GALION — The “march” is on to honor mothers again this year.
It’s an annual tradition at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Members of the Knights of Columbus St. Francis Council 1234 gather at Public Square, then lead a procession through town as they make their way to the church, just in time for 10:30 a.m. mass.
It’s been happening every Mother’s Day for more than 100 years.
“It’s called a ‘walk’ now because we would have to take out a permit and pay the city if we call it a ‘march,’’ said Mike Clouse, a trustee for the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization. “It’s basically to honor the mothers of our parish and our Blessed Mother.”
Fourth-degree members of the K of C dress in their Sunday best – tuxedos, capes and hats – and carry flags, but anyone can participate, Clouse said. Dozens of men and boys usually show up at Quay’s Drug, then head east down Harding Way to North Liberty Street.
They wear carnations – red if their mother is still living and white if she has passed away. At church they usually sit with their families, then the color guard and brothers serve up a brunch for moms at the activity center across the street.
Paul Mies, 95, resides at Mill Creek Care Center now but he’s a master at marching. Mies has been active in the K of C for more than 50 years, and he’s faithfully made the Mother’s Day trek for more than 65 years, maybe even longer.
“It was just a group of guys that got together to honor their mothers,” he said, recalling his early years in the St. Francis Council, which was founded in 1907. “A lot of people gathered on the side. Some of the members who couldn’t walk would stand on the side of the street.”
Mies and his late wife, Dorothy, raised a son and five daughters at St. Joseph’s Parish. Their family has now grown to include 13 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and another one on the way.
The procession was also a family affair for another longtime knight, 97-year-old Ernie Schwartz of Galion.
“He’s done it since he was a boy,” said his niece, Kathy Bunn. “I think the only times he missed it were when he was in World War II.”
Bunn’s grandfather, Leo Schwartz, joined the early marches, complete with colorful regalia and even swords.
“I just remember my dad and all the uncles marching over the years,” he said. “Ernie was always a really faithful church-goer too.”
As part of the Mother’s Day tribute, women of the parish are given carnations. Those who attended brunch this year will be treated to pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage and fresh fruit. The guys do the cooking.
Because that’s the Mother’s Day tradition at St. Joseph’s. For more than 100 years.