The Knight's Shield - June 2018

Please welcome to 11689 our newest Brother, Greg Kropidlowski, who completed his admission degree, hosted right here at St. Paul of Tarsus. Also thank you to Chuck Lomasney for standing in as a candidate from 11689 so Greg was not alone.

At the time of this writing we need two more candidates to receive Star Council. Please help keep this honor ongoing for 11689 and ask a friend or someone you know to consider joining the Order. The next admissions degree is at St. Lawrence on Thursday, June 14, at 6:30 pm.

It is with sadness that I am informing all of you that Brother Carl R. Maron, 78 years old, went home to the Lord on May 9, 2018. Please keep Carl and his family in your prayers. May he rest in peace.

This will be the last message from me to you as your Grand Knight. It has been my honor to serve Council 11689 as your Grand Knight! I stepped into a great legacy of past Grand Knights, and I hope that I lived up to your expectations as your Grand Knight! Thank you to my beautiful wife Janice, who without her love, support and guidance I would not have been able to perform my duties to 11689.

In a very short month. I will become your Past Grand Knight as I take on a different role in our council as the Three Year Trustee. As it was a unanimous decision this year, our council elected current Deputy Grand Knight, Mike Hartel as our new Grand Knight. It has been a quick two years for both of us, and I know Mike will lead our council to new heights during his time as Grand Knight! Looking back on the past two years, it is hard to believe that twenty four months have passed since you elected me as your Grand Knight. Thank you for trusting me to lead our council. Together, we have accomplished a great deal for our community, parish, and our families. Even though we have made many strides toward greatness, there is always more that we can do to build the domestic church and our Brotherhood. You have my commitment that as the three year trustee, I will work as hard as I did in this past two years to meet and exceed the needs of the community and church.

The 2018 State convention is now over, and on behalf of our 1st alternate delegate Ted Czarny and his wife Sherri (Deputy Grand Knight Mike Hartel and his wife Karla were unable to attend), and my wife Janice and I, we would like to thank all of our Brother Knights for allowing us to represent 11689 at this great event. The new State Officers will be ready for their new positions starting July 1st. I would like to thank our Worthy State Deputy Ken Unterbrink for leading the State of Michigan for the last two years through a very difficult time as we lost our Worthy State Secretary Tony Vittorini...may God rest his soul. Tony was awarded the Posthumous Golden Knight Award.

The New State officers are:
State Deputy: William Chasse
State Secretary: Walter Winkle Jr.
State Treasurer: Christopher Kolomjec
State Advocate: Barry Borsenik
State Warden: Charles McCuen (shown below)

The guest speaker this year was Worthy Deputy Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Patrick Kelly.He is also the executive director of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine. He talked to us about Long Term Sustainability of Brother Knights, and how everyone knows who the Knights of Columbus are, but they don’t know what we do. The Knights have produced a video series on this topic, and he would like us all to view and pass out the link to anyone you can:

The skies cleared and the Living Rosary was able to be prayed as tradition.

Hundreds praying and waiting for the rain to hold off for the Living Rosary. As usual the weather cooperated and the front lawn of the Grand Hotel provided the ideal location. Below the balloons of the Rosary released to Heaven.

To the Officers who will be completing their terms, I extend my sincerest thank you for the performance of your positions. It has been my pleasure to serve with each of you. To those who have been newly elected as an officer, I congratulate you and wish each of you well during the coming fraternal year. At our May general membership meeting, elections were held and the fol-lowing Brothers were elected to serve as your officers for the coming year:

The Man of the Shroud Exhibit was on display from May 31st until June 4th. I hope you had a chance to stop by and see this wonderful event. The Shroud of Turin has long been venerated by the faithful and is believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth. The Shroud is one of the most scientifically studied religious icons in history. As science has progressed, so has the speculation on how the image of the crucified man of the Shroud was made. Thank you to Fr. Jerry for allowing the Knights of Columbus to bring this to St. Paul of Tarsus and the many people it took to assemble, disassemble and support the event.

Special thank you to Msgr. Todd Lajiness, Rec-tor and President of Sacred Heart Major Semi-nary in Detroit. Msgr. Todd lived and studied in Rome while he was Cardinal Szoka’s secretary. He has studied the shroud while he was in Rome and continues to share his wonderful presentation and reflections on the Man of the shroud.

Thank you to Steven Kargenian, our new pan-cake breakfast chairman, for his behind-the-scenes organization, and Phil Kwasny for putting on another successful breakfast...along with all the help that jumped right in to serve St. Paul’s.

Thank you to Greg Csernai for organizing our annual spring roadside cleanup. We had a small turnout, but we got’er done! Thank you to Ray Coughlin, Greg Csernai, Tom Gray, Mike Hartel, James Lambertus, Ralph Pullis and Gary Skarb for coming out and having some fun!

Many people have been asking for the Larger K of C lapel pins. I have them available for purchase – the cost is $5.00 each. Anyone interested can get one at the General Membership or Officers meetings.

Vivat Jesus
Art Krygowski
Grand Knight / Youth Director

The Knight's Shield - May 2018

Please welcome to our council three new brothers who completed their Admission degree hosted by Fr. Solanus Casey Council 3797 on Sunday April 22nd. Congratulations Larry Kitka, Anthony Perfetto and Steve Polak.

Our Fraternal year is just about over. Once again, in May, our Council will join other local councils from the State at our annual State Knights of Columbus Convention. During the Convention, the State Council not only recognizes their outstanding councils but also sets each council’s goals for the upcoming fraternal year that begins in July. Every Brother should be proud of the work that the St. Paul of Tarsus Council has done throughout 2017/2018 fraternal year. We definitely achieved our Lord and Savior’s mission of spreading the message of peace and love. A big round of thanks and appreciation is due to each Brother for their outstanding support. Furthermore, the families of our Brothers deserve a great round of thanks for giving their dads and husbands the time to spend with this outstanding council.

Our 5th annual fish fry is now over. I would like to thank the many volunteers that came out to work. Some helped a couple of weeks and others came every week to help, pulling together as a team. Many thanks to each and every person that was a part of that team. We served 2,827 customers in the six weeks we were here. Which is 632 more than last year and a total over the last five years of 11,101 customers that enjoyed the food and fellowship!! See you next year!!

On Friday March 23rd the Knights of Columbus led the Stations of the Cross. This was well attended by over 60 people. Thank you goes out to Al Gulick, Hank LeFlere, Phil Mularski, Robert Tette and Tony Valentine for assisting myself in the celebration of the Stations of the Cross.

On Palm Sunday weekend our members took to the street and store fronts distributing Tootsie Rolls and accepting cash donations. To all who helped make this drive so successful … thank you so much! We cannot forget several other groups that were involved; our Brother Knights that camped out for many, many long hours in the pantry counting all those donations, and Brother Joe Roehrig for chairing this great fundraiser to support the Mentally Impaired. Finally, to Sheryl Ignatowski and all the ladies that helped keep our bellies full and to everyone who brought in the food to feed us.

At our May 14th meeting, we will have our second round of officer nominations and voting on NEW officers. As you all know this is a very important process, so please consider carefully who you would like to see in the leadership positions of your council. Remember also, that self-nomination is perfectly acceptable, as long as the nominee is a Third Degree member.

Many people have been asking for the Larger K of C lapel pins. I have them available for purchase – the cost is $5.00 each. Anyone interested can get one at the General Membership or Officers meetings.

Vivat Jesus
Art Krygowski
Grand Knight

The Knight's Shield - April 2018

Please welcome to our council three new brothers who completed their Major Degree, hosted by John F. Kennedy Council #5460 at St. Malachy, on March 10th Congratulations Joshua Grifka, Al Gulick and Joe Kish.

With the start of April, we begin the last quarter of the fraternal year. People have come up to me asking, “So you must be glad to be on the downhill run of your Grand Knight term.” While we only have three months left in this fraternal year, I don’t see it as a “downhill” or “wrapping-up” time. Rather, I see the images of spring and the renewal found in the rising of the Lord at Easter as a way to look at how we should approach these last few months. We need to take the energy found in the spirit of renewal and dedicate ourselves to the Council’s work now, just as much as we did in the beginning of the fraternal year.

At the time of this article being written we have had five very successful fish fry’s. We served roughly 2300+ dinners, made a lot of new friends and continued the good work that Fr. Michael J McGivney started on March 29, 1882. Thank you to all of you and your families and friends who supported our efforts and enjoyed the meals. Our Fish Fry helps to fund all our council activities, including the needs of our Church, needy families, Special Olympics, Special Needs, Coats for Kids, Holy Cross Children Services, Youth Free Throw Contest, Tootsie Roll Drive, The Food Pantry and many, many more causes we are involved in.

Our annual Open House Pot Luck Dinner and Awards Night was March 12th. We had a nice turn-out and hopefully everyone had enough to eat and drink! There was so much wonderful and delicious food it was hard to decide on what to have. We were honored to have Regional New Council Development North Detroit Director - Charlie McCuen and his wife Pamela join us for the evening. He inspired us with his words of the good the Knights of Columbus do in our community. Also Debbie Jackson from St. Vincent DePaul was in attendance speaking to us of the works that St. Vincent DePaul continues to do through Michigan. Our council made a donation to St. Vincent DePaul from the proceeds of our last pancake breakfast to further the great works of St. Vincent DePaul.

On display was a 32” TV that will be donated by our council, to be included as part of the proceeds that will go to Holy Cross Children’s Services and The Knights of Columbus Refugee Relief Fund raffle during the annual State Convention on Mackinac Island in May. Special thanks to Chris Gapczynski, our newsletter editor, for making this newsletter happen each month. I know that she doesn't always get all the articles in an orderly and timely fashion. Yet she still manages to compile everything, adds a few personal touches, and makes it all look very professional. To thank Chris for all her hard work we gave her a monetary donation. Chris, we hope you can put our small token of appreciation to good use.

Congratulations to our 6 poster contest winners who were invited to the dinner with their families to receive their prize for the hard work which showed in their entries.

Age 5-7: 1st place Ava DiMaggio, 2nd place Matthew Wlazlik and 3rd place Emily Yurgalonis
Age 8-10: 1st place Vivian Dudley and 2nd place Sophea Guimond
Age 11-14: 1st place Nicholas Henderson

Congratulations to the following gentlemen on receiving the Michigan Shining Armor Award this year:

Ralph Colosimo, Ted Czarny, Jeff Gapczynski, James Grifka, Dale Jacks, Mike Hartel, Art Krygowski, Hank Leflere

Brothers Clarence Gajewski, Joseph Marheineke, Giovan Candela and Rev. Joseph Hund were each presented with a special recognition Lifetime Achievement award for their outstanding service and dedication to our council and the Knights of Columbus. Congratulations gentlemen!

There were two awards which may be the most prestigious awards to be given out. They are the Knight of the Year and Family of the Year. The officers of our council select these two winners based on the Knight and Family of the Month recipients from the previous twelve months.

This first award is for the Knight of the Year for 2017-2018. This Brother Knight first Joined the Order in 2013. He is very active and helps run the kitchen at our fish fry’s. He also helps at the pancake breakfasts. He currently serves the council as the Outside Guard.

Knight of the Year 2017-2018 – Gerry Vento.

The second award is for the Family of the Year for 2017 - 2018 This brother Knight joined the order just 6 years ago and has made a huge impact on this council. He participates in the Trunk or Treat, Adopt a Highway cleanup, volunteers at the Texas Hold'em events, pancake breakfast, and our fish fries. In his spare time, he helps put up the tent when it is needed in between fishing. He and his wife have been married for a long time. He currently holds the position of Family Director.

Family of the Year 2016 – 2017 - Richard and Patricia Okerhjelm.

Saturday March 17th was our council’s Corporate Communion at the 4:00 pm Mass. From what I was told (as I could not attend), there were three rows of our Knights and their families, and as always, a nice showing of the Color Corps. Thank you to all that attended, and thank you to Deputy Grand Knight Mike Hartel for stepping in for me.

Thank you to those who helped either March 10th and 11th or March 17th and 18th for taking ham and kielbasa orders for Easter or passing out the delicious samples. Jerry Hund is once again the chairperson for this event. He and Ray Coughlin are normally here both weekends and put in many combined hours. Thank you also to Ted Czarny and all the helpers (I don’t have the names of at this time) for spending the afternoon here at St. Paul’s filling and passing out the orders. Also a special Thank You to Deacon Marc for blessing the food for us. There were over 100 orders placed this year and we hope you all enjoyed your feasts!

Our Annual Easter Egg Hunt was Sunday March 18th. There were about 100 of our St. Paul children here to hunt for candy filled Easter eggs, get their picture with the Easter Bunny (who by the way is a 4th degree Knight), and pick a prize from the prize table. A special thank you to Lorri Coughlin for arranging to have helpers stuff the eggs during the fish fry so we could put this event on for the children of our parish. Thank you to all the egg stuffers...there must have been over a dozen in the pantry working so diligently getting all that candy stuffed in a small egg. Also, thank you to Rich Miller for MC’ing this event. Thank you to all the helpers who hid eggs and watched the children outside to keep them safe.

The next District Corporate Communion Mass is at SS John & Paul Council #16630 7777 28 Mile Road - Washington MI – 48094. April 8th at 11:30am Mass. Please attend as this event id to support our newest council in District 24.

Knights of Columbus Day of the Unborn Child is April 9, 2018. We ask that you keep the unborn in your prayers. Normally held on March 25, to coincide with the feast of the Annunciation, this year the Day of the Unborn Child will be held on Monday, April 9. Why the change in date? This year Palm Sunday falls on March 25, so the Annunciation gets moved to April 9. Be sure to mark your calendar with the new date!

At our April 9th meeting, we will have our first round of officer nominations. The second round of nominations and elections will take place at our May meeting. As you all know, this is a very important process, so please consider carefully who you would like to see in the leadership positions of your council. Remember also, that self-nomination is perfectly acceptable, as long as the nominee is a Third Degree member.

Our May 7th to 10th Texas Hold'em fund raiser is in need of volunteers to work (please see the signup sheet on the table after the April meeting). We could also use one alternate for each day in case someone is unable to work the shift they signed up for. Thank you to the Knights who have already signed up to help with this fundraiser and to Brother Henry Leflere who heads up these events. Keep in mind this is one event that does not require the volunteers to have taken the Protecting Gods Children class.

Many people have been asking for the larger K of C lapel pins. We have them available for purchase. The cost is $5.00 each. Anyone interested can get one from me at next month’s meeting.

Do you have SafeServe Certification? If you do, please send me a copy of your certificate so we can have this on file for our records. If it is expired, still send it to me and we will work on getting you recertified. My E-mail gk11689@mikofc.org

One final thought from Deacon Mike Houghton (Brother Knight) from St. John Vianney: For whatever reason, God has chosen to bestow the task of evangelizing to us who are his disciples. He could have done it much faster and better without us, but he goes through us because of his great love for us. Let those of us who are his disciples never shy away from this task.

Vivat Jesus
Art Krygowski
Grand Knight

Youth Group Stations of the Cross

Catholic men's movements are on the rise

Read all about it - Click here

The Knight's Shield - March 2018

Please keep Brother Knight, Bruno Belline, and his family in your prayers, as he was called home to the Lord on January 26, and keep Brother Knight, James Lisuzzo, and his family in your prayers as he went home to the Lord on February 1.

Welcome to our new brother, Stanley Labuda, who completed his Major degree at St. Lawrence Knights of Columbus Council 2950 on February 17. Congratulations Stanley!

At the time this article is being written, we have had two very successful fish fries. We served roughly 800+ dinners, made a lot of new friends and continue the good work that Fr. Michael J McGivney started on March 29, 1882. I hope to see all of you and your families and friends on Friday nights. Our Fish Fry helps to fund all our council activities, the needs of our Church, needy families, Special Olympics, special needs, Coats for Kids, Holy Cross Children Services, Youth Free Throw Contest, Tootsie Roll Drive, the Food Pantry, and many, many more causes we are involved in. Please take the time to tell your families, friends, and neighbors to please join us on Friday’s in Lent except Good Friday March 30th. There is a lot of help needed for the Fish Fries during Lent. This event will give you a chance to get to know your Brother Knights and church families, and have an evening of fun! Please help make our Fish Fry successful. Make an effort to make it out to one of the remaining Friday Fish Fries. It would be great to see some new blood at this event.

Please remember that our March 12 meeting will start at 6:30 pm, and is our annual Open House Pot Luck Dinner and Awards Night. The council will provide the chicken and beverages. You are asked to bring a dish to pass for this event. It can be an entrée, a side dish, or a dessert. We will have a guest from St. Vincent de Paul, along with the winners from the “Keep Christ in Christmas” Poster Contest. We will also have a membership recruitment drawing, a door prize raffle, and of course, a 50/50 drawing. Additionally, we will present the Shining Armor Awards, Special Recognition Awards, along with the prestigious Knight and Family of the Year Awards. Be sure to not miss this evening.

Do you have SafeServe Certification? If you do please send me a copy of your certificate so we can have this on file for our records. If it is expired still send it to me and we will work on getting you recertified. My E-mail:

By encouraging prayer, penance and almsgiving, the season of Lent calls us to change, to root out sin and draw closer to God as we serve our neighbor. Appropriately, the celebration of Mass for these 40 days also takes on a different tone and appearance to remind us of the needed interior change. Here are some things to look and listen for:

1. The Color Purple. The vestments worn by the priest at Mass are purple, the color symbolizing repentance. Although we are continually called to turn away from our sins, the season of Lent provides a particular focus on interior conversion as we prepare ourselves over these 40 days to celebrate the great feast of Easter.

2. Muted Music. In keeping with the austerity of the Lenten season, there are no instrumental interludes; the organ or other musical instruments are only to be used as accompaniment for singing.

3. Unadorned Altars. There are no flowers in the sanctuary during Lent, and the linens and candle-sticks used on the altar are less ornate.

4. No Alleluia. From the Greek, Alleluia means “praise Yahweh” or “praise God,” an expression of rejoicing. Lent is a time of exile, a spiritual journey as we turn away from sin and amend our lives as we await the joy of the Resurrection. Alleluia is an Easter word: Think of the “Hallelujah Chorus” of Handel’s “Messiah.” The Alleluia returns to the Mass — in triplicate, no less — when the priest or deacon chants it before the Gospel reading during the Easter Vigil.

5. And No Gloria. Also a song of joy, the Gloria is omitted during Lent, just as it is during Advent. Like the Alleluia, it will return in full splendor at the Easter Vigil liturgy.

6. Yet there are Exceptions. On Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent, the liturgical vestments are rose-colored, the music and decor more upbeat. When a Solemnity is celebrated during Lent, such as the feast of St. Joseph (March 19) or the Annunciation (March 25), the vestments are white, instrumental music and altar flowers are permitted, and the Gloria is sung. (Since Palm Sunday is March 25 this year, the bishops in the United States and Canada have moved the Solemnity of the Annunciation to April 9, during the Easter season.)

7. Strict Scrutiny. In parishes where individuals are preparing for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), candidates for Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation are called forth on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays in Lent for a brief rite called scrutinies, which ordinarily takes place after the homily and be-fore the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

8. Longer Readings! No, it’s not the length of the reading that’s penitential, but rather the way these passages call us to faith and conversion. If your parish is using the readings from Year A of the three- year liturgical cycle — or if there are catechumens preparing for the Easter Vigil — you may notice that the Gospel readings for the third through fifth weeks of Lent are unusually long. That is by design. The readings from John’s Gospel about the Samaritan woman at the well, the healing of the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus from the dead are longer-but-stronger catechetical readings meant to help prepare catechumens for Baptism — and prepare the rest of us for an Easter renewal of our baptismal promises.

The K of C will be conducting the Stations of the Cross on Friday, March 23, at 7:00 pm...right after the last fish fry. We had 6 readers last year. I have 3 right now, and I need 3 more. If you would like to participate in this, please see me.

I invited 13 seminarians that we support to attend an admission degree at the Seminary on February 24. Unfortunately, some were Knights already or they were not able to attend. We need help from ALL Knights if you are active or not. The order must grow to stay alive for our current and future families, or else the last 136 years of The Knights and what we stand for are for nothing! Please ask a friend to become a Knight.

We have Members: 223 YTD Change -4
We have a quota of 15 new members. We need 10 more.
We have a quota of 6 new insurance members. We need 3 more
The delegates for the annual State Convention on Mackinaw Island in May are as follows:
First delegate – Art Krygowski
Second delegate – Mike Hartel
First alternate – Ted Czarny
Second alternate – Steven Kargenian

Vivat Jesus
Art Krygowski
Grand Knight

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