The provincial board

Rev. Fr. Michel Quenneville
Provincial Father Prior

Fr. Michel Quenneville was born in Kingston and grew up in a French-speaking family as one of four kids (with a twin brother). He is grateful for the gift of Faith received in the home and is particularly thankful for the love witnessed in his mother. Growing up, his family was involved in the local francophone parish of St. François d’Assise in Kingston, but his mind was much more fixated on playing hockey and enjoying the outdoors. Avid for adventure and serving his country, he joined the Army as a Reservist and later entered an engineering program at Queen’s University. It was in university that he came to encounter Jesus Christ personally and first started feeling drawn to the priesthood. He graduated and moved to Calgary to work as a Chemical Engineer. There, he felt the Lord working on his heart and drawing him more and more to Himself. In 2014, he left Calgary, returning to Kingston, and was accepted at St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2021 for the Archdiocese of Kingston. He was appointed the Provincial Father Prior of the Columbian Squires Ontario Provincial Board in 2022.

Samuel Iacobazzi
Immediate Past Provincial Chief Squire

Samuel Iacobazzi is 17 years old and is currently holding the position of Provincial Chief Squire. He resides in Toronto and attends school at De La Salle College. His home circle is St. Dominic Savio #5217, located in Rexdale, and he has been a squire for 6 years. There, he has held the positions of Marshal, Notary, and Deputy Chief Squire. Samuel’s primary aim this year is to increase the authentic Catholicity of the Provincial Board. His attitude towards religion is aptly described by James 2:14-24, from which an excerpt is, “faith without works is dead.” His goal is to truly spread the faith by example, which is encapsulated in dedicating time and effort to serving those in need. He is looking forward to collaborating with the other board members to put ideas into action.

Kévod-Yoël Kouamé
Provincial Chief Squire

Kévod-Yoël Kouamé, a young Catholic teenager of African descent, with 17 years of age began his days in early 2007. Born in Brampton Ontario, the young boy at the time progressively moved down to the southern parts of the province, where he lived most of his pre-adult life. A quick fast forward 10 years later, he got invested into the Columbian Squires program, and became a member of his current Circle, Father Henry Masse 3453, in Comber. There, he served as its Sentry, Bursar, Deputy Chief Squire and is now its current Notary. Now that he’s a part of the Provincial Board as its Provincial Notary, Kévod has set goals for himself to accomplish for the near future. Those goals are strongly axed upon unity, faith, service, and recruitment. Later on in life, he wants to pursue a career in law, striving to become an expert of the law, and a renowned lawyer. He makes music for a hobby, and plays a few sports such as soccer, baseball and even wrestles. However, above all that, he is a proud Columbian Squire at heart, and embraces the Catholic pride which resonates within the program.

Calum Persaud-Watton
Provincial Deputy Chief Squire

Calum Persaud-Watton is currently 16 years old, heading into Grade 11. He lives in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario. He enjoys playing basketball and spending time with friends and family. These three things are the most important to him. In terms of Squires, he is the Provincial Deputy Chief Squire. He has been a Squire on his local executive, the St. Dominic Savio Circle #5217, for over 6 years, where he has taken up the role of Notary and Deputy Chief Squire over the years. He attends high school at Monsignor Percy Johnson. Calum has the personal goal of completing his high school years and moving on to post secondary school, where he shall study for a job in sports broadcasting/journalism. Calum will focus on the important roles and responsibilities as a Provincial Deputy Chief Squire, such as completing the Compass and handling the circle calls around Ontario, making sure every circle is up to date with information. He will assist the Provincial Chief Squire in anything he can to make sure the Provincial Board is working at the best of their ability. Calum will make the most of his time on the Provincial Board, making sure to always strive for greatness.

Aidan Persaud-Watton
Provincial Bursar Squire

Hello, my name is Aidan Kaine Persaud-Watton and I am thirteen years old. My family consists of 4 individuals, my mom Feiona; my dad Mark and my older brother Calum whom you are already affiliated with as he currently occupies the position of Deputy Chief. My cultural background is Canadian and Guyanese. In September 2023, I will be headed to grade.8 at St.Benedicts Catholic School. In addition to being the Spiritual Chair at the provincial level, I also serve as the Bursar at my local circle, St. Dominic Savio circle #5217. I enjoy the brotherhood and collaboration that our team represents. On a personal basis, I enjoy several things including building complicated and intricate Lego structures, playing basketball with my peers, and taking care of my two budgies. I also enjoy playing video games on my Nintendo Switch. My favourite foods are sushi, ramen noodles and pizza. My beverage of choice would be root beer, sprite and iced tea. On weekends I enjoy sleeping in for as long as I possibly can. I also enjoy spending a large amount of time with my family like my aunt Selena or my uncle Gary whom I also frequently call. There are so much more to learn about me and throughout these next few months and I'm sure you will get the opportunity throughout the year as we grow together.

Kyle D’Costa
Provincial Notary Squire

Kyle D’Costa is a 16 year old boy who resides in Mississauga, Ontario. Kyle has been a Squire for 6 years now, serving as Sentry and Notary in his home circle St. John Berchmans, and the Spiritual Chairman and Sentry on the Provincial Board before being elected as the Provinical Notary for the 2024/2025 fraternal year. Kyle currently goes to St. Aloysious Gonzaga Secondary School where he is going to grade 11 and is focusing on graduating to become an engineer/mechanic. Kyle is a very ambitious and outgoing person who loves a challenge and goes head on to try new things. This paired with his abundant faith gave him the opportunity to join the Squires program 6 years ago and never look back ever since. Kyle is ever so grateful for the chances and responsibilities that have been bestowed upon him on the Provincial Board this year, and he promises to compose the minutes and do any extra work given to him with great initiative and preciseness. In his free time Kyle enjoys playing sports, fishing, reading, and working on cars. At the beginning of this fraternal year, he hopes the bond between the circles in the province grows, and this program can continue to be as successful as it is, and to outreach the goals that have been set prior. I hope to meet all of you seen, and if you have any inquiries about the Squires feel free to reach out to anyone

Jayden Tavares
Provincial Marshal Squire

Jayden Tavares is a 16-year-old from Mississauga and is a part of St. John Berchman Circle #5570 for 6 years. He attends St. Francis Xavier high school as a grade 11 student in the IB program starting this September. Jayden was previously the Chief Squire of his circle. Jayden loves using his time to produce music as well as previously playing soccer and basketball with friends. He also enjoys playing the guitar, piano as well as many other instruments. Jayden attends St. John of the Cross church and is an altar server there. Recently he won the award for the Provincial Board Member of the Year. He also won the runner-up for the Squire of the Year award in his first year in the squire's program. Jayden is honoured to be a part of the Provincial Board as the Marshal Squire this year and is determined to continue the hard work of the previous board members.

Benjamin Rousselle
Provincial Sentry Squire

Benjamin has been a member of his home circle (Circle #5217 St. Dominic Savio Rexdale) for five years. He attends De La Salle College and is in grade nine. While being a Columbian Squire, Benjamin is also a lifeguard for the city of Toronto and his school's head photographer. In the past, he has helped his circle in the role of Marshal and Circle chairman. In these roles, he has helped grow his own circle in an effort to rebound from the pandemic. Benjamin has no doubt that he is ready to contribute to the Columbian Squires on a larger scale. As this fraternal year's Provincial Membership Chairman, he believes that with the help and guidance of Matthew Ducharme and the rest of the Recruitment Team, he can help circles reach and surpass the number of required squires for this year by creating new and engaging membership events for circles across Ontario.

Jason Lobo
Provincial Service Chairman

Jason is currently the Deputy Chief Squire of St. John Berchmans Circle in Mississauga. He has been a Squire for about three years and has also acted as the Bursar for his circle. He is a 14-year-old who recently graduated grade 8 with academic excellence as the valedictorian and is attending grade 9 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School. He is also a sea cadet at RCSCC Haida. He enjoys a variety of activities, such as sports like baseball and basketball, as well as playing musical instruments such as the piano and guitar. Jason has in the past played AA rep baseball; he took a one-year break and this year will return to the sport. He has played baseball for almost a decade. Jason more recently picked up basketball and has now played it for about 4 years. His goals are to keep improving in sports, music, academics, and faith, as well as advancing in his Squires career.

Chris Serro
Provincial Circle Chairman

Chris Serro is a 16 year old boy from Mississauga circle number 5570. He joined the Board last year as a chairman, allowing him to gain enough experience to join the board again as the Current provincial bursar squire. He enjoys Sports as both hobbies and seasonal commitments. Out of everything he has committed to squires is one of the longest commitments, in which he started in 2018 leading him to be a part of the program for five years. In those five years he was the bursar for three years, and Deputy Chief Squire for one year in his own circle and the Provincial Compass Chairman for one year. In his four years of being an officer, in his circle, he helped his Chief Squire with membership heavily and is always there to help in any event. Last year, when he was making his previous speech, he made a promise, a promise to make as many friends and meet as many squires as possible which he believes he will be able to achieve this fraternal year. Going to grade 11, with one other commitment, he was ready and focused to give all he had into working with his fellow Board members and Squires.

Shailan Fernandes - Spiritual Chairman

Shailan Fernandes is a 16-year-old boy who is enrolled in the Advanced Placement program at John Fraser Secondary School. He joined the squires last year and is serving as the deputy chief at his home circle, St. John Berchmans #5570. Shailan has a passion for cars, especially the BMW M3 competition. Furthermore, he loves travelling the world with his family, especially to tropical islands that offer a wide variety of adventurous sports. In his free time he loves to go to car meets, try new food, or go for a bike ride on nearby trails. Currently, Shailan attends Merciful Redeemer Parish, where he serves as a lector and altar server. In addition, Shailan has a confident, outgoing attitude and excels in his presentations. He is excited to create new fun filled events as the Spiritual Chairman for the 2025-2026 year. One of Shailan’s main goals for the squires program is to instill faith into the numerous circles around the province. Helping to further develop the brotherhood through the use of spiritual activities.

Noah Mathews - Membership Chairman

Noah Mathews is 15 years old and is currently in the 10th grade at All Saints Catholic Secondary School, Whitby. He has been part of the Squires program for the past 5 years, and is going into his 6th year, and is currently serving the Oshawa Circle #4742 as their Chief Squire. He won the Outstanding Student Award and was the Valedictorian in his 8th grade year. Along with being a Squire, he is an Air Cadet at 151 Chadburn Squadron, and does weekly piano lessons. Noah was on the basketball team for his school in Grade 8. He was not able to try out in Grade 9 due to an injury, but he has been practicing regularly and is ready to try out in Grade 10. Along with basketball, he plays soccer and badminton. He loves to play video games, sketch, and collect comics. He pursues music on the side, creating beats and learning new instruments in his free time. The Squires program has helped develop his faith and has shown him multiple ways to serve his community, and how humbling and enriching the experience can be. Noah is ecstatic to serve as the Membership Chairman and is excited to help others join the Squires program and develop their faith.

State SQUIRES TEAM

Enzo Caterina
State Squires Director

Enzo has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for 15 years. He helped re-institute Gerald Emmitt Cardinal Carter Circle in his Mississauga Parish at St Patrick’s Church in 2011. In 2016, Enzo joined the Ontario Provincial Board as Area Chairman for Metro West. Enzo focuses on circles strengths and coaching executive teams to be more efficient in their roles. Enzo’s passion for the Squires program is to see Squires and Circles strive for excellence and well growth. Enzo is married to his wife Karen, who helps Enzo in supporting the Squires program by allowing him to make circle visits and attend board meetings. As the Ontario Squires Program is expanding into new parishes called “Circle Branching”, this has become well successful in the Metro West Area, mainly Mississauga with a growth of 100 Squires within two Circles. Enzo’s focus this year is continuing Circle Branching into Toronto, Eastern, Northern Ontario and South West Regions. Enzo is looking forward this year and has goals and strategies in making circles successful in Ontario.

Narciso Rodrigues
Former Director & State Squires Advisor

Service above Self is the motto that Narciso lives by. Narciso has been a member with the Knights of Columbus for over 20 years. He was instrumental in forming the St. John Berchmans Squires Circle at his parish – St. Josephine Bakhita in Mississauga. He is also very much involved with his Church & Rotary International. Social work is Narciso’s passion which is clearly demonstrated in the various volunteer opportunities that he has undertaken. For the beginning of his Circle’s development, he worked as the Chief Counselor and has since passed on that responsibility to focus on other pursuits. He was the Grand Knight for his Council ( 2014 -2016 ) at his parish, and his Council was the recipient of two consecutive Star Council awards during his tenure. He is currently President of the Rotary Club of Mississauga - Meadowvale.

Joe Bodnar
State Squires Liaison

Joe became a Knight 22 years ago when he joined St. Joseph the Worker Council 9989 in Oshawa. After serving as Council Recorder for 2 years, he felt he was being called to work with the youth in the Oshawa parish communities. In 2001, he initiated and helped start the Sir Knight Leonard T. Smith District 36 Circle 4742 in Oshawa so that all the young men from the 7 churches could join their Circle. After holding the position of Chief Counsellor for 10 years, he is still an active Counsellor with his Circle. The great team in Oshawa of fellow Counsellors and Squires encouraged him to become involved with the Provincial Board. With the support of his wife Tricia, Joe served as an Area Chairman, New Circle Development Chairman and State Squires Director. Presently he holds the position of Ontario State Treasurer and was honoured to be assigned as the State Squires Liaison. This position allows Joe to participate in Provincial Circle meetings/events to keep the State Board informed on the success of the program. Watching young men grow spiritually through the Squires program has been a blessing as it ensures the future success of the Knights of Columbus in Ontario and increases the faith of all counsellors involved in the program.