Brother Knights,
As I write this, we now have a new pope, Pope Leo XIV! It has been described by many as a time of mourning and renewal at the same time for the Church. We mourn the loss of Pope Francis. By all accounts, he was a strong supporter of the Knights. He often spoke of charity, unity, and fraternity at various times, our core principles. As you continue to offer prayers for the repose of his soul, we honor his legacy by continuing to be Knights of charity, faith, and service to all. Our new pope also appears to be a strong supporter of the very same principles. Though he was born in Chicago, raised and educated there, he has spent the bulk of his life in service to the Church in other countries, namely Peru. In service to the Church which means in service to his fellow man. In time my hope is he becomes known as one of the best Popes of our time. We shall all see. He has been described as a thoughtful leader, not prone to irrational decisions. In my opinion, the Church could use a person with his traits right now.
Every organization needs leadership. Men and women who are willing to step up and take on the roles of leading their club, group, church, state, etc. to new places. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses to bring to the table, but the first thing is answering the call to serve. Right now, it is our councils call to serve. We are seeking nominations for various roles. Voting will take place soon. We have a cornucopia of men out there who our council could benefit from. Please consider getting involved by coming to some meetings. See what it’s all about. Get to know your fellow Knights more personally, not just as fellow workers at the fish fry or fireworks tent. Volunteer to be an officer and if at first you don’t succeed, try again. Our organization is crucially in need of men who will get involved on the day-to-day level.
As we finish the final tallying of the fish fry’s, we move right into our biggest fundraiser but short duration event, fireworks! We need LOTS of help over only 3 DAYS to pull this off. These fundraisers make our reason to exist work. They allow us to help the charities, school, priests, religious, and lay folks that come to us for their needs. Without the funds, we cannot do the great work we are known for. Please sign up when the time comes and offer to help out.
Next meeting is May 21, Fitzgerald Hall @ 7:30pm. We start, as always, with the rosary and the meeting follows. See you there.
Vivat Jesus!
Semper
Matt Schafers
Grand Knight 833
