Knights gather in Calgary

Alberta-NWT jurisdiction continues rapid growth

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Calgary

More than 500 people are expected to attend the event at the Westin Hotel in Calgary, including 300 voting delegates, close to 200 women and more than 50 youth.

The Knights have over 14,000 members in 150 mostly parish-based councils throughout Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Each council sends two voting delegates to the convention.

Convention guests include Nestor Barber, supreme master of the fourth degree Knights, Calgary Bishop Fred Henry and Edmonton Archbishop Thomas Collins, honourary chaplain of the Knights.

The convention starts the evening of April 26 with a Western style ice breaker and resumes the following day with an early morning Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral. Henry will preside at the 7:30 a.m. Mass.

State Deputy Leo Klein will open the convention's business session at 9:30 a.m. The event also offers programs for both women and youth.

"It's a men's organization but on Saturday for the first three hours the ladies do meet with us," noted conference chair Ludo Hof. "It's an open meeting then."

After lunch the Knights go into closed session and the ladies, mostly delegates' wives, go to their own program.

Several awards will be presented at the initial ice-breaker but the major awards will be awarded at the state deputy's banquet the evening of April 27, Hof said April 19.

"There will be lots of awards," he said, mentioning the traditional Grand Knight of the Year award, Council of the Year award, District of the Year award, Family of the Year award as well as awards for community service, membership increase and Church activities.

A memorial Mass in honour of about 150 Knights who passed away in the last year will be celebrated Sunday morning, April 28.

Elections for a five-member state executive board will follow. So far only the current members of the executive board have put their names up for re-election but Hof warns that could change if new candidates are nominated from the floor.

All current board members, including State Deputy Klein, were elected last year. Tradition dictates executive board members serve two one-year terms.

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