4th Degree Knights of Columbus Council 1799

The Fourth Degree is the Patriotic degree of the Knights of Columbus. The color and honor guard allows the Fourth Degree to be the more visual part of the Knights of Columbus. The Honor guard is active in many community events including parades, dedications and celebrations.

Assembly Officers Faithful Friar Father Jerome Gerum Faithful Navigator James Zoellner Faithful Captain Jack Schmidkamp Faithful Purser Ernest Zdun Faithful Pilot Paul Konrardy Faithful Admiral James Reckner Faithful Comptroller Ken Breit Faithful Scribe James Alexander Inner Sentinel Daniel Flees Outer Sentinel Fabian Wingert Three Year Trustee Robert Nikolay Two Year Trustee Marv Fait One Year Trustee Edward Bud Beaudry Commander Bud Beaudry Inner Sentinel Jack Burk	Other Honor Guard events include funerals, first masses for newly ordained Priests, Confirmations and other religious ceremonies. When you see the Honor Guard in full regalia, you will notice six different colors each representing positions in the Degree. The colors are as follows, Supreme and Vice Supreme Master-Light Blue, Master-Gold, Marshall-Green, Commander-Purple, Faithful Navigator and Past Navigator-White and General Assembly-Red. The Father John Eisen Assembly Honor Guard participates in 12 to 17 events annually. The assembly has approximately 105 members with 39 being in the honor guard. Some note worth events the honor guard participates in are the June Dairyfest and Holiday Parades and Columbus High School graduation. The assembly raises money for several memorials and funds including World War II memorial, the Blessed Virgin Shrine in LaCrosse and American Heroes fund. The Father John Eisen Assembly also earned the civic award, which was given out at the annual Fourth Degree meeting at the State Convention (only one of two Assemblies in the western district to receive the award).
Our Faithful Friar

Father Jerome G. Gerum was born in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. August 20, 1925, to George and Annastatia (Klimek) Gerum.
He graduated from SS. Peter and Paul Grade School Wisconsin Rapids, St. John’s Preparatory School and St. John’s College and Seminary, Collegeville, MN, and St. Mary’s Seminary, Roland Park, Baltimore, Md. He was ordained a Priest April 10, 1940. He obtained his MA in Educational Counseling from Catholic University in 1955.

Father fulfilled numerous challenging assignments during his career, including: Assistant Superintendent of Catholic Schools - Diocese of La Crosse. Teacher at Aquinas High School of La Crosse, Regis High School of Eau Claire, WI, St. Mary’s Academy, Prairie du Chien, WI, St. Mary’s, Durand, WI. Holy Cross Seminary, La Crosse, WI, and Maryheart High School (no longer in existence), Pittsville, WI. He served as Assistant Pastor at St. Mary’s Parish, Durand, Holy Trinity Parish, La Crosse, WI, Blessed Sacrament Parish, La Crosse, Old St. Mary’s Parish, La Crosse, St. Patrick’s Parish, Eau Claire, WI.

Pastoral assignments included St. Joachim’s Parish, Pittsville, WI, Sacred Heart Parish, Wauzeka, WI, St. Therese Parish, Schofield, WI, St. Rose of Lima Parish, Cadott, WI, St. Francis Parish, Ellsworth, WI, and St. Mary’s Parish of Lyndon Station, WI.

Father also served as Dean of the Mauston Deanery from 1985 through 1987. When Father Gerum retired in November of 1995, he moved from St. Mary’s in Lyndon Station to Marshfield, WI. He was appointed Parochial Administrator of Sacred Heart Parish of Marshfield and Corpus Christi Parish of Bakersville, WI. Father served in this capacity from November 17, 1998 through June 1, 1999. As of that date he returned to retired, senior priest status in the La Crosse Diocese. In addition to being Chaplain for the Marshfield Serra Club, Father has served as the Faithful Friar of the Father John Eisen Fourth Degree Assembly of the Knights of Columbus, Marshfield, WI since 1996.

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