry is Feb 20. Council had to pay $1,276 to repair the bad thermostats on the ovens.  It’s kind of amazing we got through last year with those ovens.

Finally, pray for the Holy Spirit to guide the Archdiocesan restructuring. There are going to be changes on how our Archdiocese and Parishes work. Change is always a challenge; however, I’m confident the Knights will continue to support our Priest and Parish in whatever structure is determined.

Upcoming events:

District Free Throw Jan 31

Charity Poker – Feb 9-12

Fish Fry Feb 20 (First one, can you believe it!)

Next Council meeting is Thursday February 12. Meal at 6:30 pm, Meeting at 7:30pm.

Vivat Jesus!

Gary Skarb

The Knight Shield - January 2026

I hope everyone had a Blessed and Merry Christmas, and I wish you all a Happy New Year! The good work of our Council continues as demonstrated by the following: 

Capuchin Coats Collection – Parishioners of St Paul’s are very generous. We packed 3 vehicles to take down to the Capuchin distribution Center! The Friars were grateful for the coats. The coat racks were empty, and our donations filled them up. Thanks to Dr Rob Amsler and Vince Ursini for heading up this effort, and all the guys who helped collect coats and pack for delivery to the Capuchins. 

Christmas Meat sales and Keep Christ in Christmas signs/ buttons- Sales were down a little this year but not too far off. We made $1,064...not bad. Thanks to Jerry Hund and Ray Coughlin who were at the sales table for all the Masses on both weekends. That’s the first half of the job. Thanks to our “Bag Man” Ted Czarny and his accomplice Sherri Czarny for setting up all the bags and files for distribution. That takes a lot of time and effort. Last, thanks to the guys that hung around the social hall waiting for the delivery truck to arrive so they could separate the orders. You get a couple of pallets of ham & kielbasa and you gotta get that stuff organized!

Christmas Lights Decoration – Once again the guys pitched in to decorate the outside of the Church for the Christmas Season. It was a bit cold but sunny so that helped. Thanks to the inside and outside guys for taking care of business. The Church looks wonderful. 

Cookies with Santa – This is not a Knights function; however, there were Knights assisting. One of the lead coordinators of the event was Knight Vince Ursini and Santa was Knight Phil Mularski. Attendance was down this year...only 33 kids attended, but that didn’t stop the fun. The hall was decorated beautifully and all had a good time. Thanks Vince and Phil.

Exemplification – We had 6 new Knights join our Council at our December 11 exemplification. I wish to welcome Robert Pardue, Luke Pardue, Dennis Kubczak, Chris Rojem and Fred Nienstedt to our Council. They are a great addition to our Council. Next meeting, if you get a chance, welcome them to our Council.

Christmas Party - The Fourth Degree Christmas Party was a success. We had 70 people attend. I thought the food was delicious. The “Sisters Act Out” entertainment was a riot. A lot of good conversation and laughs! Thanks to Worthy Navigator Art Krygowski for putting this together.

Scholarship Program – The program initialization is moving forward. Resolution was read in again at our last Council meeting and a motion was made to establish a scholarship program funded by the St Paul of Tarsus Council using funds raised from the Rosary sales and Charity poker. The Motion passed. The committee members are finalizing the documents and plan to roll this out February 1, 2026.

Upcoming events: 

Christmas December 25 
Christmas Light Removal Jan 4 (Weather permitting) 
Coat Drive for Capuchins Jan 17-18 
Pilgrim ICON – Sacred Heart Jan18-24 
Divine Mercy Chaplet lead by Knights at Adoration Jan 20 
District Free Throw Jan 31

Next Council meeting is Thursday January 8. Meal at 6:30 pm, Meeting at 7:30pm.

Happy New Year! 

Gary Skarb

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