Tom Hamling

Tom Hamling
Never imagining that he was actually making a career choice, Tom got involved in the Knights of Columbus back in his high school days in Eagan, Minnesota, near Minneapolis. A friend’s father was a member of the Knights and somewhere around 1979 Tom became a part of a local Squires Circle. As a sophomore in high school he found himself elected State Chief Squire. Because of the position he had the opportunity to take part in Squire conventions and got to know some people at the Supreme level. He left the Squires for the Knights while in college at St. John University in Minnesota and decided to try for a job at the Supreme Office in New Haven. He sent in a résumé and was interviewed and in 1989 he was accepted for the position of Management Trainee. Though the move to New Haven was a bit hard, Tom adjusted and after about six months Supreme Secretary Charles Riesbeck Jr. asked him to move into the Council Accounts Division. Time went by and from 1990 until just recently he served as Director of the General Office. In 2002 Supreme Knight Carl Anderson appointed him to his present position: Deputy Assistant to the Supreme Knight.

Because there are always so many things happening at the Supreme Office, one day is seldom like the last. Much of his time these days is spent dealing with the Order’s web site, trying to get to know the site and the needs of those who make use of it. He’s been rebuilding a lot of it right from scratch, and look forward to the Fall when he hopes Supreme can launch what will look like a completely new site. He sees a site that will be faster, and something that will help establish and maintain contact with the membership. Since the web business in ongoing, he is already looking toward other capabilities to investigate for the future.

There are also other projects—the nature of a Deputy Assistant means he may find a lot of demands on his time. He was involved with a letter that went out to all the priests on the Order’s database last year after the clergy scandal rocked the Church, assuring them of the support of the Knights. He arranged for the delivery of rosaries from Jerusalem that were presented to many at the 2003 Convention in Washington. He also coordinated the Order’s commemorations of September 11^th at the National Shrine in Washington, dealing with speakers and other matters. He also devoted time to the Gaudium et Spes dinner honoring the recipient of the award, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Michel Sabbah. He’s also helped formulate information regarding the positions taken by candidates for civil elections when such events roll around. And, of course, his is a very familiar face around Supreme Conventions.

Tom met his wife Suzanne in 1990; her father Andy Fierlit is known to many in Knights of Columbus circles because of his involvement in the Supply Department at the Supreme Office. Tom & Suzanne were married in 1992 and have three children, Emma, age 9; Timothy, age 7 and Jack, age 3. He is a member of Holy Family Council 8882 in New Haven, a Council whose membership is comprised of about half from the Supreme Office and the other half from the New Haven area. He’s a past Grand Knight of his Council and currently serves as Financial Secretary. He’s also a Fourth Degree Sir Knight and a member of Patrick Donlin Assembly in New Haven (Donlin was a PSD of Wisconsin who also served as Supreme Advocate until his death in 1996.) Among Tom’s other involvements is service as a Board member of a local Catholic school, Sacred Heart/St. Peter School in New Haven. The lakes of Minnesota gave Tom a love of sailing, and he’s avidly pursued that form of relaxation in the Sound. Sailing also gives him the chance to be with his family, and he’s hoping to pass on his love of sailing to his children.

It would be hard to find someone with more love for the Knights of Columbus than Tom. Because he’s known by many people involved in the Order, he’s often the one contacted by State Deputies or anyone else who has a problem to solve. Many times, those who call are frustrated or angry and are not as cordial and gracious as we should be, yet callers are greeted with kindness by someone who tries his best to help them out. He points out that most of the people in the Knights of Columbus that call him every day are volunteers and they are not being paid for the time and the service they give to an organization they love to be a part of. To have them spend their time dealing with red tape is something Tom tries to remedy. He reflects that he cannot think of another company he’d rather be a part of—because being a Knight means being a part of something special, something that can make a difference in the world. Three people have had a particular influence on him in his time with the Knights, and have helped him to see his involvement as much more than just a job but rather as a way of life: Supreme Secretary Charles Riesbeck, Assistant Supreme Secretary Robert Lane and Supreme Knight Carl Anderson.

It is always refreshing to hear another perspective on the Knights of Columbus, in this case from someone miles away from us but near the heart of the Order, someone who has devoted so much of himself to the Knights of Columbus and our common mission in the name of Christ and his Church. We recognize the contribution that Tom and all those working in New Haven try to make on behalf of all of us, and we appreciate their commitment and their service.