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

The Knight Shield - April 2024

    This past month’s exemplification was tremendous. We had seven men from three different councils participating in the 1st thru 3rd degree program. Four of those exemplified joined our 11689 Council, giving us a total of 10 for the year. Two of those members are still in their 20’s and align with our focus to recruit younger members to our order.  Our state goal for the year is 12 new members, so we are still short of the goal and need everyone’s help to meet and exceed that commitment. I would like to thank our Degree team headed by Mike Hartel, George Loewen, Ron Marresse, Art Krygowski, Frank Burda and Father Joe Hund. As usual you gentlemen did a great job and we received many compliments for the quality of the program. 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. 

    Corporate Communion was well attended with a good turnout by our Knights Color Guard. They always make the Mass special and we can’t thank them enough for their participation in our Corporate Communions. Thanks goes to Tom Pardo our Church Director and Gary Skarb DGK for organizing the event. 

    The Easter Egg hunt brought in kids throughout the Parish. It was another nice turnout as you can see from the pictures included here in this newsletter. Thanks again to Ray Coughlin, Mike Hartel and the team that set up, filled the eggs, hid the eggs and sent those kids off to find them. Plus, the clean up afterwards. The Ladies of the Knights put some serious effort in here too. Thank you Ladies !

    The Fish Fry events in March have exceeded expectation. We continue to sell out (500 meals) week after week. The volunteer support has been excellent, the last fish fry I attended there were over 40 volunteers including the Ladies of the Knights. This Council has done a great job of contributing. In addition, students from the Key Club over at Chippewa Valley schools and other religious education students attended and helped serve dessert and bus tables. We are anticipating a banner year of contributions for the charities we support. Thank you all.

    Easter ham and kielbasa sales continue to do its thing. Providing wonderful meals to those in the Parish taking advantage of the program. Jerry Hund, Ted Czarny and team do a terrific job taking the orders, packing the orders and handing them over to Parish customers. This program has steadily provided funds to assist our charities over numerous years and we appreciate the support ! 

    Palm Sunday weekend saw the kickoff of the MI drive, otherwise known as the Tootsie Roll drive. Our K of C Council raises thousands in support of Mentally Challenged adults and children in our local communities. We support Special Olympics and give to 7 different organizations that provide direct support to local families. The work we do and long hours on the street or store front raise monies that make a difference right here and you likely know people and families that have benefited from this activity. Thanks go out to Chairman Jeff Gapczynski and his team for all their hard work. 

Lastly, on behalf of our Council, I’d like to thank Father John Kiselica for his service to our Parish. He became a Knight and member of our Council just this past year. And even though it was only a short time here at St Paul’s this second time around, we wish him all the best moving forward with his retirement. We will always remember his fantastic homilies, his knowledge and education of religious history and of course his humor. God bless this humble servant and please know you will be greatly missed. God bless our Council and God Bless the Knights of Columbus.

Vivat Jesus !

Vincent Ursini

Thomas Michael Murray - January 14, 1967 - March 19, 2024

Obituary