Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, SEpTEmbEr 16, 2022 Saugus Knights of Columbus Past Grand Knight Christopher Luongo honored Grand Knight mark panetta assumes duties By Tara Vocino T he Knights of Columbus, a Roman Catholic fraternal organization, honored their Past Grand Knights during their banquet last Friday night. “I’m very touched,” Past Grand Knight Christopher Luongo said. “It was a tough volunteer job these past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Luongo said his duties ended in July and included dayto-day duties, including running Zoom and live meetings. The Knights serve as the right arm of the church, working alongside Blessed Sacrament and Saint Margaret Parish. The Saugus chapter includes 25 active members with 180 members in total. They are seeking new members for their Tuesday night meetings, which start at 7 p.m. Grand Knight Mark Panetta, who will assume Luongo’s duties, said Luongo exemplifies what it means to be a Knight. “It’s my honor to follow in his footsteps,” Panetta said. “His leadership has guided us so our future will be successful, and so that we have the ability to provide charitable work to our community.” The event honored all Past Grand Knights with a special recognition in honor of Luongo. Knights of Columbus Officers congratulated Past Grand Knight Christopher Luongo (in back). (Advocate photos by Tara Vocino) Past Grand Knight Christopher Luongo passed on the rank to Mark Panetta. Grand Knight Mark Panetta said Past Grand Knight Christopher Luongo exemplifies exactly what it means to be a Knight. Past Grand Knight Christopher Luongo is shown with his daughter Alicia and his wife, Louise. Not present: his daughter Nicole. Chaplain Rev. Jason Makos blessed the meal. PERSON OF THE YEAR | FROM PAGE 9 the Saugus Historical Society about 10 years ago, I thought it would be “for a short time” but here I still am today. We still ladle out strawberries in June, offer interesting and thought-provoking programs on local history spring and fall, help conserve the memories of residents and provide a strong sense of place for the In his acceptance speech, Past Grand Knight Christopher Luongo said he is humbled at the honor. students in Saugus schools who will call this their hometown. One person can’t do it all – it takes teamwork – and I want to profusely thank the Saugus Historical Society board members and volunteers who have spent countless hours to ensure that the society would continue its work, some of whom are here today at the SHS table. Board of Selectmen Vice Chairman Debra Panetta read a citation to Past Grand Knight Christopher Luongo. I also want to thank my family for their love and support – my late parents for having made Saugus their home in my early life, my husband Paul, the ranger at Saugus Iron Works who came out on his lunch break to see this ceremony (That’s him in the hat over there under the pin oak) and our dear niece Monique (under the other pin oak), who spent her day off to Pictured from left to right: Chaplain Rev. Jason Makos, Past Grand Knight Christopher Luongo and Grand Knight Mark Panetta during last Friday’s banquet at the Knights of Columbus. come here today and who always has a smile and a friendly word for her customers at work. I suspect a strong reason people in Saugus may know me is because of my garden columns in The Saugus Advocate. It gives me an excuse to get out and enjoy the many gardens, wild and cultivated, that exist so close at hand. For many people, gardening became a new, powerful refuge during the pandemic. It takes the interconnection of a lot of people to make all the town organizations work, and I see firsthand the great teamwork of people at SAVE, the Tree Committee, the Garden Club and the community garden. I hope I have helped to plant some seeds to help Saugus grow into a stronger and even more lovely place.
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