The Knight's Shield - February 2018

Please keep our Worthy State Secretary, Anthony Vittorini, and his family in your prayers as he was called home to the Lord on January 2nd. Thank you to all that attended a visitation, rosary service, funeral Mass, burial or luncheon for Tony. Sue and Tony’s family were very touched by the outpouring of love given to their family. Tony was in line to be our next State Deputy in July...a long 8 year journey he was not able to complete. I was much honored to have Tony attend the August 14th meeting with us to celebrate Fr. Joe Hund’s 50 years as a Franciscan. When I asked State Deputy Ken Unterbrink if Tony could attend, Tony was excited to find out that his calendar was open, and he was able to accept the invitation. There is a 45 minute video on Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons, Inc. website if you would like to view a tribute of Tony’s life.

The State Council was in a position that has not been seen in Michigan with the sudden loss of a State Secretary; therefore, the state council met, and according to the Charter Constitution Laws, Section 58, completed its duties.

Elected as State Secretary – William H. Chasse – former State Treasurer. Elected as State Treasurer – Walter K. Winkle, Jr. – former State Advocate. Elected as State Advocate – Christopher A. Kolomjec – former State Warden. Elected as State Warden - Joseph R. Munie of St. Mary Star of the Sea Council #9301 in Jackson Mi. These elected offices are effective immediately and will be in effect until the end of the current term of office.

We have our annual Lenten Fish Fry coming up this month starting on February 16th. It’s a good time to make good on those New Year’s resolutions to be more active in the Knights. There will be a lot of help needed for the Fish Fry’s during Lent. This event will give you a chance to get to know your Brother Knights, church families and have an evening of fun! Please help make our Fish Fry successful. Make an effort to make it out one or more of the six Friday Fish Fry’s. It would be great to see some new blood at this event.

The State Deputy’s Membership Tribute Banquet honoring our State Deputy, Kenneth B. Unterbrink, is Sunday, February 25, 2018, at DeCarlo’s. The cost is $30.00 per person. A table of ten is $300.00. It starts at 4:00pm. We will have purchased a table of ten. If you would like to attend, contact the State office for details.

Established in February, 1900, the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus promote and exemplify the ideals of Catholicism and Patriotism side by side. Because the virtue associated with the 4th Degree is Patriotism, the degree is often referred to as "The Patriotic Degree.” Further, 4th Degree Knights that choose to be in the Color Corps with its colorful regalia tend to be regarded as the face of the Knights of Columbus and how many people recognize the Knights. (Note that joining the Color Corps after becoming a 4th Degree Knight is optional at the discretion of the individual.) Further, those that become 4th Degree Knights are referred to as "Sir Knights" while their spouses carry the title of "Lady". The Spring 4th Degree Exemplification will be held at DeCarlo's Banquet Center on Saturday, March 3, 2018. Registration for candidates starts at 9 am. Also beginning this year the Candidate Dress Attire has changed:

Men: Black Tuxedo, Black Bow Tie, Black Cummerbund, Black Socks and Shoes, White Tuxedo Shirt with “Full Collar”, Winged Tip Collars and/or Vests Are NOT Acceptable!
OR
Dark Suit, White Shirt, Dark Long Tie, Black Socks and Shoes, Vests are NOT acceptable.

Please see one of the many 4th degree members in our Council for more information.

The Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest entries were judged at the January officers meeting. The winners will be announced at the March Pot Luck Dinner.

I am going to put out a plug for son Jeremy (who is on Carl’s left). He is the advocate at the new college council at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo MI. He is in January’s Michigan Columbian, Page 7, pictured with Carl Anderson and 3 other gentlemen at the 2017 College Council Leadership Conference in Connecticut this past September. Nearly 220 college Knights gathered for the annual conference of leadership development, Sept. 29-Oct. 1. Coming from 87 campuses across North America, the attendees discuss membership and recruitment strategies, share ideas for charitable activities, learn best practices in council management and explore what it means to be Catholic gentlemen. They were accompanied by 25 chaplains who serve the spiritual needs of college councils. Attending this year’s conference was David Schuster, College Council Coordinator.

Vivat Jesus
Art Krygowski
Grand Knight

Kenneth B. Unterbrink Letter - State Instillation of Officers

Published by: Gary Merritt On: 01/30/2018 Under: All Articles

From left to right; State Advocate Christopher Kolomjec, State Secretary William Chasse, State Deputy Kenneth Unterbrink, State Chaplain Very Rv. William Turner, State Treasurer Walter Winkle, State Warden Joseph Munie

My Brother Knights,

On Sunday January 28, 2018 the four state officers, recently appointed by a unanimous vote of the State Board, were installed into their new offices of State Secretary – William Chasse, State Treasurer – Walter Winkle, Jr., State Advocate –Christopher Kolomjec, and State Warden – Joseph Munie.

The appointments were made in accordance with the Charter Constitution Laws of the Knights of Columbus (Chapter VIII State Councils, Vacancies, Section 58 paragraph 23).

The Installation of State Council Officers ceremony was conducted by State Chaplain William J. Turner and State Deputy Kenneth B. Unterbrink at the altar of St. Mary Parish in Chelsea, MI.

As with all State Officers, District Deputies, Directors, Council Officers, they promised to support and obey the Constitution Laws of the Order, promised loyalty and devotion to the Catholic Church, the Holy Father, Bishops and priest, and to devote the necessary time to the discharge of their responsibilities as designated by the Laws of the Order, as well as to keep the welfare and Good of the Order uppermost in their mind.

The State Officers installed on January 28, 2018 have committed to the service of the Order and the Church with the full support of their families.

Fraternally,
Kenneth B. Unterbrink
Michigan State Deputy

Antonio Giovanni Vittorini

Antonio Giovanni Vittorini
September 21, 1954 - January 2, 2018
Macomb, Michigan | Age 63
Obituary

My Brother Knights,

It is with deep sadness that on January 2, 2018 our State Secretary Antonio Vittorini was taken to be with the Lord. Our prayers are for Tony and his family.

The state council was in a position that has not been seen in Michigan with the sudden loss of a State Secretary, therefore the state council met, and according to the Charter Constitution Laws, section 58 completed its duties.

Elected as State Secretary – William H. Chasse – former State Treasurer. Elected as State Treasurer – Walter K. Winkle, Jr. – former State Advocate. Elected as State Advocate – Christopher A. Kolomjec – former State Warden. Elected as State Warden - Joseph R. Munie of Council #9301. These elected offices are effective immediately and will be in effect until the end of the current term of office.

The State Council is committed to work toward the success of the Michigan Jurisdiction and cohesiveness of the state council. The mentoring from each officer to the new officer is part of the overall success of the Michigan Jurisdiction for no man is an island, for we are a team.

The State Council is always in need of your prayers and the understanding of the importance of each link of the membership to succeed. We are in a new phase as to the induction of On-Line Membership, starting in Michigan in February 2018, Building the Domestic Church with bringing Catholics families back to the Eucharist each week.

Fraternally in Christ,
Kenneth Unterbrink
State Deputy

The Knight's Shield - January 2018

Vivat Jesus! CHRISTmas has come and gone, and once again we have celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. January 1, 2018, brings us a new year and with it, new opportunities and challenges. I would like to encourage each of you to keep the spirit of Christmas joy in our hearts throughout the New Year. We all have many reasons to be thankful. God gives us challenges because He loves us. The reasons are not always obvious, but I believe everything that happens is due to His Divine plan. Let's all try, as Catholic gentlemen, to bring a little more kindness to our world, even when it is most difficult.

We, as followers of Christ in the name of Christopher Columbus, have a responsibility to our Church and our Order. We have committed ourselves to Christ through our baptism and to our Order at the time of our First Degree. Our commitment must not subside, but be renewed with more vigor each year. Each of us in this great Order of the Knights of Columbus has some responsibility. As a member of a council, we should be as active as possible. We should be attending meetings, recruiting new members, working on programs of the council and be there when needed. Officers of the Order have a strong responsibility to be aware of what makes the Order run. They should have a strong working knowledge of procedures and policies, as well as an awareness to assist those in their charge. We all have the obligation to see signs of need in others in the Order. We should be ready to assist our brothers when needed. This assistance could be financial, employment, assisting with shopping, driving etc. With dedication and perseverance, we will not necessarily become Saints...but we will be able to stay the course in life and in our Order. We will have the ability to do what has to be done to move the Knights of Columbus in a strong, forward direction. With this being said, let us ask ourselves... have we recruited a new member? If not, have we asked a brother Catholic to join our ranks? Let us turn over a new leaf and make a New Year’s resolution to recruit a new member. What better way to kick of the New Year than by recruiting a new member. I am challenging each officer and member to follow through the way Fr. Michael J. McGivney intended by bringing in a new Knight. As leaders and members of our council we must all do our part.

George Sakorafos, our Council Director, would like to step down from this position. I am asking for a volunteer to step in for him. In this position, you are responsible for the selection and tracking of the Family of the Month decided at the officers and director meetings, and doing research on the Family of the Month as to why they were chosen; working with the Family Director getting the plaques made and brought to the General membership meeting. If you would like to step up for this position, please let me know as soon as you can.

Sunday December 17th, the SPOT Men’s group had Cookies with Santa. They had a good turnout with about 31 children and their families attending. The children decorated Christmas cookies, sang lots of songs, and spent time with Santa telling him all their dreams for Christmas while having their picture taken with him. Ray Ignatowski let me know that Joyce Aufuth, who is Sal Bica’s mother-in-law, would like to donate 70 Christmas stockings to us for our children. Her grandson, Doug Lovell who is a Knight, delivered them to church. My first thought was to take them to Meijer for the food pantry’s annual Christmas Wrapping @ Meijer’s and give them with the coats but decided to use them for Cookies with Santa.

Thank you to Jerry Hund, Ray Coughlin and the many, many helpers taking orders, distributing samples and running the pickup before Christmas for the Ham and Kielbasa Sale. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the Holiday ham & kielbasa that was purchased from the Knights. Make sure you eat all that you purchased, as you know Easter is not far away.

Thank you to Mike Hartel, Rick Okerhjelm and George Sakorafos for picking up 35 chairs from Erie Elementary for the Christmas overflow Masses in the social hall.

Our next Euchre Tournament is January 27th. Please contact Mike Hartel for details.

Our next Pancake Breakfast is January 28, 2018. Discussion was made to add French toast to the menu and raise the adult price to $7 from $6. Also to put a better ad in the church bulletin. We will need help in the Kitchen for cooking. Ralph Pullis would like a co-chair for a while, and possibly to take over the chair so as to give someone else an opportunity to run the program.

Thank you to all that donated to the annual Sweatshirt Gifts and Gift Cards for HCCS at last month’s meeting. Our Worthy D.D. Gary Kopp was very excited in the amount of gifts, gift cards and money that was donated.

The Worship Commission would like to reinstitute the distribution of the Precious Blood at the 11:30 Mass on Sundays. Please sign up to serve and wear a Knight shirt or Badge. If those of you that usually attend the 11:30 Mass are able and willing to serve on a regular basis, please let Sally Gryniewicz know so she can put this into place. Sally can be reached at (586)263-1353 or at msgryniewicz@comcast.net

Everyone has received their Dues letter from our Worthy Financial Secretary Ray Ignatowski. Ray has added a questionnaire on the back of the form for you to fill out. Please add (spouse’s name and especially Email address) or change any information about you that is incorrect. Remember, Dues must be paid by the January General Membership Meeting for you to be able to attend the meeting.

You should have also received your State Raffle Tickets in the mail. If not, they’re on their way. Sell what you can for a very worthy cause. If you can’t mail them back in time, consider taking them to DeCarlo’s Banquet & Convention Center in Warren on the day of the raffle. Gary and Patricia DeCarlo offer the Knights and their families a nice lunch before the drawings.

Vivat Jesus
Art Krygowski
Grand Knight