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St. Therese Council 7406 |
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Saint Therese Council Newsletter
June 2004
My Brothers All:
The new Columbian year has begun and, with it, we, as a council, are embarking on several new endeavors. All are important and will require participation from the entire membership in one form or another. Probably the most significant event will be the commemoration of our twenty-fifth anniversary as a council. During the past twenty-five years this council and its members have been active in the parish and community. It is only fitting that we acknowledge those who have served as officers, directors, committee chairmen, and most importantly the members who have made this council what it is today. A committee has been formed to explore ways that we should honor this special time in our history. A tentative date of May 7, 2005 has been selected to conduct the ceremonials commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration. Of course, this date is designed to be flexible and could change depending on the availability of state officers and the bishop. I would ask that all members participate in the planning and successful execution of this most important activity.
State Organizational Meeting
During the weekend of July 23 through July 25, I attended the State Organizational Meeting that was held at the Marriott Airport Hotel in Greensboro. The presentations were all pertinent to the successful operation of the individual councils and emphasized the importance of the quality of membership and the proper protocols concerning the operation of a council. Many annual reports were addressed as well as a very inspiring Lamb Foundation Report that was highlighted by a video of the O’Berry Center in Goldsboro. The center is partially supported by the contributions made to the State by the individual councils assessments of 15 percent for support to Operation Lamb.
It is my understanding that copies of the video will be made available to the District Deputies for distribution to the councils.
After the conclusion of business on Saturday, we traveled to Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro for the celebration of Mass. Bishop Emeritus William Curlin was the celebrant. This Church, with absolutely no stretch of the imagination, is one of the most beautiful structures I have had the pleasure to attend. The attendance of the 4th degree chorale and the music they provided only enhanced the experience.
Bingo
By the time you receive this newsletter, we will have held our first official bingo session. It has been a long time in coming, with all the preparation and training sessions, but with your time and effort I am sure this fundraising activity will be a success. We still need your assistance. Please volunteer some of your time to help out, by serving on one of the teams. As of this writing, we have approximately 55 volunteers working on this project.
With 10 people assigned to each team, it appears that each team will work on a five-week rotation. A great beginning.
Installation
As you all know, our installation had to be postponed. Due to a conflict in scheduling, we were told that we had to reschedule. The new date for our installation is Monday, August 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. This should be a council event. That means wives and significant others are invited. After the installation, we will have a social, during which we will award two Diane Bigliardi Harper and Micayla Harper scholarships. In addition we will be giving Fr. Jerry a one thousand dollar donation for the parish life building fund, and a five hundred dollar donation to the parish youth ministries.
I understand that John Bigliardi will be on hand to make the presentation of the memorial scholarships, and will also make his return to the kitchen. Please plan to attend.
Second and Third Degrees
On November 6, 2004 we will be hosting both Second and Third degree exemplifications at St. Therese. THIS IS A BIG DEAL. We are going to need a lot of help, both during the degrees and the luncheon that follows. If you have not made your Second or Third degree, this will be a great opportunity to become in full communion with the Order.
Speaking of degrees, we had a First degree tentatively scheduled for August 9, but because of the installation that evening, we have moved it to Monday August 23. That date is scheduled for a regular business meeting. We will have a brief business meeting after the degree. If you can make it, please attend and welcome our new brothers to the Order and our council.
The yearly Fourth Degree Exemplification will be held on Saturday October 9, 2004 at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Durham. If you have been a Knight for a minimum of one year and are a member of the Third Degree, consider becoming a Fourth Degree Knight. For information on the exemplification, please see either Sir Knight Steve Wise or Sir Knight Ed Kane.
Spaghetti Dinner
The annual spaghetti dinner will be held in conjunction with the Saint Therese Festival on October 2, 2004. We will be assisting the festival committee as we did last year, but in addition, members of the Fourth Degree will be participating in Regalia during the procession and Mass. It was agreed that having a dinner after the Mass on such an eventful day would only enhance the attendance at the dinner. Again, we will be rounding up the usual suspects to prepare and serve the meal that has had great success in the past, and is also looked forward to by many parishioners.
In our prayers
At this time I would like to take a few seconds to reflect on those who have asked to be remembered in our prayers. Each of those who are remembered each time we pray together is equally important to all of us. That is one of the reasons it is necessary that we pray the Rosary together as a council prior to our business meetings each month. Prior to the recitation of the Rosary we ask those in attendance to pronounce their intentions. It is extremely gratifying to pray for those intentions.
When we pray for those who are suffering catastrophic illnesses we should take into account family members and also keep them in our prayers so that they will have the faith and strength to accept the will of God. It is extremely difficult to be with people we love who are going through agonizing illnesses. At times it is harder being the caregiver. The questions are many, the answers not always clear.
During Bishop Curlin’s homily at the Mass in Greensboro, he spoke of several germane issues. One sentence particularly struck me as being extremely timely and powerful. He commented, “Prayer is the heartbeat of the heart.” Think for a second about what he said and how important and powerful that statement actually is. Without a heartbeat the heart stops beating and you die. Spiritually, prayer keeps us alive, and without it we are dead.
Let us all remember to pray and keep those who asked to be remembered and their families always in our prayers.
Marion Reilly, Catherine Vogel, Sherry Hill, George Baily Jr., Ken Fusaro, and John Bigliardi.
Vivat Jesus
Ed Kane, Grand Knight
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