George Mills and Dale Edwards were both chosen as Knight of the year by the Council. Bill Renard and his wife Anne Liese Renard were chosen as Family of the Year. A Certificate of Appreciation for his service as Chaplain for the past two years was presented to Fr. Francis Chirackal. A plaque for his two years of service as Grand Knight was presented to PGK Ricardo Saldana.
To my brother knights & their families,
These last two years have been truly a blessing. I would like to thank God and each & everyone of you for your support & dedication to our great council. In these last two years we have grown in fellowship in various ways, from helping feed the hungry- to successfully converting the chili cook off into a pasta 4 life event, from establishing a family night- to increasing our attendance at our general meetings. We even had two resolutions pass this year at the state convention and (baring some miracle) fell a few new knights short of making star council. These things could have not been possible had it not been for our fantastic group of officers, directors & trustees.
These men we call knights give up their Thursday evenings. This includes time away from their loved ones and/or work & sometimes even weekends. They do this so that our council can be properly represented at events & make decisions that keep it running smoothly. It’s these knights whom I have grown with as a spiritual man, a brother & a knight. To each of you I say thank you. It’s seeing your daily dedication that helped inspire me to do the best job I could. Our council is in good hands for many years to come.
To our incoming Grand Knight Fred Struck and his slate of officers…I have no doubt that you will lead our council with great resolve for many years to come. I encourage you to lean on your seasoned brothers knights, your PGK’s, your District Deputy/FDD’s & Past State Deputy, It’s their wisdom & experience that keep 953 the pinnacle of all northern California councils. It’s this rich history and wealth of experience that makes decision making both challenging & easy.
Lastly I’d like to thank my wife Monica Saldaña & my children Winter, Reign, Sunday & Navy. You’re patience with daddy’s hectic schedule has been appreciated. You’re the reason I wake up everyday & try to make this world a better place for us all!
Thank you.
Go! Make a difference…
Ricardo Saldaña
Grand Knight council 953 -at least for a couple more weeks 🙂
To my worthy brother knights and their families:
This isn’t my last message as Grand Knight, but I thought I would break it up into two letters.
As we approach the end of our Columbian year, we have made many strides as a council. I personally would like to thank all our officers, directors, and trustees for their countless hours of dedication, cooperation and wisdom. These last two years have flown by and we couldn’t have been this successful without all of you.
These last two years have filled me with a passion to continue our Lords work. That is truly how I feel. Not just because of our generous donations and volunteer hours, but more so by getting to know my fellow Brother Knights. All of you have decided to join the Knights of Columbus, but many of you do not know your brethren. We are fathers, brothers, & sons. We are employed, self employed, unemployed and retirees. The common threads are our faith and brotherhood. We are there for each other in good times and bad. We are there when we need help, advice or simply someone to listen. The bonds I have forged with those around me is cherished, appreciated and loved.
Council 953 is both 10 new brother knights and 5 new insured members away from making star council. Surely we can do this. Call your insurance agent and ask your fellow catholic gentleman to join our council. Star council is an award that has eluded our prestigious council for far too long, with your help we can achieve this honor.
We’d like to thank Terry, Steve, Dave (and all our volunteer’s) for chairing our annual garage sale. And though it was cancelled, we’d like to sincerely thank Oscar & Andy for their efforts in this years Saints & Sinners golf Tournament.
Thank you
GO! And make a difference
Ricardo Saldaña
Grand Knight council 953
To my worthy brother knights and their families:
These last few months have been quite the whirlwind, both in the Catholic community, and at the council level. We pray for Pope Francis, that God will grant him the wisdom, the insight & patience needed to guide our culture in today’s society. As Our Columbian year starts to come to a close, we’d like to offer a prayer of thanksgiving, for all the good deeds, works and accomplishments of this year.
We have a few more events still to come to close out this year:
the Saints and sinners golf tournament & Our annual yard sale, both are during this month. Let’s not forget the refacing of the sign for the Newman Center in May… And of course our PGK & Old-Timers Dinner.
** Council 953 has welcomed 13 new brother knights this Columbian year. For us to make Star Council we need 10 more new brother knights to join. Please refer any potential knights to our membership director Brother Lewis Munoz at (916) 616-2051 so that we can make star council a reality.
As you know Council 953 is a very special council, rich with history. Why not share the experience of being a brother knight with those around you?
GO! and make a difference.
Ricardo Saldana
Grand Knight Council 953
To my Worthy Brother Knights and families;
February is the shortest month of the year but bursting with fraternal activity by our brother Knights. We shifted mountains of E-Waste to fund hall improvements, hosting the 2nd and 3rd degrees for our district, entertained our sweethearts at Ladies Night, finalized whom is the best free thrown shooters, provided coffee and doughnuts after mass, served soup on Friday, and hosted a Pasta For Life dinner benefiting the Sacramento Life Center and Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home. Theses actions of Charity are a corner stone of what it means to be a Knight. This is fitting considering we also entered into the season of Lent.
As we transit the month of March and approach the apex of our Catholic existence, namely the celebration of Easter, we should reflect on those powerful words spoken to us during our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degrees. We should reflect on what it means to be a “practical Catholic.” Namely, one whom seeks the objective truth in terms of faith and morals, places them into action, and takes advantage of the Sacraments, sacramentals, and other resources to bring about interior and exterior conversion, so to better serve ourselves as we server others.
Throughout the Columbian Year, by our involvement with various events and causes, we exemplify what it means to be a Knight by showing our Catholic faith in action. I encourage you to spend these last weeks of Lent reflecting on small ways to bring about additional conversion of mind, heart, and soul, sustaining you as we serve others.
GO! and make a difference.
John Sheldon
Chancellor Council 953
The month of October has been very busy for your Knights of Columbus Sacramento Council 953. This month alone you may have seen us:
At loaves and fishes serving over 300 hot meals to the hungry and homeless, you may have seen us at the Newman Center bartending for their Oktoberfest, you may have participated in our own Oktoberfest this past week. You may have found us at our social mixer a couple of weeks ago at the hall, you may have seen us near the campus of Sac State issuing a check for the students for life or you may have driven by us performing a sidewalk witness for 40 days for Life.
As always you can find us visiting our in-firmed brothers, you can join us at our officers meeting every first Thursday of the month and of course at our general business meeting the second Thursday of every month. Last Tuesday we hosted a first degree at our hall, welcoming 9 new Brother Knights.
A couple of Sundays ago you could have found us at St. Mary’s performing our annual Tootsie Roll Drive for those intellectuals with disabilities. Then you would have found us performing the same fund raiser at Sacred Heart Parish a week after that. This coming Sunday you can find us at St. George for traditional annual memorial mass and on November 10th we have our annual shrimp feed.
Your Knights of Columbus is becoming more prominent in our social community. You can find us on twitter, Facebook, via email or even a phone call. We are here and we would love for you to be active with us.
You have become part of something greater, isn’t it time to utilize your membership and join your fellow brothers in action?
GO! And make a difference.
Ricardo Saldana
Grand Knight council 953