About Us

The Father Albert Newman Council formed on September 12, 1983 and our first Grand Knight was Wally Smelski.

The Council has donated over $350,000 towards paying down the mortgage of the new building.

The Fr. Albert Newman Council is located in St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Calgary, Alberta. The Grand Knight for 2025-2026 is Jaime Cebedo.

Our Executive Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Our Council Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at 8:00 p.m. The Meetings are held in the basement meeting room, in the St. Patrick's Church Hall.

Father Albert Newman was born in New Orleans, LA, USA, in 1870. Father Newman moved to Almonte, Ontario with his mother after his father died when he was six years old. In Almonte, his uncle, Father O’Malley, was pastor of the Catholic Church, and Father Newman attended the local school before going to Ottawa University for his Philosophic studies. In 1893, he went to the Grand Seminary in Montreal and was ordained in Ottawa by Archbishop Duhamel for the Ottawa Diocese.

He served in Metcalf, ON and Ottawa before coming to Calgary on July 31, 1914. Before his appointment to Calgary, Bishop McNally had been pastor of Almonte and had undoubtedly known Father Newman and persuaded him to come to the new Diocese.

He was at the Cathedral until 1923 and apparently as Rector. He then was Chaplain at Lacombe Home until 1950. He broke his hip and spend the next five years at the Holy Cross Hospital and at the Banff Springs Hospital, totally blind for the last couple of years of his life. He died in Banff on February 21, 1955 and is buried in Calgary. He was a relative of Cardinal Newman.

The history of the KofC in Alberta can be found here.