State - Knight of the Year Award
L to R: At the AB/NWT State Convention:
State Deputy Bill Smith; State’s 2013 Knight of Year Bro. Denis H. and his wife Jeanette; and Supreme Treasurer Michael O’Connor.
Congratulations to Brother Anthony Council member Bro. Denis H. who was chosen 2013 State Knight of the Year at the Alberta/NWT State Convention held in Edmonton April 25-27, 2014. Thanks also to Denis¡¦ wife Jeanette for her support of Denis over many years in Council, which includes her active participation in many council events alongside Denis.
Bro. Denis is an active and upstanding member of our Order and faithful member of Holy Family Parish. He is a charter member of Brother Anthony Council, established in 1989, has obtained the Fourth Degree Member, and served the Order throughout his membership in the all program areas over the past 25 years. Bro. Denis had worked on various parish committees before our Church was built and open for service in 1991, including fundraising for the church¡¦s building fund. He was Brother Anthony Council¡¦s first recorder, an executive position he held from 1989 to 2000. Bro. Denis was lecturer of our Council for the next 12 years, from 2000 to 2012. He was membership director from 1987 to 2010 and then assisted the new membership director for two years, from 2010 to 2012.
Over eight years, from 2004 to 2012, Brother Denis was Charity Appeals coordinator for our Council. He has coordinated and served as MC for our Council¡¦s theme nights or other functions, including the annual Ukrainian Night Dinner and Dance. He has coordinated Council¡¦s annual golf tournament and involved with the State Golf Tournament our council hosted in 2012. Over the years Brother Denis has participated in all program areas of our Order. He led Brother Anthony Council's project to provide a gravesite for stillborn or miscarried babies at St. Albert Parish Historic Cemetery. Our Council provides these plots and engraving at no cost to the parents. Grieving mothers and fathers have found some solace by way of naming their unborn babies and having their babies¡¦ names included together with the other babies. Bro. Denis has worked with youth, including Council¡¦s annual Basketball Free Throw and Brother Anthony Kowalczyk Squire Circle 4759.
Please take a moment to congratulate Bro. Denis on this well-deserved recognition!
State - Website Award
Brother Anthony Council's website has again been chosen the "Best Website of the Year"...this time for 2013 - 2014.
Vivat Jesus!
Operation Friendship on CBC
Members of our council in their on-going ministry called "Operation Friendship" were featured on CBC Edmonton TV news recently.
Here are the links to the coverage and some associated testimonials:
Venerable Brother Anthony!
Our namesake, Brother Anthony Kowalczyk has been declared Venerable by Pope Francis!
Read an update on this advancement towards sainthood in the recent article in the Calgary Sun:
Officially having "heroic virtue" means Brother Anthony, a Polish-born blacksmith-turned-priest who quietly toiled for 36 years in Alberta, is an important step closer to sainthood.
Keep those prayers coming!
Content for members only
NOTE: Online registrations have been "turned off" due to persistent spam. In order to have a new account created for our council members, they must contact our webmaster directly: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
At this time, certain website content is available for viewing only for our registered members who are logged into the site. The "hidden" content includes:
- Our State Service Award Submissions for 2012;
- Past issues of The Anvil (council newsletter) - 2011 & 2012; and
- Photos of various council events.
These photos* are available for viewing only by our members who have registered on the website and are logged in*.
*The menu item - "Photos" - has been moved to below "Home", but that will show up only to logged in members.
Blacksmith of God
Thanks to some council members who have dedicated their time, talents and energy, we can now offer - FREE OF CHARGE - an e-version of the book: Blacksmith of God.
Written by P.E. Berton, OMI it is a chronical of the life and times of Brother Anthony Kowalczyk, our namesake and "a saint in waiting."
Click here to download the PDF, and share it with others.
Our council is publishing it because we believe it is important to share our namesake's story and ask for your prayers in supporting the cause for his sainthood.
(April 2011) The Postulator received a call asking him to send as quickly as possible to the Congregation for Saints ten copies of the “Positio” on Brother Anthony. His was the first cause on the waiting list and the theologian consultors would proceed to study it in order to give their verdict on his heroic virtues so as to proclaim him “Venerable.” It is a crucial step in the journey to canonization. Let us ask God for a miracle through the intercession of the Servant of God, so that we achieve soon the beatification of an Oblate who is not a priest. (Joaquín MARTÍNEZ, General Postulator)
Read the October 2012 update on promoting the cause of Bro. Anthony here.