Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2009 / Knights celebrate blessing of regalia
Knights celebrate blessing of regalia
by Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
Published March 27, 2009
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Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic
District Master Walter Winkle (left) and Frank Tarrant of the Msgr. Kern assembly stand during the blessing ceremony. |
Taylor — When Catholics hear the term Knights of Columbus, the images that most likely come to mind are capes, chapeaus, white-gloved hands and shiny swords.
These are, in fact, the color guard members of the fraternal organization. Among the most active of the Knights, color corps members are part of what’s known as the fourth degree, a status earned by involvement in the fraternity.
At a blessing on March 19 of their regalia — their uniforms — about 50 color guard members in Taylor were reminded of their status as not just the most active members of the Knights, but also the public face of the fraternity.
“Some Catholic men join the Knights of Columbus,” said former Master Frank Pawelak during the ceremony. “Some Knights of Columbus men join the patriotic degree, the fourth degree. The best of the best fourth-degree men join the color corps. When they join the color corps, they take on a great responsibility. When the general public or parishioners see the color corps, they see not the first degree, not the second degree, not the third degree and not the fourth degree — but they see the Knights of Columbus.”
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Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic
Color guard members of eight assemblies of Knights of Columbus participate in a blessing ceremony. The different colored capes and chapeaus denote the Knights’ ranks. |
In the Archdiocese of Detroit, about 700 of the approximately 3,300 Knights of Columbus are in the color corps. It means they’ve exhibited the core virtues espoused by the fraternity: charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.
While most Knights of Columbus have their regalia blessed when they first become color corps members, the March 19 event was the first blessing of the regalia for all color corps members. It involved eight K of C assemblies from Dearborn, Allen Park, Taylor, Flat Rock, Hamtramck, Detroit, Lincoln Park and Monroe.
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Fr. Richard C. Macey, pastor of Our Lady of the Woods Parish in Woodhaven, bestows a blessing on the Knights of Columbus color guard. |
The blessing ceremony was conducted by Fr. Richard Macey, pastor of Our Lady of the Woods Parish in Woodhaven, and was held at the K of C hall of the Pope John Paul II Assembly in Taylor.
“This is the first time it’s been done on this scale,” said Bill Downing, the marshal for the eight participating assemblies. “Generally this is a ceremony for new guys becoming color corps members, but we came up with the idea that we should bless the regalia of our current members.” The color corps members stood at attention on the floor of the hall, received a blessing, pledged their commitment to continuing as active color corps members, then had their swords, capes and chapeaus blessed. They concluded with the singing of “God Bless America” and the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel.
Those participating said it was a meaningful occasion.
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Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic
Tony Johnson, a Knight of Columbus from the Msgr. Van Antwerp Assembly in Allen Park, stands at attention during the blessing of the regalia. |
“We are the patriotic degree,” said Tony Johnson, a member of the Msgr. Van Antwerp Assembly in Allen Park who’s been a color corps member for eight years. “The blessing is to symbolize our faith with our Lord and how we protect the Church and the priests … I was glad and honored to be here today. We take very seriously what we do and our cause for the community.”
Frank Tarrant, a knight for 41 years and a color corps member for the past 12, said the regalia has had a special meaning for him ever since he was young and saw his uncle and past grand knight, John A. Fisher, in uniform.
For him, the blessing helped express his connection to the knights and their mission. “It means I’m proud to be a member of the Knights of Columbus and a Catholic gentleman,” said Tarrant, a member of the Msgr. Kern Assembly in Allen Park.
Also at the blessing of the regalia was District Master Walter Winkle, who oversees all the Knights in southeastern Michigan. He said it was nice to see so many sir Knights at the blessing ceremony, and he hopes to duplicate it across the area.
“This is step one,” he said. “We have probably three more we’d like to do in the Detroit area to give everyone an opportunity to do something like this.”
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