Thanks to all our veterans and thanks for your sacrifice!

 

The Knight Shield - November 2024

    This past October was a productive and fun month for our Council as we continue to grow our membership.

    The Canal Road clean-up was done on a very busy day at the end of September. Our hearty little group got the job done quickly; fortunately, there was not as much trash as usual. Thanks to Greg Csernai and the team.

    An Exemplification of the 1st thru 3rd degrees was held prior to our October General Meeting. We welcomed (5) new members to our Council and (2) new Knights joined from our neighbor St Peter Council. Robert Joyce, Joseph DiBella, Don Kosnik, Roy Wohlsheid, Waleed Emmanuel: Congratulations Gentlemen! Looking forward to working with you. Thanks again to our exemplification team led by Tom Gray. And thanks to Father Jim who assisted as well.

    Our Worthy membership director Phil Mularski recommended we attempt a Living Rosary for the Fall Fatima Rosary back at our August general meeting. I initially thought that it would be difficult to pull off in a short period of time. But our Church Director Tom Pardo got on board and of course our District 1 color guard came to our assistance. With further direction form Deacon Marc, the planning got done quickly. At that point, the task was getting the word out. We needed 60+ volunteers to form the Living Rosary and campaign we did. JFK council came in to fill our Audio need, Wally Papciak brought the equipment and set it up on the lawn allowing all to hear each individual speak up. The good Lord smiled on us with a beautiful morning and lo and behold, 70+ people showed up to show our Catholic faith to all the cars and bikers that rode by.

    Honestly, we trusted that the Holy Spirit would guide us, and we started promptly after the noon bell toll. With Phil laid up from his surgery, our Council chaplain, Paul Parker, stepped up to lead us in the Rosary. Passing the microphone from person to person was humbling. All did a fantastic job of praying the Rosary. The group bonded as each decade passed and each mystery was recited. The culmination of the Rosary with Hail Holy Queen and the St Michael’s Prayer (thanks to Celeste and Guy) was a great way to offer up our prayers to those in need. Thanks to Father Jim for an unsolicited, final blessing on the group. Gino Gittari said it best when he exclaimed that this was the best group Rosary he had ever been a part of. Amen !

    The October Pancake breakfast proceeds have been dedicated to the McCrest organization taking care of homeless men and women with children in our local area. In the past, our chairman Ray Coughlin organized direct interaction with the group providing food and helping to serve it. This year was a little more of a hands-off approach but the Council decided to continue our financial support of this important program. Kurt Buhlinger did a wonderful job of organizing the kitchen team, food and servers. And our Council came out in force to support the entire morning of preparation, cooking the food and serving breakfast to our Parish. Clean up went well as all chipped in. It was a fun morning of fellowship and breakfast tasted awesome. I’m happy to report that the Pancake breakfast was a huge success. We served 190 customers, a total of $1,340 in profit comprised of $1,090 from the breakfast (including donations of $220 in donations) and $250 from the 50/50. All of the proceeds go directly to the McCrest program. A big thank you to the team of Kurt, Ray and Jerry Hund. 

    We learned this month that Father Joe Hund, our current Chaplain, received his new missionary assignment at an Indian reservation in Arizona. Congratulations! The council officers have provided Father Joe with a check to assist him with his travel needs. It’s been great having Father Joe participate in our meetings and activities (I won’t soon forget the outdoor Mass at the Buhlinger’s farm). We send prayers to Father Joe for safe travels and good for- tune in his new assignment.

    This newsletter is going out just before the Council’s Trunk or Treat event on Sunday, October 27th . We typically have close to 100 children come out for this safe and fun event. We are expecting a terrific turn out again this year and will put some photos in next month’s newsletter. Always remember to check out “spotknights.com” for the latest in events and news for our Council (courtesy of our webmaster Ken Dudley).

God bless our Council and God Bless the Knights of Columbus

Vivat Jesus! 

Vincent Ursini 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

The Knight Shield - October 2024

    We lost another Knight this past month which hits home for a lot of us. Ken Gonko, who had been a long-term lector and valuable member of our Council passed away. He leaves behind a beautiful family led by his wife Diane (a member of the SPOT choir). It’s a constant reminder that we don’t know when God will call us, but we must be prepared. We must ask ourselves that tough question, I know I personally try not to think about it too much.

Have we done all that we could in our life with the gifts God has given us (?)

    Having seen Ken’s obituary and talking to his family, I believe he had fulfilled God’s plan and will live on in his Heavenly Glory.

    The September recruitment activity was very successful, netting (5) new K of C and Council members. Thanks to all those that helped recruit these fine gentlemen. We are looking forward to welcoming them into our Council with an October exemplification of the 1st thru 3rd degrees prior to our next general meeting. But we are not done. We must continue to recruit to maintain and extend the works of charity and local organizational support we’ve laid out for the next year. We are bound by Knights to support our Priest(s) and Parish as new challenges will present themselves over the course of this Fraternal year. Join in and make this SPOT Council one that men want to belong to. Welcome our new guys and mentor them to foster our Council’s continued success.

    A tremendous thank you to our District 1 Color Guard who once again came out to support the quarterly Corporate Communion in September. They do a terrific job and make the event “special” and memorable. Bob Greening, commander of the Guard, commented that (3) full rows of Knights and family members was a great turn out and nice to see. Thank you for supporting this important event as we show unity and presence within the Parish community. 

    Thanks also go out to Father Joe Hund, our current Chaplain, for his outstanding service to our faith community. Good luck to Father Joe in his future endeavors.

    This newsletter is going out just prior to the Fall Canal Road clean up. I’m sure we will have a great group to do our community duty and assist with our part for the beautification of the city. Pictures of the team will be in the next Newsletter.

    October brings with it a Pancake breakfast to raise monies for the MCrest group that houses and feeds the homeless right here in our local district. Please come out to eat a delicious breakfast and in so doing support this important program. 

    October 12th we will do a Living Rosary for celebration of Fatima. We will need 61 people to do this. Please join us for this new and creative event. Color Corp will assist with organization of the Rosary as will our Church Director, Tom Pardo. 

    Also, we kick off the Trunk or Treat event on Sunday, October 27th . We typically have close to 100 children come out for this safe and fun event. However, we need more “Trunks”. Please join in but remember to complete the Protecting God’s Children training on line (link in the newsletter here) and also the background check required of the Parish (see Parish office for form). Let’s make this event the best yet! 

    You will also find the schedule for the Journeymen pro grams in this month’s newsletter. The Journeymen is our Council’s COR program and do a terrific job of educating us on our religion with an opportunity to discuss topics with other like minded men. Please consider coming out to participate on (2) Saturday mornings a month.

God bless our Council and God Bless the Knights of Columbus.

Vivat Jesus !   

 

Kenneth Gonko (June 22, 1954 - September 18, 2024)

Obituary Kenneth Gonko

Rosary at 7:00 PM at Lee-Ellena Funeral Home.   Lead by the K of C Council

Funeral Mass to take place on Monday, September 23 at St. Paul of Tarsus Catholic Church. 

Instate, or gathering time, 9:30 AM. Mass at 10:00 AM.

The Knight Shield - September 2024

    This month’s newsletter will be a little light. The Council has intentionally reduced activities over the summer months to allow its members to enjoy the summer with their families and loved ones. My wife Andrea and I have loved spending time with our grandchildren and have done some traveling & boating enjoying the best of Michigan. I certainly hope you and yours have done the same.

    August kicked off with the Council Camping trip up at Hartwick Pines. Unfortunately, we had a small crew but those that were there had a fun time. The campground is excellent for hiking, biking and fishing (some of us were actually “catching” fish, while I was still “fishing”). Although it was a bit steamy at times and it was a decent & hilly hike into town on the bikes, it was a great time. We’ll look for a closer location next year so that those that are working can get out there to join and allow us to return to the Potluck format.

    The Council thanks our District Deputy Dan Nowakowski and District Warden Ed Perkins for conducting the officer installation during our August General Meeting. It was done professionally with reverence.

    The Good Lord was shining down on us at the Council Picnic held at Buhlinger’s farm in Algonac. The weather was beautiful with a light breeze and a perfect setting for our picnic. (46) members and their spouses joined in for some awesome food and fraternity. Father Joe Hund conducted an outside mass with assistance from his brother Jerry and a friend. Chancellor Paul Parker and Lady Chris Krause assisted with some very memorable readings. It was my first outside Mass and was quite a humbling experience. Father Joe gave a special blessing to those couples celebrating 50+ years of marriage. Thanks go out to Kurt and Father Joe for organizing this beautiful ceremony. Thanks also to Kurt and Jane Buhlinger for organizing the grounds, cooking the food and of course, for their fantastic hospitality. September brings a host of activities including a Recruitment event and Corporate Communion. The Canal Road cleanup at the end of the month will lead to a very busy time thru to the end of the year. Please join us to make these programs successful and contribute to our community in a meaningful way. God bless our Council and God Bless the Knights of Columbus 

Vivat Jesus! 

 Vincent Ursini

The Knight Shield - August 2024

    It’s a new fraternal year and we are off and running. We’ve got a great program line-up, but we are always looking to do more. Please support the programs on the calendar so that we may expand. I have a passion for getting children more involved in our programs here at St Paul’s. Unfortunately, we are unable to pull off a Parish Picnic this year, but we hope to get a committee going for a return next year. “Trunk or Treat” in October and “Cookies with Santa” in December with the Men’s group, provide great opportunities to bring the children and Grandchildren along. I firmly believe that having children look forward to “going to Church” for fun events will lead to a stronger faith Journey with Jesus.

    Knight’s stepping up! I need to acknowledge Gary Skarb and Kurt Buhlinger for their support of a fellow Knight’s family. Rita Hubbard, the daughter of Jim Hubbard (our Knight of the Year last year) asked for support in the estate sale of her Dad’s condo. Gary and Kurt were quick to come to her aid and put out furniture, tools, garden equipment and miscellaneous stuff. And, they stayed with her throughout the weekend. The family was extremely happy with the support, and they sure needed it. It was unfortunate that more Knights were not able to come out and assist. Per Kurt, “The support of a fallen fellow Knight’s family is the number one thing we should do as a Council. We need to support each other!” Well said. 

    Last month’s Archdiocesan meeting, was a good opportunity to meet with our new State Officers. Our new Michigan State Deputy Barry Borsenik introduced the “SOAR” program that you will hear a lot about. It stands for Service, Optimism, Aspire, Responsibility. Things each Council can focus on during his administration. We learned that the Knights have put into service 94 ultrasound machines with more to come this year, helping pregnant mothers make better decisions regarding their babies. The State Officers emphasized why we recruit: to help men get closer to God, Faith thru action and more men more works (and that’s what we’re all about). Remember the Detroit Diocese is 1 of 7 in the state; however, it makes up 40% of the Knights of Columbus membership. As goes Detroit, so goes the State. That’s where the responsibility part comes in.

    The Ice Cream Social was fantastic, God blessed us with perfect weather and the tent stayed up! Knights who came out to raise the tent will understand that concern. Our Webmaster Ken Dudley did a great job photographing the fun and social aspect of the event on our “spotknights.com” website. Check it out for a comprehensive posting of pictures from all 4 Masses. Thanks go out to Ken and Christine Krause for doing such a great job of organizing and facilitating the event. Thanks also to the numerous volunteers and participants.

    Regarding fellowship and fraternity, make sure to sign up for the Council Picnic at Kurt Buhlinger’s place on August 24th. Having a firm headcount helps us plan out the food accordingly. Thus far we have 36+ people coming out. Don’t miss the fun.

God bless our Council and God Bless the Knights of Columbus. 

Vivat Jesus ! 

Vincent Ursini

The Knight Shield - July 2024

    The Splash pad tragedy of this past month was horrific, and families within our Council and others in the local area were directly affected. Honestly, these moments shake our faith, but be strong. Continue to trust in God. There is light in this world, and it is through God’s son Jesus Christ. We pray for a quick recovery for those directly impacted. It was encouraging to see how people rallied to support those in need so that they may move on with the beautiful life. As Knights of Columbus, it is our mission to assist those in need through prayer and action. Let us continue to be there for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

    The Michigan State Knights of Columbus convention was a great opportunity to learn more about the organization and participate in voting a new officer into the ranks. The Eucharistic procession and Living Rosary were can’t miss events and fortunately the weather smiled on us. There were over 1,300 in attendance of which 390 were delegates sent from their individual Council’s. Numerous priests and Bishop’s were in attendance and led the masses on each day. The succession of leadership from Christopher Kolomjec to our new State Deputy Barry Boresnik occurred. The order is strong and in good hands.

    The Michigan K of C Family of the Year was the Ampe family from Gwinn Michigan. They have (13) total children of which (2) are special needs kids adopted from Ukraine. They also raised over $200,000 for medical supplies packed in duffle bags for Ukraine hospitals and flew over to deliver those themselves.

    June was also our Tree and Shrub trimming activity. Thanks to the hearty few that showed up and got a lot of work done in a short period of time!  Timely in that our new Priest Father Jim Lopez will be here next month. The grounds look great ! 

    The Council’s annual Potluck dinner this past month was a lot of fun. Roughly (65) of our Knights and families came out for socialization, a good meal and an opportunity to award those that helped make the year so successful. If you want to recruit people to your Council, be a council worth belonging too. That means have some fun as you carry out the work of the order. Thanks, have to go out to our kitchen staff lead by Kurt Buhlinger and Stan Labuda. Some last minute “adjustments” were necessary as the chicken order got messed up. Quick thinking by the group and Robert Hannigan got us all fed and happy. The numerous side dishes and desserts were awesome. Thanks to all those that brought the goods.

    Special awards were handed out for the Knight of the year (Jim Hubbard) and Family of the Year (Kurt and Jane Buhlinger). Also, Lifetime Achievement awards were handed out to Bruce Arnold (our first 3 time Grand Knight), Ralph Pullis (chairman of the Pancake breakfast for years) and Ron Marrese (current Recorder and involvement in virtually every Council program) for their efforts that go beyond the call of duty. It was quite a celebration for the year just completed.

    We recognized the new slate of 2024 / 2025 Fraternal Year officers. But still have one position to fill (that of Recorder). Please volunteer for this important role and get more involved in directing the course of the Council’s programs.

    The Challenger baseball McGivney field dedication occurred last month as well. Thanks to Gary Skarb  DGK, Mike Hartel PD and Art Krygowski for representing our council at this fun activity. The athletes will have a wonderful field tailored to the handicapped for sporting events sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

God bless our Council and God Bless the Knights of Columbus

Vivat Jesus ! 

Vincent Ursini

The Knight Shield - June 2024

 It’s a time to celebrate!

    Brothers, as our Fraternal Year comes to a close, we need to take a moment to acknowledge the successes accomplished as a Council and team over the past year. Some of our programs met new highs. We met the Council goal of (12) new members and are on our way to Star Council with the addition of a few more insurance sign ups. So, make sure you encourage those that might need some insurance or retirement advice to contact our Worthy Insurance Agent Don Wesley. 

    A perfect example of success was our Council’s participation in the Special Olympics held in May. You’ll find some pictures attached in this newsletter showing how happy and serious the athletes were. One of the funny moments in the opening ceremony was just how loud the choir from Lutz school was (they didn’t need a microphone). I only wish that our national anthem could be sung that loudly at all the national games ! Most of the seven MI Drive charities our Council supports were represented there at the Special Olympics. It’s a close-up view of how our fund raising gets put to work. 

    Thanks to those that came out to get the Canal Road Clean up done last month. After a rain out the week before, we got it done in short order the following week. Nice job gentlemen! A Rosary Rally for Life was also conducted last month. Thanks to our Church Director Tom Pardo for organizing. 

    June 13th is the Council’s annual Potluck dinner. It’s an opportunity to bring your family and friends out for a night of socialization and good food courtesy of the Council.  We’ve got some special presentations for Knight and Family of the Year which I am excited to help present. Also, some special awards for all the great work we’ve done over the course of the year. It’s a great time, hope to see you there. The sign-up list to bring food is online at the following link below.  Please RSVP with the number of people coming from your group to Kurt Buhlinger and myself. 

POTLUCK SIGNUP

    As we close the 2023/2024 Fraternal year and shift into the new 2024/2025 Fraternal Year (I can’t believe I just said that, man time flies).  I want to congratulate our new team of officers. For those of you returning Officers, thank you for your continued support and service to this Council. For our new officers, we welcome you and we will support you as you grow in your role.  

God bless our Council and God Bless the Knights of Columbus.

Vivat Jesus!

Vincent Ursini 

The Knight Shield - May 2024

    Make a difference. Give more than you take. Be Christ in the world for someone in your community. Don’t judge and provide service to others. My Journeymen brothers shared that lesson recently with Father Larry and the 22:23 Men’s discussion. It’s something we need constant reminders of in today’s world. If you were to pass from this world, would anyone beyond your immediate family know it or feel it. There are people in need everywhere. The Knights can help. Be a part of it. The last two months were filled with tremendous Council programs that will benefit our local community today. And those that benefit will know that you made it happen.

    The Fish Fry events wrapped up in April as the most successful in this Council’s history. Success is measured in the number of people that enjoyed the dinners, the number of volunteers that assisted, the number of new recruits to our Council that resulted, the number of new members to our Parish that were encouraged to join and of course, the number of charities that will benefit. The proceeds of +$19,000 was extraordinary and the return to our church of $6,500 for the use of facilities and support is fantastic. Thanks to all of you that made it happen. As a side note, a young family with two children approached me and mentioned that they had been going to our fish fry’s and they were so impressed with the level of welcome and encouragement that they joined the Parish. Wow, now that is evangelism at it's best! 

    Easter ham and kielbasa sales once again came thru with another $1100.00 for our General fund. Since it’s inception a total of $19,500 has gone to local charities from this program alone. Thanks to Jerry Hund & Ted Czarny and team.

    The MI drive, otherwise known as the Tootsie Roll drive, suffered from some bad weather and lack of access to Walmart this year. Nevertheless, K of C Council members did their part to raise thousands in support of Mentally Challenged adults and children in our local communities. The Council voted to supplement the profits so that we don’t let down any of our local charities this year. Thank You Jeff Gapczynski and team. Macomb Special Olympics comes up on May 8th. Join Joe Phillips to bring joy to the Olympians participating and have some fun in the process.

    May General meeting is our annual election of officers for the next Fraternal Year. We will need a new recorder in addition to other positions as officers rotate out and into new roles. Please consider running for office. You will be further engaged in the Council affairs and help lead the activities moving forward. If you are unaware of some of the officer positions (as I was a few years ago), visit KofC.org “Understanding Council Officer Roles and Responsibilities” on line.

    Another great exemplification in April. Welcome John Vollmer and Robert Hannigan to 11689 Council. Their addition meets our goal of (12) new members for this fraternal year. Thanks for all your help recruiting these gentlemen to our order.  I would like to thank our Degree team headed by George Lowen, Mike Hartel, Ron Marrese, Art Krygowski, Joe Phillips and Father Joe Hund. It’s great to see all these new men joining the ranks of the Knights of Columbus to continue our great works in the church and local community. God bless our Council and God Bless the Knights of Columbus.

Vivat Jesus!

Vincent Ursini