GRAND KNIGHT’S MESSAGE

Hello my Worthy Brothers and family.

There’s so much to cover in this months GK message. First, let me start out by saying it gives me great excitement to announce that our general meeting dinners in March, April and May will be FREE! If successful, our council may budget for all the monthly dinners in the next Columbian year. Your attendance will show support for this new program.

Our second announcement is that the K of C council 953 will be sponsoring a Loaves and Fishes hot meal once a month. It will most likely be the last Friday of every month from 10 am – 1 pm, volunteers will be on a rotating schedule. All we need is two volunteers at a time. Knights, wives, family & friends are all encouraged to help. We understand that this falls on a workday and we pray that with plenty of notice some can go to work later, get off early, take an extended lunch or if able, perhaps take the day off. It’s only for 3 hours and it helps an organization that helps many in need. Loaves and Fishes is responsible for serving over 700 hot meals a day. That’s over 21,000 hot meals every month, all without government funding. Let’s get together and lend a helping hand to this charitable organization. This is a great opportunity for the K of C to make a public presence. Please contact me so we can start a rotation.

Our 3rd announcement is that our council will have a “Mexican Knight” in May. If you would like to help contribute or have thoughts on making this event a success, please contact Lewis Munoz. All proceeds will benefit the Newman Center student retreat program.

Lastly, I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to our co-Knights of the month: PGK Al Piccardo & Johnny Waldron. The annual Shrimp Feed and Crab Feed performed by these two Knights and their “crew” have been a staple on our council’s calendar as an event not to miss. Their past success- and no doubt, this year’s success- is but one reason to recognize these Brothers in our council………….Thank you!

Please also keep in mind that coming up this month will be:
Ladies Night on 2/16 and our ID Spaghetti Dinner on 2/18.

Have a Blessed Month!

Your Grand Knight Council 953
Ricardo Saldana

To My Brother Knights & Their Families,

The new year brings a time to reflect on the past year. An opportunity to not repeat our mistakes. A rebirth of change, hope & optimism. Our blessings have been abundant. We have family, friends & our brother Knights.

This new year, I pray for our Brother Knights & their families, our councils growth and that the impact of our council be felt throughout the churches & communities. But above all, I pray for God’s will to be done. Recently our council has lost a few Knights. May their souls rest in peace & may their families find comfort in our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

Lastly, as we approach the second half of our Colombian year, I hope to see further participation from our Brothers, not just the regulars, but new faces. We have many events coming up starting with this month’s crab feed. Please check our councils website for further information. I’d also like to thank Terry for a great job on our first ever (hopefully annual) E-Waste drive. Over 6400 lbs were collected! Thank you all for your continued support.

Thank you, may God bless us all & keep us close to His heart.

“St. John Vianney, Pray for Us.”
Ricardo Saldana
Grand Knight, Council 953

To My Brother Knights & Their Families,

So much to address in this month’s message. I trust everyone is preparing for the coming of our Lord & Savior. Opening our hearts to God’s message enables us to better perform His plan for us and others. Don’t forget the “keep Christ in Christmas” campaign sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Please visit our website for additional information.

A special thank you to all who attended our November main meeting. We had over 37 Knights participate in our very first (to my knowledge) “Veterans thank you dinner.” This great turn out was indeed a sign of support & thanks to those who served our great country.

This month also marks our first ever “e-waste drive” on December 17th. Please bring your old tv’s, computers, lap tops, fax machines, printers etc… to the hall between 9am -1pm. Also don’t forget that Friday December 9th is our Christmas pot luck, please join us if you are able.

Please remember those who are in need especially at this time of the year. Keeping this in mind the officers of our Council at the December Officers Meeting decided to donate $200.00 to Loaves & Fishes as the council has done in past years.

Next month message will complete the fourth principle of patriotism. Thank you all for a great first half of the Columbian year. It is my sincere hope that we take this momentum into the new year.

Thank you, may God bless us all & keep us close to His heart.

“St. John Vianney, Pray for Us.”
Ricardo Saldana
Grand Knight, Council 953

To My Brother Knights & Their Families,

Our third principle of the Knights of Columbus is Fraternity.
Defined as a group of people associated or formally organized for a common purpose, a quality or state of being brothers. This truly shows with our events/ fundraisers. We come together to aide our fellow brothers in the events being chaired, and that directly impacts our council’s ability to help others.

Council #953 is a model example of all our principles. We stand together as an organization, unified to help those in need. This last Oktoberfest is but one example of our principles in action. Not only did we share a great dinner and raise money to help others, we brought friends and families together to share lasting memories. We helped a long time Knight attend this event. Which is something he could not do alone, given his circumstances.

Our next events are around the corner. A memorial mass at St. Mary’s church on 11/6 following the 8 a.m. mass. Our Giant shrimp feed on 11/19 and our first ever e-waste drive on 12/17. There’s plenty of time to sign up & help or simply pass the word to someone who can.

We are a fraternal group of catholic gentlemen. Our common purpose is doing God’s work. We give in every sense of the word. We are all examples of our principles. We are, Knights of Columbus.

“St. John Vianney, Pray for Us.”
Ricardo Saldana
Grand Knight, Council 953

To My Brother Knights & Their Families,

Unity has a definition of – Harmony or agreement between people or groups. As Knights of Columbus we are in agreement to stand with our Church and defend her teachings. We are a practical group of catholic gentlemen. We help those in need, volunteer at our Churches & are shining examples for the younger generations.  We are unified in our beliefs & this can be seen through our love & practice of our faith.

We are unified in our actions. We witness publicly & privately during 40 days for life. We Pray everyday for God’s will to be done. We help each other by lending an ear to a friend experiencing a difficult situation, visiting a family member & Bother Knight unable to leave their homes  or  by attending/volunteering at a K of C event.

Such events happen through out the year with new ones being added. This month (in addition to 2 tootsie roll drives at both Sacred Heart & St. Mary’s)  we will be speaking at St. Andrews Sunday October 23rd to talk about our organization & recruit potential new Knights.  We also have our Octoberfest on the 29th at the hall. These are just some of the opportunities we have to show our unity & support not only for the Knights of Columbus, but our Church as well. The more members our council has, the more prevalent God’s work becomes.

“St. John Vianney, Pray for Us.”
Ricardo Saldana
Grand Knight, Council 953