By Geoffrey Stumpo
For Proclaim!
Every fall, Knights of Columbus All Saints Assembly 954 hosts a Mass to pray for their deceased brother Sir Knights from the previous year.
The annual Mass also includes the blessing of the Fraternal Chalice and concludes with a breakfast social. The chalice is then gifted to a priest in need from anywhere in the world.
Through the Fraternal Chalice, All Saints Assembly 954 serves a priest in need and perpetually remembers their fallen brother Sir Knights.
Every year, a Fraternal Chalice is blessed with the names of the assembly’s brother Sir Knights who have entered eternal rest over the past year engraved on its base.
Every day when the Fraternal Chalice is used in the celebration of Mass to hold the Most Precious Blood of our Lord, the listed Sir Knights are most prayerfully remembered before the Throne of our King of Eternal Glory in Heaven, and they experience the fruits and the prayers of The Holy Mass.
This year’s annual Memorial Mass and Blessing of the Fraternal Chalice was held on September 22, 2024, at Saint Francis of Assisi Parish in Johnstown with the Very Reverend Anthony Francis Spilka, OFM Conv., Pastor of the parish, as celebrant.
They commemorated the passing of 16 brothers in Christ including three Priests: SK Reverend Robert C. Hall, and SK Reverend Clarence “Chuck” Bridges.
This year also marked the first time in over thirty years that All Saints Assembly 954 was able to gift the Fraternal Chalice to a priest who serves our diocese.
In western culture, it is commonplace for a newly ordained priest to be gifted a chalice by their family, often their parents; however, this is a far greater challenge in less financially blessed parts of the world.
Since the Fraternal Chalice is always gifted to a priest in need, this means it is typically gifted to a missionary from outside the United States.
Reverend Savarimuthu Simon HGN, Parochial Vicar at Saint John Gualbert Cathedral in Johnstown, began to serve the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown in March of 2024.
His hometown of Villupuram, India, is poor by western standards, and both of his parents passed away when he was young.
He was ordained a priest on May 12, 2016, and up until this point in his priestly ministry, he never had his own chalice.
When All Saint Assembly 954 was informed of a priest in Johnstown in need of a chalice, they enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to gift Father Simon this year’s Fraternal Chalice.
Faithful Navigator, SK George J. Ferrante, stated: “This is the first time I can remember the priest [to be gifted the Fraternal Chalice] was able to be here…it must be the first time in at least 30 years.”
Father Simon was extremely grateful for being the recipient of this year’s Fraternal Chalice.
When asked his feelings about being gifted the Fraternal Chalice, Father Simon simply stated: “Just thank them from my heart.”
