May 27, 2015

By Fred Herbst
Contributing Writer

TICONDEROGA - When St. Mary’s School re-opens this fall, it will be with the help of the Knights of Columbus.
The Catholic benevolent fraternal society has raised nearly $32,000 for the Ticonderoga school.

“On behalf of the Ticonderoga council and St. Mary’s School, we thank all of you for bringing everything together on the state and supreme level of the order to help our school,” said Mike Edson, Grand Knight of Ticonderoga’s Knights of St. Isaac Jogues Council 333. “The efforts of everyone involved are proof that, with faith, anything can be achieved.

“I am proud to be not only a Knight, but the Grand Knight of our council this year,” he said.

When a devastating and suspicious fire totally destroyed St. Mary’s School last September, the Knights of St. Isaac Jogues Council 333, their brother Knights throughout the Diocese of Ogdensburg and the New York State Council sprang into action.

Efforts were coordinated among Council 333’s Chaplain Father Kevin McEwan, Grand Knight Edson, Financial Secretary Richard Liddell, District Deputy William McIntyre and New York State Secretary Dr. Charles Robinson, who is a commissioned lay minister in the Diocese. Ticonderoga council Lecturer Frank McCabe and Treasurer Les Bilow also played key roles.

The fire occurred on a Friday. One week later, at the 4:30 Saturday Mass at St. Mary’s, the Knights State Secretary and the District Deputy presented Father McEwan and Principal St. Joseph Sister Sharon Dalton with a $2,500 check from the State Council on behalf of State Deputy Carmine Musumeci and the 90,000 Knights in New York State for the immediate needs of the school.

At that time, Father McEwan said that the funds “were already spent” as the supplies that the teachers bought to get the school running cost over $2,000.

The school was to restart the next day in temporary quarters in the newly-partitioned church basement and in the nearby First United Methodist Church.

The New York State Council has long been an ardent supporter of the Catholic schools in New York State and has for many years matched monetary donations from local councils to Catholic schools in their vicinity.

As such, it promised to donate an additional $2,500 if that amount could be matched by councils and assemblies within the diocese. Ticonderoga Council 333 was charged with coordinating that effort.

Council 333 had a drawing at its November dinner following its Memorial Mass. It gave out $5,000 worth of prizes, with $5,000 more going to St. Mary’s. They sold 200 $50 tickets, letting only Council 333 Knights and their wives buy tickets. Hon. Dominick Viscardi, a Brother Knight of Council 333, won the $2,500 top prize and then donated that amount back to the fund for St. Mary’s. Thus 333 itself raised $7,500.

Within five months, other councils in the diocese, in New York State — as far away as Staten Island and as close as neighboring Port Henry — and in Winooski, Vt., donated nearly $8,800 and the state council put in its $2,500 match.

Donating were councils from Adams, Morrisonville, Plattsburgh (Council 6067 and Council 7215),  Peru, Saranac Lake, Indian Lake, Brasher Falls, Port Henry, Bloomingdale, Champlain, Tupper Lake, Waddington, Massena, Keeseville, Canton, Old Forge, Malone, Lake George, Chateaugay, Potsdam, Staten Island, Norfolk and Winooski, Vt.

The State Secretary, through the State Deputy and New York-based Supreme Director Art Harris, inquired if the Supreme Council would be willing to help with recovery efforts, and Supreme in mid-March donated $10,000 to the school.

The State Secretary and the District Deputy again travelled over to St. Mary’s to present that check to the pastor and the principal.

All in all, thanks to the generosity of the Knights, more than $31,000 was raised in this five-month time frame.
The Knights of Columbus is a worldwide society of 1.8 million men dedicated to the principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. By their action, their focus is on enhancing their parishes, families, communities and youth.

The Knights provide substantial relief and manpower after natural disasters, such as tropical storm Sandy in New York and New Jersey and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

The St. Isaac Jogues Council 333 has 259 members and a long history. The Ticonderoga Council of the Knights of Columbus was formed on April 24, 1898, with 42 members.