Knights set up second council in Beaumont

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Beaumont

The 40-member council will work with the parish's French-speaking council, which has been around for about 30 years.

"This gives English-speaking men a chance to join a local council and to support their church and their community," said the council's grand knight Paul Weisenberger, a 52-year-old insurance broker who has been with the Knights for the past 27 years.

He said the idea of an English-speaking council had been around for years but began to take shape last September when 11 men met in the church basement for initial discussions. Most of the men had been attending the Leduc council.

Our Lady of the Hill Council was finally launched in January with 36 members. On Sept. 21 it was officially welcomed into the Knights by state deputy Leo Klein, who presented the council charter to Weisenberger.

Some 150 people attended the Mass at St. Vital's and the banquet that followed at Club Beaumont.

Several dignitaries, including Archbishop Thomas Collins and Premier Ralph Klein, sent greetings to the new council, praising the knights for their commitment to the Church and their eagerness to help improve the lives of others through donations and good works.

The Beaumont council has been active since before its January launch, when members helped deliver Christmas food hampers for the needy.

Since January, the council has participated in many other projects, including facilitating weekly Bible study sessions at the parish, refurbishing the parish grotto and organizing services for the unborn.

The council runs a Coffee-and-Donut Sunday every month at St. Vital to celebrate family and promote a closer parish community and helped resurrect the youth group in the parish.

It's also active in the community at large, running blood donor clinics for the Canadian Blood Services and supporting sports and recreation activities.

Last June Our Lady of the Hill Council held a silent auction to raise funds to support community projects. Some of the funds were donated to the Heroes Program, a community program that helps kids make better decisions when it comes to drugs and alcohol, Weisenberger said. The council also plans to establish a couple of scholarships for high school students at Beaumont Composite High School.

"We are here to support the Church and the community," Weisenberger said. "That's our goal."

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