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Happy birthday to Blake Ryneski!

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Friends of the Pittston Memorial Library holding sale to reduce its overstock of books

<p>PITTSTON &#8212; The Pittston Knights of Columbus changed its name to the John F. Kennedy Knights of Columbus in 1965 and unveiled an oil painting of the former president during a special ceremony.</p><p>Now, 50 years later, the knights will hold an anniversary banquet to celebrate the name change. The event is set for Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Woodlands Inn in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>Julio Capriani, a 4th Degree Knight and president of the Knights Home Association, said the ceremony will feature a re-dedication of the Kennedy painting.</p><p>&#8220;The painting was done 50 years ago at Windsor Art Studios in Scranton,&#8221; said Capriani. &#8220;Fifty years later, the art studio is still in business so we hired them to clean the painting. It&#8217;s just been hanging at the Knights&#8217; home for 50 years with cigarette smoke and being dusty. Not that it wasn&#8217;t cared for, it was just hanging there so we felt it was appropriate to have it cleaned.&#8221;</p><p>Anniversary day will begin at 1 p.m. with a Mass at the Oblates of St. Joseph Seminary in Laflin led by Fr. Joseph Sibilano. Everyone will gather at the Woodlands Inn at 4 p.m. for cocktails and hors d&#8217;oeuvre with the dinner and banquet beginning at 5 p.m.</p><p>&#8220;One of the focal points of this ceremony is going to be the re-dedication and unveil the painting to our council,&#8221; said Capriani. &#8220;We want to attract members who were present at that first ceremony and we want to appreciate what they did 50 years ago.&#8221;</p><p>Capriani said only two members who were at the first ceremony are currently planning to attend but he&#8217;s hoping more come.</p><p>The John F. Kennedy Knights of Columbus has served the Greater Pittston area for 117 years, dating back to the 1800s. It is a charitable, fraternal organization that exists to give back to the community.</p><p>&#8220;Unity, charity, fraternity and patriotism are our four principals,&#8221; said Capriani. &#8220;We&#8217;re involved with the Care and Concern Clinic, Meals on Wheels and sometimes with entertainment we ask that things be brought to our club such as food products for a soup kitchen.&#8221;</p><p>Capriani said the reason for the name change was because Kennedy was the country&#8217;s first Catholic president.</p><p>After petitioning to the Knights of Columbus Supreme Court in New Haven, Connecticut, the Knights were granted approval of the name change.</p><p>Although Capriani is not sure of the exact date the name was changed, he said it is easier to hold the re-dedication ceremony around Columbus Day, as the Knights of Columbus are named after him.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s going to be a great event and we&#8217;re really looking forward to it,&#8221; said Capriani.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Members of the Pittston Knights of Columbus hold a ceremony to celebrate the renaming of the council to the John F. Kennedy Knights of Columbus in 1965. A 50th anniversary celebration and re-dedication ceremony will take place on Oct. 11 at the Woodlands Inn in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_KOC-JFK.jpg</photo0><caption0>Members of the Pittston Knights of Columbus hold a ceremony to celebrate the renaming of the council to the John F. Kennedy Knights of Columbus in 1965. A 50th anniversary celebration and re-dedication ceremony will take place on Oct. 11 at the Woodlands Inn in Wilkes-Barre. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta></subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jimmy Fisher</p><p>jfisher@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jimmy Fisher at 570-704-3972 or on Twitter @SD_JimmyFisher</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Pittston’s John F. Kennedy Knights of Columbus celebrate 50th anniversary of name change