February 2024

Edward Andrion

The February 2024 Knight of the Month is Edward Andrion. This award honors the work he offers to both the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 and the Prince of Peace Catholic community.

In one of the classic fun facts involving Prince of Peace, Edward served as a junior acolyte during the first Mass celebrated by our founding pastor, Jim Balint, inside the original church sanctuary.

After moving with his family from Southern California in the 1980s, Edward graduated from Plano Senior High School. He received his First Holy Communion at The Catholic Community of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and was confirmed at Prince of Peace.

He joined the Knights of Columbus many years ago with his father, who was invited to join the Knights by recently departed Knight Dan Garasich.

As a young adult, Edward joined Prince of Peace in 2014. He was invited by fellow Knight Lupe Lopez to attend the Saturday morning Men’s Fellowship gatherings that involve praying the Rosary and discussing a Biblical virtue after being seen praying in the Eucharistic Chapel.

A powerfully trained operatic tenor, Edward, a second degree Knight, offers his vocal skills to Prince of Peace as a cantor and has sung at the funerals of several Knights in our Council. He can often be heard during the Sunday 8 a.m. Mass but cantors at other liturgies too. Edward likes to say that “When you sing, it’s like you are praying twice.”

Earlier in his career, Edward served in the Naval Reserve for 16 years, working in communications, the joint intelligence command and Commander Naval Forces Korea. He also spent time at the Naval Air Sation Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. Today, he works at Southwest Airlines as a flight attendant and serves on the staff of the Transport Workers Union where he works with new hires.

As his flight schedule allows, Edward has helped with past Knights’ breakfasts and enjoys participating in Knights’ social events. He recently used his vocal skills as the Knights bingo caller.

Edward is the proud parent of son Jude, 15, and daughter, Bella, 14. His son has on occasions played the cajon, a boxed shaped percussion instrument, while Edward cantors.

January 2024

Jack Lyon

The January 2024 Knight of the Month is Jack Lyon. This award honors the expanded role and duties he offers to both the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 and the Prince of Peace Catholic community.

This year, Jack celebrates his silver anniversary as a member of the Knights of Columbus. In February 2022, Jack and his wife, Lynette, were named the Knight Family of the Month.

A Third Degree Knight, Jack has served the Prince of Peace community in countless acts of kindness, generosity, and prayerful devotion over the years. In 2023, Jack took on the role of Financial Secretary and has been knee deep in the vital role for more than six months. While still learning the ropes, Jack has accepted the challenging role that helps manage the business of the Council.

For many years, Jack was highly involved with the monthly Knights Breakfasts, including the preparation of delicious cinnamon rolls and other items. He has been involved with the Hike for Life, serving a number of highly visible as well as behind the scenes duties. Using his brute strength, Jack has supported the American Wheelchair Mission that partners with our Council by helping to unload wheelchairs from the truck for inventory and distribution.

Seemingly everywhere around the Prince of Peace campus, Jack has also been a supporter of the bingo events and of the Christmas parties. Jack is also a long time member of the Prince of Peace choir. Jack was a member of the Christ Renews His Parish team 7 and provided additional administrative and prayerful support for many other teams in formation.

For many years, Jack has been a faithful member, and now leader, of the Saturday Morning Men’s Fellowship that gathers to pray the Rosary followed by a discussion of a different Biblical virtue and theme with men at various stages of their faith formation. After introducing the theme each week, it has become common for men to hear Jack open discussion with the question, What Say You?

Jack and Lynette are the proud parents of two daughters, Teresa & Sierra, and one grandchild, Sariyah.

December 2023

Art Amoyo

The December 2023 Knight of the Month is SK Art Amoyo. This award honors Art’s never ending service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716.

Art has been a member of the Knights of Columbus since 2004 and became a Fourth Degree member in 2013. He served as the Deputy Grand Knight of Council 11716 for two years and Grand Knight for a year. In September 2022, Art and his wife, Mary Lynn, were named the Knight Family of the Month.

He has a long history of involvement with fund raising activities for this Council, including time as the chair of the fundraising committee. Art is a staple at the Sunday Knights Breakfasts where he has performed a wide variety of duties in and out of the kitchen. He also enjoys participating in the Wreaths Across America program at the Dallas National Cemetery where both his parents, a brother-in-law and a former employee are buried.

Through his work at Bullet Graphics Center where he works with his brother and fellow Knight, Maco, Art supports this Knights Council with the creation of announcements, signs, posters and apparel. The graphic design, artistry and layout, printing skill and production make his handiwork easily recognized for its style, quality and professionalism, and many of the projects are donated to the Knights.

Earlier this year, Art managed the highly successful POP Golf at TopGolf charity golf tournament at The Colony TopGolf. The social event, open to all parishioners, involved 90 participants and raised $7,000 for various affinity groups affiliated with the Knights at Prince of Peace.

On many Sundays, you can hear Art singing as a member of the adult liturgical choir. In addition, he and Mary Lynn are deeply involved in a small group program that grew out of the “Reach More” ministry. Today, the ministry has morphed into monthly gatherings of couples who meet at parishioner homes to discuss ways of evangelizing the Catholic faith.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of SK Art Amoyo, the December 2023 Knight of the Month.

November 2023

Greg Davis

The November 2023 Knight of the Month is SK Greg Davis. This award honors Greg’s service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 and to Assembly 3642.

Greg has been a member of Prince of Peace since 2014. He joined the Knights of Columbus while in the U.S. Army and stationed in Germany in in 2009. He received his Third Degree in 2018 and Fourth Degree in 2019.

Greg served our nation in the U.S. Army before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel after 29 ½ years of service. For the last 15 years in military duty, he served as a civil affairs planner. Today, he works for the Dallas Police Department where he works in the operational technology division where he works on a variety of projects involving body cameras and tasers.

A native of Little Rock, Ark, and a cradle Catholic, he has helped with the Catholic Bowl that pits two Catholic high schools against one another on the gridiron. Given his Army training, he serves the operational and logistical needs of both teams and staff when the schools play against one another.

Given his law enforcement, operational and logistical background, you can find Greg providing security assistance behind the scenes. Whether it’s a Prince of Peace Mass or social events such as Knights Bingo where the public display of money is present, you can count of Greg to ensure the money is safeguarded and handled properly.

He enjoys participating in Fourth Degree Assembly programs and is intimately involved in the Assist the Officer Association that helps officers in need of emergency financial assistance.

Greg has been married to his wife, Jennifer, for 27 years. Although they do not have children, Greg loves to devote time to the Special Olympics and the Tip a Cop program that enables athletes to participate in the Special Olympics competitions.

At the events, you will find Greg cheering on athletes and motivating them to succeed with high fives and a big smile.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of SK Greg Davis, the November 2023 Knight of the Month.

October 2023

Alfredo Gamboa

The October 2023 Knight of the Month is SK Alfredo Gamboa. This award honors Alfredo’s service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 and to Assembly 3642.

Alfredo has been a member of Prince of Peace since 2021. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 2010 and is a Fourth Degree Knight.

Alfredo, who served our nation in the U.S. Marine Corps, regularly attends the Knights meetings, and serves as an Officer, the Inside Guard, in the Assembly and also serves in the Color Guard as Color Corps Commander. Examples of his impactful and influential activities include:

• Alfredo has traveled to Tampico, Mexico, on a wheelchair distribution mission.
• Recently participated in his third Hike for Life.
• Recipient of Pro-Life Ace Wings from the Texas State Council.
• Visits prisoners each month in the Knights prison ministry program.
• Provided a pulpit talk in Spanish last year after mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church to tell parishioners about the wheelchair drive ministry.
• Serves in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul North Texas as a Spanish translator and assists Venezuelan families in need with immigration services.
• Provides Society of St. Vincent de Paul support as a distributor of food and translator for Spanish speakers at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church.
• Played in previous Catholic Pro-Life Community Golf Classics.
• Participates in the Honor Our Heroes program at Prince of Peace that serves active duty military personnel related to POP families.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of SK Alfredo Gamboa, the October 2023 Knight of the Month.

September 2023

Ray Biase

The September 2023 Knight of the Month is SK Ray Biase. This Award recognizes Ray’s service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 and to Assembly 3642.

Ray has been a member of Prince of Peace since 1994, when Prince of Peace was based in an office building. He joined the Knights of Columbus about 10 years ago and is a Fourth Degree Knight.

Ray regularly attends the Knights meetings, and serves as an Officer, the Faithful Scribe, in the Assembly. When there is a Knights activity, it is most probable that he will be there. Examples of his activities include:

• He is a regular to serve at the monthly Knights Breakfasts, currently as an “omeleteer”.
• Helps the distribution of wreaths at the Wreaths Across America events.
• He along with his wife Cyndy assist the Bingo fund raisers by soliciting prizes and sponsorships.
• Supports the fund-raising efforts for the American Wheelchair Mission.
• Helps to raise funds through the sale of tamales.
• He and Cyndy are regulars at most Knights social activities.

Ray has been married to Cyndy for 52 years, and they have three children and 10 grandchildren. Cyndy is active as a Lady Knight and serves as a Eucharistic Minister.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of SK Ray Biase, the September 2023 Knight of the Month.

August 2023

Jeff Flanagan

The August 2023 Knight of the Month is SK Jeff Flanagan. This Award recognizes Jeff’s service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716.

Jeff Flanagan has been a member of Prince of Peace since 1993, shortly after it was established. He joined the Knights of Columbus in the late 1990’s and is a Fourth Degree Knight.

Jeff is extremely committed to serve for the long term to support causes to which he volunteers. He is highly appreciated as the “champion” of the Special Olympics for this Council. He coordinates the events with his fellow Knights and he gets volunteers to help serve at the Special Olympics, a truly important cause of this Council.

In addition to the Special Olympics, Jeff is involved in other Knights activities:
• He is a regular to serve at the monthly Knights Breakfasts
• Helps at the Wreaths Across America
• Is involved with the Bingo fund-raisers
• Has a history of helping with Habitat for Humanity
• He visits ailing Knights (and others) in their homes to make them know that they are not forgotten.

At the recent Knights Texas State Convention in Dallas, Jeff helped at the Golf Tournament and is highly appreciated for his efforts to increase the participation in the 50:50 Raffle with the creative “wing span” approach to boost ticket sales.

Jeff and his family have moved to Prosper, where he is involved with the HOA of his community. But, despite the distance and the other commitments, he remains very committed to Prince of Peace, to Council 11716 and to Assembly 3642. He also volunteers at Cornerstone Assistance Network in Prosper, including serving on their Charity Golf Tournament Committee.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of SK Jeff Flanagan, the August 2023 Knight of the Month.

July 2023

John Szwekowski

Our Knight of the Month for July 2023 is John Szwejkowski, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

John and his wife, Katheryn, are founding members of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community. He has a long history of service at PoP and he explains that this “church is my family”. John has been a Eucharistic Minister for well over 15 years, and delivered the Holy Eucharist to the sick, especially at retirement centers, for 13 years. He is supportive of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society and the Sister Parish and has led the rosary before the 11:00 Mass.

John is most appreciated for sharing his photographic skills. The list of his picture taking events is very long, and it includes:
• 25th and 30th Anniversary of PoP.
• Golf Tournaments
• Bingo
• Pro-Life Dinner
• Knights Breakfasts
• Pro-Life Walks and at abortion clinics
• Christmas events

John has been a Knight for about one year. He has a history of service at the Knights Breakfasts, helping to raise money for wheelchairs, and has worked to support Habitat for Humanity.

John Szwejkowski, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the July 2023 Knight of the Month.

June 2023

Fred Kuglin

Our Knight of the Month for June 2023 is Sir Knight Fred Kuglin, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Fred has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community for about two years. He transferred here from St. Marks where he was a parishioner for 30 years. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 1986 and became a Fourth Degree member about 30 years ago.

Fred is an active Knight. Shortly after he joined this Council, he agreed to serve as the Safe Environment Director and has done a noteworthy job for both Supreme and the Diocese to ensure that our active Council members are up-to-date. Other activities in the Knights includes obtaining prizes for our Bingo events, occasionally assisting at the monthly Breakfast and Pro-Life activities including running the raffle at the Christ Child Luncheon this past November.

At Prince of Peace, Fred ushers at the 5:00 PM Mass where he also recruits volunteers to present the gifts to the celebrant.

Fred Kuglin, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the June 2023 Knight of the Month.

May 2023

Tyson Theilen

Our Knight of the Month for May 2023 is Tyson Theilen, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Tyson has been a member of Prince of Peace for about eight years and joined the Knights of Columbus about one year ago. He is married to Meagan and they have four children: one daughter at John Paul II High School, and a son and two daughters at Prince of Peace School.

Tyson is involved with multiple activities of the Knights. He headed up the recent Easter Egg Hunt at Prince of Peace which was enjoyed by many. And he helped at a variety of activities such as the recent Bingo event and the Lenten Fish Dinner.

At Prince of Peace, he is serving the second year of a three-year term on the Pastoral Advisory Council, where he serves as the liaison to the Finance Committee. He will also help at PoP School as assistant coach of the Junior Varsity football team.

Beyond Prince of Peace Tyson is involved with youth in Frisco where he serves as a Board Member for the Frisco Football League and is a football coach for one of the teams.

Tyson Theilen, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for May 2023.

April 2023

Dale Hoelting

Our Knight of the Month for April 2023 is Dale Hoelting, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Dale has been a member of Prince of Peace since the very beginning. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 1995, and transferred to Council 11716 when it was initially formed at Prince of Peace. He is a Charter Member. Currently, he serves as the Evangelization and Faith Formation coordinator for this Council.

Dale is involved with multiple activities of the Knights. He is a regular volunteer at the monthly Knights Breakfast where can be seen doing whatever needs to be done at the time. He is also actively involved with fund raising for Bingo and for the Wheelchair Drives. Dale is a volunteer for the Wreaths Across America program and enjoys the Knights social events.

At Prince of Peace, Dale is very active. He has served multiple terms on the PoP Building Committee and on the Facilities Committee. Frankly, his service on these two committees is invaluable. Dale is a Senior Acolyte to assist at the Sunday Mass. He has also participated in Christ Renews His Parish, and occasionally attends the Men’s Fellowship meetings on Saturday morning.

Dale Hoelting, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for April 2023.

March 2023

Leo Malo

The Knight of the Month for March 2023 is Leo Malo, chosen based on his service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Leo joined the Prince of Peace Catholic Community about seven years ago, and in 2019 he joined the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 as a result of the encouragement from James Widman and Lupe Lopez.

As a Knight, Leo has been involved in many different activities. He can be found at many of our monthly Knights Breakfasts where he arrives early and stays most of the morning. He supports the Wheelchair Mission and helped to unload and reload the wheelchairs. Leo is active in his support with the Right to Life and the Walks for Life.

At Prince of Peace, Leo has served in the past as the Rosary Lead before the Saturday evening Mass and is a Eucharistic Minister. He also served on the Prince of Peace Pastoral Council for three years, including one year as the Vice Chairman and one year as the Chairman.

Leo lives the life of a Knight with his actions. He checks in on two neighbors with health conditions and helps them. Last weekend, he took one of his neighbors to the ER with horrible back issues. He is “truly a steward and caretaker of his fellow man”.

Leo is married to Cindy for over 53 years and they have one son who attends Prince of Peace in Houston.

Congratulations to Leo Malo for being the March 2023 Knight of the Month and thank you for your service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

February 2023

Michael Muldowney

The Knight of the Month for February 2023 is Michael Muldowney, chosen based on his service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Michael joined the Prince of Peace Catholic Community close to four years ago as the Director of Adult Ministry. He had moved here from the Denver area where he worked for another parish in Adult Formation.

Michael has had an interest in the Knights of Columbus for a long time. He noted the activity of the Knights of Columbus in various Prince of Peace activities and decided to join Council 11716 in June 2020.

As the Director of Adult Ministry, Michael is adding and enlarging programs to support adults, especially marriages, including:
• Marriage preparation
• Efforts to get engaged couples to commit to Prince of Peace as their community
• Marriage enrichment
• The Pursue Program with socials for married couples
• The Parish Mission which will be held in late February

He and his wife Caye-An (Catherine) have four children, Gianna (12), Elise (9), Colette (7) and Samuel (3), and a new beagle puppy.

Congratulations to Michael Muldowney for being the February 2023 Knight of the Month and thank you for your service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

January 2023

Logan Edsall

The Knight of the Month for January 2023 is Logan Edsall, chosen based on his service to the Knights of Columbus.

Logan joined the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 about one year ago. He is a graduate of Prince of Peace Grade School (2014) and John Paul II High School (2018). While at JPII, he was a member of the Varsity soccer team during his four years in high school. He also enjoys playing basketball and baseball.

Logan has been involved in multiple Knights activities. At the monthly Breakfasts, he takes it upon himself to be involved in a variety of ways, especially where others do not see what needs assistance. He gets involved in hauling out the trash, in cleaning tables and in serving the omelets. At the recent Christmas party, he arrived hours early to help with the set-up, and then attended the party with an “ugly” sweater. He also participated in the recent “Wreaths Across America” laying of wreaths at the grave sites of veterans.

Logan has a very impressive attitude. Some of his comments were:
• I want to help others.
• I want to do whatever needs help.
• I want to be a good man.
• He looks for what needs to be done, especially if others do not see it.

Congratulations to Logan Edsall for being the January 2023 Knight of the Month and thank you for your service to the Knights of Columbus.

December 2022

Dan Golden

The Knight of the Month for December 2022 is Dan Golden, chosen based on his service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Dan joined the Knights of Columbus Council 2782 about nine years ago while a student at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. He graduated from UI in 2018 and then served as a missionary at the University of Cincinnati and at Edinboro University in Edinboro, PA.

Dan and Victoria married in May 2020 and moved to Plano. Dan transferred to Council 11716 in December 2020, and immediately became a regular participant in the Monthly Knights Breakfasts. He is the waffle chef and after the Breakfast cleans up the waffle station and stores the pancake and waffle equipment.

At Prince of Peace, Dan and Victoria are members of PURSUE, a program for young, married couples and they are helping with a Middle School Bible Study Program. Dan has recently started a men’s group for younger men which meets monthly to discuss apostleship and ways to strengthen their faith.

Dan and Victoria continue their support to missionary organizations, such as the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) and St. Paul’s Outreach (SPO), because Dan’s former students while he was a missionary at Cincinnati and Edinboro went on to work for those two organizations after graduating. More recently, he also supports NET ministries (National Evangelization Teams) which is dedicated to spreading the Gospel to the youth.

Congratulations to Dan Golden for being the December 2022 Knight of the Month and thank you for your service to the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community, and beyond.

November 2022

Godwin Vincent Chidozie Igwe

The November 2022 Knight of the Month is Godwin Vincent Chidozie Igwe. This Award recognizes Dozie’s service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Dozie, before moving over to the USA, was the President of Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria (CYON), and the Secretary of Board of Lectors (Lay Readers) at St Joseph’s Catholic Chaplaincy in Abakaliki, Nigeria.

He is a Google Scholar with a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics, Management and Extension, has served as a World Bank Development agent at the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak to mitigate rural farmers’ adaptation to climate change effects in Nigeria. He also has 11 journal articles published in ranked Journal Houses (Google Scholar, AJOL, etc,).

He has been trained in specific areas of job specialization to include: Accounts Receivable and Payable Specialist. He recently obtained certifications as a DevOps Engineer and Linux Administrator. He is currently a student of the Ramsey’s Financial Peace University to become a Financial Manager.

Dozie has a strong passion for humanitarian services which propelled him to be the President of the Millennium Development Goals’ Community Development Service (MDGCDS) in Nigeria which was responsible for teaching rural dwellers numerous ways to adapt to environmental challenges caused by climate change.

Dozie has been attending Prince of Peace for about one year. He was invited to join the Knights of Columbus by Dan Stoffel and Ben Oani, and was very grateful for the invitation. He joined about five months ago, and is a Third Degree Knight. He sent a note of appreciation, because he is proud to be a Knight since it helps him to strengthen his faith. He then introduced his friend, Cosmas, and he also joined the Knights.

Dozie has quickly established himself as a Knight who believes in service. When the St. Vincent de Paul truck was at Prince of Peace, he jumped in to greet people and to help load the truck. Dozie and Cosmas helped to clean up after Bingo and after the Knights Breakfast. At Prince of Peace, Dozie serves as a Youth Ministry leader and helps the PoP youth from 1:00 to 3:00 on Sundays.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of Godwin Vincent Chidozie Igwe, the November 2022 Knight of the Month.

October 2022

Maco Amoyo

The October 2022 Knight of the Month is SK Maco Amoyo. This Award recognizes Maco’s service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716.

Maco Amoyo has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community for over 20 years. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 2013, and is a Fourth Degree Knight.

Maco, the Council’s 3rd most handsome knight, is involved with many of the Knights activities. This includes the monthly Breakfasts where he is stationed to take the omelet orders, and he participates at special events which involve serving food. However, he is most noted and appreciated for his leadership of Social Events. He has arranged many events including Happy Hours at Pin Stack and Katy Trail, dinners with spouses such as at the Thai Orchid (featuring Richie Valente), the Christmas Party and the sporting events (Top Golf, Rough Riders Baseball, basketball, and hockey). He serves as the Council’s “Bingo Master” where his personality and dry sense of humor are enjoyed by all.

Maco with his brother, Art, and their company, Bullet Graphics, support the Knights with signage and other promotional needs.

As a special note, appreciation is further extended to Maco’s wife, Marcee, who helps Maco with these Social Events and serves as his “back up”.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of SK Maco Amoyo, as the October 2022 Knight of the Month.

September 2022

Bill Weber

Our Knight of the Month for September 2022 is SK Bill Weber, selected based upon his commitment to service for the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond.

Bill has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for 24 years. He is a Fourth Degree Knight and has served this Council as the Wheelchair Mission Director since 2010. On July 1st, he began his 5th year as the Texas Wheelchair Chairman.

Bill Weber brought the Wheelchair Ministry to Prince of Peace and no other parish donates as much each year to the Wheelchair Mission. Over the past 12 years, Prince of Peace has donated $962,079, which is enough for 6,413 standard wheelchairs. This year, Prince of Peace donated $127,964 to provide 280 standard wheelchairs and 100 specialty wheelchairs for needy children in Hermosillo, Mexico. The funds also provided 120 wheelchairs for local needs and wheelchairs for other CRIT Centers.

In addition to the Wheelchair Drives at Prince of Peace, Bill helped in person with drives at 8 other parishes in the Dallas Diocese and at parishes in Austin, Brownwood, Emory, Paris and Sugar Land. During the last fraternal year, the Dallas Diocese raised a record $378,680 for 2,524 wheelchairs and the State of Texas raised a jurisdiction record of $735,941 for 4,906 wheelchairs.

In addition, Bill has served the Knights of Columbus and Prince of Peace:
• Knights involvement:
o Helps with the Special Olympics
o Supports Pro-Life activities, such as Hike for Life.
o Chalice Program Director for Prince of Peace Assembly
• Prince of Peace involvement:
o Minister of Holy Communion
o Rosary Leader
SK Bill Weber is appreciated for his exemplary service to Council 11716, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community, to the Diocese of Dallas and to the State of Texas.
Please extend your congratulations to Bill for being the Knight of the Month for September 2022.

August 2022

James Widman

The August 2022 Knight of the Month is SK James Widman. This Award recognizes James’ exemplary service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community, and beyond.

James has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community for 16 years, and has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for 15 years. James has served this Council as the Pro-Life Director since 2008.

When James first came to Prince of Peace, he joined the Respect Life Ministry, and soon joined the Knights to link the two ministries and further spread the Gospel of Life. James completed CRHP-2 at POP and also served on the PoP team that took the CRHP program to All Saints Catholic Church in 2015.

James currently serves as:
• Member of the Knights Membership Committee
• Member of the Respect Life Ministry at Prince of Peace, Vice President of Hike for Life Inc., a non-profit which coordinates the Hikes for Life in the state of Texas.
• Co-Chair of the Raffle Committee for the Bishops Pro-Life Dinner.
James and his wife, Arda, are students of scripture and completed the four-year University of Dallas Catholic Biblical Studies Program. They have both served as facilitators for the PoP, Catholics Returning Home Program for over 10 years and led the eight week “Walk Though the Bible” study program. James is a regular volunteer at the monthly breakfasts and volunteers to sell raffle tickets, tamales, bingo and eager to invite men to join the Knights of Columbus. James has also served as Rosary leader at the 5:00 Saturday mass and as an alternate for our Council rosary. James served as the Hike for Life “Site Coordinator” at John Paull II High school for 12 years and is active in promoting the Hike with our priests and parishioners.

James served 9 years on his neighborhood HOA and 2 years as President. He enjoys golf playing guitar and Fitness. James enjoyed in running in earlier years and complete over 10 marathons including, Boston, New York, Houston, Dallas and Moscow way back in 1987 and proudly competed in a Spartan endurance race at AT&T stadium in 2018. James is involved in the Frisco community advocating for construction of an Animal Care and Adoption Center and was recently elected Precinct Chair for the Denton County Republican Party. James celebrates the recent Supreme Court ruling that overturned the Roe V Wade decision and continues his work to support and protect Life and those women and babies in need!

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of SK James Widman, the August 2022 Knight of the Month.

July 2022

Ben Oani

The July 2022 Knight of the Month is SK Ben Oani. This Award recognizes Ben’s exemplary service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community, and beyond.

Ben and his family joined Prince of Peace in 2015, and he became a member of the Knights of Columbus in 2017. He is a Fourth Degree member of Assembly 3642 and served as the Faithful Pilot. Ben served as Grand Knight of this Council from 2020 to 2022. He also served the State of Texas Council as the North East Region Emergency Response Coordinator from 2017 to 2022 where he served the Dioceses of Dallas, Fort Worth, Tyler and Beaumont.

In addition to his leadership of Council 11716, Ben is actively involved with most functions of the Council such as the monthly Knights Breakfast, Bingo, the fundraisers for the Wheelchair Mission, the Right to Life and the tamale sales. He is involved in many ways.

Ben also serves the Prince of Peace Community as a Senior Acolyte, Lector, and Eucharistic Minister. He has been a catechist for the young people who were studying for the Sacrament of Confirmation and was a Chaperone for the 80 mile (6-day) walk in Spain to follow the path of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. He has volunteered for five years as a representative to the North Texas Catholic Brothers.

Ben’s accomplishments and leadership are well recognized, and he has been asked to be the Knights District 114 Deputy, responsible to oversee the Knights Councils at St. Michaels in McKinney, St. Gabriel in McKinney, St. Jude in Allen and St. Paul in Richardson.

Ben’s family has been very active at Prince of Peace. He along with his wife, Annette, will participate in the Marriage Ministry. Annette serves as a Eucharistic Minister and was also a Catechist for the Confirmation class. They have three daughters who have also been very involved at Prince of Peace.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of SK Ben Oani, the July 2022 Knight of the Month.

June 2022

Robert Edsall

The June 2022 Knight of the Month is SK Robert Edsall. This Award recognizes Robert’s exemplary service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Robert has been a member of the Knights of Columbus since 2015 and has achieved the fourth Degree. He has served in a variety of Officer positions and is the current Deputy Grand Knight, where he has served from 2020 to today. He will become the Grand Knight on July 1. Other officer positions which he has held include being a Trustee (2019-2020) and the Recorder (2017-2019). He has also served Assembly 3642 as the Scribe (2017-2019).

Robert is a very active Knight. He is a regular omelet chef at the Knights Monthly Breakfast and has been doing this for the past five years. He assists in many of the Knights activities such as at Bingo and at special dinners, such as at Fr. Tom’s Retirement Dinner. He was also a hot dog chef for the Walk for Life, and has done fund raising for the Wheelchair Mission. In addition, he helps to store various items for the Knights since space at Prince of Peace is scarce.

Robert is involved in other activities at Prince of Peace. He helps with the ushering, especially at holiday times and has helped with the Stations of the Cross.

Outside of Prince of Peace, Robert helps to raise money for a non-profit, Homes for our Troops, which provides homes for disabled members of the military.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of SK Robert Edsall, the June 2022 Knight of the Month.

May 2022

David Haney

The May 2022 Knight of the Month is SK David Haney. This Award recognizes David’s exemplary service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

David is a Charter Member of Council 11716 and served as the Deputy Grand Knight in 1996-97 and the Grand Knight from 1997 to 1999. He currently serves this Council as the One Year Trustee.

David supports many of the Knights activities, especially where he sees the need. Recently this Council had to remove the Awards from the award wall. The awards were then to be made available to the past Grand Knights to determine if they wanted to have the awards from the time that they were the Grand Knight. We were unable to contact some of the Grand Knights from the 1990’s, and upon learning of this situation, David volunteered to help resolve what to do with the old awards.

Some of the other activities where David is involved include the Monthly Knights Breakfast, the Hike for Life, the Wheel Chair Drives and the Bingo events. In addition, he actively participates at the Council meetings with comments and suggestions.

David serves the Prince of Peace Catholic Community as a Eucharistic Minister, serves on the Bereavement Committee, and participates in one of the Bible Study Groups.

Outside of Prince of Peace, he serves as the Treasurer for two Boy Scout troops and assists Project Gabriel picking up items from donors and delivering them to needy clients.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of SK David Haney, the May 2022 Knight of the Month.

April 2022

Eugene Udemba

The April 2022 Knight of the Month is SK Eugene Udemba. This Award recognizes Eugene’s service to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Eugene has been in formation to become a priest for many years, starting in Rome at the religious congregation, Sons of Immaculate Conception, where he helped in educating the orphans and caring for the sick. Eugene continues to discern his vocation and got enrolled in graduate school at Liberty University in Virginia. After graduation in 2018, he moved to New Orleans where he completed his studies in Master of Arts in Theological Studies. It is there where Eugene joined the Knights of Columbus at St. Catherine Catholic Community in 2018, and he is a Fourth-Degree member.

During the summers, he had short assignments at St. Joseph parish in Richardson, at Mary Immaculate (where he first met Fr. Michael), at St. Gabriel and a short stay at Christ the King. His home parish is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Plano.

Eugene has been at Prince of Peace for close to a year. His primary activities have included:
• Teaching the seventh-grade class in the Young Church after the 12:00 Mass.
• Visiting various assisted living homes and distributing the Eucharist.
• Visiting kids from the second, third and fifth grades from 10:00 to 11:00AM on Sundays to prepare for their First Holy Communion.
• Joining the Saturday morning Men’s Group for Bible Study.
• Visiting with POP school students during recess.
• Teaching RCIA class
• Visiting the Homeless on some of his days off

Eugene will be ordained a Transitional Deacon on April 23 and his assignment at Prince of Peace will end at the end of May.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of SK Eugene Udemba, the April 2022 Knight of the Month.

March 2022

Alfredo Gamboa

The March 2022 Knight of the Month is Alfredo Gamboa. This Award recognizes Alfredo’s service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Alfredo joined the Knights of Columbus in 2010 at the Immaculate Conception Church in Denton. He transferred to Council 11716 in July 2021. Since that time, Alfredo has been a very active member of Council 11716.

To support the American Wheelchair Mission, Alfredo joined the delivery of wheelchairs in Tampico, Mexico in October and also helped with Spanish translations. Two weeks after returning to Dallas, he gave a pulpit talk at St. Patrick Church to encourage the congregation to support this worthy cause.

Alfredo assisted at Wreaths Across America in December and has joined two Pro-Life golf tournaments. And he enjoys the Knights Breakfasts.

Alfredo is very active with the Saint Vincent de Paul Society where he helps needy neighbors. He is especially appreciated for his help to the Spanish speaking neighbors where such things as rental or utility assistance is needed.

On a more personal note, Alfredo is now learning Latin to be able to say prayers in Latin.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of Alfredo Gamboa, the March 2022 Knight of the Month.

February 2022

Ed Kelly

The February 2022 Knight of the Month is SK Ed Kelly. This Award recognizes Ed’s service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 and to the Prince of Peace community.

Ed is a second-generation Knight. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 2015 and has achieved the Fourth Degree. He is a Founding Member of Assembly 3642 where he is the Purser and has been in that position since the inception of the Assembly.

Ed helps at a variety of Knights’ functions. He is a regular at the monthly Knights Breakfasts where he carves and serves the pork loins. He also volunteers at a number of other events, such as the Free Throw Contest for the Prince of Peace students and the Knights Bingo. He is a supporter of the Wheel Chair Mission and the Right to Life. He has financially supported the wheelchair distributions in Mexico and the Hikes for Life.

Ed is a member of the Prince of Peace School Advisory Board and is serving his third term as a member of the Finance Committee. Before COVID, Ed was a Eucharistic Minister at the weekly Children’s Mass for close to five years.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of Ed Kelly, the February 2022 Knight of the Month.

January 2022

Steve Dillon

The January 2022 Knight of the Month is SK Steve Dillon. This Award recognizes Steve’s service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace.

Steve has been a member of Prince of Peace for about 14 years. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 1966 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church at Purdue University. He has achieved the Fourth Degree.

Steve prioritizes service projects such as helping with the removal of the chairs this past Sunday at the Prince of Peace church. He regularly participates at the monthly Knights Breakfast and is an active member of Honor Our Heroes. He is a supporter of the American Wheelchair Mission.

At Prince of Peace, Steve has been a long-time member of the Empty Nesters Group and is usually a host at the December Christmas event. He is also active with the Outreach Committee and is a Eucharistic Minister.

Steve is always gregarious and greets with a broad smile. And he enjoys the special times with some or all of his 10 grandchildren.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of Steve Dillon, the January 2022 Knight of the Month.

December 2021

Wes Keller

The December 2021 Knight of the Month is Wes Keller. This Award recognizes Wes’ service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716.

Wes has been attending Prince of Peace for about 11 years, and completed the RCIA program here about 7 years ago. He joined the Knights of Columbus about 6-1/2 years ago, as a result of the urging by his father-in-law, Deacon Gene Kowalski.

He enjoys cooking and he puts his talent to good use at the Knights Monthly Breakfast where he has volunteered to help from the very start of being a Knight. More recently, he has served as the “oven master” for the past two years. In other words, Wes oversees the items which are cooked in the ovens, a hot job!

Wes will be Santa at the December 5th Breakfast. This will be the second time at which he has agreed to spread joy to the young people at Prince of Peace. He also is a supporter of the Wheelchair Mission and of the tamale sales. Wes attends and enjoys the Knights Christmas parties.

Wes is active with the Boy Scouts. His younger son is a Webelo, and Wes serves as the Cub Scout Den Leader and Cub Master. His older son is a Boy Scout, and Wes serves as the Assistant Scout Master and the “Grub Master”--which means that he provides the food for the troop.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of Wes Keller, the December 2021 Knight of the Month.

November 2021

Greg Wilson

The November 2021 Knight of the Month is Greg Wilson. This Award recognizes Greg’s service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716.

Greg Wilson has been a member of Prince of Peace since the mid-1990’s. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 2003, about 18 years ago.

He has served this Council as the Financial Secretary since September 15, 2010, or for a total of more than eleven years. He is extremely knowledgeable to answer the many questions from the Grand Knight and other officers. His responsibilities on our financial matters require a very significant amount of time, and includes working with State and with Supreme. The Council By-laws allow that his position be compensated, but Greg donates his time.

At the request of the Bingo committee, Greg converted the Council’s credit card processing from PayPal to Square, resulting in lower costs and improved ease of use. Greg developed the website to use for the Bingo night and expanded it for any future events where credit cards are used, such as tamale sales and dues collection.

Each year in November Greg prepares invoices for over 200 Knights in our Council. This involves printing the invoice, putting them in envelopes, stamping and sending them out.

Recently Greg volunteered to serve on the Texas State Council’s Education, Training and Communications Committee as the State Scorekeeper. In that role Greg compiles data from the Texas Star Tracker, Charity and other reports to provide rankings of the Diocesan Deputies and the District Deputies in different categories. This is used by the State Deputy to determine the Diocesan and District Deputies of the Year.

In addition to his financial service, Greg also volunteers at the Monthly Breakfasts, Tamale Sales and at other Council activities. He is appreciated for his diverse support to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716.

Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of Greg Wilson, the November 2021 Knight of the Month.

October 2021

Dan Stoffel

The October 2021 Knight of the Month is Dan Stoffel. This Award recognizes Dan’s outstanding leadership and service to the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and to the Diocese of Dallas.

Dan Stoffel has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community since its first Mass. He joined the Knights about twelve years ago. He has served this Council as the Fund-Raising Director, Recorder, Deputy Grand Knight, Grand Knight and Trustee. He is also a Charter Member of Assembly 3642 where he has served as the Scribe and as the Membership Director. Currently he is the District Deputy to help supervise four councils: Prince of Peace, St. Monica, St. Rita and Mary Immaculate.

Dan is very active within our Council and elsewhere. Within our Council, he is helping at most of the events, including the monthly Breakfast, the Wheelchair Drives, Tamale Sales, FC Dallas Concession Stands, Christmas Parties, and the most recent Bingo Night. He has helped four times with wheelchair distributions in Mexico, and plans to join the next one in Tampico in October. He is a supporter of Pro-Life activities and has volunteered to be the chairperson to help with the Catholic Pro Life golf tournament, including a broadcast on Guadalupe radio.

Dan is also involved with Honor Our Heroes, the Saturday Morning Men’s Fellowship and the new Saint Vincent De Paul organization. He organized the Saint Vincent De Paul donation truck for the first ever donation drive in the Prince of Peace parking lot. The response was over-whelming, and it required a second truck and a van.

Dan is appreciated for his energetic leadership, his calm and positive manner, and his welcoming attitude to everyone. He ‘meets and greets’ new acquaintances and is always welcoming to everyone’s participation, including wives and other family members. He is very supportive at almost all Council 11716 events, and is usually accompanied by his wife, Lady Knight Monique. Dan is also looking for new opportunities to make this outstanding Council even better. But most notably, Dan privately steps forward to visit his Brother Knights when they are ill, and gets help for those with personal needs.

Thank you, Dan, for all that you do, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for October 2021.

September 2021

Tom Walsh

Our Knight of the Month for September 2021 is Tom Walsh, selected based upon his service to the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and to the Diocese of Dallas.

Tom has been attending Prince of Peace for over 20 years, participated in CRHP in 2008, and joined the Knights of Columbus about 12 years ago. As a Knight, he helped raise money for the new sound system through the “smokes” meat project and has helped with the tamale sales. He has also been a supporter to the American Wheelchair Mission and other Knights activities.

The Prince of Peace Catholic Community is very special to Tom and to his family. They love PoP. His wife, Tara, went through RCIA at PoP and became a Catholic. Both of their daughters were baptized here and attended Prince of Peace School from pre-K thru graduation from Eighth Grade.

Tom has been a lector for about 15 years and has served on the PoP School Advisory Committee.
In August 2018, he was one of 15 parishioners who joined the Building Committee, to advise on the future needs of PoP. Then in the summer of 2019, he agreed to be the co-chair of the Capital Campaign with Deacon Joe Coleman. Despite the impact of COVID, which discouraged face-to-face meetings and caused much uncertainty, they raised more than $20M in contributions and pledges towards the new buildings and facilities. The $20M raised is the most raised by any parish ever in the Diocese of Dallas.

Tom’s activities are not limited to Prince of Peace. He serves as a Member of the Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas Board of Trustees. He remains in support of Ursuline Academy where he Chairs the Ursuline Parent Campaign. But most notably, for the past 24 years, he has volunteered to be the play-by-play radio announcer for the Jesuit football games.

Tom, congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for September 2021. And thank you for your service to the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond.

August 2021

Fr. Tom Cloherty

Our Knight of the Month for August 2021 is Fr. Tom Cloherty, selected based upon his service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Fr. Tom was ordained about 47 years ago, and joined the Knights of Columbus about one year after his ordination. He is a Fourth Degree Knight. He served as the Pastor of All Saints Catholic Church from 1998 to 2010, and then served as the Pastor of Prince of Peace from 2010 until his retirement about one month ago. Throughout his time as a Knight, he remained involved with and highly supportive of the Knights.

At Prince of Peace, Fr. Tom gave “tremendous support” to the American Wheelchair Mission, making this parish the largest raiser of donations in the State of Texas, and PoP even exceeded the entire state of California, in the 2020-21 fraternal year. In addition, he personally distributed wheelchairs at least three times to needy children in different cities in Mexico.

Fr. Tom has been a champion for the Right to Life movement. He has been a consistent participant in the Hike for Life, which raises much needed funds, and has spoken out from the pulpit in support of the Right to Life efforts and activities.

He has been a blessing to multiple seminarians (Ishmael, Vu, Cristian), agreeing to allow them to have a year of training at Prince of Peace. He has mentored these young men to help them further their commitment to becoming dynamic priests.

Over the past five years, Fr. Tom has coordinated with the Prince of Peace leadership to understand the future needs of the parish, including the school. This resulted in developing plans to transform the buildings/facilities to serve the needs for future activities.

Fr. Tom, congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for August 2021. And thank you for your service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

July 2021

Will Healy

Our Knight of the Month for July 2021 is SK Will Healy, selected based upon his service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Will has been a member of Prince of Peace for about 12 years and has been a member of the Knights for about 5 years. He has achieved the Fourth Degree. Will is currently serving as the Outer Sentinel for Assembly 3642.

He has been involved in many different ways and pitches in to help where there is a need. A summary of his activities as a member of the Knights of Columbus include:
• Will is often associated with fund raising because he has been managing and leading the Tamale Sales efforts for this Council for the past 5 years.
• He also takes care of the shoe box for the Knights.
• Will is a freelance writer and used his skills to write the new Knights of Columbus brochure.

At Prince of Peace, Will serves as a Lector, allowing him to share his clear, baritone voice with the congregation.

Will, congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for July 2021. And thank you for your service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

June 2021

Dan Garasich

Our Knight of the Month for June 2021 is SK Dan Garasich, selected based upon his service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Dan has been a member of Prince of Peace for about 14 years and has been a member of the Knights for about 9 years. He has been involved in many different ways. Dan has served as the Inside Guard of this Council for several years, and currently serves as a Trustee for Assembly 3642.

A summary of his activities as a member of the Knights of Columbus include:
• Dan leads the omelet team at the Monthly Knights Breakfast
• Until recently helped with the breakfast inventory and shopping
• Supported fund raisers such as the Tamale sales and the wheelchair drives. And in the case that there is a need, he extends his help to all Sunday Masses.

Dan earned his ACE Wings and has kept his Safe Environment status current since becoming a Knight.

Dan has been helping with other activities at Prince of Peace. Each week, he maintains the votive candle area in the chapel and makes sure spent candles are refreshed with new ones. He also has a turn at serving the Coffee & Donuts about every 6th Sunday (during non-Covid times).

Dan, congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for June 2021. And thank you for your service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

May 2021

John Beal

Our Knight of the Month for May 2021 is SK John Beal, selected based upon his service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

John and his wife, Sue, have been members of Prince of Peace Catholic Community since 1994. He joined the Knights of Columbus over 10 years ago and has achieved the Fourth Degree.

John has been an active Knight and served as the Outside Guard for two years. Examples of his activities have been service as a hot dog chef at the Hike for Life and for the Back-to-School Lunches. For the monthly Knights Breakfast, his primary duties have been involved in clean up activities. Of special note: John won second place in the Chili cook-off!

John also has helped at various fund raisers, such as the Tamale Sales and the American Wheelchair Mission. He and Sue have enjoyed social activities such as participating in the Casino Trip and in the Bingo Nights.

At Prince of Peace, John has been and is a member of the Empty Nesters, and participates in the Adoration of the Holy Eucharist on Fridays.

John, congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for May 2021. And thank you for your service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

April 2021

Cristian Casado Carmona

Our Knight of the Month for April 2021 is Cristian Casado Carmona, selected based upon his service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Cristian is from Granada, Spain. He first considered joining the priesthood during his high school years where he attended a minor seminary. After two years of college with a focus on history, and at the age of 20, he entered the seminary for five years for a period of formation. Continuing his discernment, he went to the Holy Lands in Israel where his background in both theology and history enabled him to work as a guide for pilgrimages. He led more than 150 tours for the pilgrims.

From Israel, he went to Rome to complete his studies of theology and Canon law. While there, he met a priest from Texas who interested him to continue his discernment and his studies in this area. So, in January 2017, Cristian spent one-half year at Saint Mary’s in Longview, Texas to study English. It was there that he experienced the activities of the Knights of Columbus, and joined in the spring of 2017. He is a Third-Degree member. He next had a further two years of formation at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.

In 2019, Cristian moved to Dallas where he assisted at St. Monica’s parish for one year before helping at Prince of Peace Catholic Community. Here he has been continuing his studies, served at Mass, brought Holy Communion to the home bound, and led Discipleship Groups such as the 7th and 8th Graders Pre-Confirmation classes.

His time at Prince of Peace is about to come to an end. He will be Ordained a Transitional Deacon on Saturday, April 10, and his next assignment will be part of the “Christ in the City” Ministry for three weeks, followed by 10 weeks in the Hospital Ministry.

We have been blest to have Christian with us for this past year. Christian, congratulations on your Ordination, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for April 2021. And thank you for your service to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

March 2021

Andrew Walker

Our Knight of the Month for March 2021 is SK Andrew Walker, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Andrew joined the Knights of Columbus over 10 years ago. Shortly after he joined, he agreed to serve as the Treasurer of Council 11716---and he has continued to faithfully serve in this post for the past 10 years.

Andrew has been active in various Knights activities. He helps at the monthly Knights Breakfast and has been involved in fund raising by selling tamales. He has been involved in the Pro-Life activities and especially at the Hike for Life where he grilled hot dogs. And he has worked with Habitat for Humanity to provide housing for needy families.

At Prince of Peace, Andrew has been involved in multiple activities. He sponsored three new Catholic members through the RCIA program, and has participated in the Catholics Returning Home program. Andrew was a member of CRHP-9 and the traveling CRHP group that presented the program to All Saints Parish. He is also a member of the Discipleship Committee to guide the annual Bishop’s Appeal and Time and Talent.

Andrew Walker, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for March 2021.

February 2021

Tom Ordemann

Our Knight of the Month for February 2021 is SK Tom Ordemann, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Tom has been attending Prince of Peace Catholic Community for about five years. He joined the Knights of Columbus and this Council eleven months ago, in March 2020, and quickly became a Fourth Degree Knight. Tom is an Officer of this Council and serves as the Faithful Recorder.

Tom has been a very active Knight and has achieved his Pro-Life A.C.E. Wings Award, and received the Shining Armor Award for his fast start as a member of the Knights. He has been involved in the Monthly Breakfasts willing to do a variety of tasks from coffee prep, to set up, and cleaning tables. He helped the wheelchair program by unloading the container of wheelchairs, to being involved with the fund raising this coming weekend. He helped unload, load, and deliver food and goods for the Baby Shower Drive, and he was there to help raise funds through the sales of tamales.

Tom has also participated in the social activities such as the Bingo events and the Christmas Party. He has been a volunteer to help Habitat for Humanity.

Tom has served the Prince of Peace Community with service for three years on the Pastoral Advisory Council, including one year as the Vice Chairman and one year as the Chairman.

Tom Ordemann, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for February 2021.

January 2021

Art Amoyo

Our Knight of the Month for January 2021 is Art Amoyo, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Art Amoyo has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community since the early days when Masses were held at Shepton school. He and his wife, Mary Lynn have 2 children, who attended Prince of Peace School and Bishop Lynch High School.
Art is one of the key leaders of Council 11716. He has been a Knight since 2009 and is a Fourth-Degree member. His activities with the Knights are varied, but include:
• Served as the Head of Fundraising, and started the Tamale Sales which continues as a significant fundraising effort of the Knights.
• Was the Deputy Grand Knight 2012-2014.
• Grand Knight 2014-2015
• Serves in the kitchen with cooking duties at the Monthly Knights Breakfast, and for the lunches and dinners prepared by the Knights.
• Brings his camera to Knights events. At the Christmas Party, he could be known as an “elf”, to share pleasant memories with the attendees.
Art is the Family Director for Council 11716 and was instrumental to bring the Wreaths Across America activity to the Assembly.
He is also actively involved with other Prince of Peace activities such as:
# Your Brothers in Christ
# Bible Studies.

December 2020

Paul Garcia

The Knight of the Month for December 2020 is Paul Garcia. He is selected based upon his commitment to service to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Paul have been a member of Prince of Peace since 1998. Paul joined the Knights of Columbus about ten years ago, and is a Third Degree member. Paul is most noted for his commitment to the Pro-Life activities. He makes himself available every week to work at White Rose, where he volunteers to do what ever help might be needed. He is also a regular participant in the Hikes for Life.

Paul is also involved in other Prince of Peace activities. He supports the Music Ministry by sharing his guitar playing skills at the 5:00PM Mass on Saturdays. When there was no Saturday Mass due to COVID-19, he shared his guitar skills on a Sunday morning Mass. He also serves on the Finance Committee, which plays a very important role while Prince of Peace is in the planning stage for the building modifications. This is Paul’s second tour on the Finance Committee. He has also been on the Pastoral Council and involved with RCIA. Paul is also assisting Honor Our Heroes where he helped place the flags on Veterans Day.

Paul Garcia, you are appreciated for your service to Council 11716 and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community. Please extend your congratulations to Paul Garcia for being the Knight of the Month for December 2020.

November 2020

John Fossez

Our Knight of the Month for November 2020 is John Fossez, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

John originally joined the Knights of Columbus in 1985 in South Carolina, and achieved his Fourth Degree through 11716. He joined our council 2 ½ years ago.

John is a career health care professional, now working in the medical device technology space, and he demonstrated his project management skills when he accepted the task of restarting the monthly Knights Breakfast during the COVID-19 crisis. He researched the various limits as well as state and national requirements and led the team to modify the Breakfast so that it could be done safely & correctly. Many changes were required including social distancing, a limited menu, a new set-up, packaged breakfasts, a drive-up option, and much more. He developed a detailed plan and then communicated it clearly so that 30+ Knights volunteers could understand the new requirements, roles & workflow for the September 13th Breakfast.

He has been involved in other Knights Breakfasts, both in the kitchen and serving. And he has been involved in many other Knights activities including:
• Help at the Baby Drive to support Catholic Charities
• Back to School Luncheon where he prepared over 1000 hamburgers
• Member of the Knights Responders

John and his wife, Jill, have twins who are 10-years old, Rhyder and Georgia.

John Fossez, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for November 2020.

October 2020

Frederick Hodges

Our Knight of the Month for October 2020 is Frederick Hodges, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus.

Frederick moved to this area from Chicago in June 2019 and became a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community at that time. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 2014, and immediately transferred to Council 11716 when he arrived here. He achieved the Fourth Degree in September 2019.

Frederick is a Culinary Instructor at the Art Institute of Dallas, which offers a rigorous Culinary Management Degree. He is a career chef.

At Prince of Peace, Frederick has been very active. We are thankful that he shares his culinary skills at the monthly Breakfasts and at other dining events. He works in the kitchen but is also involved in the set up and other jobs that need to be done. He is highly appreciated for his willingness to make the Breakfasts excellent.

He was also involved with the storage of the Wheelchairs at Prince of Peace and he participated in the Katy Trail social events.

Frederick’s wife, Julie, is a Third Grade Teacher at Harmony School.

Frederick Hodges, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for October 2020.

September 2020

Rich Frasco

Our Knight of the Month for September 2020 is Rich Frasco, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and to the Diocese of Dallas.

Rich joined the Knights of Columbus in September 2006 while at All Saints Church, and he became a 4th Degree Knight in 2008. He and his family transferred to Prince of Peace Catholic Community in 2010, and he transferred to Council 11716 shortly thereafter.

One of his first activities at this Council was to help in the kitchen for the Sunday Knights Breakfasts. Rich considers cooking to be a hobby and a “real joy”, and has a collection of over 700 cookbooks. He was favorably impressed by the breadth of offerings at the Knights Breakfast. So he volunteered to help in the kitchen and credits Jim Deibel and Brandon Downum with teaching him many things to allow him to further hone his cooking skills. Eventually Rich became the “go-to guy” for the kitchen for the Breakfasts and special events. This included menu planning, determining quantities, shopping at Restaurant Depot, organizing the kitchen activities, and preparing the meals.

Rich has served Council 11716 in a number of leadership roles. He served as the Council’s Recorder for three years, and then as the Deputy Grand Knight for two years. As the Deputy Grand Knight, he chaired the Retention Committee and successfully reduced the number of Knights who were not paying dues. Most recently, Rich has served as the Grand Knight for the past two years and led this Council to Star Council status and the 2020 Council of the Year Award of the Dallas Diocese. His tenure as Grand Knight brought this Council to new heights.

Rich continues his service to the Knights as the Recorder for Assembly 3642, and has agreed to be the District Deputy for four Knights Councils (Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral, Dallas; St. Joseph; Commerce; St. Anthony, Wylie; and St. William, Greenville).

Rich and Suzy celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August and they have four children, Andy, Paul, Emily and Julia. And they celebrate having seven grandchildren.

Rich Frasco, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716, to Prince of Peace and to the Diocese of Dallas. And congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for September 2020.

March 2020

Dale Hoelting

Our Knight of the Month for March 2020 is Dale Hoelting, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

Dale has been a member of Prince of Peace since the very beginning. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 1995, and transferred to Council 11716 when it was initially formed at Prince of Peace. He is a Charter Member.

Dale is involved with multiple activities of the Knights. He is a regular volunteer at the monthly Knights Breakfast where he can be seen making pancakes or doing whatever needs to be done at the time. He can also be seen helping with fund raising with the Wheelchair Drives and the tamale sales. He is also involved with the social events.

At Prince of Peace, Dale is very active. He has served multiple terms on the Building Committee and on the Facilities Committee. Frankly, his service on these two committees is invaluable. Dale is a Senior Acolyte to assist at the Sunday Mass. He has also participated in Christ Renews His Parish and was a regular at the Friday morning meeting, “That Man Is You”.

Dale Hoelting, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for March 2020.

February 2020

Payton Self

Our Knight of the Month for February 2020 is Payton Self, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Payton's involvement with the Prince of Peace Catholic Community began about five years ago, when he worked for RS Construction and was involved with the changes to the pastoral offices, the remodeling of the bathrooms, and the changes to the offices of the school President. He joined the staff at Prince of Peace two and a half years ago, and serves the community as the Facilities Director.
Payton went through the RCIA program with Dick Leyendecker as his sponsor and became a Catholic this past April. He joined the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 in June 2019.
Payton is involved at the monthly Knights Breakfasts. But his most important involvement with the Knights is that he is the guy "behind the scenes" to make sure that the events of the Knights are well supported. He may be "invisible" to some, be he is so "invaluable" to the Knights.
At Prince of Peace, he serves as an usher, and he also has his two girls serving as ushers. He has been the coach of the 5th grade girls basketball and girls volleyball teams.
Payton Self, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for February 2020.

January 2020

Tom Shubnell

Our Knight of the Month for January 2020 is Tom Shubnell, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Tom has been a member of Prince of Peace since about 1994. He is a Charter Member of Council 11716, having joined from its inception in 1996.
Tom is best known for his variety of involvement with this Council. He is there where help is most needed. Included in his vast activities are the Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, the Plano Balloon Festival, the monthly Knights Breakfasts and other special event meals prepared by the Knights. Tom does a lot for this Council and he gives real meaning to the term: "a broad range of volunteerism".
He is a prolific writer. Tom is currently working on his 55th book. The 54th book which has been published is available on-line. The title is "Amazing Facts V".
Tom Shubnell, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for January 2020.

December 2019

Michael Secor

Our Knight of the Month for December 2019 is SK Michael A. Secor, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Mike has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community since 1991. He joined the Knights of Columbus 29 years ago while at St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton Parish. He is a Fourth Degree Member.
Mike is a past Deputy Grand Knight of Council 11716. He has been most active with the Monthly breakfasts and with the Special Olympics. And of very special significance during this Christmas time, Mike is Santa Claus at the December Knights Breakfast and is highly appreciated for his willingness to bring smiles to many children and their families.
He is also actively involved with other Prince of Peace activities. He has been a Eucharistic Minister for the past 15 years, has been an RCIA sponsor and has been involved with Habitat for Humanity. Mike is involved with the Movember Foundation, to help prevent men's prostate and testicular cancers, and especially with his involvement in the "Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride".
Mike's wife has been a Girl Scout Leader at Prince of Peace School. Their four daughters have all graduated from Prince of Peace School.
Mike Secor, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716, to Prince of Peace and beyond, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for December 2019

November 2019

Drew Dellamonica

The Knight of the Month for November 2019 is Drew Dellamonica, selected based upon his service to Council 11716.
Drew and his wife Kathryn have been attending Prince of Peace Catholic Community for close to three years. He joined the Knights of Columbus in March of this year and became a Third Degree member as fast as he could, in June.
Drew is an example of a highly motivated member of the Knights of Columbus. During his first seven months since joining the Knights, he has:
0 Assisted at many of the meal events, such as
x Monthly Knights Breakfast
x Father Tom's Anniversary Lunch and Dinner
x Vu's Luncheon
x Back to School grill works
0 Participated in the Habitat for Humanity in Wylie
0 The Knights golf tournament
0 Planning and set up for the Hike for Life in October
0 Joined the Casino Trip to Shreveport
Now Drew is involved with the Pro-Life Committee to donate a used portable ultrasound unit from his company to a group "Brazil4Life", who can use it at a pregnancy crisis center in Brazil.
Thank you, Drew Dellamonica for your strong efforts with the Knights of Columbus and congratulations for being the November 2019 Knight of the Month

October 2019

Mark Dama

Our Knight of the Month for October 2019 is Mark Dama, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Mark Dama was a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community at its inception and served at that time by leading the Eucharistic Ministers. Although he left Prince of Peace for a few years, he returned about seven years ago. He joined the Knights of Columbus and Council 11716 in 2013 and has achieved the Third Degree.
Mark is very active in the Knights of Columbus and can be seen as a regular volunteer at many events. He helps with fund-raising events such as the tamale sales and he arrives early in the morning for the monthly breakfasts, where he is involved with the set-up. Mark is the Rosary Leader before the 5:00PM Mass every other Saturday. He also coordinates the Safe Environment training for this Council.
He is also actively involved with other Prince of Peace activities such as:
0 The First Friday Adoration where he attends at 4:00 to 5:00AM
0 The Saturday morning rosary
0 The Friday morning Your Brothers In Christ meeting
0 Lector every other Thursday at the 6:30AM Mass

Mark has also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and he works for the Boy Scouts of America.
Mark Dama, thank you for your service to Knights Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for October 2019.

August 2019

Larry Hahn

Our Knight of the Month for August 2019, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Larry Hahn has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community since 2013. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 1991 when he was in Springfield, Virginia, and has achieved the Fourth Degree. He currently serves Council 11716 as the Recorder and Assembly 3642 as the Worthy Captain.
Larry is extremely active with service at all of the Knights breakfasts, lunches and dinners. This includes the monthly Knights Breakfast, and the lunches to honor Vu Nguyen, Ismael Rodriguez, Fr. Tom's 45th Anniversary, Fr. Peter, Back to School and Hike for Life. He also assists to obtain the proper supplies for the Knights Breakfasts and he was responsible for the photos at the Breakfast with Santa (and many smiles).
He is the leader for the Blue Mass on September 8 to give appreciation to the First Responders. He is a member of the Honor Our Heroes Committee to give thanks to men and women in the military. And he serves as the Disaster Relief Coordinator for Prince of Peace.
Larry is also very active in the communities outside of Prince of Peace. This includes:
0 President of the Association of Federal Narcotics Agents/North Texas and Oklahoma Chapter.
0 DEA Committee member for the annual Red Ribbon Month/"Drug Awareness and Prevention Rally".
0 Assists the DEA with their semi-annual Drug Take-Back Program.
0 Coordinator for the annual Association of Federal Narcotic Agents Foundation Charity Golf tournament.
0 President of the Parker Estates HOA/Plano.
Thank you, Larry Hahn, for your leadership and service to Knights Council 11716, to Prince of Peace, and beyond. And congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for August 2019.

June 2019

Billy Rex West

Our Knight of the Month for June 2019 is SK Billy Rex West, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Rex West has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community since 1999. He joined the Knights of Columbus about 16 years ago and has achieved the Fourth Degree. He serves actively where he sees the needs that he can support. He, along with his wife, Ruth, helped at both special dinners to celebrate the 45th anniversary of priesthood of Fr. Tom Cloherty. He is involved with the Honor our Heroes activities to help support our troops and to enhance specific holidays which support the military.
Rex is a regular at the 5:00 PM Mass on Saturday evenings, where he shares his guitar playing talents to lead the singing. He also shares these talents on Sunday mornings at St. Thomas Aquinas church.
Rex and Ruth are active in the Right to Life programs, where they have attended the Bishop's Fund-Raising Dinner and assist the Catholic Pro-Life Committee with mailings. Ruth also serves Prince of Peace Catholic Community as an usher and is a member of the Bereavement Committee.
Thank you, Rex West, for your service to the Knights Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for June 2019.

May 2019

Vu Nguyen

Out Knight of the Month for May 2019 is Vu Nguyen, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Vu is from Carrollton, Texas where he was a member of St. Catherine Siena Catholic Church. He went on to obtain a Liberal Arts degree in Advertising from Notre Dame University, and after graduation, had a nine-year marketing career in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City. Vu then decided to join the Priesthood, and has completed three of his seven years of study. He is now a seminarian who is serving the Prince of Peace Catholic Community during a Pastoral Year while in formation to become a priest.
Vu experienced a very active Council 11716 at Prince of Peace, and decided to join the Knights of Columbus. He has achieved the Third Degree. He has been active with the Knights at the Breakfasts and has so far achieved one recruit and will most likely achieve a second new member before he completes his year at PoP.
Vu has been very involved at Prince of Peace. He has been teaching bible study classes and religion classes in the PoP Middle School. He meets with the Young Adults and with the High School ministries on a weekly basis. He regularly visits nursing homes and hospitals to see our parishioners. He has joined events with the Empty Nesters and the Prime Timers. And he accompanies the Choir once per month by exhibiting his violin skills.
Thank you, Vu Nguyen, for your very active service to the Knights and to Prince of Peace, and congratulations for being the Knight of the Month for May 2019.

April 2019

Patrick Moore

Our Knight of the Month for April 2019 is Patrick Moore, selected based upon his service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Patrick has been a member of Prince of Peace for only one half year, having transferred here from St. Louis. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 2012 and is a Third Degree Knight.
Patrick serves the Council at the monthly Knights Breakfasts and volunteered to help at the Bingo Night and at the Casino Night. He also has volunteered to help with the Retention Committee.
Beyond the Knights of Columbus, Patrick is "all in" at Prince of Peace. He has joined the Bereavement Committee, is a member of the Honor Our Heroes Steering Committee, is a Choir Member and is a Cantor at some of the Sunday morning Masses. He also participates in Forge, the young adult group, and is involved with Exault.
Congratulations, Patrick Moore, for being selected the Knight of the Month for April 2019.

March 2019

Chris Slattery

Our Knight of the Month for March 2019 is Chris Slattery, selected based upon his years of service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Chris has been a member of Prince of Peace for the past seven years, having transferred here from St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 2013 and is a Third Degree Knight.
Chris serves at the monthly Knights Breakfasts where he is very dependable to help with the cleaning, dish washing and putting away the various items. He will leave only when everything is done and in its proper place.
Beyond the Knights of Columbus, Chris is the Prince of Peace Representative to Catholic Charities. This is a very important coupling of the two organizations whereby he helps to communicate the needs.
Congratulations, Chris Slattery, for being selected the Knight of the Month for March 2019.

February 2019

John Nevins

Our Knight of the Month for February 2019 is John Nevins, selected based upon his many years of service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
John has been a member of Prince of Peace since its founding in 1991. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 2001 and is a Third Degree Knight. He has steadily served as an officer of Council 11716, being the Council Advocate for fifteen of the past sixteen years.
John is at the monthly Knights Breakfasts where he is very dependable to help with the cleaning, dish washing and putting away the various items. He will leave only when everything is done and in its proper place. He also serves at the other food related events and helps where help is needed.
He has been a participant at other Knights events, including the Walk for Life at JPII High School, the Special Olympics, the Tamale sales and the sale of raffle tickets.
Beyond the Knights of Columbus, John is a regular at the Saturday Morning Men's Fellowship and belongs to a Small Faith Group.
Congratulations, John Nevins, for being selected the Knight of the Month for February 2019.

January 2019

Steve Wyse

Our Knight of the Month for January 2019 is Steve Wyse, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Steve has been a member of Prince of Peace Catholic Community for close to 28 years, since shortly after its founding. He joined the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 about six years ago, and is now a Fourth Degree Knight. Steve has been very active with the Food Committee for the past few years, whereby he is always there for the monthly breakfasts. More recently, he has agreed to take on additional responsibilities and be in charge of the Breakfast.
Beyond his activity with Council 11716, Steve is also actively involved with Knights Assembly 3642.
At the Prince of Peace Catholic Community, he is a lector and is involved with your Brothers in Christ which meets early on Friday mornings.
Congratulations, Steve Wyse, for being selected the Knight of the Month for January 2019. You are especially appreciated for stepping up and accepting additional responsibilities in support of the Knights Monthly Breakfasts.

December 2018

Greg Wilson

The December 2018 Knight Family of the Month is Greg Wilson. This Award recognizes Greg's service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716.
Greg Wilson has been a member of Prince of Peace since the mid-1990's. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 2003, about 15 years ago, and is a Third Degree Knight.
He has served this Council as the Financial Secretary since September 15, 2010, or for a total of more than eight years. He is extremely knowledgeable to answer the many questions from the Grand Knight. His responsibilities on our financial matters require a very significant amount of time, and includes working with State and with Supreme. The by-laws allow that his position be compensated, but Greg donates his time.
In addition to his financial service, Greg also volunteers at the Monthly Breakfasts, at the tamale sales and at other Council activities. He is appreciated for his diverse support to the Knights of Columbus.
Greg has four children, including triplets who graduated from Prince of Peace School in 2014.
Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of Greg Wilson, the December 2018 Knight of the Month.

November 2018

Jeff Flanagan

The November 2018 Knight of the Month is Jeff Flanagan. This Award recognizes Jeff's service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716.
Jeff has been a member of Prince of Peace since 1993, shortly after it was established. He joined the Knights of Columbus in the late 1990's and is a Third Degree Knight.
Jeff is extremely committed to serve for the long term t support causes to which he volunteers. He is highly appreciated as the "champion" of the Special Olympics for this Council. He coordinates the events with his fellow Knights and he gets volunteers to help serve at the Olympics, a truly important cause of this Council.
In addition to the Special Olympics, Jeff is also a regular to serve at the monthly Breakfasts. He assists Paul Garcia at the monthly visits to White Rose to perform "fix it" works or whatever the need might be. He also has a history to help at Habitat for Humanity.
Jeff and his family have moved to Prosper, where he is involved with the HOA of his community. He is on the Landscape Committee which is a time consuming commitment. But, despite the distance and other commitments, he remains very committed to Prince of Peace and to Council 11716.
Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of Jeff Flanagan, the November 2018 Knight of the Month

October 2018

Fr. Stephen Ingram

The October 2018 Knight of the Month is Fr. Stephen Ingram. This Award recognizes Fr. Stephen's service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Fr. Stephen Ingram is originally from Austin, but moved to Dallas about 13 years ago, where All Saints Catholic Church was his home parish. He was ordained on May 26 of this year and was assigned to Prince of Peace Catholic Community as of July 1, 2018.
Fr, Stephen joined the Knights of Columbus about 13 years ago. About one month ago, he became a Fourth Degree Knight, the highest level. He now serves the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 as our Chaplain.
In addition to his service in support of the Knights, Fr. Stephen's primary responsibilities at the Prince of Peace Catholic Community are in support of Pastor Fr. Tom Cloherty, and it includes work with the Youth and Young Adult Ministries.
Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of Fr. Stephen Ingram as the October 2018 Knight of the Month.

September 2018

Maco Amoyo

The September 2018 Knight of the Month is Maco Amoyo. This Award recognizes Maco's service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716.
Maco Amoyo has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community for over 20 years. He joined the Knights of Columbus over five years ago, and became a Fourth Degree Knight on September 8.
Maco is involved with a number of the Knights activities. This includes the monthly Breakfasts and special events which involve preparing and serving food. However, he is most noted and appreciated for his leadership of Social Events. He is the Council's "Bingo Master" where his personality and dry sense of humor are enjoyed by all. He also arranges the other Social Events such as the Happy Hours, the Christmas Party and the sporting events (Top Golf, Rough Riders Baseball, basketball and hockey).
As a special note, appreciation is also extended to Maco's wife, Marcee, who helps Maco with the Social Events and serves as his "back up".
Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of Maco Amoyo, as the September 2018 Knight of the Month.

August 2018

Alex Andrion

The August 2018 Knight of the Month is Alex Andrion. This Award recognizes Alex's service to the Knights of Columbus Council 11716.
Alex Andrion joined the Knights of Columbus in 1990 while he was at St. Elizabeth parish as a Third Degree Knight. When Prince of Peace Catholic Community was established, he joined it from the very beginning, when the services were in the movie theater. About five years ago, fellow Knight, Dan Garasich, asked Alex about joining the Knights Council 11716. He agreed and he transferred to Council 11716 at that time. His son, Edward, is also a member of Knights Council 11716.
Alex is a steady volunteer helping at the various Knights events. He actively supports the various Knights fund raisers, including the monthly Knights Breakfasts, the FC Dallas concession stand, and the Taco Sales.
Alex and his wife, Jane, have been married for 48 years. They have four children and five grandchildren.
Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of Alex Andrion, the August 2018 Knight of the Month.

July 2018

Dan Stoffel

The July 2018 Knight of the Month is Dan Stoffel. This Award recognizes Dan's outstanding leadership and service to the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and to the Diocese of Dallas.
Dan Stoffel has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community since the first Mass was celebrated in a movie theater. He joined the Knights nine years ago and has served in a variety of officer positions. He is also a Charter Member of Fourth Degree Assembly 3642 where he has served as an Officer and Scribe. He currently serves the Assembly as the Membership Director.
For the past two years, Dan was the Grand Knight of Prince of Peace Council 11716. Under his leadership, the Council accomplishments included:
0 Contributions to the American Wheelchair Mission were over $80,000 in 2017 and over $100,000 in 2018 --- an amount which led all Knights Councils in the United States. In addition, Dan and his wife Monique visited Mexico twice to assist in the distribution of wheelchairs to needy children.
0 He refocused the monthly Knights Breakfast to make it more fun by modifying the menu and hiring dish washers. He also encouraged Knights family members to participate, and especially the youth.
0 Dan built rapport with Our Lady of Angels Council to give Council 11716 the opportunity to raise funds by serving at the FC Dallas Soccer Concession Stands.
0 The 2017 Knights Christmas Party was unique since all attendees were given a gift. Monique took on this gift raising effort by herself so that all attendees would have a Merrier Christmas.
0 Dan continued to build rapport with the support for our priests, seminarians, deacons and parish staff.
The outstanding activity of Council 11716 under Dan's leadership was recognized with a number of awards:
0 Out of 60 Councils of the Knights of Columbus, Council 11716 received the 2018 Council of the Year Award from the Diocese of Dallas.
0 The American Wheelchair Mission recognized the work of Council 11716 with an Award to one of our Knights and to our Pastor.
0 Council 11716 received the Collumbian Award two years in a row for various service projects.
0 The 2018 Texas Spirit Award was received from the Knights State of Texas Office for outstanding accomplishments.
0 The Father McGivney Award from the Knights State of Texas Office was received for two years in a row to Council 11716 for achieving our charitable giving goals.
0 The City of Plano awarded the 2017 Ecology Award for the Prince of Peace Father Jim Memorial Butterfly Garden.
In addition to Dan's leadership and strong support from his wife, Monique, he was ALWAYS THERE at Knights events. He participated and contributed, and always helped to build camaraderie. His calm and positive manor always kept everything running smoothly, especially at the monthly breakfasts. And he always welcomed everyone's participation, including wives and other family members.
Dan's remarkable service is well recognized. His next position is that of the Fourth District Deputy where he will serve and oversee four Councils for the Diocese of Dallas: those are Prince of Peace, St. Rita, St. Monica and Mary Immaculate.
Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the service of Dan Stoffel, the July 2018 Knight of the Month.

June 2018

Howard Gurnas

Our Knight of the Month for June is Howard Gurnas, selected based upon his commitment to the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond.
Howard joined the Prince of Peace Catholic Community in year 2000 after completing the RCIA program. He participated in CRHP-13 in 2012, and soon after became a member of the Knights of Columbus in 2013. He became a Fourth Degree member, its highest level, in early 2017.
Howard is the Membership Chairman for the Knights and has served in this position for one year. Before this position, he has served as the Community Chairman. His activities with the Knights includes the monthly breakfast and attendance at the First Degree Ceremony to welcome new members.
At Prince of Peace, Howard serves as a Eucharistic Minister, and is the back-up Lead Usher for the 5:00PM Mass on Sundays.
Howard has been active with the Boy Scouts for the past 12 years. This is at the Troop level, the District level and at the Council level in Carrollton.
Howard has been married for close to 28 years and is a strong example of a dedicated and devoted family man.
Howard Gurnas makes the Knights of Columbus a better organization by his many activities. Please extend your congratulations to Howard for being the Knight of the Month for June 2018.

May 2018

John Martens

Our Knight of the Month for May 2018 is John Martens, chosen because of his consistent and thorough service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and to the District.
John first joined the Knights about 30 years ago and has achieved the Fourth Degree. He has served in many leadership positions within Council 11716, such as Recorder (2010-2011), Deputy Grand Knight (2011-2012), Grand Knight (2012-2014), and is currently serving as Trustee. The Council is grateful for his energy, skills and especially for his leadership.
John is also a Captain of the Dallas Diocese First Degree Team of the Knights where he is involved with the initiation of new members at a number of parishes in the region. He has served on this team for the past 9 years.
John is a charter member of the Prince of Peace Fourth Degree Assembly #3642 and is currently serving as the Faithful Captain and the Color Corps Commander for the Assembly.
Mr. Martens is very active within the Prince of Peace Community where he serves as:
* Minister of Holy Communion, including traveling to Assisted Living Homes and to Rehabilitation Hospitals.
* Eucharistic services and Eucharistic coordination.
* Prisoner Minister at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center.
* Member of the Empty Nesters Group
* Member of the Hospitality Ministry
* Member of the "Honoring Our Heroes" Ministry
* Member of the Donation Counting Ministry
John has served the community outside of Prince of Peace for the past 3 years as an income tax preparer for the AARP Income Tax Preparation Program.
Congratulations, John Martens, for being selected as the Knight of the Month for May 2018. You are an example to many as to what it means to be a member of the Knights of Columbus. You are appreciated for your exemplary service and leadership.

April 2018

Richard Barale

Our Knight of the Month for April is Richard Barale, selected based upon his commitment to the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Richard has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community for 30 years, from the time that the Masses were held in the movie theater. He joined the Knights of Columbus about five years ago and has achieved the Fourth Degree, the highest level. He has been active in a variety of ways. He is a regular in the kitchen with his white chef's attire for the monthly Knights Breakfast. He also helped with the Free Throw Contest, the Easter Egg Hunt and the FC Dallas concession stands.
Richard has a history of being a basketball coach for the youth, where he coached all four of his children's teams at Prince of Peace School. He has also served as a basketball referee in the Dallas Parochial League and at the high school level.
Richard's wife, Leigh, has been a Teaching Assistant for the past fifteen years in the second grade of Prince of Peace School.
Riochard Barale makes the Knights of Columbus a better organization by his many activities. Please extend your congratulations to Richard for being the Knight of the Month for April 2018.

March 2018

Wesley Keller

Our Knight of the Month for March 2018 is Wesley Keller.
Wes has been a Knight and a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community for many years. He is a Third Degree Knight and is planning to attain Fourth Degree.
Wes has been involved with the Boy Scouts for many years and helps with many events including taking the troop on camp outs.
Wes is also known for making delicious meals and is a regular for helping to prepare food for the Knights Monthly Breakfasts.
He also helps when needed and recently Wes helped Deacon Gene and Sharon move out of their apartment. Wes did a fantastic job and this move would not have been possible without his assistance.
Please extend your congratulations to Wesley Keller for being the Knight of the Month for March 2018

February 2018

Jack Lyons

Our Knight of the Month for February 2018 is Jack Lyons.
Jack has been a Knight and a member of Prince of Peace Catholic Community for over ten years. He has been involved with many parish activities including the choir, RCIA, Christ Renews His Parish, Confirmation and of course the Knights of Columbus.
Jack and his family used to help prepare the breakfast blintzes when they were included in the menu several years ago. Now Jack is known for his famous cinnamon rolls, muffins for Mother's Day and other delicious pastries. Jack is always there for various food events and frequently helps out with the meal after our monthly Business Meetings.
Jack is also one of the topic leaders for the Saturday morning Men's Fellowship group. This group starts out each Saturday by praying the rosary, singing uplifting songs and then discussing seasonal Bible verses as they reflect on their spiritual journey.
Jack's wife, Lynette, and daughters, Sierra and Teresa, love walking their dog, Colby. Jack and Lynette also enjoy bike riding.
Please extend your congratulations to Jack Lyons for being the Knight of the Month for February 2018.

December 2017

George Davis

Our Knight of the Month for December is George Davis, selected based upon his commitment to the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond.
George joined the Prince of Peace Catholic Community in 1993, when the Sunday services were held at Shepton High School. He joined the Knights of Columbus in June of this year, and in slightly more than three months achieved the Fourth Degree, its highest level. This is a very short time to achieve this level, and it demonstrates George's strong commitment to the Knights.
George has a superlative history of involvement, and especially to establish and facilitate new projects and group activities. Examples at Prince of Peace include:
* He established, shortly after joining Prince of Peace, a Men's Study Group, held after Mass on Monday mornings, to study the Councils, the Reformation and other events in Church history.
* Since 1996, he has been the facilitator for the Tuesday morning Bible Study Program, which continues today with about 20 members.
* About 20 years ago, he established the Men's Luncheon Group which meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month.
* He served as the Lead on the Columbarium Project.
* He was a member of the Renew Staff which established the Small Faith Groups, and is a member of a surviving Small Faith Group.
Examples of involvement outside of Prince of Peace include:
* George has served as the Chairman of the Board (2 years) and Board Member (5 years) at Carter BloodCare, Dallas/Fort Worth's Not-For-Profit blood center.
* More recently, he established at Friends Place in Plano a support group for men with spouses who are suffering from dementia. This group offers advice, counseling, fellowship and support for men with shared issues.
George Davis makes the Knights of Columbus a better organization by his many activities. He is appreciated for his exemplary service to Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond. Please extend you congratulations to George Davis for being the Knight of the Month for December 2017.

November 2017

Alfredo Reaud

Our Knight of the Month for November is Alfredo Reaud, selected based upon his commitment to service for the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond.
Alfredo and his wife, Ileana, joined the Prince of Peace Catholic Community seventeen years ago, when they moved here from New Jersey. Alfredo was already a member of the Knights of Columbus since he joined in 1986, and is a Fourth Degree member, its highest level. Alfredo has been involved with various Knights activities, such as the past monthly breakfasts and the fund raiser, the Plano Balloon Festival.
Alfredo is very involved at prince of Peace with the Prison Ministry, where he has served for the past ten years. He is a Chaplain for the Prison Ministry, whereby he visits a prison four times per month. During the month, there are two days where he will make private visits with inmates, and his focus is on a spiritual message based upon the gospel of the day. His visits can be in English or in Spanish. On Saturday, he makes two visits for two group services.
Other activities at Prince of Peace Catholic Community include:
* Eucharistic Minister
* Member of the Choir for the past 17 years
* Member of the Sister Parish Steering Committee along with his wife
* Provide housing and support for visitors from the Sister Parish, Las Mercedes
* Member of CRHP-2
* Has been active in the Saturday morning Men's Group, but that time is now limited by the Prison Ministry activity
Alfredo is also involved with the Assistance Center of Collin County, where he is involved with its fund raising activities. He supports its efforts at the Plano Balloon Festival and at the organizations's "Garage Sales" in its parting lot. He is also a member of the International Lions Club.
Alfredo Reaud makes the Knights of Columbus a better organization by his many activities. He is appreciated for his exemplary service to Council 11716, to Prince of Peace Catholic Community, to Collin County and beyond. Please extend your congratulations to Alfredo Reaud for being the Knight of the Month for November 2017.

October 2017

Ben Oani

Our Knight of the Month for October is Ben Oani, selected based upon his commitment to service for the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond.
Ben and his family joined Prince of Peace Catholic Community two years ago, and he became a member of the Knights of Columbus just a few months ago, having joined in June of this year. On Oct 7, he will become a Fourth Degree Knight, the highest level. Ben has been involved with Knights activities, and especially the monthly breakfast. He is also serving the State of Texas Council as the North East Region Emergency Response Coordinator, serving the Dioceses of Dallas, Fort Worth and Tyler.
Ben is very involved with the Prince of Peace Catholic Community. Included in his activities are:
* Eucharistic Minister
* A Coordinator of Eucharistic Ministers for the Sunday evening Mass
* Lector
* Catechist for the young people who are studying for the Sacrament of Confirmation
* Prince of Peace Parish Captain for the North Texas Catholic Brothers
* Served as a Chaperone for the recent 80 mile (6-day) youth walk in Spain to follow the path of St. James to Santiago de Compostela.
Ben's family is also very active at Prince of Peace. His wife, Annette, serves as a Eucharistic Minister and is also a Catechist for the Confirmation class. His eldest daughter serves as a lector and as a Eucharistic Minister. His two younger daughters are Junior Acolytes.
Ben Oani makes the Knights of Columbus a better organization by his many activities. He is appreciated for his exemplary service to Council 11716, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community, to the Diocese of Dallas and to the North Texas Region of the State of Texas. Please extend your congratulations to Ben for being the Knight of the Month for October 2017.

September 2017

David Carr

Our Knight of the Month for September is David Carr, selected based upon his very high commitment to the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond.
David joined the Knights of Columbus in San Antonio in 1986. He achieved the Fourth degree in 1987, and since that time has worked on degree ceremonial teams. David served as the Grand Knight of Council 11716 during the 2008-2009 fraternal year.
During the past two years, David has been the Assistant Dallas Diocesan Deputy and has been focused on starting Knights Councils, especially in the Hispanic Parishes. He is a member of the District 88 English First Degree Team, former Captain of the Diocese Spanish First Degree Team which he set up, former Conferring Officer on both the English and Spanish State Major Degree Teams, and Captain of the Spanish State of Texas major Degree Team. He currently serves as the Faithful Navigator for the Prince of Peace Assembly 3642.
David was recognized this past June by the Dallas Diocese as the Knight of the Year.
David was born and grew up in the Laredo, Texas area. David and Nelly have been married for 50 years. They have 3 daughters, 2 sons-in-law and 6 grandchildren. David's son-in-law, Nathan Stilwill, is a Fourth Degree member of Council 11716.
Professionally, David worked in broadcasting as an engineer and a manager. Since retiring, he has been involved with the Dallas Diocese Catholic Pro Life Committee (CPLC) and currently serves as the Director of Parish Coordination, whereby he coordinates CPLC activities with all the parishes of the Dallas Diocese.
David Carr makes the Knights of Columbus a better organization at Prince of Peace, in the Dallas Diocese and in the State of Texas. He is appreciated by many for his exemplary service. Please extend your congratulations to David for being the Knight of the Month for September 2017.

August 2017

Bill Weber

Our Knight of the Month for August is Bill Weber, selected based upon his commitment to service for the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond.
Bill has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for 19 years. He is a Fourth Degree Knight, the highest level. Bill has served this Council as the Wheelchair Mission Director since 2010.
Bill Weber brought the Wheelchair Ministry to Prince of Peace and has made it a huge success, resulting in the largest annual wheelchair donation of any parish in Texas. This year, Prince of Peace donated over $90,000, resulting in over 600 wheelchairs for needy children in Puebla, Mexico. But he does so much more. He has worked with other parishes, to help them establish Wheelchair Ministries: St. Michael the Archangel, Garland (2014); Mary Immaculate, Farmers Branch (2015); and St. Joseph's, Richardson (2017). His efforts are recognized nationally. He has been appointed and serves as the Assistant Wheelchair Chairman for the State of Texas. And he has recently been awarded the Mobility Hero Award from Chris Lewis, the American Wheelchair Mission President. This is the second Mobility Hero Award ever presented, and it was done minutes after Fr. Tom Cloherty received the first ever awarded.
In addition, Bill has served Prince of Peace, the Knights of Columbus and the community:
1. Knights involvement:
* Helps with the Special Olympics
* Supports Pro-Life activities, such as Hike for Life and Pro-Life Mass
* Trustee for Prince of Peace Assembly
2. Prince of Peace involvement:
* Member of CRHP-2
* Eucharistic Minister
* Your Brothers in Christ Core Team Member
3. Community involvement:
* Volunteers at God's Pantry every Tuesday
* Delivers Meals on Wheels every Thursday
Bill Weber makes the Knights of Columbus a better organization by leading the Wheelchair Ministry. He is appreciated for his exemplary service to Council 11716, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community, to the Diocese of Dallas and to the State of Texas. Please extend your congratulations to Bill for being the Knight of the Month for August 2017.

June 2017

James Widman

Our Knight of the Month of June is James Widman, selected based upon his commitment to service for the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and to the Diocese of Dallas.
James has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community for eleven years, and he has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for ten years. He is a Fourth Degree Knight, the highest level. James has served the Council as the Pro-Life Director since 2008.
When James first came to Prince of Peace, he joined the Respect Life Ministry, and soon joined the Knights to link the two ministries and further spread the Gospel of Life.
James currently serves:
1. Vice President of Hike for Life Inc., a non-profit which coordinates the "Hikes for Life" in the State of Texas,
2. Site Coordinator for the "Hike for Life" Plano location.
3. Co-Chair of the Raffle Ticket Committee for the Bishops Pro-Life Dinner,
4. Respect for Life Ministry at Prince of Peace.
5. Friday morning Brothers-in-Christ Men's Group
James completed Christ Renews His Parish 2 at PoP, and also served on the PoP road team that took the CRHP program to All Saints Catholic Church in 2015.
James and his wife, Arda, are students of scripture and completed the four year University of Dallas Catholic Biblical Studies Program in 2011. They have both served as facilitators for the PoP Catholics Returning Home Program for the past 10 years. He has also led an eight week bible study program. James is a regular volunteer at the monthly breakfasts and ready volunteer to sell raffle tickets and tamales. James also serves as his neighborhood HOA President and enjoys golf and playing guitar.
James Widman makes the Knights of Columbus a better organization by leading the ProLife effort. He is appreciated for his exemplary service to Council 11716, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and to the Diocese of Dallas. Please extend your congratulations to James for being the Knight of the Month for June 2017.

May 2017

Dan Garasich

Our Knight of the Month for May is Dan Garasich, selected based upon his commitment to service for the Knights of Columbus and to the prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Dan and his wife, Pat, have been members of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community for about eleven years, and he has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for about four years. He is a Fourth Degree Knight, the highest level. Dan serves this Council as an Inside Guard and he is a Sentinel for the Fourth Degree Assembly.
Dan gives a lot of his time to Knights activities. He assists with the shopping for the monthly Knights Breakfasts, and you will find him as one of the omelet chefs on the Breakfast Sundays. He is involved with other food events at Prince of Peace such as the Back to School events where he serves as a hamburger chef. Dan also helps after Masses to raise funds for the Knights. He helped to sell tamales last month, and he helped to sell tamales last December in the bitter cold weather. Dan is also a big contributor to help sell raffle tickets.
Dan and his wife are involved with other Prince of Peace activities. They help with the coffee and donuts after Sunday Mass so that the community can make new friends or renew friendships. They are also helping with the candles in the church.
Dan Garasich makes the Knights of Columbus a better organization. He is appreciated for his exemplary service to Council 11716 and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community. Please extend your congratulations to Dan for being selected the Knight of the Month for May 2017.

April 2017

Kyle Potts

Our Knight of the Month for April is Kyle Potts, selected based upon his enthusiasm and his service for the Knights of Columbus.
Kyle and his wife Heather have been members of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community since moving to Texas in 2005. His wife is currently teaching Sunday School and his 3 children have all been baptized at Prince of Peace with his oldest recently receiving First Communion here. He joined the Knights of Columbus on February 22, and progressed to the Fourth Degree on March 11: a total of 17 days from entry into the Knights to achieving the highest level. If the Guinness Book of Records kept this category, it surely would be listed as a record. Since joining the Knights, Mr. Potts has been very active participating in the monthly Sunday Breakfasts and the Fish Fry on the first Lenten Friday. This is in addition to his perfect attendance at every Council Planning and Monthly Business meetings since his joining along with participating with his 2 older children in the Stations of the Cross on multiple Fridays. He is also involved with Ritchie Schlette for the Assembly of the officers and in the planning of the Prince of Peace School essay contest for Memorial Day, entitled the "Fallen but not Forgotten" essay.
Kyle is a veteran of the US Army where he served for six years from 1994 to 2000. He has been active with veteran associations such as the American Legion -- Post 597 and 22 Kill. He is also a life member of the University of Michigan and Clemson University Alumni Associations where he graduated and also serves as an academic recruiter for each institution.
Kyle is a Construction Superintendent and has built such local projects as Deloitte University in Westlake, the State Farm regional office complex in Richardson, the Toyota North American Headquarters in Plano, and is currently headed to the new American Airlines Headquarters along Hwy 360 in Fort Worth.
Kyle Potts makes the Knights of Columbus a better organization. He is appreciated for his exemplary service to Council 11716 and beyond. Please extend your congratulations to Kyle for being selected the Knight of the Month for April 2017.

March 2017

Fr. Peter Chinnappan

Our Knight of the Month for March is Fr. Peter Chinnappan, selected based upon his exemplary service to the Knights of Columbus, to Prince of Peace Catholic Community and to the Diocese of Dallas. Prior to coming to All Saints in 2005, he produced about 30 short films based on social and ethical themes, and conducted over 500 seminars for various groups: students, parents, teachers, professors, seminarians, priests, nuns, provincials and bishops. Currently he is doing a short documentary on a 'leprosy center' for the center's centenary celebration in India.
Fr. Peter joined the Knights of Columbus in 2005 while he was at All Saints parish, and soon after joining became a Fourth Degree member. Fr. Peter's focus has been towards the spiritual development and spiritual activities of the Knights. In 2007, he became the Pastor of St. Michael's parish in Garland and he was a champion for the Knights. On one weekend, his homily described the Knights of Columbus and urged the men of the parish to become members. As a result of that one effort, 90 men applied to be new members of the Knights! For 2006-7, he was awarded the Knights' Priest of the Year for the Dallas Diocese.
Fr. Peter has established and has emphasized many spiritual practices for the Knights of Columbus. Among the many, he has established:
* The adoration of the Blessed Sacrament by the Knights at St. Michael's
* Night Vigil of Adoration during the Year of Mercy
* Marian Novena and Marian Procession at the Holy Family of Nazareth
Fr. Peter is well recognized beyond Council 11716 and Prince of Peace Catholic Community. We are blessed to have him as our Chaplin.
Because of Fr. Peter, the Knights of Columbus is a better organization. He is appreciated for his exemplary service to Council 11716, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and to the Diocese of Dallas. Please extend your congratulations to Fr. Peter for being selected the Knight of the Month for March 2017.

February 2017

Lupe Lopez

Our Knight of the Month for February is Lupe Lopez, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Lupe joined the Knights of Columbus in June 2012 and is currently serving as a Third Degree Knight. Mr. Lopez's father was a Fourth Degree member of the Knights at Mary Immaculate parish, Council 5052, and strongly encouraged his son to join. Lupe is always ready, willing and able to assist whenever asked. He has worked as the Church Director for several years and is currently an Officer serving as the Council's Warden. He leads the rosary recitation prior to the monthly Business Meetings. In addition, he frequently leads the Council in prayer prior to and at the conclusion of meetings. Lupe is a regular volunteer at Council events, and usually opens the kitchen at the monthly Breakfasts and is deeply involved with the food preparation.
Mr. Lopez also serves the Prince of Peace Community in many ways. He is a Eucharistic Minister Coordinator at many daily and Sunday Masses. He is on-call to take Holy Communion to a local assisted-living facility. Lupe is an alumnus of CRHP-6 and led CRHP-13. He is active in the Saturday morning Men's Fellowship. He also volunteers to help the PoP staff with clerical work, printing and special requirements such as at funerals.
Lupe is well recognized beyond Council 11716 and Prince of Peace Catholic Community. He received the Bishop's Award for Service in 2015 from Bishop Kevin Farrell for his outstanding service.
Because of you, the Knights of Columbus is a better organization. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716 and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community. Please congratulate Lupe Lopez for being selected the Knight of the Month for February 2017.

January 2017

Josef Stransky

Our Knight of the Month for January is Josef Stransky, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus.
Josef has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for only four months and is currently serving as a First Degree Knight. Mr. Stransky is special, in that he immediately became involved as an outstanding volunteer with the Knights. He has been a steady volunteer for the monthly Knights Breakfasts and helped to sell the tamales at Christmas time. In early November, Josef agreed to serve as the Knights' liaison with the Prince of Peace School as the Knights' Youth Director. As such, he is leading the Knights to participate in the Free Throw Shooting contest with PoP youth, and with coordination of activities between PoP school and the Knights.
Mr. Stransky has other involvements which add to his participation in the community. He has been involved as a cross country and track coach. He and his wife are volunteers with Feed the City by TangoTab which prepares sandwiches for the homeless in this area.
Congratulations, Josef Stransky, for being selected the Knight of the Month for January 2017. You are an example of a person with a strong desire to work with the youth and to help the needy. Because of you, the Knights of Columbus is a better organization. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond.

December 2016

Roy Merino

Our Knight of the Month for December 2016 is Roy Merino, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus.
Roy has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for only five months, and is currently serving as a First Degree Knight. What makes Mr. Merino special, and which earned him this award, is that he immediately became involved as an outstanding volunteer with the Knights. he served all day at the Knights car wash fund raiser, he sold raffle tickets, he became the new "waffleman" at the monthly Knights breakfast, he volunteered for the Plano Balloon Festival and he has recently joined the Knights fund raising team. Based upon his deep commitment to volunteerism, he will also be involved in selling tamales this month.
Council 11716 is fortunate to have Roy Merino as a Knight, because he is a strong example of being involved to help this organization and the people at Prince of Peace Catholic Community. He has a history of also volunteering with other organizations elsewhere, such as the North Texas Food Bank.
Congratulations, Roy Merino, for being selected the Knight of the Month for December 2016. You are an example of a person with a strong desire to help make this community a better place, and the Knights of Columbus a better organization. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716 and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

November 2016

Nguyen Pham

Our Knight of the Month for November 2016 is Nguyen Pham, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond.
Nguyen has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for over five years, originally joining at St. Elizabeth Anne Seaton parish in Plano. He transferred to Prince of Peace earlier this year, and obtained the Fourth Degree, the highest level, about one week ago. He currently is involved with a number of Knights activities including the monthly breakfasts, the Hike for Life, the Special Olympics and others. His activity with the Knights is highly appreciated.
Mr. Pham has a history of being involved with his parish. At Prince of Peace, he has been involved with the Men's Fellowship and with the Prison Ministry. At St. Elizabeth Anne Seaton, he was involved for many years with the Vacation Bible School and the CCD program, whereby he was helping to educate the youth in the Catholic faith. He is ready to serve where there is a need.
Congratulations, Nguyen Pham, for being selected the Knight of the Month for November 2016. You are an example of a person with a strong desire to help make this community a better place, and the Knights of Columbus a better organization. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716, to Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond.

October 2016

David Haney

Our Knight of the Month for October 2016 is David Haney, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond.
David is a Charter Member of Council 11716 and served as the Deputy Grand Knight in 1996-7 and the Grand Knight from 1997 to 1999. He currently serves as the One Year Trustee and is a member of the Food Committee. However, that only tells a small part of David’s involvement. You will see him at many of the ongoing activities such as the Monthly Breakfasts and the Hike for Life. He serves in his normal unselfish, quiet manner where he sees the need to help.
David serves the Prince of Peace Catholic Community as a Eucharistic Minister, serves on the Bereavement Committee, and participates in two Bible Study Groups. He also serves the broader community as Purser for a Fourth Degree (Christopher Columbus Assembly) and is Treasurer for two Boy Scout troops.
David was recommended by a fellow Knight as follows:
“All charitable acts are worthy of mention, but none more than selfless ones, and I can think of no better example than David Haney. His stealth acts of giving may go unnoticed if you think of singular events, but looking at his body of work deserves our admiration. No need to list out all the events you see him helping at around the church and community, but a recent one in particular deserves attention.
“The Walnut Hill White Rose had a parking problem. Their building shares a parking lot with an apartment complex. Because they have been getting a lot more activity since the abortion clinic next to the White Rose on Central closed, Cristina told Paul Garcia that folks were having difficulty finding parking spots. The apartment residents were using their spots. In fairness to them, the White Rose lot was not articulated so it was impossible to tell where it started and stopped. An idea to paint lines around the entire lot – including lines for parking spots – was raised, which was going to be a lot of work. The brainstorm expanded to thinking of a scout troop to do the work as a project, so David was contacted to see if this was possible. A recent follow up – yes, it took a follow up as David wouldn’t proactively tell – revealed that he took it upon himself to do it. In his own words “…I was looking for something to do.” For those that have been to this White Rose location, that’s a BIG lot!
“We’re often asked to do acts of charity. The better of us go looking for them. For this reason, I recommend David Haney as Knight of the Month.”
Congratulations, David Haney, for being selected the Knight of the Month for October 2016. You are an example of a person with a strong desire to help make this community a better place, and the Knights of Columbus a better organization. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716, to Prince of Peace Catholic Community and beyond.

September 2016

Andrew Walker

Our Knight of the Month for September 2016 is Andrew Walker, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Andrew joined the Knights of Columbus in 2010, and has achieved the Fourth Degree, its highest level. A short time after joining the Knights, he agreed to serve as the Treasurer for Council 11716, and has continued to serve in that capacity for over five years. Andrew can be found where he can help, such as at the First Degree events, giving assistance at Major Degree events, and helping at the monthly breakfasts.
Mr. Walker makes a difference at Prince of Peace Catholic Community. He participated in CRHP-9, which leads to enhanced relationships with other men at Prince of Peace. He is involved with "Kids Helping Kids" as a member of the Discipleship Committee which designates recipients of the Children's Basket. He is involved with Catholics Returning Home, and has sponsored three individuals into full membership of the Catholic Church through the RCIA program.
Congratulations, Andrew Walker, for being selected the Knight of the Month for September 2016. You are an example of a person with a strong desire to help make this community a better place, and the Knights of Columbus a better organization. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

August 2016

Roger Apple

Our Knight of the Month for August 2016 is Roger Apple, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Roger worked with Fr. James Balint to help establish Prince of Peace. In many ways, he was a disciple of Fr. Jim's and helped where help was needed. He started the Boy Scouts at Prince of Peace, and served this community as a "humble servant". This includes the fund raising for Prince of Peace to include a gymnasium. It is not possible to itemize in this short page all of Roger's contributions to Prince of Peace during the past 26 years, because there were so many.
In 1996, Mr. Apple organized the Knights of Columbus at Prince of Peace and he was the first Grand Knight. His commitment to community service has penetrated into Council 11716 from the onset, leading to many activities over the years. Currently, he is involved in the monthly breakfasts and continues to help where he sees the need.
Congratulations, Roger Apple, for being selected the Knight of the Month for August 2016. You are such an example of a person with a strong desire to help make this community a better place, and the Knights of Columbus a better organizations. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716 and to Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

July 2016

Paul Marinoni

Our Knight of the Month for July 2016 is Paul Marinoni, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus.
Paul has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community since 2010, when he moved to Texas from Florida. He joined the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 about four years ago, and is now a third degree Knight. Since January of this year, Paul has served as the Field Agent for the Knights of Columbus. As such, he helps the Knights of Columbus families with financial needs assessments, and presents the portfolio of insurance products available through the Knights of Columbus. We appreciate his efforts to support us in this way.
Mr. Marinoni has been an active member of Council 11716, including involvement in the Fr. James Balint Memorial Golf Tournament and helping at the monthly breakfasts. He has also been involved with other Prince of Peace activities, such as the 2015 Mission Possible.
Congratulations, Paul Marinoni, for being selected the Knight of the Month for July 2016. You are an example of a person with a strong desire to help make this community a better place, and the Knights of Columbus a better organization. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716.

June 2016

Steve Wyse

Our Knight of the Month for June 2016 is Steve Wyse, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Steve has been a member of Prince of Peace Catholic Community for close to 25 years, since shortly after its founding. He joined the Knights of Columbus Council 11716 about four years ago, and is now a third degree Knight. Steve has been a very active champion for the Food Committee, whereby he is always there for the monthly breakfasts and other special events. This includes the Welcome Back events and other special meals. He is a very strong team player, and we are especially thankful that Steve took charge of the May Breakfast.
Beyond his activity with Council 11716, Mr. Wyse is active in other areas at the Prince of Peace Catholic Community. He is a lector and is involved with Your Brothers in Christ which meets early on Friday mornings. Over the years, Steve has been involved with other activities of Prince of Peace such as the Men's Fellowship and the Boy Scouts.
Congratulations, Steve Wyse, for being selected the Knight of the Month for June 2016. You are an example of a person with a strong desire to be involved, and to help make this community a better place, and the Knights of Columbus a better organization. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716 and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

May 2016

Jeff Davis

Our Knight of the Month for May 2016 is Jeff Davis, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Jeff first joined the Knights in 2009 when he was living in North Carolina. He and his family moved to Plano in June 2013 and joined Prince of Peace. Jeff became a 4th degree knight in 2011, and proudly uses his wife's grandfather's sword (who was also a 4th degree knight) when he serves with the Color Corp. Jeff is also engaged in other Knights activities, such as the Plano Balloon Festival, helps with the tamale sales, wheelchair drives, and recently was a major organizer/volunteer for the Father Jim Memorial Classic Golf Tournament. The Council is grateful for his efforts.
Beyond his activity with Council 11716, Mr. Davis often volunteers at Jesuit High School lacrosse games to help his oldest son's team. He also volunteers at Prince of Peace school activities where his youngest son attends 8th grade. Jeff also leads a Military Support and Assistance Group (MSAG) at his job with Bank of America which volunteers at various events to support wounded veterans. Most of all, Jeff is proud to be married to his college sweetheart (Tiffany) for 20-years and blessed with two teenage boys (Grant 17 and Blake 14).
Congratulations, Jeff Davis, for being selected the Knight of the Month for May 2016. You are an example of a person with a strong desire to be involved and to help make this community a better place, and the Knights of Columbus a better organization. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716, to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community, and beyond.

April 2016

Robert Edsall

The Knight of the Month for April 2016 is Robert Edsall, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Robert joined the Knights in 2015. He has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community since 1999, and actually was supporting activities of the Knights before joining. He serves regularly at the monthly breakfasts where he is involved in a variety of activities, wherever help is needed. Robert is also engaged in other Knights activities, such as being a fryer of fish for the Lenten Fish Fries, volunteer for the Prince of Peace and Knights of Columbus Golf Tournament, and participates in the Corporate Communions. The Council is grateful for his efforts.
Beyond his activity with Council 11716, Mr. Edsall is a regular usher at the 5:00PM Mass on Sundays, participated in Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP-18), and is a member of the Saturday morning Men's Fellowship and the Wednesday morning Breaking Open the Word Men's Group.
Congratulations, Robert Edsall, for being selected the Knight of the Month for April 2016. You are an example of a person with a strong desire to be involved and to help make this community a better place, and the Knights of Columbus a better organization. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716, and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

March 2016

Joe Bindo

Our Knight of the Month for March 2016 is Joe Bindo, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Joe joined the Knights in December 2005 and quickly achieved the Third Degree in February 2006. He has been a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Community for about four years, but he and his family were here in the early 1990's before moving away. He serves regularly at the monthly breakfasts where he is involved in a variety of activities, wherever help is needed. Joe is also engaged in other Knights activities, such as the Hike for Life, volunteer at the Plano Balloon Festival, helps with the tamale sales and with the wheelchair drives. He is also involved with the Diocesan Pro-Life activities. The Council is grateful for his efforts.
Beyond his activity with Council 11716, Mr. Bindo is involved with a variety of roles here at Prince of Peace Catholic Community:
* A member of the Prince of Peace Choir
* A money counter of the collections
* A Strategic Planning participant, Evangelism subcommittee
* CRHP-16 participant
* Involved with the current CRHP as a witness and helping with set up
* Bible Studies
Congratulations, Joe Bindo, for being selected the Knight of the Month for March 2016. You are an example to many as to what it means to be a member of the Knights of Columbus. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716, and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

February 2016

Bill Kula

Our Knight of the Month for February 2016 is Bill Kula, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Bill is a second generation Knight, following in his father's footsteps. He joined the Knights about four years ago, and has achieved the Third Degree. He serves regularly at the monthly breakfasts where he is involved in food preparation and other activities where there is need. Bill is also engaged in the Hike for Life where he helps with the set up and by working with other non-profits which also support the Right to Life. He has recently become involved to increase this Chapter's communications of its activities. He is making many strategic suggestions, is revamping the Knights Bulletin Board, and is working with outside media to publicize Council 11716's activities. The Council is grateful for his energy and willingness to take charge.
Beyond his activity with Council 11716, Mr. Kula is heavily involved with a variety of roles here at Prince of Peace Catholic Community. He is:
* A Senior Acolyte
* A Eucharistic Minister
* A Lector
* Eighth-year Catechist teaching Prince of Peace Youth Religious Education
* A member of CRHP-7 and Spiritual Director of CRHP-11
* A member of the Prince of Peace CRHP travel team to All Saints Parish
* Five years on the Leadership Committee of North Texas Brothers for Christ, responsible for its marketing and communications
* Five year member of the Men's Fellowship
Congratulations, Bill Kula, for being selected as the Knight of the Month for February 2016. You are an example to many as to what it means to be a member of the Knights of Columbus. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716 and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

January 2016

Dick Leyendecker

Our Knight of the Month for January 2016 is Dick Leyendecker, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Dick joined the Knights about six years ago, and achieved the Fourth Degree, its highest level, about two years ago. He serves regularly at the monthly breakfasts where he is involved in sourcing the food in advance of the breakfast, and then can be seen at the entrance table where he accepts the donations and keeps count of the attendees. Dick is recognized for his welcoming and friendly smile, and some helpful and clever comments. The Council is grateful for his enthusiasm and energy.
Beyond his activity with Council 11716, Mr. Leyendecker serves as a Eucharistic Minister and provides service for the columbarium needs. He and his wife, Loraine, participate in the Empty Nesters and in a Small Faith Group. He is fervent in his faith and can be seen every morning at daily Mass.
Dick's activities and support for his parish community well be recognized on January 30 when Bishop Kevin Farrell will honor him as a recipient of a medal for the "Bishop's Award for Service to the Church".
Congratulations, Dick Leyendecker, for being selected as the Knight of the Month for January 2016. You are an example to many as to what it means to be a member of the Knights of Columbus. You are appreciated for your exemplary attitude and service to Council 11716, and to the Prince of Peace Catholic Community.

December 2015

Ed Kelly

Our Knight of the Month for December 2015 is Ed Kelly, selected based upon his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
Ed is a second generation member of the Knights of Columbus. He joined the Knights earlier this year, and has already achieved the Fourth Degree, its highest level. He serves regularly at the monthly breakfasts and is involved with recruitment efforts to encourage others to become Knights. He can also be seen and heard as a regular at the monthly meetings. Ed is noted to be extremely active with the Knights. The Council is grateful for his energy and skills.
Ed has taken the activities of the Knights of Columbus into his home. His wife, Linda, is helping with the planning and execution of the upcoming Christmas Party, and she has helped to obtain donations for the auction to support this event.
Beyond his activity with Council 11716, Mr. Kelly is currently serving in his fourth year as the Chairman of the Finance Committee of Prince of Peace. He also serves as a Eucharistic Minister on weekends, and is a Eucharistic Minister at the Prince of Peace School Children's Mass.
Congratulations, Ed Kelly, for being selected as the Knight of the Month for December 2015. You are an example to many as to what it means to be a member of the Knights of Columbus. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716 and beyond.

November 2015

John Martens

Our Knight of the Month for November 2015 is John Martens, selected based upon his consistent and thorough exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace community, to the District and beyond.
John first joined the Knights of Columbus close to thirty years ago, and has achieved the Fourth Degree, its highest level. He has served in many leadership positions within Council 11716, such as Recorder (2010-2011), Deputy Grand Knight (2011-2012), Grand Knight (2012-2014), and is currently serving as Trustee. John is extremely active at Knights events, where he is involved in most of them. the Council is grateful for his energy, skills and especially for his leadership.
John is also a member of the First Degree Team of District 88 of the Knights of Columbus where he is involved with the initiation of new members to the Knights at a number of parishes in the region. He has served on this team for the past six years.
Mr. Martens is currently serving in his second year as a member of the Prince of Peace Advisory Council, where his leadership is also appreciated. He is very active within the Prince of Peace Community, where he serves as:
* Minister of Holy Communion, including traveling to Assisted Living Homes and to Rehabilitation Hospitals.
* Eucharistic services and Eucharistic coordination.
* Prisoner Minister at Lew Sterrett Justice Center.
* Member of the Empty Nesters Group
Congratulations, John Martens, for being selected as the Knight of the Month for November 2015. You are an example to many as to what it means to be a member of the Knights of Columbus. You are appreciated for your exemplary service to Council 11716 and beyond.

October 2015

Tom Shubnell

Tom Shubnell has been selected as the Knight of the Month for October 2015 for his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace community.
Tom is a Charter Member of the Prince of Peace Knights since he joined at the inception of Council 11716 in 1996. He is recognized for his broad range of volunteerism in support of the projects of this Council. Tom is a person who is there to help where help is needed, such as at: the Special Olympics (four times per year), Habitat for Humanity, Plano Balloon Festival, The Sunday Knights Breakfast, many other meal related events supported by the Knights, and much more.
Tom is a noted author who has fifty books published, including his most recent book, "Bacon Orgazmia".
Congratulations, Tom Shubnell, for being selected as the Knight of the Month for October 2015. You are appreciated for your exemplary service.

September 2015

Will Healy

Will Healy is the Knight of the Month for September 2015 for his superior service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus and to the Prince of Peace community. Will joined the Knights in 2012 and has achieved the third degree. Upon joining, he became active and served as the Outside Guard during the 2013-2014 year, and is a regular helper to prepare the monthly Knights Breakfast to serve the prince of Peace community. Will has accepted the challenge to lead the Fund Raising Committee for the 2-15-2016 year, a position which requires strong leadership and interpersonal skills. His the right person for this position, and is appreciated by his brothers.
Congratulations, Will Healy, for being selected as the Knight of the Month for September 2015.

August 2015

Fr. Dominic Colangelo

Fr. Dominic Colangelo has been selected as the Knight of the Month for August 2015 for his exemplary service to Council 11716 of the Knights of Columbus, to the Prince of Peace parish, to the Prince of Peace School and to the community.

Fr. Dom joined the Knights of Columbus fifteen years ago and has achieved the fourth degree, its highest level. He is celebrating this month his fifth anniversary of becoming a priest, and for three of those years, he has been the Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus here at Prince of Peace.

As the Chaplain, he serves as the spiritual advisor to the brother Knights and families of the Council. He participates at the monthly meetings where his involvement starts with his message to the members, and continues through the meetings to help improve this Council.

Fr. Dom is present at a number of the Knights events from the monthly breakfasts to the Pro-Life activities. He is there for his brother Knights in a variety of ways and is highly appreciated.

Congratulations to Fr. Dominic Colangelo for his fifth anniversary of becoming a priest, and for being selected as the Knight of the Month.

July 2015

Art Amoyo

Art has been selected based on his exemplary service to the Council, to the Peace of Prince Parish, the Prince of Peace School, the community, etc.

This past fraternal year Art led the Council as the Grand Knight. He did so in the fashion implied by the “Worthy Grand Knight” title. He continued the Council’s past exemplary service practices adjusting them as needed. In addition he guided the Council into new service areas including pig roasts and new family activities such as horse racing and bowling. The Council owes its gratitude to Art for orchestrating the Peace of Prince Major Degree ceremony this past March. That Major Degree ceremony earned the praise of those attending and the praise of Knights’ leader-ship apart from our Council.

Art has worked to invite Philippine Catholic gentlemen to join our Council. He has been successful and those brothers are now helping the Council continue its missions.

Art joined the Council as a First Degree Knight in February 2004. He became a Third Degree Knight in February 2009. In October 2013 SK Art became a Fourth Degree Knight. Before his service as Grand Knight this past fraternal year, Art served as an extraordinary Deputy Grand Knight during the prior two fraternal years. Before that he assisted as Chairman of the Funding Raising Committee.

Art, along with his brother Maco, continue their practice of assisting the Council with printed material such as tickets, posters, signs, flyers, and memo pads. They have been doing so for many recent years.

In addition to all his Knights work, Art is a member of the Prince of Peace Choir. He has also been blessed with the CRHP experience.

Please congratulate Art on his selection as the July, 2015 Knight of the Month.

June 2015

Rich Frasco

Rich joined the Knights in September 2006 and in September 2007 became a 4th Degree Knight. Rich has served the Council as Recorder

Rich was born in and grew up in Peoria, Illinois. He graduated from Bradley University in Peoria with a degree in Engineering Technology. Rich also met his wife Suzy while they were both at-tending Bradley University. They were married in 1970, so they will be celebrating their 45th Wedding Anniversary this August. They have four children, 2 sons and 2 daughters. Their son Andy is a First Degree member of our Council. Their daughter Emily is currently teaching Third Grade at Prince of Peace School.

Rich earned a Law Degree at Tulsa University in 1973 and practiced law in Peoria specializing in Title Insurance. He moved to Plano in 1985 and continues to practice law. He and Suzy joined All Saints Parish is 1985. They transferred to Prince of Peace Parish in 2009.

Suzy who has a Masters in Theology from Loyola University in New Orleans has taught Theology at Ursuline Academy for 15 years. Suzy also has worked as Assistant Director of Religious Education at Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish.

Rich has a very active interest in food preparation. He is a skilled, self-taught chef. He enjoyed food television even before anyone thought of the Food Network. Rich remembers the “Galloping Gourmet” TV show with Graham Kerr as one of his favorite TV shows from the past. Rich enjoys chef work and routinely prepares a Sunday dinner at his residence for family and friends. He has been an active participant on the Council’s Food Committee for over three years. The Council has been blessed with the results of his chef work for many food events. He had been the chairman of the Food Committee for the past year.

Rich participated in CRHP #13 and he has assisted with some subsequent CRHPs. Rich has done an outstanding job as the Recorder for the Council the last two years.

Please congratulate Rich on his selection as the June, 2015 Knight of the Month.

May 2015

Rey Javier

Rey Javier is the May, 2015 Knight of the Month.

Rey joined the Knights in October 2014 and became a Third Degree Knight in March 2014.

Rey is a native of Manila, Philippines. He is a cradle Catholic. He attended Catholic elementary, and high schools in Manila. Rey graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in Biology. He then started his work career as a programmer for several Filipino governmental agencies. In 1993 Rey came to the US to work on Y2K projects for RCG in Houston. The projects were for Shell and Exxon. In 1996 he came to Dallas to work for AT&T as a programmer. Since 2005 he has worked for NTT as a mainframe programmer.

Rey is single. He has been blessed to serve as godfather for 15 children of relatives and friends. The godchildren range in age from 2 to 32. He is proud of his CRHP #17 experience. He has recently been asked and has accepted to help with the CRHP Continuing Committee.

Rey has found the Prince of Peace Knights to be a group of “friendly and committed” Catholic gentlemen. He is very happy with his decision to join the Council.

Please congratulate Rey on his selection as the May, 2015 Knight of the Month.

April 2015

Al Jowid

Al Jowid is the April, 2015 Knight of the Month.

Al joined the Knights in June 2011. Al assisted with the Knights Golf outing, has helped at the Breakfasts, and was a key volunteer at the recent Easter Egg Hunt. Al indicates he tries to assist whenever Ritchie Schlette or Gerry Nichols make a request of him.

Dr. Jowid has been named by “D” magazine as one of the best dentists in Dallas.

Please congratulate Al on his selection as the April, 2015 Knight of the Month.

March 2015

Leo Estrella

Leo Estrella is the March, 2015 Knight of the Month.

Leo is a fairly new member of Council 11716. He is a Third Degree Knight who joined the Knights of Columbus in 2008. In April, 2014 Leo transferred to Council 11716 from Council 13044 (Our Lady of Angels in Allen, TX). Leo’s transfer was the result of his Prince of Peace CRHP experience and by his favorable impression of Council 11716’s work on the monthly breakfasts.

Leo is a native of the Philippines who came to the US in 1997. At this time most of Leo’s relatives are in the US.

Leo lives in Allen, TX close to Our Lady of Angels. He is a programmer for AT&T Wireless. He works on Web-based client server and mainframe projects. Leo’s wife is also a programmer. They have not children at this time.

Brother Leo appreciates Council activities like the Pig Roast and the American Wheelchair Mission. He has worked at the monthly breakfasts and the recent Lenten Fish Dinner. He has a desire to help with possible new fund raising activities such as sandwich sales.

Please congratulate Leo on his selection as the March, 2015 Knight of the Month.

February 2015

David Carr

David Carr is the February, 2015 Knight of the Month.
David shows a very high commitment to the Knights of Columbus and what the Knights support. David joined the Knights in 1986 in San Antonio and became a 4th Degree Knight in 1987. Since 1987 he has worked on degree ceremonial teams. At this time, David is a member of the District 88 English First Degree Team, former Captain of the Diocese Spanish First Degree Team which he set up, Conferring Officer on both the English and Spanish State Major Degree teams, and Captain of the Spanish State Major Degree team. He travels extensively and frequently throughout the state giving both English and Spanish Major Degrees.
David was born and grew up in the Laredo, TX area. He met his wife Nelly while they were at-tending the Catholic high school in Laredo. David and Nelly have been married 47 years. They have 3 daughters, 2 sons-in-law, and 6 grandchildren. David’s son-in-law, Nathan Stilwill, in a 4th Degree member of Council #11716.
Brother David was Grand Knight of Council #11716 during the 2008-2009 fraternal year. Because of his assignment as District Deputy for 5 Councils in the White Rock area of Dallas, Da-vid transferred to Council #799 in 2010. He is especially proud that, as District Deputy, he started a new Council at SMU. Having completed his term as District Deputy, David recently transferred back to Council #11716.
Professionally, David worked in broadcasting as an engineer and a manager. Since retiring, he has been working for the Dallas Diocese Catholic Pro Life Committee (CPLC). He coordinates CPLC activities with all the parishes in the Dallas Diocese.
David and Nelly are active in many Prince of Peace ministries, including Respect Life, Prime Timers, and Empty Nesters. David is an alumnus of CRHP 5. David assists Nelly with her role in the Las Mercedes Honduran Sister Parish ministry. They support a child in the Honduran orphanage. They host visitors in their home from the Las Mercedes Honduran parish.
Please congratulate David on his selection as the February, 2015 Knight of the Month.

January 2015

Lupe Lopez

The January, 2015 Knight of the Month is Lupe Lopez.

Lupe is a “core” member of Council #11716 since joining in June, 2012. He is always ready, willing, and able to assist whenever asked. He serves the Council in many ways. Lupe has worked as the Church Director for several years. He is currently the 1-yr Trustee officer. He leads the rosary recitation prior to the monthly business meetings. In addition, he frequently leads the Council in the prayer prior to and at the conclusion of meetings. Lupe is a regular volunteer at Council events. He is a dependable volunteer at the monthly breakfast Saturday food preparation sessions and the Sunday servings.

Lupe also serves the Prince of Peace Community in many ways. He is a Eucharist Minister Coordinator at many daily and Sunday Masses. He takes Communion to a local assisted-living facility. Lupe is an alumnus of CRHP #6, led CRHP #13, and until recently served as a Director on the CRHP Continuation Committee. He is active in the Saturday morning Men’s Fellowship group. He also helps with clerical and printing work in the Parish Office.

Lupe was born in Dallas; graduated from RL Turner High School in Carrollton; served in the US Army; and graduated from the University of North Texas with a Business, Marketing, and Finance degree. He is now retired. His professional career was in Sales. His employers were General Electric Lighting and Major Appliance divisions, Hobart, Whirlpool, and RCA. His career had him live in Kansas, upper New York State, Denver, St. Louis, and finally back to Dallas. He has had countless business travel miles, including many international miles.

Lupe’s father was a 4th Degree member of the Farmers Branch, Mary Immaculate parish Council (#5052). Lupe was strongly encouraged by his father to join the Knights.

Lupe sees the Council as “a group of good, faith-driven men who do much good work.”

Please congratulate Lupe on his selection as the January, 2015 Knight of the Month.

December 2014

Jeff Whitfield

The December, 2014 Knight of the Month is Jeff Whitfield.

Jeff has recently taken over as the Council’s Membership Director. In this new role Jeff has quickly become active in addressing the numerous responsibilities involved with the position. Jeff has conducted several membership recruitment events. They have included socials, the successful Membership Blitz, following up with candidates, and offering candidates a volunteer’s behind-the-scene view of the monthly breakfast. His efforts have already resulted in a substantial number of new Knights with many more new Knights in the pipeline.

Jeff was born and raised a Catholic in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, which is east of Pittsburg. Jeff graduated from the University of Pittsburg (Pitt). His work career has taken him to many different residence locations, including Kansas, Tulsa, DC, and Dallas. Currently his business travel is extensive.

Jeff works in the Corporate Sales Support group of the Freeman Company. Freeman supports live events like trade shows and corporate meetings. Jeff indicated his hobbies and interests are primarily his family, with other things like playing the guitar and fishing far behind. His twelve-year old daughter attends Prince of Peace School and is very active in the choir, drama, and theatre activities of the school.

Jeff is excited about the Council and about being even more active in the Council. He is glad to be the Membership Director and wants to strive for diversity in the Council’s membership.

Please congratulate Jeff on his selection as the December, 2014 Knight of the Month.

November 2014

Mario Pacapac

The November, 2014 Knight of the Month is Mario Pacapac.

Mario came to the United States in 1996. Within a week of arriving here Mario looked for a Catholic church and, fortunately, found Prince of Peace. At this time, Mario resides in Rowlett. He works as a senior structural designer for an engineering firm in Richardson.

Mario attended CRHP in March 2014. Shortly thereafter he joined the Knights of Columbus. In very quick fashion he became a Third Degree Knight last summer and a Fourth Degree Sir Knight this past September.

Mario has played an active role in our Council. He has been involved in recruiting over half of the new First Degree members who have joined Council 11716 this fraternal year. He is well on his way to earn his Shining Armor award.

In addition Mario has jumped in and assumed an active role in the Council activities. Besides his recruiting work, he also helps in the kitchen during the monthly breakfasts.

Please congratulate Mario on his selection as the November, 2014 Knight of the Month.

October 2014

Wayne Adams

October, 2014 Knight of the Month is Wayne Adams. Wayne is one of the newer members of the Council. Wayne joined the Knights of Columbus and Council 11716 in October, 2013.
He completed his Second and Third Degrees in August, 2014. He also joined the highest level in the Knight of Columbus after earning his Fourth Degree in September, 2014.
Wayne is a native of the Nacogdoches area of east Texas. For the last six years he has lived in The Colony with his wife Rusty.
Wayne is an accounting and finance professional. He started working for Southwestern Bell Telephone and, after corporate acquisitions and reorganizations, is now working for AT&T.
Currently he also teaches on-line accounting and finance courses for the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.
Wayne has been active at Prince of Peace for the last four years. His activity has included the Friday Morning Men’s Group, RICA, and CHRP in May 2013.
Brother Wayne has been very involved at Council events. Among other things he is a regular volunteer with the Monthly Breakfasts.
Wayne always offers a smile and a willingness to be helpful. He is a strong figure in the profile of the Council. Brother Wayne indicates he enjoys the Brotherhood, Fraternalism, and Community spirit of the Council’s Knights.
Please congratulate Wayne on his selection as the October, 2014 Knight of the Month.

September 2014

Greg Wilson

The September Knight of the Month is Greg Wilson.
Greg Wilson has been faithfully and effectively handling the Council’s Financial Secretary role for more than five fraternal years. His attention to the multitude of the Knights of Columbus Due Dates is expletory. He has always been very helpful to the Grand Knight in the preparation of the Council’s Budget.
Greg handling of the Council’s financial records is excellent. He collects, categorizes, records all the receipts and disbursements for all Council activities. There are no mistakes when Greg takes care of the financial items.
In the membership area, Greg bills and collects all annual membership dues. He uploads the new brother information from Form 100’s following First Degree ceremonies and approved transfers. He makes all necessary updates to the membership information in Supreme membership records.
As the Financial Secretary, Greg’s signature is needed on many, many forms and filings. Greg is always very helpful in getting those signatures where and when they are needed.
Greg is a dedicated father for his children. He assists as an athletic coach for his children’s soccer teams. Several years ago he was a key coordinator for the Prince of Peace Fall Festival event.
Greg and his children have been assisting with the monthly Breakfasts. He has been doing the financial records for the Breakfasts for many years.
Without a doubt, Greg is a strong Brother Knight, a strong Financial Secretary for the Council, and a strong Catholic family man.
Please congratulate Greg on his selection as the September, 2014 Knight of the Month.

August 2014

Maco Amoyo

Maco Amoyo is the August 2014 Knight-of-the-Month. Brother Maco has greatly contributed to the Council by his exemplary volunteer work. Maco has very successfully served as the Family Director for several years. He routinely organizes and directs all the Council’s family events, often with only limited assistance from other brothers. The recent July Family Bingo Night is example of that.
Another Family Director role Maco has been successfully handling is the Family-of-the-Month. His attention to that role has elevated the Family-of-the-Month award to a higher level. He has started the practice of interviewing the selected family prior to the reward presentation. That has resulted in more complete and personal statements about the lucky family.
Maco also has been providing sound services for selected Council and parish events. His emcee work at Council and parish events has been very professional.
Maco is one of the Council’s strengths and he can depended upon to assist when needed.
Congratulate Maco on his selection as the August 2014 Knight-of-the-Month.

July 2014

John Martens

Our July Knight of the Month is someone who has been extremely active in our council since joining it and he has taken on several leadership roles without a break. He is well known as a constant member of our food staff and a constant contributor throughout. He is John Martens who has led our council as Grand Knight for the past two years, served as Deputy Grand Knight for two years prior and served us as our Recorder before that. The council is grateful for the time, the skills and the drive to accomplish new heights in our council and we are grateful that John will continue to be a major part of our council and board going forward.

June 2014

Mark Dama

Our June Knight of the Month is someone you probably know but may not have talked to a whole lot because he's known as "a very quiet guy." The person our council is recognizing is Mark Dama who has been an extremely helpful member of our meal team and according to those who know Mark best, he does open up and he has a great sense of humor!
Mark has been around our community for quite some time, having left Prince of Peace after our initial founding and then finding his way back here recently, he has been very involved in our parish. Mark went through CRHP last time and is part of the host team for CRHP 16 now. Mark is also very involved in his professional life in one of our top activities and charities, as the head of insurance and risk management for the Boy Scouts of America.
The Council recognizes Mark for being a great role model for our organization, for serving the church and our community in such a full way and for putting so much of his personal time into our activities.

May 2014

Ritchie Schlette

A very obvious choice for Knight of the Month, this month especially, is our friendly and capable Chef Ritchie Schlette who has thankfully taken an even larger role in our food committee and meal preparation activities lately. We are very blessed to have Ritchie and his talent in our organization for the very creative, always festive, and truly frugal yet spectacular meals for our families and com-munity.
Ritchie brings cheer and positive recognition to everyone who participates in the planning and in the kitchen which brings even more from the whole team. He has been able to uphold extremely high standards from our food committee and our council while keeping up with the unusually fast pace we've held over the past few months.
From planning the Lenten fish dinner to the test pig roast and to the actual pig roast for Father Tom's ordination anniversary, Ritchie has contributed dozens of hours to our community and has given many others the opportunity to shine.
We greatly appreciate all that Ritchie does for our community and the way that he makes our council stand out as a real source of fellowship and stewardship. In fact, Ritchie truly represents and defines those two words for us in the kitchen and in the council.

March 2014

Haynes Michael

Our March Knight of the Month is brother Michael Hayes who is a recent addition to our council, but a long time and active leader in the Knights of Columbus. Michael originates from the East Coast and Florida where he was the Grand Knight of his council there.

Since coming to our council, Mike has been very active in serving at several of our events and being a big help recently at the tamale sale. Mike's brother Knights appreciate the contributions he makes and we are grateful that he chose Prince of Peace as his spot to land in Texas.

February 2014

Howard Gurnas

Our February Knight of the Month is Brother Howard Gurnas who became a Knight about one year ago and immediately got involved as a servant and a leader. Howard quickly took on the role to lead our Knights’ shirt program. He has been very helpful in promoting shirt sales and finding new options for golf, sport and dress shirts. Howard has also been quite a handyman for our council over the past several months, too. He researched and got the auxiliary hot tea carafe working and back in service for breakfasts, and he has done a lot of cabinet fixing and building to make kitchen management more effective. Howard is a key member of the scrubbing bubbas, too. The council appreciates all the great ideas you’ve brought to the group and the hard work you’ve put into all that you’ve been a part of.

January 2014

Brijesh Anthonoypillai

Our January Knight of the Month is Brijesh Anthonypillai who has been described by his CRHP friends as both an Energizer Bunny and a Timex that takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Any of us who have worked with Brijesh have learned the same thing, as he’s been extremely active since becoming a member of our council and does it with high energy and a smile. I talked to some of our members who have heard some of Brijesh’s life stores. They said that he’s a guy who been through the meat grinder a few times and will smile when he tells you about it. So, I’m very interested in some of those stories! Brijesh is recognized as our Knight of the Month because beyond all the regular participation in our events and for what he does for Men’s CRHP, he is a regular for Saturday food prep and the monthly breakfasts where he has been manning the omelet station.

November 2013

Jim Deibel

We have so much to be grateful for when it comes to this member of our council and our community because of all that he shares with us. Brother and Chef Jim Deibel is our November Knight of the Month for reasons that every member of our council could name.
Jim’s dedication to our food program and what is called the best breakfast in Plano are highlights but Jim also continues to be involved in our parish in so many other ways, he’s one of the best known Knights.
He serves and participates in men’s activities and the entire community, constantly demonstrating the role that we Knights are called to carry out.

October 2013

Noel Rigley

Our October Knight of the Month is a fresh new face that we've probably all seen so much that it's no longer all that fresh and new! Brother Noel J Rigley has been extremely active, generous and present at almost every event that has occurred since he became a Knight. He is a regular for breakfasts, including the shopping duty; he helped with the New-Comers brunch and Hike for Life. Noel's contribution of his time and talent is greatly appreciated by all.

September 2013

Jeff Flanagan

Our September Knight of the Month is a long time, very dedicated Knight who is well known for his contributions to several areas. Jeff Flanagan has led a and stood for some of the most noteworthy activities in our council since he almost single handedly managed our breakfast and food program for a few years. Throughout his career with the Knights, Jeff has been the champion for our involvement with Special Olympics.
There is not a better description of Jeff’s service than what was shared in the following recommendation for Jeff as our Knight of the Month:
“Jeff has been the one Knight who has most consistently assisted me on the various White Rose projects over the past two plus years. The only times that he has missed a workday was when he either had a family commitment or was out of town. He is always willing to take on any project no matter how large or small no matter how dirty. When the new White Rose facility was opened early this year, Jeff assisted me on two consecutive weekends to repaint the entire bottom floor. He has also participated in every Hike for Life since we began holding them at John Paul II High School. In addition to these projects, his consistent and long-standing involvement with the Special Olympics further affirms his stance on the sanctity of life and the importance of standing up for those in our society that are often deemed less valuable than others.”
-Paul A. Garcia-
All of what Jeff does as a Knight, a member of Prince of Peace, a Dad and husband are what help our order provide a shining example of Catholic life. Jeff, Thanks for all that you do.

August 2013

Brian Ullrich

Our August Knight of the Month is a brother who hasn’t been in the order for an extremely long time but one who has already made an impact on several areas inside our council. He is Brian Ullrich, our Youth Director, Director of Pots, Pans, Napkins and cooking doo-hickies, photographer, and probably most importantly, our leader of Scrubbing Bubbas Team 2!
Brian has taken on several leadership roles and he has very comfortably jumped in, rolled up his sleeves and gotten things done. The reorganization, labeling and order put into place in our kitchen supplies cabinet has made a tremendous improvement in our organization and ability to serve the community. Brian has taken the lead on youth activities and kept us up to date on every scouting project we have been given an opportunity to support.
Our role in supporting youth and our reputation for true leadership and financial support is something we can all be proud of and we all appreciate that you drive this activity for us, Brian. Thank you for all that you do.

June 2013

Dan Garasich

Brother Dan Garasich is a very strong contributor to the each monthly Breakfast and other food events since he has become a Knight. He has attended virtually all council activities so far and he is typically one of the first to show up and the last to leave for these events. Dan has mastered coffee making, washing dishes, storing equipment, and is learning omelet making. Dan serves Prince of Peace with his wife as part of the “Coffee and Donuts” brigade.

The council appreciates all that Dan brings to us and we are blessed that in such a short time, he has made such an impact, including volunteering to be a candidate for an officer position.

May 2013

Richard Frasco

None of us are asked to give more time than is reasonable in support of our mission. Often, we just need more men to help spread the work out to allow us to complete a task. Obviously, some of our members contribute significant portions of their time to the activities we support and for that we are grateful. This certainly applies to our May Knight of the Month.

Our Knight of the Month for May became a Knight back in 2006 and we're sure he's been a heavy contributor since day ONE but our council was blessed with the burst of energy a little over a year ago when Brother Rich Frasco transferred to our council. Rich serves the parish as a leader in CRHP and in all that our council does to serve the community. He has been consistently present at every event and makes a huge contribution to our efforts. Rich brings good cheer to all that he does and also makes a great chili!

We hope the move has been as good for you as it has for us, Rich. Thank you for all you do and for being a member of Council 11716.

April 2013

Kevin Christensen

Our Knight of the Month for April is someone that any men's group at Prince of Peace would wholly support and agree. We have benefited from the addition of someone in our council who is already living and demonstrating the ideals and the reason anyone would become a Knight of Columbus.

Our Knight of the Month is brother Kevin Christensen, who has courageously launched, drives and recruit across all of Dallas for the North Texas Catholic Men's Conference which started last year and again will be hosted here at Prince of Peace this month. In addition to the men's conference, any man at PoP involved in a group knows of Kevin's leadership and involvement in CRHP, TMiY and Saturday Men's Fellowship. Kevin helped launch all of these efforts and continues to lead the rosary and the discussion every Saturday at Men's fellowship. Kevin also supports and assists in our monthly work day at White Rose.

It's hard to imagine what another person or any other group of actions in our parish could have had the impact that Kevin has been so directly involved in. It is clear that because of Kevin and a few other leaders here at Prince of Peace, we really have renewed our parish.

Thanks for all that you do for our parish and for sharing the charity and faith you enthusiastically bring to our council.

March 2013

Jack Matthews

We are very happy to share the council's pick for our Knight of the Month. He is an obvious choice because we see him involved in everything we do. So, with the same high level of enthusiasm he brings in all he does, our council wishes to recognize brother Jack Matthews, our Recorder and Membership Chairman as the March Knight of the Month.

Jack supports the council and the church regularly through participation in virtually all of our activities. He is a strong, respected leader and he has taken charge of our new recruiting and membership committee that is already implementing valuable steps in identifying and educating our candidates before they even join our council. This diligence will improve new member engagement and better connect them to what encouraged them to consider knighthood in the first place. Jack has led planning sessions and defined roles that all of us can take on to improve member engagement and our recruiting ability.

Jack also brings a welcoming smile to all of his activities and is a role model of what it means to be a Knight.

February 2013

Dan Stoffel

Dan has been extremely active in the coordination activities for all the funding programs for which he has responsibility. He always brings a great deal of energy and enthusiasm to his projects, and that seems to bring a very positive attitude and response from all participants. The end result is not only a pleasant and well executed program, but always a very suc-cessful one as well! Congratulations to Dan, and a very grateful thank-you from the entire Council.

January 2013

Steve Wyse

Stephen Wyse is our January 2013 Knight of the Month. Brother Steve has been very active in men’s activities at Prince of Peace and serves the parish in many facets. In addition to being an active participant in the Knights’ activities, Steve was even a regular for the monthly breakfasts before he became a Knight!
Since joining the Council, Stephen continues to show up for breakfast prep and for Sunday serving duties. One person who provided comments said that Steve does better than most at dealing with “brisk” orders from the Chef and keeps on going! That pushed Stephen to the top of the list and is our January Knight of the Month.

December 2012

Scott Yoste

This month our council would like to recognize Scott Yoste for his years of dedicated services to our council and our parish. This recognition is long overdue as some of us have had a chance to reflect on the wide range of activities that Scott takes on and provides leadership. Scott is always one to step up and help resolve an issue or to put into action a plan to help us overcome a problem. He did this to coordinate work crews for breakfast and he initiated a process to coordinate attendance at degree ceremonies away from Prince of Peace.
Scott has been our membership director since 2010 and in that time, he has led dozens of men through initiation into our Order. It's more than 40. In addition to this role, Scott contin-ues to be heavily involved in other council activities and has served our parish in an exem-plary way: He is quite involved in CRHP and has served and led that ministry extremely well. Our members applaud the contributions of Brother Scott Yoste. We are thankful that you are a member of our council and you are our December Knight of the Month

November 2012

Bill Weber

We are told when we join the Knights of Columbus that charity is a duty, not a courtesy. If only we could ALL be as charitable and as dedicated to the principals of the Knights of Columbus, as Brother Bill Weber --what an even greater difference the Knight of Columbus would make on our world. Bill is consistently the model for our Order: he leads our prayer of the Rosary before almost every meeting; he's very active in the church serving as a Eucharistic minister and coordinating men's activities such as That Man is You, Your Brothers in Christ, CRHP and the Men's Conference.
Through his noteworthy role as Community Director, Bill initiated and has promoted our in-volvement in "Make a Difference Day" every year; he has led our Football Frenzy ticket sales and helped the Wounded Warrior raffle sales and our council is well known for our impact on the American Wheelchair Mission because of Bill Weber. Bill, with great passion, has led Prince of Peace's support of the Wheelchair Mission for the past three years and this year, Bill even traveled to Honduras to witness the distribution there. Our Parish and our brother Knights are proud of Bill's service to God, and we are grateful that he does so in the name of the Knights of Columbus.

October 2012

James Widman

James Widman is recognized as our Knight of the Month for October for his tireless support of Respect Life activities around Prince of Peace and Dallas. James and his wife Arda represent the Knights of Columbus and our council in the significant role they play in Pro-Life and most recently, James coordinated our Hike for Life event for not just our council but the neighboring councils, raising thousands of dollars to support crisis preg-nancy centers. James is also an extremely visible Knight, serving our community through our meals and other events. For all that James does for the Knights and a primary factor of our organization, Pro Life, his brother Knights wish to salute and award him, our Knight of the Month.

September 2012

John Beal

John Beal demonstrates consistent commitment and contributions to our council through his presence and assistance in accomplishing our goals. He helps the council at almost every function and he has also been present at Diocese-wide Knights events such as the Diocese chapter meetings. In addition, John and his wife, Susan attend our social events which is a significant contribution to show support for the things that we do to build fraternity and family involvement. John's support and presence is greatly appreciated and is the reason his brother Knights asked that he be recognized.

August 2012

Ritchie Schlette

Ritchie Schlette serves the council in many ways that have strengthened and promoted our role within the parish. Not only does Ritchie take the lead on many of our meal events, bringing to them tremendous and creative talent as a chef, he has introduced an entirely new activity to our council and Prince of Peace through his love of hunting and friendship with Father Dom. Ritchie's events have changed the face of the council and brought in entirely new participants. Ritchie's time and talent have made a positive impact that his brother's enjoy and appreciate.

July 2012

Dan James

Dan has contributed greatly to the Council. His recent service as Grand Knight resulted in the Council growing substantially, expanding its service to the Prince of Peace parish, and gaining recognition as an exemplary Council within the Knights of Columbus at both the State and Supreme levels.
Dan consistently provides his time and talent to the Council.
In addition Dan has assumed the role of Web Master for the Dallas Diocese Council of the Knights of Columbus.

June 2012

Jack Gunn

As the District Deputy for District 77 for the last 4 years Jack has supported and assisted Council 11716 in all its activities. He also is very active in the Diocesan Pro-Life work and serves on the Board for Birth Choice. Jack has been instrumental for the District #77 First Degree Team. Overall, Jack has demonstrated his strong commitment to the mission of the Knights and to his special duties as a District Deputy

May 2012

Kevin Christensen

Kevin is recognized for his efforts associated with the successful North Texas Catholic Men's Conference held at Prince of Peace last week. His work for the conference started with the planning over a year ago. Throughout the entire planning, selling, staging, and delivery of the conference, Kevin was there to lead and inspire. He did pulpit talks at other churches which helped greatly with the success of the conference. His passion and efforts to give the Catholic men of North Texas an opportunity to embrace their faith and grow in the Lord were very exemplary.
Kevin is also involved with the Men's Fellowship on Saturday mornings and is on the That Man Is You Core Team.

April 2012

Paul A. Garcia

Paul is active in the ProLife activities of the Council (monthly White Rose Projects, Hike for Life, Roe Memorial Mass & Rally, etc.). Paul serves as Church Director for the Council. He provides musical accompaniment for the PoP Choir, Men's Fellowship, etc. In addition, Paul and his group regularly perform at the PoP Annual Revues

March 2012

Charles Tanner

Charles is recognized for his active participation in both the Council and the PoP parish. Charles is a former usher, serves in the Hospitality Ministry, is active in Empty Nesters, participates in most Council food events, and is a strong supporter of the Council's Youth activities. He is a devoted grandfather and is very active with his grandchildren (all 14 of them).

February 2012

Greg Wilson

Greg superbly performs the many, many duties of the Financial Secretary for the Council. Those duties include Supreme's reporting requirements, dues collection, member record maintenance, etc. Greg also manages the Council's business activities with the banks, insurance coverage, credit card processing, and audits. He handles voucher processing for the Council. Greg also assists at many Council activities.
Greg is a solid member of the Prince of Peace Community, both the church and the school. He serves as the coach for his daughter's volley ball team.

January 2012

Dan Stoffel

Dan Stoffel has been very active in nearly all Council activities and is a key member of the Fund Raising Committee. He has provided fantastic assistance with all Fund Raising activities, especially the Golf Tournament last September. Dan also participates in “That Man Is You” and CRHP. Dan is active with the JC Penney benefit Golf Tournament. He clearly demonstrates a Knight’s “Passion to Serve”

December 2011

Greg Wilson

Greg has been a steady hand on the finances of the Council as the Financial Secretary for the Council. He participates in many Knight's activities and is active with the Prince of Peace Catholic school. Greg coaches his daughter's volleyball team.

November 2011

James Widman

James is recognized first for all his many efforts as the Pro-Life Director for the Council. In that role James led the Plano Hike For Life and is an active participant in the Prince of Peace Respect Life Ministry activities, including Baby Banks, Rowe Memorial activities, Bishop’s Pro-Life Dinner, and Mother’s Day Corsages.
James is also to be recognized for his assistance with Council activities and for his participation in many other Prince of Prince ministries”

October 2011

Ray Chavez

Ray Chavez was a super salesman for the Benefit Golf tournament in September. Ray is a great supporter of POP athletics, as well as Ursuline and Jesuit. He is also an Advocate with Catholic Charities.

September 2011

Ritchie Schlette

Ritchie has consistently been a key and extremely talented contributor to our food events and recently took the lead to organize and manage the Back to School event for Prince of Peace where we served about 800 parishions and school parents. Ritchie is also leading the Hunt fundraising events that are building a valuable and unique alliance with our Father Dom and other men in the parish. This photo was taken on the same day that Ritchie was awarded Knight of the Month.

September 2011

Widman James

August 2011

Bill Weber

Bill has provided outstanding leadership for the recent very successful Wheelchair event. Bill’s contributions as the Deputy Grand Knight were very significant for the Council. He assists in many Council events and serves as the Community Director. For the Prince of Prince Community Bill is a key core member for the “That Man is You” program and continues as an Eucharistic Minister.

July 2011

Scott Yoste

Scott is a very active member of both Council #11716 and the PoP community. Scott’s work for the Council includes a very successful fraternal year as the Membership Director, volunteer coordinator for Food Events, and participation in most Council events and activities.
For PoP Scott is serving as Spiritual Director for CRHP #11, core member for “That Man Is You”, “Summer Seekers”, “Seekers at Sunrise”, ...

June 2011

Maco Amoyo

Maco works hard for PoP parish and PoP school. He is a fantastic representative of the Knights in all that work. Art gives his time constantly. He has been a very positive influence in getting the Council much more involved in the parish and the school. He works all food events with a big smile and is always willing to help as needed. Maco is also a CRHP veteran

May 2011

Mark Molidor

Mark has helped with and led many activities for the Council. The many hours Mark provided for the Holy Smoke and the Crawfish Boil events were exemplary. He probably worked more hours for those events than any other brother. That included work before the actual smoking, during the smoking, and after the smoking. In addition, Mark has been an active participant on the Fund Raising Committee. His dishwashing expertise during Community Breakfasts and other food events needs to be noted. Mark has CRHP experience and is an active Eucharistic Minister

April 2011

John Nevins

John is very active both for the Council and for PoP. For the Council, John faithfully attends all monthly Business Meetings, is active on the Fund Raising Committee, and has served as the Council Advocate for years. For PoP, John is active in "That Man is You" and Men's Fellowship, participated in CRHP #1, and other services for the parish

March 2011

Jim Deibel

Jim Deibel is recognized for sharing his chef expertise during recent Council meal events. His food preparation skill and his willingness to share that skill with the Council and the PoP Community deserve the gratitude of all. In addition Jim has been a very active participant in the numerous activities of the Fund Raising Committee

February 2011

Brent McWilliams

Brent is recognized for what he has brought and for what he continues to do for the PoP community. His work as Director of Liturgical Music for PoP is superb. Brent had the vision to celebrate Father Jim and the PoP 20-year anniversary. Brent relentlessly pursued his vision, overcame the challenges, and brought the vision to reality in the PoP 20th Year Gala Event on January 5th. The Gala was an amazing evening will most likely never be forgotten by those who attended.

January 2011

Mike Kelly

Brother Mike has provided great leadership to the first ever Raffle fundraiser. He has been at every selling event for the Raffle. Mike has been very active in many of the Council events this past year and has helped coordinate and work all of our fundraising events over the last 6 months. Also he serves as a Eucharist Minister and gives Communion to the hospital bound

December 2010

Art Amoyo

Art has made numerous contributions to the Council and PoP:
Work on CRHP 9 weekend; Coordination of the most fundraising activity the Council has ever seen; All printing work for golf tournament and raffle; Providing DJ services with Maco Amoyo for the POP Picnic; Getting the Council connected to POP School for the Fall Festival.

November 2010

Gerry Nichols

Gerry helped in planning and leading the Council's first golf tournament. Gerry put everything in place with the help of his team including prizes, sponsorships, and PR. He contributed his business expertise and products which elevated the event several notches higher on the scale of quality golf events. The event was a huge success!

October 2010

James Widman

James had dedicated many hours to the Plano Hike For Life activites. He also works extensively throughout the year to support all Pro-Life work in the area.

September 2010

Paul L. Garcia

Each week Paul, along with Bob Zechman, collects pizzas from Pizza Hut and delivers the pizzas to God's Food Pantry for distribution. Paul helps pick up food for the Community Breakfast events and is a regular worker at the events. In addition, Paul serves as a Eucharistic Minister and functions as a Eucharist Ministry Coordinator. He is a member of the Council’s Special Events Committee.

August 2010

John Beck

John's work for the Council and for PoP has been extensive
He was responsible for putting together both the Sound System Committee and the K/C Fundraising Committee
John has been working on the repair/enhancement of PoP Sound System for an extended period of time. His recent leadership of the Fundraising Committee's donation campaign for the Sound System was superb. He worked on all components of the donation campaign
John's work for the Council as the Grand Knight was very successful in elevating the Council to a higher level of service and to a higher level of respect within the parish
His many activities for PoP have been outstanding. That includes serving on the PoP Facilities Committee and serving as a Coordinator for Eucharistic Ministers
John has assisted whenever possible to help the PoP Community better

July 2010

Andrew Walker

Andrew's active participation in and assistance with many Council events since his recent First Degree

June 2010

Dick Leyendecker

Dick has done extensive behind-the-scenes work for many different Council events. Dick has handled food acquisition, hauling, storing, and inventory control for Council food events. He has managed the reorganization, cabinet preparation, and securing of cabinets for storage of Council’s food preparation tools, cookware, cleaning supplies, and paper products

May 2010

Bill Weber

Recognition for Bill's many efforts in behalf of both the Council and Prince of Peace. Special recognition is given for Bill's direction of the Council's recent Wheelchair Sunday project. Under Bill's guidance, along with the assistance he secured of fellow Knights, a total of approximately $22,950 was raised for the Wheelchair Sunday program. That is enough for at least 153 wheelchairs. In addition, Bill has been assisting with Help letters for multiple CRHP's. Bill has been very active in his role as Community Director for the Council.

April 2010

Steve Michlik

March 2010

Jim Deibel

February 2010

Dan James

January 2010

Bill Biermann

November 2009

Flanagan Jeff

October 2009

John Mascitti

September 2009

Art Amoyo

August 2009

John Martens

July 2009

Mark Molidor