Last Updated: Friday - 09/24/2010
April 28, 2008
State deputy Streit is top recruiter in 1.7M member order
State deputy Streit is top recruiter in 1.7M member order
|
- photo supplied
State deputy Wally Streit is pleased to announce there are now more than 16,000 knights in the Alberta-Northwest Territories jurisdiction.
|
By GLEN ARGAN
WCR Editor
Edmonton
Wally Streit is a true believer in the value of the Knights of Columbus.
Catholic men who join the Knights have their faith reinforced and the Church remains "vigorous and undiminished" because of the contribution of the new knights, says the Edmonton bank executive who has been state deputy of the Alberta-Northwest Territories K of C for the past year.
"I really treasure the experience of being the state deputy because I believe the Knights of Columbus has a great deal to offer to the Church," Streit said in a recent interview.
He cites contributions from the local parish to paying for TV productions of Vatican liturgies. "But the most significant way we can help the Church is by bringing men and their families close to the Church."
Streit has been walking that talk in fine style. He is the top recruiter in the 1.7-million member organization, having signed up a total of 923 recruits.
The Alberta organization brought in its 16,000th member last month - that's a net increase of more than 3,500 members over the last 10 years.
"That's a milestone that we're proud of," he said. "Overall, the Knights of Columbus continues to grow. It's the largest Catholic family fraternal organization in the world."
The order has also established four new councils this year - in Calgary, Chestermere, McLennan-High Prairie and at Our Lady Queen of Poland Parish in Edmonton.
Growth across Alberta
While the new councils attract new members, Streit said, "The growth in membership is right across the jurisdiction - from Medicine Hat in the south to Yellowknife and Fort Smith in the Territories."
"The leadership of our jurisdiction is committed to growing the organization," he continued. "With the state of the economy, we anticipate that we're going to have continued good growth over the next few years."
The Knights are also working to establish "round tables" - miniature councils in small parishes. A K of C council must have 30 members, but a round table can have as few as four or five, he said.
Round table members belong to a council, but their main focus is on their local parish, the state deputy said.
As well, the jurisdiction has set up focus groups to provide advice and other help to councils struggling with membership or programming or even to councils that have become inactive, he said.
Eight or nine focus groups were set up over the last year. In helping the council, he said, the local parish is also assisted because now it has its own K of C council.
The Alberta Knights have also "sharpened our focus on working in solidarity with our bishops and our priests," Streit said. "We're there to assist our priests and our bishops whenever they need our assistance."
Casino fundraising
Four years ago, the Knights took the Alberta bishops' advice and resolved to stop using casinos as a form of fundraising.
Some councils, the state deputy said, are still fundraising through casinos because they have made financial commitments and the state council has allowed them to complete those commitments.
"But we're encouraging them one by one to get out (of casinos). We've made very good progress in that regard."
Streit said he is a person who is driven by setting and attaining goals.
"The biggest satisfaction for me is to see those results achieved through other people," he said. "I've had a fair degree of success with that (this past year) and that's been gratifying."
One last goal? He would like to see the order reach 16,500 members by the time he finishes his term as state deputy in June 2009.
"That might be a bit of a reach," he said.
But when Streit sets his mind on something, more often than not, it's bound to happen.
|
