Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!
At press time for this newsletter, we were still preparing for Christmas. The Ham and Kielbasa pick-up was fast approaching and Christmas was still about a week away. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.
As the Christmas holiday begins to transition into a new year, I see the beginning of Lenten events starting to appear on the calendar.
If anyone needs to take ‘Protecting Gods Children Class’ there is one coming up on January 5th at St. John Vianney. Everyone needs to have taken the class and agree to a background check to help out with our Fish Fry, Easter Egg Hunt, etc.
I would like to announce that Father Jerry is officially our Council Chaplain! Thank you!
Please welcome two new Brother Knights to our council. Brother Kevin Kennedy transferred and Brother William Rochefort reapplied to our council. Welcome Kevin and William!
Our worthy Youth Director Art Krygowski and I handed out coats for kids at Erie Elementary School at the end of November. Additional coats were handed out at the pantry shopping event held at Meijer. Art had the posters distributed for the Keep Christ in Christmas poster contest for the students. The posters are due in January. Awards will be presented at our March pot luck meeting.
Thank you to Al Soulliere, Steve Kargenian, Frank Burda, Hank Leflere, Leon Berdy, Bill Pirrami and Jeff Gapczynski for helping Ken Krause with the outdoor decorations at church on 12/1.
I would like to thank our St. Paul of Tarsus pantry for the $500 gift card our council used to purchase groceries for Gianna House. Many thanks to Bruce Arnold and Hank Leflere who helped me shop for the 5 carts of groceries and deliver them to Gianna House for starting their pantry. The building renovations, to the former convent for St. Veronica Catholic Church in Eastpointe, are almost complete. The funds collected with the baby bottle drive we held in June helped with the renovation work. They have done a wonderful job! Gianna House accommodates up to seven teen residents, 17 years of age and under and their infants, and also serves as a pregnancy center for all pregnant women, providing them with an alternative to abortion. The first families are scheduled to arrive in January. Please include Gianna House in your prayers as they begin their important work in our community!
At press time, Jeff Gapczynski is still taking reservations for the upcoming annual casino trip.
Please consider helping our Membership Director, Phil Mularski, with the membership committee we are forming. We need everyone to help with encouraging our brother Catholic men to consider joining our order.
We have a euchre party coming up after 4pm Mass on January 26. You can sign up at the January meeting. An article will be in the church bulletin for the two weekends prior to the event.
We have restarted presentation of the Holy Family Statue at Mass in support of Vocations. The purpose of the program is to help promote Vocations with a show of public support and to help remind us to keep vocations in our daily prayers. There is a sign-up binder located in the gathering space for parishioners to sign up to receive the statue. Please consider signing up for receiving the Holy Family Statue to help get the program off to a good start.
Thank you to all of you who have been at the meetings regularly. Please consider calling someone you haven’t seen for a while and ask how they’re doing. See if they’re in need of a ride or friendly remind-er when the next meeting takes place.
Vivat Jesus,
Mike Hartel
