The Knight Shield - February 2023

Hello one and all!
We are proud and honored to have our very own Father John join our council and the order! James Harla also made his third degree before our January meeting.

 

    The council is about to embark on a very busy season. Please be prepared to pitch in and help us out. Starting with fish fries, Easter meat sales, MI drive, Easter egg hunt makes for a very hectic Lenten/Easter. The fish fries are our largest fund raiser of the year. This enables us to do the good that we do throughout the year. I am going to quote our worthy treasurer on some points that highlight this. In the 9 years that we have been doing the fish fries our profits were $95,000 of which we donated $27,000 to the parish. The impact of this event is not just monetary. There is also a social and evangelical aspect, it does not hurt to get a couple of hundred people in the church sharing food and fellowship.  So not only does this event earn some money for our charitable works and bring people into the parish, it is also FUN! We really do have a good time working and serving the parish. So please consider helping out this year if you have not. If you have, you already know how much fun can be had.

February is the month of the Holy Family:

    O God, Heavenly Father, it was part of Thine eternal decree that Thine only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, should form a holy family with Mary, His blessed mother, and His foster father, Saint Joseph. In Nazareth, home life was sanctified, and a perfect example was given to every Christian family. Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may fully comprehend and faithfully imitate the virtues of the Holy Family so that we may be united with them one day in their heavenly glory. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

An Explanation of the Prayer in Honor of the Holy Family

    Christ could have come to earth in any number of ways, yet God chose to send His Son as a Child born into a family.  In so doing, He set the Holy Family as an example for us all and made the Christian family more than a natural institution. In this prayer, we ask God to keep the example of the Holy Family always before us, so that we will imitate them in our family life.  In this prayer, we consecrate our family to the Holy Family, and ask the aid of Christ, Who was the perfect Son; Mary, who was the perfect mother; and Joseph, who, as foster father of Christ, sets the example for all fathers.  Through their intercession, we hope that our entire family may be saved.

God bless you all!
Vivat Jesus!
Tom Gray

 

Exemplification with Father Kiselica. Jim Harla made his 3rd degree.

 

Requiescat in Pace - Pope Benedict XVI

The Knight Shield - January 2023

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends.

December has been a rough month for this council. We have lost two great Knights, Hank Leflere and Joe Kish.  Both wonderful men and Knights. They will be greatly missed for their kindness and generosity. God speed brother Knights…

We are going to be entering a busy time soon with Lent right around the corner. We are going to be doing fish fries with indoor dining this year. We will need all hands on deck to take on this challenge. Please be prepared to work at least a couple...it is fun and rewarding. Not only is this our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is also a great opportunity to meet and greet people and get them back into the church again.

Here is a little description of new years resolutions and how they started. Maybe we should consider making a resolution with our God to hold us to it?

The ever-popular but rarely successful act of making New Year’s resolutions is a lot older than many might think.  Over 4,000 years ago, the Babylonians made promises to the gods as part of Akitu, a festival that celebrated the new year. The promises often involved things like paying debts or returning borrowed farming equipment. The Babylonians were motivated to actually fulfill these promises because nobody wants to break a promise to a god.  The ancient Romans had a similar practice of making New Year’s promises to Janus, a two-faced god whose name would give us the month of January. Later Christians would view the celebration of the new year as a time to improve oneself spiritually and vow to do better in the following year. Today, resolutions are not the religious act they once were, and most people make promises to themselves rather than a deity.  

From my family to yours, we wish you a Happy New Year!

Vivat Jesus!

Tom Gray

Joseph (Joe) Kenneth Kish - February 22, 1943 - December 13th, 2022

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Obituary

On Tuesday, December 13th, 2022, Joseph (Joe) Kenneth Kish passed away at age 79 in Macomb, Michigan. 

Joe was born on February 22, 1943, to Joseph and Elizabeth Kish in East Chicago, Indiana. He was an electrician by trade managing large construction projects throughout his career. For over forty years, Joe dedicated a lot of volunteer hours and work for Shriner's Children. He was a Potentate of Al Aska Shrine in 1993. He then became an associate member of Moslem Shrine in 2000. Joe was a hospital board member of Shriners Children's Ohio for 12 years. He was also co-director of the Detroit Shrine Circus for the past ten years at the Michigan State Fair, LLC. Joe was instrumental behind the scenes to make sure the Shrine Circus was ready for the Labor Day weekend. He helped bring smiles to children of all ages as they viewed the big top circus tent. For the past 15 years he worked side by side with the Circus Chairman to bring Metro Detroit the Winter/Spring Detroit Shrine Circus. Joe's selflessness was evident, and he always put others first in anything that he did/ Through the years. Joe enjoyed playing golf and bowling/ He loved traveling and spending time with his friends and family. Joe will be forever remembered by all who had the privilege to know him. 

Joe was preceded in death by his father, Joseph, and his mother, Elizabeth.

He is survived by his wife Roselyn, his three children and two stepchildren, Debbie (Steve) Lowde, Michael (Tonya) Kish, Steven Kish, Scott (Bridget) Shideler, and Annabel (Timothy) Hootman; proud grandfather of 6 and great-grandfather of 2; dearest brother of Terry (Sharon) Kish, and Don (Diane) Kish; and sister-in-law Heather Murray.

A memorial visitation will be held from 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM on Saturday, January 7th, 2023, at Lee-Ellena Funeral Home on Romeo Plank, 46530 Romeo Plank Road, Macomb, Michigan 48044. There will be a Shrine walk through at 4:00 PM and Alhambra service at 6:00 PM.

Henry "Hank" Camiel Leflere - November 7, 1944 – December 11, 2022

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