Grand Knight’s Message

Greetings Brothers and your families,

Rose and I hope that your Christmas has been a happy and blessed one. In a world of so many challenges, it is good to stop and take your loved ones in your arms and thank God for the gift of life and be grateful for the blessings He has bestowed on all of us. Keep Christmas in your hearts all year long. It may be the way to contend with the pressure and challenges of everyday life.

December was a very busy month for everyone. We started with Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 10^th. Art Beaver once again was able to fill the tummies of all who were there with a great breakfast and bring a smile the little ones as Santa made his trip to the Council Hall. Thank you Art and crew for your time and efforts. Special thanks to Santa for a great visit.

“Keep Christ in Christmas” signs were seen in all the churches though the tireless efforts of

Joe and Steve Minarovich,

Scott Morrisey, Ed Thoden,

Tom Russell and crew. The

message of Christ & His

coming is Prominent in the

hearts of all that see the

beautiful signs. They will

need your help to take them down.

I had the pleasure of attending the Columbiette meeting and Christmas party on

Dec. 13^th. They

generously presented a

gift to the Council as a

show of support for the

Council activities & our

mission to serve the

Church, School and

Community. During the

party we were entertained by the Bridgewater Senior Citizen’s dance team. They were wonderful and enhanced the activities of the night.

On Wednesday, Dec. 14^th, the Council held a First Degree and welcomed 4 new members into the Council. We open

our Council to the following brothers and their families: John Murphy (proposer Tom Faenza), Anthony Orlando (proposer Scott Morrisey, John Seery (proposer Jim Blalok) and Rich

Suris (proposer Mike Power). These men and their proposers will work towards being active in the Council and providing the needed assistance to carry out our programs. The Degree Team, headed my Art Beaver was excellent as usual. We also thank our DD, Tom Mendelson for his presence and inspiring words at the Ceremony.

There was an abbreviated meeting on Dec. 15^th due to the weather. Thank you, brother Ken Genco for filling in for your Grand Knight. Thanks to all the brothers that we able to make it to the hall on such a difficult night.

The Adult Christmas party was a great event on Dec. 16^th. I want to thank my wife for sharing our 38^th wedding anniversary on that night with the brothers and their wives. She said I was the last of the big spenders. There was plenty of great food, spirits, and fun. The Trivia, led by the one and only, Joe Raimondo, was challenging and interesting at the same time. “Will Kris Kringle fit the question Joe?” Thanks to all of you for coming and sharing the night.

Joe Raimondo headed up a group Knights on Wednesday, Dec. 21^st to put the

Christmas baskets of

food together for the

needy of our parishes.

We were able to help

brighten the Christmas

of 23 families this year.

Thanks Joe and team

For a job well done.

Yes, it was a busy month. This is what we do. We are Knights. I am proud of all of you for your support for the first six months and look forward to leading you through the next six. We have so much to do. It will take all of us.

Please go to www.catholic-church.org/somervillekoc1432 to see more pictures and our wonder brothers at work and play. I want to take this opportunity to wish you a joyous New Year. We will have many challenges but with the brothers of Council 1432, we can meet these opportunities and succeed.

May God bless you and your families.

Ron Newsom, Grand Knight

First meeting of the New Year

Our first meeting of the New Year will be Thursday, January 5^th. Please come and hear the issues and be part of the resolutions. There will also be a Columbus Club meeting after our regular meeting. The Council meeting will be held to a minimum so the Columbus Club can present some very important and valuable information.

Charity Ball Update

A check for $2,450 was issued to the Boomer Esiason Foundation during December. This brings our total contribution to $7,500 for the event when you add in the Auction. A big thanks to all of you that attended the event. We hope to meet with the BEF team for a formal presentation of a symbolic check and press release. The Charity committee will be meeting in January to review the event results and start planning for the 2006 Ball.

Council Financial Status

As we have discussed in the past, the Grand Knight and the Council Officers have been addressing the finances of the Council during the year. In depth discussions will be continuing as we move into January and February. Several cost cutting measures have been implemented and additional revenue programs are being developed to address the increasing cost of running the council and maintaining the building. The Columbus Club, under the leadership of Jim Trenchard has worked hard to provide an adequate building to serve the council needs at the lowest cost possible. As a council, we pay rent to the Columbus Corp. for handling the expense side of the maintenance and improvements. Rentals, through the membership of the Council, go to offset some of the expenses.

Your Council management (GK and officers) are addressing these needs for the Council Hall and the income needed to keep up with the costs. This is why we have modified our spending methods and encouraged the participation of all brothers in the activities. In the coming months, the GK and officers will be considering a plan of action to address the financial issues. This would include the action of raising dues to meet certain fixed costs implementation of new programs to fund certain events. This notice is being provided to you as notification of what to expect. Please come to the meetings and get involved in the future of your council. Your GK invites your input. It is your council and your future.

Ron Newsom, GK

.Breakfast with Santa

Visions of pancakes danced in their …

An excited, lively group of 25 boys and girls had individual conferences with Santa Claus at the annual Christmas breakfast on December 10. While the children came away with crayons, coloring books, candy canes and their one-on-one with Santa, parents and grandparents enjoyed a hearty pancake and sausage breakfast.

Special thanks to Charles Hutchings, George and Ellen Cox in the kitchen, Mike Cebo, Carl Laterra, Jim Farmar, Ed Thoden and Paul Rippas as waiters and clean-up crew and, most of all, Joe Raimondo as the guy in the red suit who promised the children will get everything they asked for!

Art Beaver, PGK

K of C Hall Is Open for NFL Conference Championships are you ready for some football …

Mark your calendars for Sunday, January 22 and come to the Council Hall to watch the NFL Conference Championship doubleheader. These two games will determine the Super Bowl XL combatants two weeks later on February V.

All Knights are welcome to attend, along with family and friends. The bar will be open for refreshments at club prices and, if there’s enough interest in food, we’ll send out for pizza.

Doors will open 30 minutes before the first game kickoff -- look for the start time in your local newspaper as the date nears.

Art Beaver, PGK

Knights Family Mass at Immaculate Conception Church

The Somerville Council is sponsoring a Family Mass at Immaculate Conception Church on Sunday, May 21 at the 9:00 a.m. service.

All Knights and their families are invited to take part. To make the Mass even more special, qualified member Knights and their children can serve as lector, Eucharistic ministers and altar servers.

If you or a family member have an interest in one of these special roles, please contact Art Beaver before February 1.

Additional information about this Family Mass will appear in upcoming newsletters.

Art Beaver, PGK (908-369-5905)

Vets-to-Mass

The next Vets-to-Mass Sunday is Sunday, February 12, 2006. Five or six volunteers are needed to help take veterans to Mass at Lyons Veterans hospital on the morning of February 12th. Meeting time at the K of C hall is 8:00 AM so we can car pool to Lyons hospital

Happy New Year to All, Mike Cebo, PGK

Upcoming Events

Jan 5 (Th) Reg Business Meeting 8 PM

Columbus Club 4^th Qtr ’05 Meeting

Jan 9 (Mn ) Officer meeting 7:30

Jan 12 (Th) Social Night At Hall

Jan 19 (Th) Reg Business Meeting 8PM

Jan 22 (Sun) NFL Conf Championships KOC Hall

Jan 26 (Th) Social Night At Hall

Feb 2 (Th) Reg Business Meeting 8PM

Feb 9 (Th) Social Night At Hall

Feb 12 (Sun) Vets to Mass 8AM

Feb 16 (Th) Reg Business Meeting 8PM

Feb 23 (Th) Social Night At Hall

May 21 (Sun) Knights Family Mass 9:00 AM @ I C

Columbus Club Corner

Remember the council hall is open every Thursday beginning at 7pm for socializing; so come on down.

Quarterly Meeting Postponed: Because the weather, the Columbus Club Dec 15^th quarterly meeting was postponed to Thursday, January 5, 2006 immediately following the regularly scheduled council meeting.

Hall Rental Increase Notice: Due to increasing expenses for operating and maintaining the hall, the Columbus Club Executive Board voted with some reluctance to increase the 2006 rental rates by $25. Rates for council members in good standing is now $200 and for all other renters $300.

Fire Alarm System Operative: On December 6th, the new fire alarm system for the council hall passed electrical and fire inspections and is now in service. Note that there are emergency pull boxes to activate the alarm at each exit as required by code. Please supervise children so these pull boxes are not inadvertently activated. Also confine heavy smoking to the bar area and turn on smoke eaters to prevent unnecessary activation of the smoke alarms. Do Not Smoke in restrooms as all restrooms are equipped with detectors!

Hall Rentals: One of your benefits of membership in our council is the ability to rent the council hall. Rental rates are reasonable and the decorated hall makes an excellent venue for many celebrations such as birthdays, anniversaries, showers, sacraments, etc. Contact me to reserve your date. (908) 231-0827

Jim Trenchard, PGK President and Hall Rental Chairman

Planning a Family Pancake Breakfast in Feb 2006

Plans are underway for a Family Pancake breakfast at MMOG on a Sunday in February.  We are waiting to hear from MMOG as to what Sunday.  We will share the net revenue with the Church for a project of their choosing.  This is a Council activity and we need all hands on deck.  The Breakfast will be served after the 7:30, 9:00, and 10:30 Masses.  We will need money takers, set up teams, clean up teams,  cookers and servers after all masses.  We will endeavor to get the confirmation cand. to be runners, table setters, and servers as part of their service commitment.

I will take the lead and organize.  Let me know it you are interested.  We will try to plan one more if possible at another church.

Please let me know it you want to help.  Sign up will be on the board.  Thanks.

Ron Newsom GK

Fish Fry at he Council during Lent.

Plans will be made to have 3 fish fries during lent at the council.  This will be to help offset Council costs for the building and funding of various council programs.  I will be the point person, but I need someone with any experience in doing this at the council to come forward and help.  We need to get rolling so we can get some publicity and draw a crowd.

This is an opportunity for some of you that have not had the chance to get involved in a project to take on some responsibility.  If you can't work the event then you can certainly come and support the event by bringing your family, friends and neighbors to the fish fry.  Hopefully, a successful event will help limit any contemplated dues increase.

It is your council.  Please Fulfill your pledge of participation. 

Thanks, Ron Newsom, GK

Religious Articles

Do you have any extra religious articles that you do not know what to do with? Please bring them to the next business meeting. Brother Bob Behling will ensure that they are sent to Missions in Developing Nations.

Eye Glasses/Cell Phones/Printer Toner

Reminder: Ongoing support is required for the drives to collect eye glasses for the needy, used cell phones and printer cartridges. These items can be brought down to the council hall any Thursday night. Spread the word to friends and relatives to help us in these efforts.

Columbiettes News

The Columbiettes is the Lady’s auxiliary of the Knights of Columbus, they do a lot of wonderful activities which help out our Council. If you know someone who is interested in getting involved please contact: Grace Longo 908-725-1114.

If you are interested in becoming a Knight Life Booster please contact Brother George Cox at 908-431-9362

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If you are interested in becoming a Knight Life Booster please contact Brother George Cox at 908-431-9362

Happy New Year

2006