Dear Brother Knights:

Two months to go in the Columbian Year, but there are still plenty of things to get done. We have members to initiate, dinners to enjoy, and a wonderful State Convention to attend. I plan on vigorously advocating for Brother John Sheldon’s three resolutions and hopefully I can get a couple of them across the finish line and sent on
to the Supreme Convention. Brother Tom Nulk is cooking our dinner this month and it is sure to be a good one. We have two F-100’s that have been approved for new members and I plan on holding a first degree in June to bring these new brother Knight’s in before the end of my year as Grand Knight. If you have been waiting to
invite a son-in-law, grandson, fellow parishioner, colleague, or anyone else to check out the Knights, try this month or next. It is always a lot more interesting when a First Degree is crowded with new members watching the events unfold in front of them.

I read a very interesting editorial in the Wall Street Journal this week that talked about how poorly attendance, and the understanding of the Catholic faith had suffered over the last three decades. Only 22% of American Catholics attend weekly mass, and only 45% understood the Church’s teaching that the consecrated bread and wine were truly the body and blood of Christ and not merely symbolic. The editorial went on to tell the story of a recent funeral the author had attended for his Uncle where it was clear, that most of the people present were not familiar enough with the mass to state the correct responses, recite the Profession of Faith, or even stand or kneel at the appropriate times. He blamed this mostly on the changes the Church made to the mass back in 2011.

When the Priest reminded the audience that Communion was only for Catholics who were properly disposed, the author expected very few people to come forward, but in fact almost everyone did. And to me, that is truly the beautiful thing about being Catholic, it never leaves you. I am very fortunate that I am comfortable, able, and self-motivated to attend Church every Sunday. It is part of my routine, it is part of my belief system, and it provides me strength, a sense of community, and a strong dose of Hope every week. If I am lucky I learn something, and at worst I see my friends, pray to God and enjoy singing. But for so many people within our Catholic community this is not the case. For more reasons than I could ever list here, many Catholics are not attending weekly mass, but you never stop being Catholic. My baptism, first communion, and wedding were all performed in the Catholic Church and sanctioned by the Catholic Church and that’s not changing. 23% of Americans identify themselves as being Catholic, and it’s very true that few of them are attending mass, but you never stop being Catholic. Being Catholic is truly wonderful and I feel very fortunate to be a part of the Knights. The last ten months have been great, and I look forward to the last two and so many more.

Thanks So Much,
Bryan McKrell
Grand Knight, Council 953

Dear Brother Knights:

The fourth quarter of the Columbian Year is finally upon us, and it certainly provides a plethora of opportunities to get involved with your Brother Knights. April has our scheduled dinner and business meeting moved up a week early to April 6. Come by and share a dinner that is certain to please any discerning palate. Or if you can’t make dinner mark your calendars for our first ever Greek Night! Terry Corcoran is organizing what is promising to be an incredible feast and our last fundraising dinner for the year. Terry is going to need as many Knights, their families, and their friends to attend this
dinner and really raise some much-needed funds for the end of the year. If you can’t attend the dinner, offer to volunteer for set-up earlier in the day, or donate a raffle prize. If these do not fit into your schedule, you could always attend a donation ceremony where the proceeds from our Pasta for Life dinner will be distributed to the Sacramento Life Center and the Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home. What could be more fun than driving a check over to one of these worthy charities and taking a picture of the handover. And if you still can’t find time to get involved with these, then please go to the airport and bid brother Sheldon, our current Financial Secretary, “Bon Voyage” as he heads off to Spain for his much-anticipated
Camino.

May brings another dinner and business meeting followed by the State Convention in San Diego. This will be my first time attending the State Convention and I can’t wait to see the strength of our state- wide organization. Hopefully it is a rewarding experience full of pomp, circumstance, and laughter, and maybe a round of golf if I am lucky. We will also be handing out scholarships to four very worthy students at Cristo Rey high school and we will need a couple of volunteers to attend the ceremony at the high school with Brother Greg Wolfe. What could be better than handing over a check for $500 dollars to a college bound high school student. This will certainly produce big smiles for everyone involved.

During our First Degree last Thursday I was reminded just how moving and enlightening our two brothers, George Mills and Matt Lucien, are during the ceremony and how it would be great to watch some of my friends share the experience. I would encourage anyone who has not been around for a while, or who is hoping to come back soon to think back to their First Degree and try to recall some of the ceremony. You are always welcome to attend our ceremonies and witness what you have already experienced but may have
forgotten.

And let’s not forget the hard work of Michael Litwin and Matt Curran who kept the long-standing tradition of Irish Night alive and well. I understand that the food was fantastic, the music was outstanding, and everyone who attended had a great time. It is vitally important for our younger members to carry the torch and put forth the effort to carry on the traditions of our venerable Council. Congratulations to you two and I look forward to having the opportunity to attend next year and enjoy the show.

Most Sincerely,
Bryan McKrell
Grand Knight, Council 953

Dear Brother Knights:

Lent is one of the greatest time periods every year for a plethora of reasons. It allows us a few extra moments to consider our faith and recommit ourselves to the cause of being a good Catholic. Much like New Year’s resolutions, I spend several days leading up to Ash Wednesday contemplating what would be a good fast, or sacrifice to put forth in a show of good faith. I find it somewhat funny that some people have a critical reaction if you mention that you are going to give up chocolate, or sweets or pizza, or alcohol, when the Church itself asks you to give up meat on Fridays. But Fish still counts and not on St. Patrick’s Day, where the Bishop has cleared us to eat as much corned beef as we would like. If you eat chocolate every day, and you give it up for Lent, every time you reach for an M&M but realize you cannot eat it, I would bet you remember your faith in God. Is that not the point of this exercise?

Regardless of what you gave up, if you have not started yet there is still plenty of time. I vowed to give up my time, by praying a rosary once a day. I thought it would line up with our beliefs as a Knight, sound fairly religious in nature, and allow me to pray for something daily. I’ll admit I already missed a day, but I also ate a Turkey sandwich on Ash Wednesday only realizing afterward that I blew it. Back to the Sin Bin! I will keep trying, and I encourage my Brother Knights to do the same. 20 days might not be 40, but it sure sounds better than zero.

I also want to take a moment to single out our wonderful Financial Secretary, Brother John Sheldon. Last weekend at Pasta For Life, John not only baked two dozen cookies for the raffle, but he single-handedly put together a “kids raffle” that was the highlight of the night. So many kids left our dinner happy and it was all because of Brother John’s creativity and sincere effort. Being a Financial Secretary is a thankless job, but I honestly thank John every day, and I can’t wait to hear about his upcoming pilgrimage to Spain.

And speaking of Pasta For Life, a big thank you to Deputy Grand Knight Adam Struck, his lovely wife, and brother Dave Carboni. Their collective efforts raised nearly $2,000 dollars for the Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home and the Sacramento Life Center. And they did such a good job promoting the event that a real “Pro Choice” protester showed up and picketed our dinner. Now that is a job well done.

Most Sincerely,
Bryan McKrell
Grand Knight, Council 953