2012 - 2013 Fraternal Year
July 2012 - Jim Dietrich
The honor is a special recognition by the Council’s leadership of a member who exemplifies the order’s founding principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism through his work for the church, community and parish.
Jim has assisted with the Hawkins circle flower-scape project and several of the Council’s pro-life activities, including delivering cribs to Pregnancy Care in Barberton. He joined the St. Sebastian Council in 2010. He is also a Fourth Degree Knight and a member of the Msgr. O’Keefe Assembly 818, which now makes its home at St. Sebastian.
August 2012 - Ron Shaw
Ron is a Fourth Degree Knight and charter member of the St. Sebastian Council. He currently holds the position of council Warden. He has assisted at every one of the Council’s Red Cross blood drives and has been an usher at St. Sebastian for 41 years, “because (former pastor) Father Byrider wanted me to be sure to come to Mass every week,” he says.
Ron has also provided regular and important transportation to help a brother Knight and his wife get to church, meetings, and medical appointments. His help exemplifies the order’s founding principles of charity, unity, and fraternity.
As one member put it, “You are extremely fortunate if you have a friend like Ron.”
He was nominated by fellow Knight and retired head usher, Bob Wolf.
September 2012 - John Anderson
John led a committee of Knights that worked through the summer to launch the Council 14255 Golf Outing in August. It is expected to be an annual event that will be a terrific social activity for the parish and an important fundraising event for the council going forward.
John is a Fourth Degree Knight and currently the Faithful Navigator of the Monsignor O'Keefe Assembly 818, the ceremonial and patriotic division of the Knights. He is a longtime volunteer with the Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament, and supporter of Our Lady of the Elms and the ARC of Summit County.
October 2012 - Sam Olsen
A first degree Knight, Sam completed a four-year hitch with the U.S. Army in August, after serving both in Iraq and Afghanistan.
After mustering out in Colorado and driving cross-country to bring his young family back to Ohio, he spent part of his second day back in Akron helping a team of Knights move Fr. Thaddeus Swirski from St. Sebastian’s rectory to his new home at St. Edward.
One of the founding principles of the KofC is “charity.” Sam’s generous gift of his time demonstrates that charitable activities need not always involve money.
Sam and his wife, Jillian, are parents of son Reed, and are expecting another. They plan to spend the next few months re-acclimating to civilian life before Sam enters nursing school next year.
November 2012 - Greg Obringer and Dan Johnson
Two members of St. Sebastian’s Knights of Columbus Council 14255 have been honored as “Knights of the Month” for their volunteer work on the council’s recent “Race Around the Park” event.
Dan Johnson was honored for his leadership of the important community sponsorship committee. Major supporters like Inspiron Logistics, OGS Industries, Champion Windows, and others, ensured a successful race, which will help fund some of the Knight’s important charitable work this year. Dan is a financial advisor and was chair of the Council’s family activities committee for five years. He and wife Jennifer have two boys, Joshua and Michael.
Third Degree Knight Greg Obringer, the council’s second honoree, was singled out for the tremendous work he did on race day, including transportation logistics. Greg is the Council’s current Chancellor and works in the City of Akron’s Recreation Bureau. He and wife Kathryn are the parents of a brand new baby girl, Zoe.
Both men were nominated by event chairman Tony Burgoyne.
December 2012 - John Kendrick
John has been activity in the St. Sebastian Youth Ministry for the past 12 years and the St. Sebastian Pre-Cana for six years. Most recently he has become a key member on the AkronKofC.org Web Team handling the day-to-day maintenance of the site.
John and his wife, Cindy, have two children Jack and Ella.
January 2013 - John Wilson
John is Council 14255’s Financial Secretary, appointed directly by KofC headquarters to oversee the group’s finances and membership records. The Financial Secretary serves a three-year term in office.
The Knight of the Month award was instituted to recognize members who go “above and beyond” in their service to the council, parish, and community. John does so despite regular national and international travel for his employer, Lubrizol. He is a Fourth Degree member and recently celebrated his 35th year with the Knights of Columbus.
February 2013 - Ted Varga
St. Sebastian’s Knights of Columbus Council 14255 has recognized First Year Trustee Ted Varga as its February Knight of the Month. As a trustee, he serves as an advisor to the elected leadership and supervises the twice-yearly council audits.
A charter member, Ted has held leadership positions with the Council since its founding in 2007, serving as Financial Secretary, Chancellor, and insurance representative.
A Fourth Degree Knight, Ted is also the council’s Right to Life chairman and liaison to the Community Pregnancy Center in Barberton. In cooperation with the S.A. Comunale Co., the Knights provide regular transportation services to the Pregnancy Center, moving truckloads of new cribs and mattresses for eventual use by needy new mothers.
March 2013 - Dr. Mark Adamczyk
The St. Sebastian Knights of Columbus council has recognized Dr. Mark Adamczyk as its March “Knight of the Month.” Mark is a Second Degree Knight and has been a member of Council 14255 since it was chartered six years ago.
Mark currently directs the council’s youth programs—an important focus for the KofC worldwide.
St. Sebastian students recently participated in a Knight-sponsored statewide basketball free throw contest and the council’s annual Presidents Day bowling event at Riviera Lanes. Mark also leads the Deacon Terry Peacock Scholarship selection committee, which annually awards $1000 scholarships for a deserving parish boy and girl planning to attend one of our nearby Catholic high schools.
April 2013 - Fred Milan and Tom Welsh
Like all members afforded the honor, Fred and Tom were recognized for their exemplary service to the parish, neighborhood, or the local council. In this case, Fred and Tom were able to help parishioners with potentially severe emergencies during our late winter. In so doing, they exemplified the first principle of the order, “charity,” by giving their time to assist others.
Worldwide, the KofC raises a large amount of money for charity each year, but its members’ commitment of time is enormous. Knights collectively volunteered more than 70 million hours of time to their churches and communities last year.
If you are a Catholic man aged 18 and above, why not consider becoming part of “the strong right arm” of the church by becoming a member? Talk to a Knight, or see akronkofc.org for more information.
May 2013 - Bernard Smith
A very active member, Bernie founded and leads the Council’s First Degree team, cooperating with a similar team from St. Hilary Parish to initiate new members into the order. In addition, he coordinates the council’s monthly raffle and organized the Fr. Pfeiffer raffle, which raised more than $1000 for grants to seminarians and high school scholarships.
At the parish level, he serves as a regular lector and has taught recent adult education classes. Bernie is a third degree member and former Knight of the Year.
June 2013 - Deacon Terry Peacock
The Knights of Columbus Council 14255 named Deacon Terry Peacock its “Knight of the Month” in honor of the 32nd anniversary of his ordination. One of the first members to attain the Fourth Degree of the Order, Deacon Terry has generously given his time to provide the members important spiritual direction since the St. Sebastian Council was founded in 2007.
