BREESE — Council 2869, Knights of Columbus this week completed plans for the acceptance of a large class of candidates in honor of the memory of their three members who gave their lives in World War II, namely Paul B. Hemann, Thomas Hummert and Raymond Von Bokel.

The program opened last night when the first degree was conferred at the regular meeting.  This group will join with the candidates who received first degrees on Sept. 12, for exemplification of the second and third degrees on Sunday, October 13.

Highlight of the degree day will be the Communion Mass to be attended by candidates and members at 7 o’clock in St. Augustine’s Church.  The group will offer their Mass in honor of the departed service men-members.  Father Aloys Eckert, pastor, will be celebrant; Father Aydt, pastor of St. Dominic’s, will preach the sermon.

State Treasurer Robert A. Meissner, grand knight of the Breese Council, and his staff will be in charge of the first and second degrees.  The third, or major degree work will be directed by William B. Ryan of the Cairo district who has spent nearly thirty years working in the order.
To close the degree day the Council has arranged a dinner and speaking program at 8 p.m. in the Breese Public School gym.  Leo Venhaus, program chairman, and his committee from the D. I. headed by Mrs. A. B. Niebur are making the preparations.

The committee will be assisted in the serving of the dinner by girls of St. Dominic High School.  Father Sims of St. Dominic’s will be toastmaster and will present the officers in charge of the degrees, the chaplain of the Breese Council, and the principal speaker for the evening, Rev. John T. Fournie of St. Elizabeth’s, East St. Louis, who spent more than two years in the European theater of war.

Musical entertainment will be furnished by the D. of I. chorus, and the K. of C. Quartet, and the Misses Estell and Agnes Eschmann.