Call to Order: Grand Knight Greg Peters: Sept 24, 2024, 7:15pm
· Total in attendance: 36 Brothers
· Officers Attendance Report: End of this report
Burning candle memorial:
· For the Canonization of Blessed Michael McGivney
· For Sir Knight Leroy Wagner
Opening Prayer: Hail Mary by Father Cesar
Pledge of Allegiance: All
Special Guest(s):
· Traveling Gavel: Originally scheduled to be presented at tonight’s meeting has been rescheduled to the November 26 council meeting.
Visitors: None
Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting: Minutes of the August 27 meeting were approved unanimously, with a correction that the date of the October Meeting needs to be corrected. The requested correction was actually against the date in this meeting’s agenda.
Financial Reports:
· Treasurer Report: Treasurer Bud Tascone
Financial statement is available upon request. Our financial status is very strong and there are no issues.
Chaplain Report: Supreme Chaplain’s Monthly Challenge for September
· And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Messiah.” (Gospel for Sept. 15, Mk 8:29) Peter was the first of the apostles to openly profess Jesus as the awaited Messiah, the Christ or anointed one. Today, every Christian is called to proclaim in word and deed that Jesus is the Christ. We must never lose the awe and wonder of recognizing Jesus as the Messiah and Savior, especially when we encounter him in the sacrament of penance and in the Mass.
· Challenge by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori: This month, I challenge you to make Peter’s profession of faith — “You are the Messiah” — a frequent aspiration, or short prayer, you recite throughout each day, perhaps writing it down some place you will see it regularly to remind yourself.
· Questions for Reflection: When you say the name of Jesus Christ, are you mindful of what this truly means? When you approach a priest for confession, are you fully cognizant that the absolution you receive through the priest comes from Christ himself? When you approach holy Communion, do you recognize and contemplate Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist you receive?
Membership Report: Membership Director Michael Brouillette
· New membership continues to be strong. As of September, our Council has 209 members making us one of the largest councils in eastern North Carolina. Six new brothers were exemplified on September 23. We are now at 14 brothers exemplified since July and the Council has reached our threshold for STAR Council. Our formal Fall membership drive is the weekend of October 5-6. We will need knights to assist by manning the membership recruitment table before and after each scheduled Mass that weekend. A SignUp Genius will be forthcoming.
Programs Reports: Program Director Larry Greer
· Faith Director Report: Faith Director John Clyatt
· COR (Heart) Program – COR recommenced on September 5 at 7pm in the John Henry Newman room. COR meets on the first three Thursdays of the month. We continued our prayerful study of scripture. We will be using Men of the Word with a focus on Lexio Divina. John Clyatt would very much like to put together some kind of retreat that involves a day or overnight in nature that includes food, fun, fellowship, prayer, formation and a Mass in God’s greatest cathedral, nature. Fr. Ian van Heusen from the student center at ECU is willing to support. If this sounds like something you’d like to be a part of let John know.
· Quarterly Knight’s Mass - The schedule for the rest of the fraternal year is November 24 7:30am Mass, February 2 9:30am Mass and June 15 11:30am Mass. We need several more brothers to step forward to become Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and readers. Both positions require registering and getting "trained" by parish staff. Without more brothers registered we are really over-taxing the few that are currently signed up. Last Saturday, due to a shortage, we had to pull from other Masses. I would like to have a beefed-up roster by the end of September in order to plan and schedule the entire fraternal year. Please prayerfully consider this. If you would like to be vetted for reader or extraordinary minister let me know to get you connected with the right folks.
· Family Director Report: Family Director John Danchisko
· Faith on Film Series (Movie Night)- 2024 - The next two films will be Chariots of Fire on October 19th and It’s a Wonderful Life on December 7. We are planning to screen one film per month in 2025. Currently, we have selected the following Saturdays: 1/11, 2/8, 3/8, 4/5, 5/10 and 6/7. The running times of films is around two hours. We welcome any suggestions of films to screen. This is a joint effort of the Knights and the Adult Faith Formation group. A SignUp Genius will be coming out soon for brothers to help. For any questions/comments , or to volunteer to help, reach out to Joe D’Alessandro, 910-352-7607,
· Coats for Kids - We had a church collection for "Coats for Kids" at St. Mark the weekend of September 7-8 following the Masses. We raised $5,692. Thanks to everyone as it was a great success. We have purchased 252 coats, and a SignUp Genius will be forthcoming to help with the distribution. The POC is Richard Caparelli; 941-223-6518;
· A St. Mark Elementary School Golf Clinic was hosted by the council and was held at the First Tee Golf Center at Wilmington Municipal Golf Course on September 20. This was a free clinic for Kindergarten to Grade 5 students. This clinic serves as an introduction/teaching clinic for students to build responsibility, perseverance and confidence. St. Mark School Athletic Director, Leigh Lewis, reported that 50 students attended, and she received great feedback. POC: Michael Reyes and John Bolger.
· Community Director Report: Community Director Ray Repage
· Knight’s Breakfast is co-chaired by Joe D’Alessandro, Ray Repage and Bob Stevens, who are mentored by George Schadt
· An Evening in Paris will be held on September 28 after 5pm Mass in the Parish Hall. Cost is $15 per person, and $5 per person under age 12. All proceeds go to Cape Fear region charities, Neighbors in Need and Blankets for the Homeless. This is a joint fundraiser in coordination with the Knights of Columbus and St. Vincent de Paul Society – Our Lady of the Rosary Cape Fear Conference. Special guest appearance of a Cordon Bleu chef. The menu: Boeuf Bourguignon, French bread, Assortment of French pastries and cheese. French music and door prizes. 97 individuals and families have purchased tickets, and the event is SOLD OUT!
· Blankets for the Homeless Donation: Congratulations to Brother Tim Kroll. Tim and his wife Celeste single handedly solicited the largest donation yet received for our greater Wilmington blankets program in the amount of $1,623. Blankets/socks/gloves were ordered and have been received for late October / early November distribution. We will look for 4-5 brother knights to help with distribution.
· The Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest is designed to encourage the youth in our community to become active citizens grounded in their faith. It is currently underway with three St. Mark 8th grade English classes participating. Students are writing an essay of 500-750 words on the theme "What are the Two Most Important Virtues for an Elected Leader to Possess, and Why? How can you determine if the Leader has these Virtues? “ Their English teacher will give us the top 15 essays out of approximately 75 of her students. The final judging will be by Larry Greer, Joe Hellmann and Bud Tascone. First place winners will receive $200 each, second place winners $100 each and an overall top winner will receive an additional $100. Bud Tascone 570 351-8076,
· Life Director Report: Life Director Michael Breit
· The months of September, October and November are Focus on Life Months!
· Prayer vigil supporting Life - A reminder of Wednesday's 9-10 am vigil at the corner of 17th Street and Hospital Plaza Drive. Best contact is Larry Greer:
· Life Chain will be held October 6th from 2:30-3:30 pm in front of the old K-Mart on College Road. Need strong council turnout to support.
· Baby Bottle Collection: Annual drive will be held on the weekend of October 5-6. Baby bottles will be distributed at all the Masses and families are asked to collect loose change or make a donation during the month of October to support life activities. Knights can assist by helping with distribution of bottles at all the Masses that weekend.
· Monday Night Football pool/raffle – The Life programs generate all of its funds through sale of the Monday Night Football Pool booklets. The proceeds are slated to go to a number of Life program initiatives. The largest share goes to Lifeline Pregnancy Center, and Room at the Inn through the ASAP program. (ASAP stands for Aid and Support After Pregnancy, and helps mothers and babies by supporting pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes.) Also planned for support is a jail ministry which ministers to both inmates and staff; covering the costs of the Wilmington March For Life, and various other Life activities throughout the year. As you can see, this is a big undertaking and it won’t happen without the fundraising. Contact our Life Director Michael Breit at
· LAMB Report: LAMB Director Tim Niggel
· Tim reported that a total of $12,200 has been raised so far towards our goal of $15,000. Funds are used to support Special Olympics and programs for students and adults with disabilities. Please support this worthy program.
· Knights on Call: Mike Alexander
· Contact Mike cell 910-200-9683, if you want to join this group or if any help needed anywhere. Program is to help others. Just send your info to Mike and he will send an email when help is needed. Help when and as you can.
Fourth Degree Report: SK Greg Decker and Larry Greer
· Monthly meetings on the third Tuesday at 7pm, usually at Saint Mark’s Parish Hall.
· The assembly website is at https://kofc2017.org/.
· Faithful Navigator, Frank Bio
· The next Fourth Degree Exemplification will be at St. Francis of Assisi, Raleigh, NC, on Saturday, October 12th. Two brothers from our council, John Danchisko and Mike Fitzpatrick, will be exemplified . Interested brothers and Sir Knight observers should visit the website (https://www.kofcnc.org/4th-Degree/Next-Exemplification ) for details and contact SK Greg Decker (910-622-0250 -
· A Fourth Degree Bocce Challenge with Assembly 2017 playing against Assembly 3952 for bocce dominance of eastern North Carolina was supposed to be on September 15 at Empie Park. Due to rain, it has been rescheduled to Sunday, September 29, same time and location – 2:30pm at Empire Park. That gives us a few more practices (socials): Wednesday, 18th at 10am; Sunday, 22nd at 1pm; Wednesday, 25th at 10am.
· Wreaths Across America program is now in full swing. Wreaths can be purchased for veterans’ graves at any National Cemetery. Wreaths will be placed on graves at Wilmington National Cemetery on Saturday, December 14 at Noon. Cost of a wreath is $17. Assembly uses this as a fundraiser and gets $5 back for each wreath ordered. To order wreaths, or to sign up with helping to place wreaths on graves go to: https://kofc2017.org/wreaths-across-america
· Veterans Support Raffle is a program to support local veterans’ programs in the Cape Fear Area. The fundraiser helps to do more at Ashley House, and numerous other local veteran support programs. Raffle tickets are sold in blocks of three for $10. The drawing will be held on November 19. First Prize- $500, Second Prize - $250 and Third Prize $125. Contact Greg Decker for tickets:
Financial Secretary Report: SK Cary Newman
· Financial Secretary Newman reported that there are no outstanding bills to be paid. He also spoke about the new initiative to support the Lamb program called the 200 Club. Response has been slow to this initiative and asked brothers to seriously consider participating. This would be an excellent way to make up for the loss of Lamb funds as we can no longer do solicitation at supermarkets. Brother Frank also shared that his previous Council used this 200 Club, and it was a huge success.
Latino Roundtable:
· GK Peters reported. The Roundtable meets every 4th Thursday of the month in the Juan Diego Room at 7:15pm immediately after Mass. The Caballeros of Colon are an important new organization within our council. Their first full year as a “Latino roundtable” was 2023.
· The roundtable hosted a car wash at St Mark the weekend of September 22. A crew of ten washed cars after the 9:30, 11:30 and 1:30 Masses. Donation requested was $10 per vehicle. Proceeds will mainly go to support charitable and community programs within the Hispanic community.
· Geronimo Santamaria is becoming the new Co-Chair of the Hispanic Roundtable.
Miscellaneous:
· Knights Brewery Night: Its purpose is fraternity, especially getting to meet our new Knights. Brothers Brewery Night is at Ten Pin Alley located at 127 College Road. Future dates will be planned. Everyone come enjoy the fraternity! Brother Joe Damitz is the lead.
· Council Shirts: Council shirt orders are being accepted now. An email was sent out prior to the upcoming September 24meeting. Order forms were available at the meeting. Orders are due by October 4 . If you have any questions, feel free to contact Jack Murphy:
· Bocce - Mike Alexander cell 910-200-9683 Contact Mike if you would like to join the team.
· Blood Drive- December 26 . Our next drive is December 26, yes - December 26. We have to take advantage of the gym while school and sports are out of session. Please look ahead and see if you can drain some cholesterol on the day after Christmas. Contact Ron White at 910-395-5990 if any questions.
· Lion’s Pride 5K on Thursday, September 12. The inaugural Lion’s Pride 5K was a huge success! Approximately 550 runners participated. After expenses, the profit should be around $7-8,000, which will be split between the Athletic Program at St. Mark School, Advancement Initiatives at the School and St. Mark Church. The Lion's Pride 5K Committee is extremely appreciative of the Knights who helped out with Parking Crew (Mike Brouillette, Ray Repage, Ryan Gallagher, Fran Riley and Mike Fitzpatrick); Grilling State Crew (George Schadt, Joe D’Alessanndro, Joe Browning, and Michael Reyes); and Beer Tent Crew( Greg Peters, Tony McWilliams and Jack Murphy). Special thanks to GK Greg Peters who thought to put out a tip container at the beer Tent, which raised an additional $400+. This will become an annual event at the school. Contact: Jack Murphy,
· Habitat for Humanity home build is coming for our council. Our first event will be November 2 in Castle Hayne. Details at this link on our web site: https://kofc12017.org/index.php/programs/community/374-habitat-for-humanity
We are looking for new member participation in this team building effort to help those in our community. All safety gear provided. If you want to bring your favorite tool belt, feel free, but tools will be provided by the site foreman. We will schedule multiple days, so if you can’t make one, please volunteer for another. We need 200 volunteer hours on a build. Home will be built in Castle Hayn, New Hanover County, usually one Saturday per quarter. SignUp Genius will be sent out. POC- Worthy Chancellor Ron White 910-395-5990
· New Program Coming: “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” is a program that enables groups to build bed kits and to assemble beds for children in need. All materials are provided; groups provide the manpower. Next build will be hosted by Winter Park Baptist on October 5 and occur at Independence Mall For more information and to sign up go to https://volunteer.shpbeds.org/opportunities/ufiNIAaUNl.
· Stewardship Weekends- August 25, 31, and September 1. Several brother knights manned our Knights of Columbus table. This event showcases the organizations in the Church and helps us with recruiting.
· An Evening in Paris – See the description under the Community Director’s report. However, fellow Knights, the council is in need of your help to make an important fundraiser a raving success! We are asked to provide manpower for a dinner on September 28. Our manpower requirements will be used for set-up, serving, and clean up. The shifts will be 4-6pm, 5- 7pm, and 7-9pm. We will need 12 volunteers for the event. Members of the "Society" will be on hand. Most of the food will be prepared by the society before the event. We will be serving three warm foods, some cold food, and cold drinks. There will be a SignUp Genius on the Knights home page. If you have any questions, please contact Ray Repage at 703 587-0542, or Joe D'Alessandro at 910 352-7607.
· The 200 Club - Council 12017 is initiating a new and very philanthropic fund raiser called The 200 Club. This club will consist of 200 members of the Knights, their spouses and loved ones and members of the parish. The first 200 to sign up will receive a randomly selected number from 1-200 for the drawing of prizes. Once the sign-up period is complete, two $100 winners will be drawn each month for 10 months at the monthly council meeting. Your number can be pulled multiple times in a 10-month period and you do not have to be present at the meeting to win. Following the 10-month period, a dinner for all members will be held and a Grand Prize winner of $1,000 will be drawn. You receive all of this for a membership fee of $50/year while also supporting the good works of the council. This year will be our start-up year so the number of months for drawings will be one or two less than the 10 we will have on a full fraternal year. All cash prizes will be paid by check and either given to winners at the event or mailed to their home addresses. The Grand Prize Dinner will be free to all 200 Club members (donations for drinks will be appreciated). It is our expectation that after all expenses the 200 Club will generate $4,000/year for our charities with much, if not all, of this going to LAMB. As you all know, LAMB collections have been severely burdened by the decline of Harris-Teeter to participate in our LAMB campaigns. We look forward to a total of 200 members to sign up for this very good cause and a great chance to win prize money. The officers of Council 12017 thank you for your support and look forward to having you as a charter member of the 200 Club! Please make checks payable to: “Knights of Columbus Council 12017” and include “200 Club” in the memo line. Mail your checks to: Cary Newman, 1119 Ullswater Lane, Wilmington, NC 28405 or submit your check at the next council meeting.
Grand Knight’s Report: GK Greg Peters
· Membership: Six new brothers were exemplified last night, September 23, in the church chapel. Please welcome John Brown, Donald Dobrindt, Jim Petrilla, Ryan Petrilla, Tom Clifford, and Gerald Manuel. We are now at 14 brothers exemplified since July and the council has reached our threshold for STAR council. We will have our Fall member ship drive the weekend of October 5-6. We will need knights wearing either their council shirt or name badges to man the recruitment table that will be setup at the entrance of the church before and after each scheduled Mass. Please look for a signup genius to help with this effort.
· Blankets for the Homeless: Congratulations to brother Tim Kroll. He and his wife Celeste single-handedly solicited the largest donation yet received for our greater Wilmington blankets program at $1,623. Blankets, socks, hand warmers, and foot warmers were ordered for 200 homeless individuals. The blankets have been received and brother Kroll will advise a distribution date for late October or early November where we will have the opportunity to interface with the homeless and hand out the much needed supplies as cold weather approaches.
· Blankets for the Homeless fundraiser September 28: Council 12017 will host a joint fundraiser showcasing the newly formed St. Vincent de Paul Society Cape Fear Chapter support Cape Fear Charities and our Blankets for the Homeless program. The theme for the dinner will be “An Evening in Paris” featuring a French themed dinner including Beef Bourguignon, French Bread, Quiche, and assorted French cheese and pastries. I am happy to report that the event has been sold out with over 90 having purchased tickets.
· Lion’s Pride 5K Run: The St Mark School hosted a fundraiser on Thursday, September 12. The Knights helped with parking, cooking hot dogs, and working the beer table. Led by new brother Tom Clifford, the event had just shy of 600 participants raising approximately $7,500 for the school and church.
· Habitat For Humanity: Featured program under Community. Chancellor Ron White has scheduled the first of four quarterly build dates. 10 volunteers are needed for November 2 build in Castle Hayne.
· Roundtable Car Wash: The Latino roundtable hosted a car was this past Sunday after the 9:30, 11:30, and 1:30 Masses. Total revenues collected will be presented to the council during our roundtable meeting Thursday night.
· Life Chain Rally: To be held October 6 from 2:30-3:30pm. Need strong council turnout to support.
· Knights Breakfast: October 13.
· Family Movie Night: October 19 presenting Chariots of Fire. We will finish the year on December 7 with a presentation of It’s a Wonderful Life. We are planning to screen one movie a month in 2025 with the following Saturday dates 1/11, 2/8, 3/8, 4/5, 5/10, and 6/7 for the first half. This is a great community activity where we have a chance to interact with the parish. I’m encouraging you to attend.
· 200 Club Fund Raiser Update: WFS gave an update on fundraiser needed to help offset LAMB declining revenues.
· GK Peters shared a Thank You note received from Ann Doyle, Faith Formation Director at St. Mark, thanking the council for the $500 contribution to offset the cost of the Magnificat for Children used at weekly Masses. It was deeply appreciated.
Old & New Business:
· Lecturer Miguel Saldana gave a presentation on Our Lady of Guadalupe. He shared a brief history of the apparition to Juan Diego and the importance of this event and its ties/correlation to Aztec history. He will be doing similar brief presentations each month.
Good of the Order:
· Knight of the Month for August –Knight of the Month was not in attendance, so award was not presented.
· Family of the Month for August – Not named since award yet to be presented.
Prayers for Brothers in Need:
· Names in the Prayers Book
· For the Canonization of Blessed Michael McGivney
Next Meeting: October 22 at 7:15pm
Closing Prayer: Our Father was led by Father Cesar
Meeting Adjourned: 8:15pm
Minutes completed by Substitute Recorder: SK Jack Murphy
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2024 – 2025 Officers |
||
|
Office |
Officer |
P/A/E |
|
Grand Knight |
Greg Peters |
P |
|
Chaplain |
Fr. Cesar Torres Martinez |
P |
|
Deputy Grand Knight |
Mike Brouillette |
P |
|
Chancellor |
Ron White |
E |
|
Advocate |
Jack Murphy |
P |
|
Lecturer |
Miguel Saldana (appointed) |
P |
|
Treasurer |
Sal “Bud” Tascone |
P |
|
Financial Secretary |
Cary Newman (appointed) |
P |
|
Warden |
George Schadt |
P |
|
Outside Guard |
Shawn Duncan |
P |
|
Inside Guard |
Joseph Damitz |
P |
|
Recorder |
Sean Murphy |
E |
|
Trustee 1 Year |
Larry Greer |
E |
|
Trustee 2 Year |
Chris Smith |
E |
|
Trustee 3 Year |
Greg Decker |
P |
|
2024 – 2025 Program Chairs |
||
|
Office |
Chair |
P/A/E |
|
Program Director |
Larry Greer |
P |
|
Faith |
John Clyatt |
E |
|
Family |
John Danchisko |
P |
|
Community |
Ray Repage |
P |
|
Life |
Michael Breit |
E |
|
LAMB |
Tim Niggel |
P |
|
Membership |
Michael Brouillette |
P |