February 26, 2025

By Mary Beth Bracy, consecrated virgin
Contributing Writer

Since Blessed Michael McGivney began the Knights of Columbus in 1882, it has shined as a beacon of hope for those in need. On January 15, the Knights of Columbus Monsignor Morris L. Dwyer Council #255 continued this mission of mercy at their annual grant award dinner in the Emmaus Room at St. Peter’s in Plattsburgh.

This year marked a special milestone: since 2007, the Knights have given over one-million dollars in charitable contributions, mostly to local organizations.

Each year, the Knights offer the meal and present grant recipients with their checks. Representatives give brief descriptions of their organizations and missions. All the Knights attend wearing their sashes and assist in handing out the donations. They believe the dinner is a special way to say thank you, as opposed to simply sending notes in the mail.

Arlen Favero, the charitable gifts coordinator for the Knights of Columbus, has been a knight for 41 years and oversees the philanthropic efforts.

“I’ve been doing this for 18 years, and I’ve been through all the offices, district deputy, treasurer. I ran our building on Boynton Avenue for three years when we had it… We do our meetings at Saint Peter’s now and it gives us a lot more money to give to the Church.”

Favero recalled the legacy of so many knights who helped promote the Faith and keep their mission alive, from assisting with the recording a Rosary CD to serving in the honor guard to attending daily Mass and Eucharistic Adoration at Holy Cross Parish.

This year the Knights of Columbus donated $95,164.37 to five different groups. The primary recipients of their generosity include Holy Cross Parish and Seton Catholic School. They also gave donations to the Mission of Hope, including their special collection for Hurricane Helene Relief.

“As a charitable organization, we’re supposed to be the right hand of the Church, so we try to help out as much as we can with the churches,” said Favero.

As part of their witness to the sanctity of life, the Knights have given donations for pro-life Masses for several years, and they’ve given funds to organizations like Birthright, Heart Well Homestead, Catholic Charities, Champlain Valley Right to Life and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. They also assist St. Joseph’s Community Outreach Center, Plattsburgh Interfaith Food Shelf, Thanksgiving Turkey Baskets, and Coats for Kids.
The Knights give generously to the Bishop’s Fund and Bishop’s Burse, as well as for priests’ chasubles and deacons’ dalmatics. They also assist with donations to St. Anne’s Shrine in Isle la Motte, Camp Guggenheim, Children’s Miracle Network, Camp Ta-Kum-Tah (in South Hero, Vermont, for kids who have cancer and their families), Hope Lodge (in Burlington, a place that cancer patients’ families can stay free of charge; a lot of Knights have family members themselves who have stayed at the facility), and Honor Flight. Additionally, the Knights donate to five local fire departments – departments in communities where Knights live – to help children with fire prevention in schools.

The Knight noted that Council #255 doesn’t work alone in its efforts to raise funds to use in its support of Church and community.

“Our Lady of Victory Council helps a lot too,” he said. “Like they did the fish dinners. Both councils work together on that. Our members who worked at bingo and pull tabs are really the ones responsible for this (the raising of all the funds). We couldn’t do this without them.”

Kevin Goddeau has been the organization’s treasurer for 18 years.

“Kevin works hard,” Favero noted. “He’s in charge of the bingo.”

The knights have other supporters making their efforts possible, too.

“Most of the men that join the Knights are a little bit older,” Favero said. “I was fortunate. I had a good wife, and she always encouraged me to help. Without the help of the women, we couldn’t do this. Kevin Goddeau’s wife bakes something for all the workers every week for bingo. Cookies or cupcakes, she always has something. She doesn’t have to do it but, boy, she does.”

Some of the activities that the Knights volunteer for are working at the Parish Festival to sell the pull tabs and to cook fried bread dough.

“Over the last 15 years, we had money from bingo and the pull tabs to give away at the end of year,” Favero said. “We did real good last year.”

And the Knights’ help in other ways, as well.

“We do a lot of good works,” Mr. Favero related. “When Our Lady of Victory was closing the school, we got a crew to help the nuns move.”

In 1997, Knights of Columbus Council #255 celebrated their 100th anniversary, and Favero was grand knight at that time.

“Steve Forgette, one of the members who passed away this year, helped me put on a beautiful anniversary,” he recalled. “People said we couldn’t afford the commemoration book for the celebration. I said it could be done with ads. We had enough money left over to build the garage and pavilion (in the field behind St. Peter’s).”

Flipping the pages of that commemoration book, looking at so many familiar faces who have passed away, Favero reflected, “We do memorials for our people that died. I think we’ve had 15 people that passed away this year.”

Favero, who was part of the honor guard for years and took his fourth degree under Bishop Paul S. Loverde, said he hopes to continue serving with the organization that serves the community and Church so well.

“We’ve always done this and for myself it’s just something I enjoy doing. We started this a long, long time ago. I pray to the Lord that I can still be doing this,” said Favero, who recently turned 90. “I’ve got a lot to be thankful for. I had the best wife a man could ask for.”

With the Knights legacy of service and charity, they plan to continue to bless the North Country with their outreach of hope for years to come.