Québec’s Frontline Knights

May 1, 2023

A council founded during the pandemic draws together Canadian first responders

By Laura Ieraci

May 1, 2023

Past Grand Knight Francis McKen and other council members gather at the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Recouvrance in Québec City — Past Grand Knight Francis McKen (right) and other council members gather at the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Recouvrance in Québec City. (Photo by Pascal Ratthe)

While some K of C councils were slowing down in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, a small but determined group of Knights in Québec were gearing up to charter the first council in Canada dedicated to first responders.

Francis McKen, a 21-year law-enforcement veteran, was inspired by an article in the April 2020 issue of Columbia featuring St. Michael the Archangel, Patron of Police Council 12173 in Chicago. The U.S. council, which has grown to hundreds of members, was established specifically for police officers 25 years ago.

After consulting with some colleagues, McKen adapted the idea to include first responders of all kinds.

“It struck me that the groups of police and security officers around me, as well as the firefighters, military, and so on, are already committed to serving our communities,” McKen said. “Yet the idea was not to have a council exclusive to first-responder professions, but one in which such groups would have a greater sense of belonging.”

In a few weeks, through word of mouth, he had recruited the 20 men required to establish a council — five of the men, including his father, transferred from other councils, and 15 were new recruits.

“I thought it was good that most of the founding members were young fathers of families,” recalled McKen, a 48-year-old father of two. “So we all more or less shared the same kinds of experiences, values and backgrounds, both personally and professionally.”

The new St. Michael the Archangel Council 17555 in Québec City was chartered Sept. 11, 2020, commemorating the day in 2001 when hundreds of first responders were called to the scenes of terrorist attacks in the United States and demonstrated the extent of their commitment to serve and protect.

“9-1-1 is also the universal emergency telephone number to reach first responders, the number that sets emergency response in motion,” McKen noted.

Knights of Columbus Charter — Council 17555 was chartered two years ago on Sept. 11, a date chosen for its symbolic significance to first responders. (Photo by Castletown Studios)

Council 17555’s membership has grown each year, and the average age of members is 47. Monthly business meetings are held online — a convenient setup for the majority, who work full time and have children at home. The council is based at Blessed Dina Bélanger Parish in Québec City but includes members from across the region.

While the council aims to provide first responders a community to gather in faith and find support among others with shared values and experiences, it remains open to all men, said McKen, who served as the charter grand knight.

Jesse Morissette took over as grand knight in the council’s second year. It hadn’t taken much for McKen to convince Morissette, a special constable for Québec’s Ministry of Public Security, to join the new council.

A Knight for about 12 years at the time, Morissette said he had been “more in the shadows,” not taking on any leadership positions in his previous council, due to his work and family commitments. He and his wife have three children and foster six.

“I thought it was important to get involved with this type of a council, this large family of first responders, who are often cast aside,” said Morissette. “Within our council, we are able to meet and understand each other.”

Last November, the council welcomed Father Léandre Syrieix, 39, as its new chaplain. Born in Cameroon and ordained in 2020, Father Syrieix was recruited by McKen during the pope’s visit to Québec in July 2022. The young priest knew little about the Order at the time, except that he had benefited from K of C financial support during his formation at the Grand Séminaire de Québec.

Father Syrieix was struck by the vision of the Knights as conveyed by McKen. “That’s what grabbed me,” the chaplain recalled. “Here were these professional people who meet and live their faith according to the charism of the Knights of Columbus, and I thought, ‘That deserves an investment.’ Especially since most of them are young parents with children who must be educated in the current social context of North America — where there is no longer any respect for human life or the dignity of the person, where things are going in all directions.”

He was also drawn to the role the Knights can play in engaging first responders, noting that due to past abuses, there is a lack of trust toward the police today. “I think about how we can accompany and give these first responders their voice back, by giving them spiritual and human support through a work of the Church that has existed for years,” said Father Syrieix.

COVID-19 made some aspects of the new council challenging, but the Knights “found ways to be creative, to hold some activities, despite the pandemic,” Morissette said.

In addition to supporting various parish programs and local food banks including La Bouchée Généreuse, the fledgling council has fundraised for several community initiatives. One, La Vigile, provides counseling and other services to first responders in crisis throughout Québec. Another, Les Maisons Oxygène, offers housing and other help to fathers experiencing personal or family crises, including issues related to child custody. The council has also supported a group of young people headed to World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, later this year.

St. Michael the Archangel Council 17555 was recognized as a Star Council in its first and second years, and Morissette is hoping to make it three years in a row.

“I think it’s important to have a place for men who carry out the same jobs as we do and who understand our reality,” said Morissette. “This council is innovative, and I think there could be similar councils across Canada.”

Father Syrieix, too, expressed his hopes for Council 17555, comparing it to a seed that is sown, like the word of God.

“I hope that this seed might help rejuvenate and reenergize the Order here, so that it will grow and spread,” he said.

*****

LAURA IERACI is assistant editor of ONE magazine, the official publication of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.

Adam Parzuchowski, 21, stands at the site where he rescued a man from a burning vehicle in June.

Québec’s Frontline Knights

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