FROM THE GRAND KNIGHT

Last month, we noted the tragedy that hit Sir Dave Koenders’ family when Dave’s granddaughter Megan was taken from them after a short illness.  And now, we report to you that Brother Jim McGowan passed away last month.  His memorial Mass was held on March 12.

Jim had been ill for a number of months, but was a regular attendee at our bi-monthly meetings.  Always in good spirits, he participated in Knight activities as best as his health would allow.  His smiling face and good humor will be missed by those of us who called him “friend” as well as a KofC brother.

If you haven’t read the March issue of “Columbia”, I urge you to take the time and spend anywhere from a few minutes to an hour learning about KofC history.  With our 125th anniversary being celebrated, this issue is dedicated to informing all of us about our history and why we hold our heads up when we’re asked about the Knights of Columbus.

From its small beginnings, the Knights have created an order that has an insurance program second to none; it has raised millions of dollars to help the poor and broken; it stood against anti-Catholic feelings in the United States in the Civil War, World War I and World War II; it established a KofC chair in American History at the Catholic University of America; at the request of the Pope, it established recreation centers in Rome for the youth of that city; and in 1959, the Knights paid for the bell tower at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.  And, most recently, the Knights raised almost $10 million to help re-build Catholic churches and schools damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

All of this history is in the “Columbia” March issue.  I certainly learned a lot about the Knights as I read the articles and I couldn’t help but feel proud to be a member of this order that has done so much for our church, our country and the world.

Lent is coming to an end – how did you do?  There’s still time to make this Lent a successful one, especially the many opportunities to visit church during Holy Week.

Vivat Jesus,
Ken

NEW PROGRAM?

Chris Baker asked the Council to consider forming a group to investigate the possibility of joining with other Mooresville groups to honor patriotism.  Chris noted that the Fourth Degree is devoted to patriotism and all degreed Knights could take part in helping this area honor the men and women who have given so much to our country.  In addition, the group’s aim would be to help everyone recognize the freedoms we have as Americans, freedoms that some can only dream of in other countries.  Several Knights signed on with Chris to investigate this new program, hoping to make it a reality in the near future.

SQUIRES

Eighteen young men have now signed up as part of the new Columbian Squires Circle being established at St. Therese under our Council’s guidance.  According to Stewart McLamb, the new Squires are already taking an active part in being of service to the church and community.  At the recent Friday night fishfrys, the Squires were seen working in the kitchen, helping in anyway they could to make the evenings a success.  One Knight commented that “those kids do more work than you can imagine”.  A state meeting April 13, 14 and 15 will be attended by a number of our Squires.  Any young man, or adult, wishing to attend can get more information from McLamb at his e-mail address  stewartm@corencorp.com.

LENTEN FISHFRYS

The fishfrys have been successful this year, showing as of the March 23 dinner, a total profit of $2618.  Our best night was on March 16 when we combined our efforts with that of the entire parish.  On that night, we sold 425 tickets versus a usual crowd of approximately 125.  The last fishfry for Lent was March 30th.

EASTER HELP

Speaking of Lent ending, the church needs some volunteers to help handle the large number of worshippers expected for the Tridium and Easter.  Knights are being asked to work in all capacities to help this season be one of joy and happiness.  Any Knight who can help with parking control, especially at the Easter masses, is asked to contact Ed Kane at eakane@adelphia.net.  Liturgical ministers can sign up at church or contact the office.

NEED SOME HUNGRY FOLKS

Our initial Saturday monthly beef dinner didn’t fare as well as we had hoped.  The food was outstanding – roast beef au jus, rosemary potatoes, twice-baked potatoes, salad, green beans and a great KofC cake—but the crowd was a little sparse.  We want to continue this on a monthly basis, but we need some hungry people.  For $10 per person, $25 for a family, it’s an outstanding bargain.  Keep your eye on the bulletin for next month’s get together.

COMMUNICATIONS

Father Kappes, our chaplain, has asked that a committee be formed to help in getting the word out for important news.  As an example, he noted that the two deaths that affected our Council in the last month were unknown to many Knights. The sparse beef dinner crowd was another example. Fr. Joe suggested that we e-mail or call all members when something of importance happens so that each member will know about it and act accordingly.  Steve Liseski has agreed to research the options and will report back to the Council.

Father Joe has also asked the Council prepare a quarterly, or better yet, a yearly calendar, of planned events.  All groups of the church are being asked to do the same.  Such planning will help in the scheduling of parish facilities.

MEAGAN KOENDERS MEMORIAL

During the next business meeting, a vote will be taken on how our Council can be a part of a planned memorial to Dave Koenders’ granddaughter.  Meagan’s school is planning a playground to honor her and the Council has agreed to participate in some manner.  There was general agreement that we should do something, but no actual decision was made on how or what the amount of the gift should be. 

HOUSEKEEPING

It has been noted that our Council has not been as diligent as it should have been in the cleaning of the parish kitchen.  Although at first sight the kitchen is in good shape when we leave it after an event, closer inspection shows that we should be doing a better job.  Brother Wesley Weaver, being in charge of the church’s overall maintenance, was in a somewhat unenviable position in that he had to bring his fellow brothers to task in their kitchen housekeeping.  He noted during the business meeting that he has had, at times, to spend a full day cleaning the kitchen after a Knight’s event.  This means that other church areas that needed maintenance suffered since he had to spend almost eight hours doing work that should have been done by the Knights.  He pointed out several areas where we have fallen down and is asking that we follow the posted regulations to insure that we leave the kitchen as clean as possible.

BIRTHDAYS

APRIL

Robert Anderson, 1st

Pat D’Andrea, 4th

Patrick Redmond, 5th

Tim Kane, 11th

Hank Brzoska, 12th

Tom Joy, 12th

Lee Hoppe, 13th

Jeffrey Miller, 13th

Tad Edwards, 13th

Brady Woody, 18th

Donald Coan, 23rd

Pat Van Rees, 26th

Bob Wessmiller, 29th

CONTACT LIST

» Ken Fusaro, Grand Knight 828/478-9735 kjfusaro@charter.net

» Gary Tadvick, Deputy GK
 704/663-6454 garytadvick@piedmontair.com

» Tim Vogel, Chancellor, Webmaster
704/500-1834  tim@vogelproductions.com

» Rev. Joseph Kappes S. J., Chaplain 
704/ 664-3992 jkappes@sainttherese.net

» Steve Wise, Financial Secretary 
704/664-9473  pantherfan40@juno.com

» Jack Madey, Recorder
704/662-0220  jfmadey@ windstream.net

» Greg Benjock, Treasurer
704/896-2813 petjag@aol.com

» Dave Koenders, Lecturer
704/664-5902  davekoenders@msn.com

» Matt Reilley, Trustee
704/663-4011mandmr21@cs.com

» Tom Joy, Trustee, 704/662-9684

» Ed Kane, Trustee
704/799-9575 eakane@adelphia.net

» Richard T. Keyser, Field Agent 

919/341-1918

kofcinsurance@earthlink.net