Salary Award: You
Must Be In It – To Win It
Reminder: Every business
meeting your name along with the names of all council members are placed
in “the hat” for a chance at the world renowned Salary Award (you must be
present to win). The Award grows monthly and now stands at $ 180. Looking forward to seeing you at the next
council meeting.
Council Honors PGK Jerry Nugent
Jerry, Eleanor , daughter-in-law Kim and son Michael.
Brothers,
On February 19th we honored
our Past Grand Knight, Jerry Nugent. There were approximately 70 of
Jerry's fellow Knights and family attending. Father John opened with Mass
at
Grand Knight, Henry Yablonski,
thanked Jerry for a job well done and presented him with a few awards and
gifts. Jerry thanked all in attendance and all his brother Knights for
their support.
Jim Trenchard presented Eric
with an award of appreciation for his many services. Pat Kelley received
an award of appreciation for making sure the trash is out the door and carried
away. Joe Romando received an appreciation award for all the eminence and
clean up
around the hall. These
are all thankless jobs, and we appreciate these Knights for stepping up to the
tasks.
I would like to thank GK Henry
for his help and support for the event. My wife, Rose, Kate & Bill Choquette,
Ellen and George Cox, and Lynne Derwid were extremely helpful for making the
night a success. My thanks to Jim Trenchard for setting up the Altar and
handling the readings. If I left anyone out, please know that you are
appreciated. Thanks to everyone for cleaning the hall after the party.
Congratulations Jerry and
thanks for all your time and effort.
Ron Newsom, Chairman
Grand
Knight’s Message
Brother Knights,
We are now in the Lenten Season. As Lent continues, we should all be thinking
about getting to Confession before Easter.
Let us all keep praying for each other during this season.
In our Council, two of our Brothers are still recovering
from sickness: Brs. Greg Matejek and Gene Quintieri. Br. Greg is now at home, but is still experiencing
difficulty in walking. Br. Gene is
making a good recovery. Keep them in our
prayers.
Since the last Knight Life,
several events were held:
- The Annual Hoop Shoot was held on January 16.
24 boys and 9 girls, ages 10-14 participated. Our Council had five winners that went on to
win at the District Playoffs: James Ziemba,
Mary Kelly, Alex Pavlovich, Kristen Power and Jonathan Roche. Thanks to PGK Jim Hannan for chairing this
event.
- The Super Bowl
Sunday Party was held on Feb.6. Over 100
people attended. Thanks to Br.
- Vets to Mass was held on Sunday, February
13. Thanks to PGK Mike Cebo for chairing
this event.
- Knight
Appreciation Night to honor PGK
- On Sunday, Feb 20, the Knights of
Upcoming events for the next
month:
- The Spring Membership Blitz will be held on
Sat, March 5 and Sun, March 6. Br. Ken
Genco is looking for volunteers to recruit potential candidates. Open House will follow on Wed, March 16 with
the 1st Degree Exemplification on Wed, March 23.
- The KofC and the 4th Degree Color
Guard will march in 10th Annual Somerville Saint Patrick’s Day
Parade on Sun, March 13. Starting
- The Passion of Christ movie will be shown on
Fri, March 18 at the Council Hall starting at
- The Easter Egg Hunt will be held on Sat,
March 19, starting at
Have a Happy and Blessed
Easter. Vivat Jesus,
Grand
Knight
Chaplain’s
Message
When I was a child, Christmas
was my favorite day of the year. But as
I’ve grown older, Easter has taken its place.
I still love Christmas and its joyful season. But there is something very special to me
about Easter.
Perhaps its because Easter
celebrates those events that stand at the very heart of our Catholic
Faith. At Easter we remember that Jesus
Christ died and rose from the dead, so that we could one day pass through death
and rise to New Life with Him.
Some people say: “Christmas is for children.” That may be so, but Easter is definitely for
adults! The events of the first Easter
deal with some very grown up things.
Things like the betrayal of a good man by one of His closest
friends. Things like an innocent man
dying painfully as His good mother watches helplessly in sorrow. Indeed, Easter reminds us that Jesus loves
each of us so much that He willingly suffered the very worst to save us from
sin and give us Eternal Life!
With all this in mind, I would
ask each and every one of you to do two things this Easter. First, make every
effort to join your parish
celebrations on Holy Thursday and Good Friday – as well as on Easter
Sunday. The ceremonies in church on
those days help us to remember all that Jesus did to save us. Joining in those Liturgies is a wonderful way
to show that we truly appreciate what He did.
Second, please spend some quiet
time just thinking about the events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Think of how our Good Lord died for us on the
Cross, and how He rose from the dead in glory.
Think of how He did all this so that you and I can one day rise with Him
to Eternal Life in Heaven – and say a few quiet words of thanks.
Easter is the most glorious day
of the year, because it celebrates the greatest event in human history – the
Resurrection of Jesus Christ! Be sure to
celebrate Easter in a fitting way, by attending the various Masses of Holy Week
and taking time to think prayerfully about all that Jesus did for us on those
days. Doing so will open you to all the
graces that our Good Lord wishes to give you this Easter.
May the Risen Jesus fill you
with joy at Easter and always!
Fr. John
Charity Ball
Donation to New Moms / New Expectations
A donation
from the Charity Ball was made to the New Moms/New Expectations on Sunday,
February 27.
Pictured: Anne Helmstettar, Chairman of New Moms/New
Expectations, accepting the donation check from GK Henry Yablonski. Also in the picture starting from the left
are: PGK Jim Trenchard; Reverend Joseph Celano, Pastor; Reverend John Barbella,
Associate Pastor and Chaplain for our Council; and PGK
The New Moms/New Expectations Day Care Center is located
on St. Bernard of Clairvaux church grounds.
Easter Egg Hunt
& Pancake Breakfast
A Somerville Council tradition continues with an Easter
Egg Hunt for the children and a pancake breakfast for all! It takes place
Saturday, March 19th with
breakfast served from
Adults $4.00, children free. Don't be left out -- Call Art Beaver at 908-369-5905 with the
number of adults and children attending or use the sign-up sheet at the hall.
In addition, council members are needed to help in the
kitchen and in mopping up the broken egg shells. Give Brother Art a call if you
can assist.
A Knight at the
Movies -- Special Notice
Now Playing: The PASSION of the CHRIST
There will be a
special showing of Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ" at
the council hall on Friday evening March
18th beginning at
Dear Brother Knights,
Once again, the Somerville K of C
will conduct its annual drive (this is our 30th year) to aid the
citizens of
To be successful, I need your
help. Please volunteer to take a tour. Ask family members to help. This is a
great way to get involved and to aid a worthy cause.
If you are wondering how the
funds are distributed I can tell you that 90% of all money collected stays in
Somerset County, with 10% going to the State K of C.
Path
Mark: We will be
canvassing in front of Path Mark in
Stop
& Shop: We have booked Fri. April 22,
Sat. April 23 and Sun. April 24 at Stop & Shop in the Raritan Mall from
Bagel
Garden: We also
have permission to “Shake a Can” at the Bagel Garden located on Rt. 202 in
Branchburg for Fri. April 22, Sat. April 23 and Sun. April 24 from 8:00 AM
until 12:00 Noon.
Sign-up sheets are on the board
at the council hall. Call me at home at 908-722-8299 if you can’t get to the
hall to sign-up. Please help.
Fraternally,
Thomas
J. Russell Chairman for
Knight @ the Derby aka The
Spring Trot
The
next Knight at the Races will be held on Kentucky Derby Day May 7 in
the Council Hall. Tickets are $7 per
person ($60 to reserve a table of 10) and are available at the door or
in advance from PGK Mike Power. Contact your friends, family, neighbors and
anyone else interested in having a very enjoyable evening; plan ahead and reserve
a table. Ticket price includes
admission, free draft beer, wine and soda and a delectable assortment of tube
steaks and KofC chili (Mint Juleps
and mixed drinks at normal club prices).
Michael J. Power – PGK (908-303-9382)
Retention
Committee
Brothers, this is a report by the Retention Committee and
was presented at the last Council Meeting.
I want to share the information with you and encourage all of you to
take a look at the new Mentor Program. This program is designed to help reduce the
number of members in arrears and increase the number of active members working
the many activities. I ask all of you,
particularly those that have been around for awhile but not active, to give
strong consideration to this program.
This may be an important avenue to becoming active and supporting the
council membership program. I thank you
in advance for your time and consideration.
Purpose:
To provide a candidate with a member that will guide him through the first
degree and beyond if a sponsor does not step forward to usher him through.
It is not intended
to replace a member that wants to be a sponsor for a candidate that they bring
into the process.
· Attend the open house scheduled
for 3/16.
· Greet the candidates and their
families.
·
When
the candidate fills out the form 100, either a sponsor will be identified
or a mentor will be assigned to support the candidate. This will be handled by our Membership
Director.
Specific responsibilities:
(Mirrors the Shining Armor Award)
· Ensure the candidate makes it to
the 1st degree
·
Make
sure the candidate attends the first business meeting after the degree and two
more after that for a minimum of 3 meetings attended.
· Encourage participation in 3
Council Activities.
·
Have
the new member meet with the Insurance Rep.
·
Encourage
the new member to make their 2nd and 3rd degree as soon
as possible. Endeavor to attend those
degrees with him as support.
·
Encourage
the new member to recruit a new member if possible.
This process will give the new
member a feeling of belonging, advance to the next degrees, become active and
take advantage of the insurance program.
It would also put them in line for the Shining Armor Award.
Council Activities
A package is being developed for presentation to the new
member the night he makes his first degree.
It will contain information about the Knights and more specifics about
the Council. A key part of the program
is the list of upcoming activities that will be included. This would be the ARC, Patriot games, etc….
through June. The new member will be
encouraged to select one or more of these activities to get involved and enjoy
the fraternity with his brother Knights.
The mentor/sponsor will be instrumental in explaining the programs &
encouraging new member participation.
The program has been developed by the Retention Committee
to ensure that our members are active and in good standing from the start of
Knighthood.
I want to thank the committee for an excellent job in
working together to make this happen. The Retention Committee Members are Ken
Genco, Henry Yablonski, Mike Cebo, Art Beaver, Jerry Nugent, and Tom
Russell. Special thanks to Tom Russell
for his diligence in reducing the number of suspensions. Without his follow up and planning, our
suspension rate would be much greater.
Respectfully Submitted,
Ron Newsom (PGK, DGK, Retention Chairman)
Vets
to Mass:
On Sunday, Feb. 13 our Council
helped in taking "Vets to Mass" at
The next "Vets to
Mass" Sunday is
Mike Cebo, PGK
Key Activities At A Glance::
Mar 3 (Th) Regular
Business Meeting,
Mar 5 (Sa) Membership Blitz
Mar 6 (Su) Membership Blitz
Mar 10 (Th) Social Night,
Officers Meeting,
Mar 13 (Su) St. Patrick’s Day Parade,
Mar 16 (Wd) New Membership Open House,
Mar 17 (Th) Regular
Business Meeting,
Mar 18 (Fr) The Passion of Christ
Movie
Mar 19 (Sa) Easter Egg Hunt
Mar 21 (Mn) Open House 4th Degree,
Mar 23 (Wd) 1st
Degree Exemplification,
Mar 27 (Su) Easter
Mar 31 (Th) Social Night,
Apr 4 (Mn) NCAA Playoff
Apr 6 (Wd) 2nd Degree
Exemplification,
Apr 7 (Th) Regular Business
Meeting,
Apr 8 (Fr) 3nd Degree Exemplification,
Apr 12 (Tu) Pride in Priests Dinner,
Apr 14 (Th) Social Night,
Officers Meeting,
Apr 16 (Sa) Spring Fling Dance MMOG
Apr 21 (Th) Regular Business Meeting,
Apr 22 (Fr)
Apr 23 (Sa)
Apr 24 (Su)
Apr 28 (Th) Social Night,
Spring Training
Now that the Super Bowl is over (and I’m not sure if YOUR
team won) it’s time to get off that couch and start planning for SPRING
TRAINING so you are in shape for work at the Patriots Ball Park. Step
One: A signup sheet has already been
posted on the Bulletin Board at the Council Hall. Once you have signed up for the
This is the 6th year
for the Knights to work the 3rd base refreshment stand. The season starts on Wed, June 8 followed by: Wed, June 29 (Fireworks), Wed, July 27, Wed, August 10 and Monday, August
29.
Twenty (20) volunteers need to be at the stadium by
Remember, if you can spell Baseball and wear a cap, you
are QUALIFIED to work at the KofC outing at the
Henry
Yablonski GK
Insurance Corner - Tax-Deferred Annuities
Are you expecting a tax refund? Even if you’re not, you
certainly don’t want to pay more in taxes than you have to. Yet, that’s exactly
what you can expect if you have savings that aren’t in a tax-deferred account.
Examples include bank savings accounts and certificates of deposit.
I can help you to find a good place to put that tax refund you
might be expecting. The Knights of Columbus offers a highly competitive
tax-deferred annuity. You don’t pay income tax on the earnings until you
withdraw them – which most likely will occur after you retire. And these
tax-deferred earnings compound at a faster rate than money saved in a taxable
account.
You can make one payment and select the age at which you begin
receiving benefits. Or, make periodic payments of as much as you want for as
long as you want. Either way, an annuity with the Knights of Columbus can
provide you with a retirement income you can’t outlive.
In a financial world
characterized by uncertainty, a Knights of Columbus tax-deferred annuity gives
you peace of mind. Your principal is guaranteed, and so is a minimum rate of
return. What other kinds of investment vehicles give you those guarantees?
I can provide you with a customized illustration
of how an annuity would work for you. Just give me a call.
Anthony
Petto, PGK, LUTCF
Field
Agent 908-253-8633
knightsinsurance@earthlink.net
Remember
the council hall is open every Thursday beginning at
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.
Jim Trenchard, PGK (908) 231-0827
President and Hall Rental
Chairman
Columbiettes
News
The Columbiettes is the Lady’s
auxiliary of the Knights of Columbus, they do a lot of wonderful actives which
help out our Council. If you know
someone who is interested in getting involved please contact: Grace Longo on 908-725-1114.
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.
K O C Apparel & Entertainment
Books:
Jackets w/ Hoods Sizes M – XL $37.00 XXL
$40.00
Colors: Navy Blue or Hunter Green
Note: name embroidered for just $5.00 extra !!!
Polo Shirts Sizes M–XXL $20.00
Navy Blue, Hunter Green,
Black, Gray or White
White Pocket T-Shirts Sizes available: M-XXL
K of C Emblem on Pocket $9.00 each
K of C Emblem on Back $12.00 each
K of C Emblem on Pocket & Back $14. ea.
Embroidered Hats $15.00
Colors: Navy Blue, Hunter Green, Black, White
Please contact Eric Derwid at
(908) 685-3913 or by email ederwid@earthlink.net
with your order. Proceeds will go to the
“Save the Building” fund.
AOH
Happenings
Want
to know what is going on at the AOH? Now the AOH publishes its Newsletter
online: Click on WEB Updates at the
bottom of the AOH home page:
Officers Role Call 2004/2005
Grand
Knight Henry Yablonski 908-526-1165
Deputy
GK Ron Newsom 908-237-9258
Chaplain Rev. John Barbella 908-725-0552
Financial
Sec. Tom Russell 908-722-8299
Treasurer Nick Patullo 908-281-6653
Recorder George Cox 908-431-9362
Chancellor Carl LaTerra 908-874-4613
Advocate Eric Derwid 908
685-3913
Warden Giulio Capra 908-371-5143
Lecturer Charles Hutchings 908-707-9559
Inside
Guard Jim Farmar 908-203-3464
Outside
Guard Bill Marzzacco 908-725-8997
3
Year trustee Jerry Nugent 908-526-7504
2
year trustee Mike Cebo 908-874-4835
1
Year Trustee Art Beaver 908-369-5905
