Parishioner John Billings Recognized as Knight of the Year: Working to Serve God’s Kingdom

Parishioner John Billings was recently named Knight of the year — an honor that is given to a member of the Knights of Columbus each year here at St. Timothy. A great man of character and service, John’s road to becoming the 2021 Knight of the Year is truly remarkable.

John has been married for 48 years to his lovely bride, Kim. He is a father of five and grandfather of seven. As a child and young adult, he grew up in the Methodist church. Having a great affinity for the pro-life cause and being drawn to the beauty and reverence of the Catholic Mass, John started to attend Mass around the age of 18 in his Kentucky hometown — he received his Sacraments and was Confirmed in the Church eight years ago.

“There were a few men at my parish in Kentucky that supported me through my conversion into the Church,” John says. “Once I was confirmed a Catholic, these same men quickly encouraged me to join the Knights of Columbus, and I did.”

Shortly after he entered into the Catholic faith, John moved to Florida to be closer to his daughter and three of his grandchildren. He was once again swiftly recruited to join the Knights at St. Timothy.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, John and a few other Knights had already been praying about raising money to purchase an ultrasound van for Foundations of Life, an organization that educates, empowers, and supports women through pregnancy at their various women’s centers around the Tampa area.

“The pandemic made it more difficult to raise funds because it stopped us from being able to do fundraising events,” John says. “Instead, we had to just simply ask people for donations. Our council had many men leading the campaign to get donations. Many of them were going to their neighbors and asking individuals to donate and help them spread the word.”

John and his fellow St. Timothy Knights were able to initiate a grassroots fundraiser that spread throughout the entire Diocese of St. Petersburg, raising $60,000 within a year, which covered the costs of the van.

It was John’s leadership and dedication to this project that led him to be named Knight of the Year.

“I was flabbergasted,” John says. “There were so many people involved in getting donations. I was simply the one filling out the paperwork.”

John is honored by the recognition but thinks of the title as something to be shared with the rest of his fellow Knights in our council, all of whom worked hard to make this fundraiser a success.

“Being a Knight is about working with other men to serve God’s Kingdom,” John says.

The Knights of Columbus has truly shaped John into the Catholic man that he is today.

“Being a Knight has strengthened my faith because these are men who I can talk to about things,” John says. “We support one another. As the saying goes, iron sharpens iron. Even my wife says that I have become a better husband and a better man since I have joined the Knights.”

On most days, John may be found attending daily Mass at St. Timothy. As he continues to serve the Church and the Lutz community as a Knight, his greatest goal is to be holy.

“I want to be a better Catholic Christian for my kids,” he says. “I want to be a witness to them and hope that one day they say to me, ‘Dad, we want to go to Mass and learn more about the Catholic faith.’”

John Billings and his wife, Kim, have been married for 48 years.

The Knights raised money to purchase an ultrasound van for Foundations of Life.