CHESTER, S.C. — Deacon Charles Knight, 85, of Chester, S.C., passed away Sept. 13, 2017, at his residence.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at noon Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, at Our Lady Consolation Church, located at 2301 Statesville Ave. in Charlotte. Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to noon. Burial will follow at York Memorial Park.
Visitation will also take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, at Our Lady of Consolation Church.
Deacon Knight was a member of Our Lady of Consolation Parish since 1962.
Although he lived in South Carolina, Deacon Knight often returned to regularly serve at his parish even in retirement.
Deacon Knight was 50 years old when Bishop Michael J. Begley ordained him in the first class of permanent deacons for the Diocese of Charlotte, during a Mass on May 29, 1983, at Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte.
Following ordination, Deacon Knight was very happy to learn that his ministry as a deacon would begin at his home parish.
A cheerful man, Deacon Knight spoke with ease as he often described his life as a deacon. His ministries were varied as he visited the sick, taught Sunday school, served on the parish finance council and preached regularly.
In 1989 he retired from the U.S. Postal Service and moved to Baltimore to be with his wife Lavone, who had taken a teaching job there after Our Lady of Consolation School closed. Granted faculties to serve in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, he served there for 11 years until his wife retired in 2000.
They returned to Charlotte and he was assigned again to Our Lady of Consolation Parish, where his wife, who was always full of energy, was a great support to his ministry.
When his wife passed away in 2010, Deacon Knight moved to be with his daughter in South Carolina.
In his 34-plus years of diaconate ministry, Deacon Knight took to heart his call to service. He was a herald of the Gospel and a man of great faith.
He clearly remembered the words of Bishop Begley at his ordination: "Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach."
— Catholic News Herald