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HARTINGTON — Chuck and Bev Feilmeier were honored as Family of the Year during a recent Knights of Columbus gathering in Hartington.
Approximately 120 Knights, their spouses and members of the Catholic Daughters attended the noon meal Sunday, Feb. 15, at Hartington’s Knights of Columbus Hall.
The Fourth Degree Knights served as honor guard during the 10:30 a.m. Mass prior to the dinner.
Guest speakers were Mike and Mary Conrad from the Knights of Columbus Council of Fort Calhoun. Mike Conrad, a former member of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Board of Directors, spoke about the persecution of Christians in Iraq. In 2017, ISIS attacked Christian communities in the Nineveh Plain, destroying villages, desecrating churches and forcing thousands of families to flee an area where Christians had lived for nearly 2,000 years.
After ISIS was driven out, families were allowed to return to homes that had been devastated. Conrad explained how Knights of Columbus councils organized a fundraising effort to help rebuild. Their work helped construct approximately 500 homes at a fraction of the cost of building a home in the United States. A chalice given in honor of the late Fourth Degree Knight Francis Wortmann was sent to the Nineveh Plain and is now being used by a priest serving there.
The second speaker was Father Joseph Kwasau of the Kaduna Archdiocese in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Father Joseph spoke about the ongoing persecution Christians face in his homeland. He described attacks by terrorists on villages and rectories, kidnappings and threats of violence against priests and parishioners.
Father Joseph said he was considered a target after speaking out on behalf of the poor. He was sent by his bishop to the Archdiocese of Omaha, a move he believes spared his life.
Both speakers addressed the current realities of Christian persecution in different parts of the world.
Chuck and Bev Feilmeier were recognized for decades of service to the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Daughters, Holy Trinity Parish and the Hartington community.
Trent Becker read a list of the couple’s accomplishments before Grand Knight Austin Creamer presented the award.
Among the highlights were their years of caring for the KC Hall.
Chuck has helped shingle the building three separate times. The couple also helped establish the KC Right to Life Breakfast, even preparing ring sausage in their home for many years.
Knights of Columbus leaders noted the Family of the Year recognition is presented annually to honor a family’s service and example to the community.
Hartington’s Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus Honor Guard members present for Sunday’s event were: Dean Wortmann, Ron Wortmann, Ron Lammers, Chuck Feilmeier, Reggie Hochstein, Roy Creekmore, Kyle Hochstein, and Trent Becker.
