Dear Brother Knights:

The Council continues to thrive, but there is no doubt that we need more Knights. January was a busy month for the Council, highlighted by a fantastic dinner followed by the longest business meeting of my tenure as Grand Knight. Two weeks later we had an outstanding crab feed, put on by Al Picardo and his lovely wife Peggy. The highlight of the night was the thrilling wins by George Mills and Kevin Riley during the raffle. I’m sure the crab feed will be another financial triumph for the Council but we can’t simply raise funds and consider ourselves successful. We also must be impactful with our charity, and our community outreach.

Brother Dale Edwards reported at the Officers meeting that over 175 children at St. Mary’s school participated in the annual free throw contest, with another large group of children participating at Sacred Heart. These are fabulous numbers which represent one of our most impactful community outreach programs that we participate in as a Council. In addition to these, we have our largest charitable donations slated to be disbursed over the next three months. Scholarships for students at Christo Rey, stipends for seminarians, money to help support Pro-Life groups and children trying to visit their parents in prison. These incredible causes are worthy of our support, and I look forward to seeing these checks written and disbursed by our Financial Secretary.

But to grow our ranks, and thus provide more energy, manpower and enthusiasm to increase our charitable giving, we must create more opportunities to volunteer and be present at the parishes we represent. We must develop stronger relationships with the priests that fall under our Council and reach out to them to see how we can be of assistance. It would be my goal, and my wish, to see us help out at least once during this Columbian year at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, and Immaculate Conception parish. We know that the Bishop has put an extra layer of bureaucracy on our Order, to insure the safety of our young people by requiring finger printing and training classes, but we are going to cross that hurdle next month. I have scheduled in person training and finger printing to take place at our March business meeting so that any Knight who wishes to volunteer, will be able to fulfill the Bishop’s wishes with very little inconvenience. By being present at the Parishes we represent, and volunteering there, we give ourselves a chance to recruit more Brother Knights to our Order.

So, in the spirit of our Brother Dale Edwards, let’s reach out to our parishes and create an opportunity over the next four months to be present and helpful at our local parishes. St. Mary’s, Sacred Heart, The Cathedral. St. Francis, Immaculate Conception, St. George, Holy Spirit, and St. Andrew’s are all waiting for their Knights to make an appearance. Let’s see if we can find our way to perform a little outreach and show our potential Brothers what we are all about.

Most Sincerely,
Bryan McKrell
Grand Knight, Council 953

Dear Brother Knights:

One of the things I have enjoyed the most over the last few years is my participation on the First Degree Team for our council. Not only has it given me a chance to be a “fake” Grand Knight and appear important, it has provided me with an opportunity to observe and learn from one of our most charming ceremonials. It is probably not appropriate to discuss certain aspects of our ceremonial in this setting, but lately I have continually contemplated in my mind one of the most important lessons from its script. “Time Flies, Remember Death.” The last few months have brought about far too many
instances of tragic death, or the fear of the possibility. If the two eternal truths are death and taxes, I am still at a loss of what I am so scared about, especially in light of what I consider to be a
fairly strong degree of faith and a stellar record of paying the IRS. But regardless of these, I still cringe at the stories from my very own parish of people with young children and fruitful lives being diagnosed with cancer, cancer, and more cancer. I feel terrible when I read about our members passing, or their family members
falling into eternal rest. Just last week I started to get worried about one of our brothers, until I received word that all went well with his surgery and the doctor was impressed with his strength and stamina. I sometimes forget that some people are simply blessed (and really lucky). It occurred to me that all of us should grow giant
mustaches as a show of solidarity, but I wanted to make sure the doctor’s didn’t shave off brother Alex’s signature feature.

If you are looking to make a New Year’s resolution this year, maybe simply start with, “Promise to Enjoy Yourself, just a little bit more.” Make an agreement to take your wife out on a date, see a funny movie, buy a better cup of coffee, or spend that extra night on a trip. If you own a time share or have been planning a vacation, follow through this year and make it happen. Need a new recliner, a bigger television, or maybe you want to volunteer more time doing charitable work – whatever it is that will make your life just a little bit more rewarding, or simply a little bit more enjoyable 2017 looks promising. Plus if you don’t follow through on your resolution you can just chalk it up to being “practical.”

I would never be naive enough to tell you to not fear death, or not to worry about it because of its inevitability, because I frankly am not looking forward to it one bit. The only positive there might be my death is my life insurance paying off which is good for somebody, other than myself. And I think that a big part of being Catholic is always thinking about the welfare of others.

Most Sincerely,
Bryan McKrell
Grand Knight, Council 953

Dear Brother Knights:

Merry Christmas. We have a lot to be thankful for this year. Al Piccardo delivered big time on another fabulous Giant Shrimp Dinner. Our Toy Drive was a big success and brother Dominic Ielati delivered a trunk full of toys and a check to the Mustard Seed School. I’m personally looking forward to a large turnout for our annual
Christmas Potluck on the 15th of December, where hopefully Santa Claus will make a special appearance. And we added four new members to our ranks including two priests at the same 1st degree, which may be a possible first for our Council.

Looking forward we still have a crab feed, Pasta For Life, and a Greek Night which all promise to provide a wonderful social calendar in the first half of 2017. I am truly honored to be serving as the Grand Knight this year and it is definitely providing a greater meaning for my Christmas celebration in 2016. Thanks to all of you for everything you do. And if there is anything I can do for my brother Knight’s, please do not hesitate to call or write.

Most Sincerely,
Bryan McKrell
Grand Knight, Council 953

My Brother Knights and Families:

September was a fabulous month for our Council, highlighted by one of our highest attended events in recent memory, Mexican Night. More than 175 guests filled the hall for an evening of great food, great fun, and amazing charity. With the help of a very generous hall board donation (Thank you Mr. Mills) we were able to write a check to Clara’s House for more than $2,000 dollars. But the real excitement of the the evening was watching our council come together and reach out to a broader community of people. It is truly a spectacular sight to see Knights and their families surrounded by so many other guests raising money for a very worthy cause. A big thank you to Brother Greg Wolfe who has extended the tradition of Mexican Night for another year and is quickly turning it into one of the premier events on our calendar.

October now brings us into Fall and the gateway to the Holidays. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are all shrouded in tradition and splendor, but lets not forget that the holidays can be a very difficult time for many people. Remember to reach out and embrace those who have lost loved one recently, or who may be estranged from their families. The holidays are a magical time for most children, but for those who do not have a stable home or a permanent family the holidays can be just another reminder of a very difficult situation. Therefore, I would like to propose that we organize a toy drive in the month of November that we can then present as a Council to a very worthy recipient such as the Sacramento Children’s Home or Loaves and Fishes. Please bring your ideas to the next business meeting where Terry Corcoran and Dave Carboni will be serving Zippy Buns and Potato Salad. We can fill our stomachs and then devise a plan to fill the stockings of some very worthy kids in our community. There is no better opportunity to further our first mission of Charity then during the holiday season.

If you are looking for an excuse to get back involved with the Knights, then look no further then Octoberfest coming up in a couple of weeks. Tom Nulk and Steve Mills co-chair one of the finest menus on the calendar with a remarkable selection of great beer, and a festive atmosphere complete with traditional German singing. I can honestly say that I have never attended Octoberfest, but as Grand Knight I am really looking forward to finally participating and seeing what all of the hype is about. This is always one of the most well attended events on the calendar, and it would really be amazing if we could match the incredible turn-out we had for Mexican Night. I encourage each and every one of you to bring yourself and invite a few friends so we can keep this amazing streak of successful dinners going this Columbian Year.

As always if I, or the Knights can be of any help to yourselves or your families please let us know. As a Council I would really like to help Dave Carboni and the Hall Board paint the exterior of the Hall. We really need to come together as a Council and set a date to get this done. If anyone is looking for a very easy way to volunteer a little time and elbow grease this is the perfect opportunity. I look forward to seeing all of the familiar faces this month and hopefully a number of unfamiliar faces who feel like saying hello.

Most Sincerely,
Bryan McKrell
Grand Knight, Council 953

My Brother Knights and Families:

My heartfelt thanks goes out to our brother Knight, Al Piccardo, for his amazing Tri-Tip dinner fundraiser last month. By any measure it was truly a major success. Coming off of his hip replacement surgery, which required brother Al to lose nearly 100 lbs, I was somewhat concerned that the event might be sparsely attended. Quite to the contrary it was packed with nearly 140 guests. There were at least 12 Model A vintage
Ford’s parked out front which added a certain element of class and splendor to the event, and as Brother Greg Wolfe stated at the Officer’s Meeting, “that quite possibly was the best food we have ever served at a Knight’s Dinner.” I could not agree more. To top it off, Dave Carboni introduced all of the guests to “Pesto Alfredo” sauce, and the evening proceeds nearly tripled our budgeted fundraising projections for the dinner. Well done Brother Al, you are a true shining star for the Council and I can’t wait for the Giant Shrimp Feed.

Of course our next big Fundraiser is fast approaching with Mexican Night taking center stage on September 24th. This is a big event for our Council because it is our first donation to Clara’s House, an organization that is close to our hearts as Brother Knights, but even closer to our mission as Catholic’s looking to help those who our most vulnerable in our Society. If you are not able to attend the event on the 24th, try and donate a raffle item, tell your friends and family to try and attend, and say a prayer for Brother Greg as he pulls the entire event together and generates a big donation for a very worthy charity!

And it should also be noted that the Sacramento Bee, and probably a number of other news organizations, reported that the Knights of Columbus commissioned a portrait of Mother Theresa which will now hang at the Vatican after her canonization ceremony on Saturday. Saint Theresa is certainly someone to admire and learn from, and I look forward to invoking her name in some of our meetings this year in the hope that she will pray for our success and efforts as an organization dedicated to Charity. As our compass always points to charity, so too must our first order of business always be dedicated to this cause. If you know a few fellow Catholics who are interested in being charitable, invite them to one of our monthly dinners. If nothing else, they will certainly enjoy the food, and the beer along with getting to hang out with all of us.

Most Sincerely,
Bryan McKrell
Grand Knight, Council 953

My Brother Knights and Families:

Working on the budget this month was a great reminder of how many good things we contribute to as a group throughout the year. We help children to learn and compete at basketball, visit their parents who are incarcerated, and attend college. We help mothers in need of assistance, young men on their journey to the priesthood, people who desperately need health care, and numerous families in search of vital food. We help Brother Knight’s who need assistance, international relief efforts, and several parishes who are able to benefit from our volunteer man hours. And it is through the fulfillment of these pursuits that we are able to socialize, bond, and continue to strengthen our relationships as a fraternal order.

If you are reading this, but have not attended a Knight’s meeting in some time, it is probably a good sign that you still care. Whether you can make it to a dinner, or a meeting on the second Thursday of the month, these alone are not the only way to be an active member of our Council. In the months of August and September you could help the Council, yourself, and our community by participating in any number of the following:

• Attending, volunteering, setting up, or merely mentioning to your friends and colleagues our first big fundraising dinner of the year on August 27th – The Tri-Tip Dinner! Even donating a raffle prize goes a long way.
• Attending, volunteering, setting up or merely mentioning to your friends and colleagues our second big Fundraiser coming up on September 24th – Mexican Night which is benefiting Clara’s House!
• Volunteering at the Zippy Bun booth at the St. Mary’s Parish Festival on September 25th

Plus we have our regular dinner and business meeting on August 11th and September 8th. And if August and September are not the right time, then stay tuned because we are going to try and paint the Hall as a group in the month of October which should not only be hard work, but I’m sure a day full of laughs and probably a few mishaps.

And if the Knights can be of any help to you or your family, please don’t hesitate to call or write.

Most Sincerely,
Bryan McKrell
Grand Knight, Council 953