Honouring Our Legacy

On the morning of Aug. 12, Ontario State Deputy Bruce Poulin sat in front of a granite monument, meticulously repainting the faded lettering on a headstone. Marking the grave of Father John J. O’Gorman, a founding member of Ontario’s first Knights of Columbus council, it was the third epitaph Poulin had personally restored in Ottawa’s Notre Dame Cemetery. Each one took about three hours to complete, but Poulin didn’t mind; he was just one Knight honoring another.

Poulin finished his task just in time to join State Chaplain Archbishop Marcel Damphousse of Ottawa-Cornwall and others for a memorial service to pay homage to Father O’Gorman and seven other K of C leaders — including six past state deputies — buried in the historic cemetery. The Ontario State Council refurbished all eight of the Knights’ headstones as part of a series of initiatives to commemorate the jurisdiction’s upcoming 125th anniversary in 2025.

“We are acknowledging the legacy upon which we are building our success today, built on their sacrifice and successes of yesteryear,” State Deputy Poulin affirmed. Writing in the Ontario State Council bulletin, he explained that the restoration was “inspired by love and a sacred memory of our dearly departed” and the responsibility to pray for those who have gone before us. “Especially during the month of November, we are reminded of our duty in this regard.”

The Order’s presence in Ontario began with Ottawa Council 485, chartered Jan. 28, 1900. While investigating the history of Ontario Knights in anticipation of the anniversary, Poulin discovered that more Ontario state deputies are buried in Notre Dame Cemetery than any other site.

“That got my interest going, so I went out to the cemetery to see these tombstones,” Poulin said. “I saw that they were worn out and dirty; moss was growing on them and the lettering had all faded. Many of these tombstones date back to the 1920s and ’30s.”

The state council decided to restore the headstones, and a contractor was hired this past summer to power-wash and clean up the monuments and raise or straighten the stones that had become overgrown and buried in dirt and grass.

One thing the contractor would not restore, however, were the faded inscriptions on three of the Knights’ tombstones. So Poulin took matters into his own hands.

“I said, ‘OK, somebody’s got to do it.’ So I bought some paint and a paintbrush, and off I went,” he said.

The process, Poulin explained, required sanding and cleaning the lead letters, applying a rust-inhibitive primer, and then carefully applying semigloss black paint with a small paintbrush.

The cemetery is the final resting place of five founding members of Council 485, including its charter grand knight, John Dunne (1860-1924), and its first chaplain, Father Matthew Whelan (1853-1922). Dunne, considered the father of the Knights of Columbus in Ontario, was also the first Canadian-born state deputy of what was then the jurisdiction of Canada and Newfoundland.

The other charter council members buried at Notre Dame are Father O’Gorman (1884-1933), a World War I military chaplain who was wounded at the Battle of the Somme and later helped to lead the Order’s Canadian Catholic Army Hut program; Michael J. Gorman (1856-1935), a prominent lawyer in Ottawa and the jurisdiction’s first state deputy; and State Deputy Francis Latchford (1856-1938), a Québec native who moved to Ottawa and later served on the Supreme Court of Ontario. Three more state deputies are buried there, as well: Thomas Brown (1874-1945), Philip Phelan (1888-1966) and Yvon Robert (1939-2020).

Knights and guests had the opportunity to honor and pray for these past leaders at the ceremony held on Aug. 12, Blessed Michael McGivney’s birthday. A Fourth Degree honor guard, together with bagpiper Donald MacDonald, past grand knight of Council 485, led attendees from grave to grave; at each tombstone, Poulin shared information about the Knight buried there, and Archbishop Damphousse led a specific prayer for each one.

Michael O’Neill, 86, a Knight for more than 66 years who assisted Poulin with his research, spoke about the distinguished contributions of several of the Knights as well.

O’Neill noted that Council 485 was originally established by members from Montréal. They found a spiritual leader, he said, in Father O’Gorman: “He attracted men of education, men of substance, men of faith, and it made a very successful start for 485.”

The council was independent from a specific parish, but St. Patrick’s Church — elevated to a basilica in 1996 — was particularly instrumental in its history. “For the first 50 years of 485, the grand knights came from St Patrick’s,” he explained.

In 1998, a separate council was chartered at the basilica, with O’Neill as its first grand knight. St. Patrick Basilica Council 12158 and Ottawa Council 485 merged in 2021, becoming St. Patrick’s Basilica Council 485.

O’Neill also helped to establish, and currently serves as president of, the Blessed Michael McGivney Honoris at the basilica, which promotes devotion to the Order’s founder and his cause for canonization.

He was particularly gratified to see the pioneering members of Council 485 remembered and acknowledged.

“It was a lovely ceremony,” O’Neill said, adding, “[Council] 485 has to be honored because of what they did and what they have done for years and years.”

When Poulin initially reached out to Notre Dame Cemetery for permission to restore the eight tombstones, he discovered a sobering fact: The cemetery did not have a single family contact for any of the deceased K of C leaders.

“Though these past state deputies may have been forgotten through the generations by their families, they are not forgotten by the Knights of Columbus,” Poulin said. “I think that it is very inspiring that their contributions as Catholic men, fathers and husbands made society a better place, and they are acknowledged and appreciated by the Knights today.”

In addition to the Notre Dame Cemetery project, the Ontario State Council has restored several K of C landmarks in the province in recent months. One of these is the Pray for Peace Monument at Dieppe Park in Windsor, which was erected by the Knights in 1967 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. A rededication ceremony took place at the park Sept. 14, with Knights from across the province participating, including Deputy Supreme Knight Arthur Peters and Associate State Chaplain Bishop Bryan Bayda of the Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada.

A week prior, the Knights also restored the Carhagouha Cross, erected by Knights in 1922 to mark the site of Ontario’s first Mass, celebrated Aug. 12, 1615, near present-day Lafontaine. The granite monument was cleaned, and a new plaque was installed. On Sept. 7, the Knights held a ceremony and buried a time capsule at the base of the cross that contains, among other things, several 125th anniversary commemorative items blessed by Archbishop Damphousse.

Original Article: https://www.kofc.org/en/news-room/columbia/2024/november/honoring-our-legacy.html

CECILIA ENGBERT is a content producer for the Knights of Columbus Communications Department.