Each year, our Council 12698 Wilton Knights of Columbus host a “Keep Christ in Christmas” poster competition. The “Keep Christ in Christmas” poster competition is an annual program run by the Knights of Columbus for youth (typically grades K-8) to creatively express the religious meaning of Christmas through art, focusing on Jesus’s birth rather than secular holiday commercialism. Participants create 11″x17″ posters with original slogans and images, with winners advancing through local, district, state, and even international levels, with prizes awarded at various stages.
This year, the competition in Our Lady of Fatima was managed by Knights Peter Rubsam and Brad Wolf who worked with the Parish and CCD Parents to distribute the initiative to all the children. As a result, there was a lot of entries and competition to win the 1st prize for each grade was highly competitive.
Congratulations to Ella Trojek Grade 2, Isabella Ciano Grade 3 and Aurora Dusi Grade 6.
The 3 winners posters will now be sent onwards to compete against winners from other Councils in our District, so please wish them the best of luck going forwards!
Thanks to everyone who took part and helped with the competition.
On Sunday, December 21st, the Knights of Columbus Council 12698 presented a cheque of $500 to Fr. Hrebenko to go towards the renovation of the Faith Formation Classrooms at the back of the School. Faith Formation classes are religious education programs that teach the Parish children about God, Jesus, Church Teachings, and the sacraments, complementing what they learn at home, with goals to deepen faith, build community, and prepare for First Communion/Confirmation, using Bible stories, prayers, and lessons on living a Christian life. Providing good quality classrooms is essential for learning, and we are delighted to be able to help this initiative.
Paul Niche, Bob Lenihan, Fr. Hrebenko, Mike Healy and John Nieznanski are seen in the picture above.
OLF Wilton Knights of Columbus are inviting all boys and girls in Grades 1 to 8 to participate in a “Keep Christ in Christmas” poster contest.
A workshop for the kids to get started will be held Sunday December 7th after 9:30am mass (10:30am) in the parish center. All supplies will be provided by the OLF Knights of Columbus. Hot cocoa (for the kids), tea and coffee ((for parents) will be available.
Winners in each grade category (1st-2nd, 3rd-4th, 5th-6th, 7th-8th) will receive a $25 gift card.
The rules are:
Poster must reflect the theme of Keep Christ in Christmas
Each poster should be the original work of a single person
Poster should be approximately 11″ x 17″ in size in color or black and white
Name and grade of artist should be included on back of the poster
Submit posters at the OLF parish office by Friday 12/19
Winners will be selected by 12/31 and have an opportunity to advance to the district, state and national contest levels
Please contact Peter Rubsam at 203-984-5909 with any questions.
The Wilton Knights of Columbus Council 12698 held their Annual Officer’s outing once again at Norwalk Yacht Club on a beautiful afternoon on Sunday September 21st. While some officers were unable to make it due to other conflicts, a large contingent turned out with their wives and had a fantastic time. Brian Rafferty and Jamie McDowell were in charge of the BBQ and cooked some great burgers and sausages for all. There was a huge selection of starters, salads and desserts for afters, with the food provided by everyone.
Once everyone had their fill, the brave ones took to the water in the boat aptly named “The Luck of the Irish” for a quick spin on the Sound. “Luckily”, all returned save to shore!
Thanks to everyone who attended and helped make this a great afternoon – its a great way to thank all the Officers for their contributions and volunteer hours during the year, and to also get to know their wives and build better bonds. We hope to continue this event for many years in the future.
Congratulations to Dave Flynn on becoming a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus at the Fourth Degree Exemplification held on July 19th at St. Andrew’s Church in Bridgeport. This was the second Exemplification using the new script and the honoree of the exemplification was Sir Knight Sergio Toni.
The primary reason to become a Fourth Degree Knight is to embrace and promote patriotism, actively engage in civic duties, and serve as a visible representation of Catholic citizenship and faith within the community. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate love of country and uphold the values of the Knights of Columbus through service and leadership.
Dave is our second 3rd Degree Knight this year to advance to 4th Degree, following Peter Rubsam’s ceremony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
I hope to see more people follow in Dave and Peter’s steps over the coming months.
The 2024-2025 fiscal year has been a fantastic success for our Our Lady of Fatima, Knights of Columbus Council 12698 – we have held some amazing events with help from our sisters the Columbiettes, as well as helping them with their events. In addition, we have raised a lot of money for programs such as “Coats for Kids”, ran a very successful fundraiser with our annual St. Patrick’s Day Event, with the funds being used for good causes such as First Aid Kits for Our Lady of Fatima Church and The Growing for Good charitable garden. We have participated in projects via Assembly 100, Keep Christ in Christmas, and many others. To help expand our Faith, we organised two Masses and Rosaries which were open to everyone to attend and participate.
One of our biggest achievements though is that our team participation has significantly increased over the year. Meetings and Events are well attended, and there is no shortage of volunteers when needed, such as helping Fr. Reggie with his move to his new Parish.
I am also delighted to announce that we had 4 new joiners this year, which helped with all our initiatives. We look forward to Steven Dzik, Brad Wolf, Mark Drumer and Brian Dinkelacker’s participation for the full year in 2025-2026 and the energy they will bring to our team.
Additionally, I would like to give a huge thanks to Peter Slavin who has recently transferred to another Council closer to his new home. Peter has filled many roles over a very long period with our Council, including Grand Knight and Field Agent. Our Council would not be what it is without Peter’s involvement, and I hope he knows that he can come join us at any time, no invites needed. Good luck Peter in your next adventure – we wish you the best!
All of this has been accomplished by a great team of Officers and Service Personnel. It gives me great pleasure to announce our 2025-26 team – congratulations to you all! Pictures for each Officer can be found by clicking here.
Congratulations to Peter Rubsam, one of own from Council 12698, on becoming the latest Sir Knight of the 4th Degree of The Knights of Columbus. Peter was privileged to attend the ceremony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC marking the 125th anniversary of the first exemplification on February 22nd 1900. Peter was part of a class of over 700; the first exemplification had over 1,100 candidates. The entire ceremonial was overseen by His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan and Supreme Chaplain, His Excellency Archbishop William Lori. They also celebrated a Mass and attended a banquet afterwards.
The next exemplification in CT is on Sunday, April 6, at the birthplace of our order, St. Mary’s in New Haven. If you wish to be a part of the Patriotic arm of our order, please let us know soon. You’ll have to complete a Form 4 application, email it to Council 12698 for verification at WiltonKnightsOfColumbus@gmail.com before it is sent to Bishop Fenwick Assembly 100. I encourage all of our 3rd Degree Knights to become members of the 4th Degree.
Congratulations again to Peter in his fantastic accomplishment, and thanks to his wife Jeannie and all the others who were there with him to celebrate.
The Wilton Knights of Columbus held a “Keep Christ In Christmas” Poster Competition for our children in the Parish this Christmas Season. Peter Rubsam led the initiative and worked with the Parish, CCD Parents and Alison Lombardi to distribute the initiative to all the Kids. We had 2 great winners who each received a $25 gift voucher for their great efforts. Congrats to all involved!
We hope to continue this initiative every Christmas and have it become a tradition for Our Lady of Fatima
On Tuesday evening, Fr. Jim DiVasto said Mass at our Lady of Fatima in Wilton to celebrate the installation of new Officers in our Council 12698. Many Knight Members and Families turned out.
District Deputy Anthony Armentano performed the Installation of Officers after the Mass concluded, installing Mike Healy as Grand Knight, Dave Flynn as Deputy Grand Knight, Brian Rafferty as Treasurer, Peter Rubsam as Recorder, John Danaher as Financial Secretary and Jamie McDowell as 3 Year Trustee. Fr. Jim was also installed as Chaplain and Lecturer.
Some Officers were not able to attend and were awarded in absentia, including Bob Lenihan as Chancellor and Membership, Rob McCullough as Warden, Scott Douglass as Inside and Outside Guard, Paul Niche as 1 Year Trustee, Peter Slavin as 2 Year Trustee, and Bill McMorris as Advocate.
Wilton Knights Of Columbus 