Community

During the January meeting of Knights of Columbus (KC) Council 2012 from Our Lady Help of Christians (OLHC) Parish in Jennings the family of Jackie and Michael Bougard (at left) received the Council’s Family of the Month Award for December 2021. Grand Knight Toni Benoit (right) presented the award. Mike, with tremendous support from Jackie, has been an active member of the Knights of Columbus since November of 1985 and is an Honorary Life Member of the Order and a Fourth Degree Knight. He has also supported all the barbecue fundraisers over the last 20-plus years, including the one in October 2021. For this year’s barbecue, he installed an outlet on a pole at the edge of the St. Mary’s Center parking lot. The outlet was used to power a refrigerator trailer operated to keep perishable supplies cool until the KC’s were ready to cook the food and assemble the meals. Mike installed the LED lighting in the Our Lady Help of Christians Church building. This project has cut energy costs significantly and has increased the safety level of the church building. Jackie served as a Eucharistic Minister for OLHC Parish for many years. She has also been an active member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas and the Ladies Alter Society. She can also be counted on to help Mike and the Knights in all of the Council’s fundraising activities. She provides the Family of the Month signs which Council Members and their families enjoy displaying in front of their homes. Mike and Jackie’s children and grandchildren have attended, or are attending, Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Elementary School in Jennings and they have been participants in religious education programs and Catholic Youth Activities within the parish. Mike and Jackie Bougard are definitely an asset to Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Parish and the Knights of Columbus.

During the January meeting of Knights of Columbus (KC) Council 2012 from Our Lady Help of Christians (OLHC) Parish in Jennings, Gavin Naquin (left) was recognized as the Council’s Knight of the Month for December 2021. Past Grand Knight Glenn McFarlain (right) presented the award to him. Gavin has been a member of the Knights of Columbus since November of 2019 and he is a 3rd Degree Knight. He currently serves the Council as Lecturer. Gavin has sold tickets for the Council’s barbecue fundraisers every year since he joined the Knights. In anticipation of the barbecue in October 2021, he purchased four new ice chests for use in storing cooked chicken until it was ready to be assembled into the meals which were served to customers. He also helped prepare the food for customers on the day of the barbecue. The funds from the barbecue project go to fund the Council’s many benevolent works. On Oct. 30, he assisted with the annual Tootsie Roll Drive with proceeds going to support God’s Special Angels. Gavin has also supported the KC Council’s annual Basketball Free-throw Contests and the Youth Soccer Challenges. He has also helped conduct the Little Dribblers program in Hathaway. Gavin has proven to be a very handy man to have in the Council when it has come to fixing things. He was on the KC team that removed a bee hive from the outside of the OLHC Choir Room. He then helped repair the side of the building, dramatically improving the appearance of the structure. He also worked on a major plumbing project at the rear of the OLHC Church building, rerouting water and sewage lines and relocating plumbing fixtures. This project will allow the room to be used for mass participants to change clothing there. Gavin has also led rosaries at wakes for deceased members of OLHC Parish. He has participated in several ACTS Retreats (Adoration, Community, Theology and Service). Through the ACTS retreats, ACTS Missions provide a spark that ignites Catholics worldwide with the eternal flame of the Holy Spirit. Gavin is a proud father to Tyler, Christopher, Christian and Wyatt. Gavin Naquin has truly proven to be a valuable member of OLHC Parish and KC Council 2012.

Whether you’re celebrating a weekend meal with loved ones or simply looking for a way to bring your family to the table at the same time, seafood night can make dinnertime a special treat. Next time you plan to make fish the focus of your menu, it’s possible you’ll be enjoying the benefits of aquaculture, also known as seafood farming. Fast becoming a leading source of seafood worldwide, aquaculture is similar to typical agriculture but with fish, shellfish and seaweeds. Farmed seafood can be raised and harvested in either fresh or seawater, where natural conditions are recreated.

January places you squarely before a brand new calendar, prompting you to remember the events of the previous year and notate the anniversaries of the coming one.