Through the efforts of the Knights of Columbus and the talent and dedication of Calvary Cemetery’s grounds superintendent, a beautifully restored statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe is in place and will be blessed by Bishop Edward J. Slattery at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, July 25 at the cemetery located at 81st Street and Harvard Avenue.
Chris Victor explained that in the 1980s local Knights pooled their resources and donated the statue and a commemorating plaque to the innocent victims of abortion. But the statue had begun deteriorating, and last fall, District Deputy Phil Nickel asked Knights Council #11959 of St. Bernard Parish to help with a new restoration. When Brent Parmeter, the grounds superintendent, heard of their initiative, he offered to refinish the statue. “I told him that we would be more than happy to reimburse him for his time and materials,” Mr. Victor said.
But Mr. Parmeter asked the Knights to “pay it forward” by raising money for Catholic Charities. At the blessing on July 25, a check for $1,000 will be presented to Catholic Charities in honor of Mr. Parmeter’s generosity.
