February 2010

I hope everyone is staying warm as the winter wears on. It will be spring before we know it

I have an update on the Saratoga Central Catholic Chapel project. Under the guidance of SK Mark Phillips the room has been cleaned out. Furnishings from the Troy church have been moved to the school and construction is under way. We are fortunate to have many talented knights to work on this project under our construction foremen SK’s Elwin Rivenburg and Rich Schwatrzbeck. Furring strips and sheetrock have been installed and the project is going well. Elwin and Rick work well together and my skills allow me to get coffee and clean up. As things progress they will be contacting the other knights, who signed up to assist, to move the project forward. Fr. Ebert is pleased with what has been done and is looking forward to its completion. I think he is beginning to understand that Rome wasn’t built in a day. He offered to take my job away of buying coffee but I wouldn’t let him.

There are matters of the council that must be addressed. Earlier I sent out a plea for someone to take over the Admissions duties from SK Bob Spratt as he has done it over the years and wanted to relinquish the duties to someone else. I also made a plea for someone to take over SK’s Wendell Neugebauer’s duties of newsletter editor as he also has dedicated years to putting out a fabulous newsletter. There was also the plea from SK Paul Varley for someone to take over the Donny Elvis fundraising show. Each of these people stated they would assist the new individuals for a period of time in order to turn over the duties in a safe and timely manner. As it stands NO ONE has stepped forward to take on any of these responsibilities. It is hard for me to comprehend that out of over 400 members, with various talents and skills, no one has shown interest in filling these important roles. As it stands the Catholic Daughters of America have offered to run a Donny Elvis show and they have our blessing. Other things have gone by the wayside because people refuse to step up. This is your council. You make it what it is. The officers can only do things with your support. Please, this is more than a social organization. Think about what it means for you to be a Knight of Columbus. Please remember to use our new donations procedure if you wish to request donations for a cause. No donation requests will be entertained from the floor without it going through the committee.

Please remember to bring canned goods or non-perishable food to all meetings for the distribution to local food pantries.

Fraternally yours,

Richard Gorman, Grand Knight

January 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you all had a great Christmas and shared precious time with your families and loved ones. . A good time was had by all at the adult Christmas party on December 19th. Sir Knights Jack Whitney, Don DiBiase along with chef SK Bill Joubert and his team of culinary elves, created a Christmas party to be remembered and hard to surpass. The food, entertainment, prizes and visit by a very busy Santa, made for an evening of fun and enchantment by all in attendance. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to this fun event.

Much earlier in the day the Kids’ Christmas party was had with resounding success. A massive amount of work was put in by our Brother Knights under the leadership of SK Bob Spratt and our thanks go out to all that contributed. Duties included everything from planning, registering, shopping, wrapping, setup, cooking and the allimportant cleanup. Special thanks go to Bob Spratt, Dave Marsh, Bill Joubert, Ski, and Joe Freshwater for their hard work and the busy weekend they had in coordinating the events by our Columbian organization.

Meetings for the work on the Saratoga Central Catholic project, requested by Father Ebert, will start this month. The council and those that signed up to help will be notified of the progress and when your skills will be required. Father Ebert is excited about the project and extends his thank you to the Knights.

Sadly we mourn the loss of two of our Brother Knights. We express our heartfelt sorrow to the families of Jerret Richards and Mark Major. Go in peace Faithful Knights

Please remember to bring canned goods or non-perishable food to all meetings for the distribution to local food pantries.

Fraternally yours,

Richard Gorman, Grand Knight

December 2009

It was a busy November, and December looks much of the same. I want to thank Deacon Bill Gaul for the fine job he did with the November 9 Memo- rial Mass at St. Peter’s and the dinner that followed. It is important that we remember those who go to their reward before us.

Congratulations to the Saratoga Court McLaughlin chapter of the Catholic Daughters of America for hosting an outstanding program celebrating their 90th anniversary. Every element of the celebration from the Mass at St. Mary’s, dinner following the Mass, the display of the history of the Saratoga chapter and remarks by Father James Ebert contributed to a fitting tribute to the Court McLaughlin’s 90 years of service.

Please join us in our Christmas celebration by participating with our children with breakfast with Santa on December 19th. Details were presented in our November newsletter. After the kids have their fun it is time for the adults to do the same at the Adults Christmas Party at 6PM, also on December 19th. Please see SK Jack Whitney for information and reservations.

In order for our council to run successful programs and events, it requires the participation and volunteering by our membership. It is disappointing to have to rely on the same individuals for our functions and programs. I want to thank those individuals for their dedication and willingness to step up to the tasks. With over 400 members we should not have to depend on the same few individuals to work at bingo, on program committees, fund raising programs, kitchen crews and the many other activities of the council. These volunteers deserve a rest and the only way this will be achieved is by our inactive members stepping up and renew their commitment to the principles of our order by becoming active again and sharing the workload with their fellow Knights. Remember that many hands make light work and the rewards are many and good for the soul.

Again it is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of another of our Brother Knights. We express our heartfelt sorrow to the family of SK Joe Raucci, his wife, Josephine, two sons, the Rev. Patrick Roach and Joseph Raucci and his wife, Kathi, and one grandson, Patrick Jr. Joe was an Honorary Life Member and served many active years in our Council and Assembly. Go in peace Faithful Knight.

I, along all the officers of the council, wish each of you and your families a Holy and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Please remember those who have no one to share the holidays with and invite him or her into your homes to share God’s blessings.

Please remember to use our new donations procedure if you wish to request donations for a cause. No donation requests will be entertained from the floor without going through the committee.

Please remember to bring canned goods or non-perishable food to all meetings for the distribution to local food pantries.

Fraternally yours,

Richard Gorman, Grand Knight

November 2009

The cold weather has set upon us. Now is a good time for all members to stay warm and participate in our activities. There is something for every one. Please check the schedule.

Thanks go out to SK Dave Marsh for putting together our September weekend golf trip to Malone. Everyone had a good time and rumor has it extra curricular activities even paid for some member’s trip.

Special thanks go to SK Lavern Utter, and his crew, for his usual great job in coordinating the October 4th Pro-Life Breakfast. Attendance was good, but I know if more members had attended we would have really sent it over the top.

November 7th there will be the Ninetieth (90th) Anniversary celebration of the Saratoga Court McLaughlin #422 chapter of the Catholic Daughters of America. Mass will be held at St. Mary’s Church at 1:00 PM with a reception to follow (dinner selection and reservations required) at the K of C hall. Please contact Linda Maitan (583-4020) ASAP for reservations and make checks out to CDA #422 (Members $20, Non-members $25. The Court McLaughlin chapter supports many of our activities and we congratulate our Sisters on this milestone.

Our annual Memorial Mass, being organized by Deacon Bill Gaul, will be held November 9th at St. Peter’s Church with a dinner to follow at the council home. This is our opportunity to pay homage to our deceased Council Brothers and Sisters of the Catholic Daughters of America.

On October 18th I attended the semi-annual meeting of the Capital District Conference at the Waterford #237 Council home. A major issue that was to be discussed was a possible Conference dues increase. After some temperature taking and off-line discussions with the attendees, the issue was removed from the agenda. A more detailed accounting will be provided at our regular meeting.

I am looking for members (volunteers) to be on a committee to formulate a Year of The Priest dinner for our local parish priests sometime in February or March at a local restaurant or in our council home. Please contact me to be on this committee and please don’t make me beg. This is one way we can show our love and appreciation for our priests and the sacrifices they make for us.

I wish everyone and their families a Happy Thanksgiving and encourage you to attend Mass at your parishes as a way to give thanks to God for our many Blessings he has given us.

Please remember to use our new donations procedure if you wish to request donations for a cause. No donation requests will be entertained from the floor without it going through the committee.

Please remember to bring canned goods or non-perishable food to all meetings for the distribution to local food pantries.

Fraternally yours,

Richard Gorman, Grand Knight

October 2009

I want to congratulate all our officers for their installation on September 21st at the council home. I also want to thank our District Deputy, Jim Mihalko, for attending and conducting the installation ceremony. SK Bill Joubert, along with his staff of fellow Knights, provided an excellent meal for those in attendance. It was disappointing the level of support, for our offices, was not displayed by a larger attendance by our members. Those that did attend, I thank you. Your show of support for the officers and you fellow Knights of Columbus is appreciated.

I want to thank DGK Dan Pemrick for leading the Donations Guideline Committee and his presentation of the new guidelines at our September 14^th meeting. I also want to thank the members for their input and acceptance of the new donations procedure. These guidelines will provide a better accounting of our donations and establish rules that incorporate the principals of the Knights of Columbus and will serve our churches, Catholic schools, religious and community groups. They also provide a way to ensure our shrinking donations pot will continue to serve the causes we have supported in the past at the expected level.

It is with great sadness we mourn the loss of PGK Louis Agosta. We express our heartfelt sorrow to his wife, Nellie, and other members of his family. As we all know, Louie loved the Knights of Columbus and was a major contributor to our council’s success. Through his tireless efforts and dedication we have been enriched by the programs and services he championed in our order. It was a fitting tribute to him by the show of support, by his fellow Knights, for Lou and Nellie during his time of illness and passing. Go in peace Faithful Knight.

Please support our October activities in particular, the Pro-Life Breakfast coordinated by SK Lavern Utter, on October 4th beginning at 8 AM. The Pro-Life program is an important part of the Knights of Columbus and your support for this activity is appreciated. Please support, by volunteering at our Youth Dance on October 2nd. These dances have become a major fundraiser for support of our programs and require the presence of our members to ensure their success.

Please remember to bring canned goods or non-perishable food to all meetings for the distribution to local food pantries.