The Lake Current - February 2021
Welcome to the February 2021 edition of our Council newsletter!

A few quick but important items up-front before we get into the news.

  • Our next regular business meeting will be this Wednesday, February 10th, starting at 7:30 p.m. All members are welcome. We'll be serving dinner for members at 6:30. Any member who wishes to participate by Zoom should send our webmaster an email (please don't wait for the last minute!) and he'll send you the link.

  • Membership Degree Coming Up: We have tentatively scheduled a combined exemplification for Sunday, March 21 at 1 p.m. If you know of a practical Catholic gentleman age 18 or older who wishes to join, have him contact our Membership Director, John Nuculovic, or GK Ralph as soon as possible to submit an application and be interviewed. Any current First or Second Degree member may also participate to become a Third Degree member of our Order.

  • Health Reminder: Please use good judgment in deciding whether to come to the Council for meetings or events. Stay home if you are not feeling well. Please do not come to the Council if you have been in contact with people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or who have symptoms of COVID-19; or if you have been in close contact with people who are in quarantine or isolation, or with people who may have been recently exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual. All persons entering the Council are expected to observe social distancing and wear face coverings when and where appropriate.
Chicken Wing Smackdown Raises $500 for Vet2Vet

A good time was had by one and all at our Chicken Wing Smackdown on January 16th. It also raised $500 for a very important cause: Putnam County's Joseph P. Dwyer Vet-2-Vet program, our local (and invaluable) peer-to-peer networking service for veterans and military service members! Funding from New York State has once again been canceled, so donations like these are essential for this life-saving program in our community.

Thanks to the generosity of our members, we were also able to donate an additional $700 to Vet2Vet from the proceeds of our Sunday Football Fund. Special thanks to bartender extraordinaire Jorma Tompuri for managing the fund and offering to donate the proceeds to Vet2Vet.

And join us in congratulating the winner of the chicken wing contest: First Prize was taken by DGK Tim McDonald; Second Prize by Tim Malone; Third Prize by George Kane. Thanks to all who participated, to our judges, and to everybody who attended to support this fundraiser for a great local charity.
Prayers & Support Needed for Deacon Scott's Wife

Rose Bierbaum, wife of our brother Knight Deacon Scott Bierbaum, suffered a major medical emergency (ruptured brain aneurism) on January 31st requiring complex surgery to save her life. She will have a very long road ahead towards recovery, and at this moment it is too early to know the full extent of any lasting or permanent damage.

Because Scott and Rose will be facing the added pressure of the loss of income and major medical bills, Deacon Art Weiner started a GoFundMe campaign to help alleviate the financial pressure through this horrible ordeal. Click here to donate and read updates on Rose's condition.

Scott's most recent update, posted on February 5th, informed that Rose continues to rest in a sedated state, her fever had lessened, and while there are signs of pneumonia, the most recent x-ray of her lungs was not suggestive that pneumonia was present. The EEG and Doppler screenings of her brain show no signs of seizures or spasms, which is a good sign. The levels of pressure in her brain do spike intermittently, therefore the doctors have her on medication to help reduce the pressure. While she remains in critical condition, the doctor did say that she is a fighter and has shown slight improvement with her most recent CT scan.

Besides any contribution you might make, please keep Rose and Scott in your prayers for the days, weeks, months ahead.
Letters Needed to Support our Chaplain and Parish Pastor

Our Council Chaplain, Monsignor Anthony Marchitelli, advises us that he will be completing his first, six-year term as Pastor of St. James the Apostle Parish. In keeping with the Archdiocesan policy, an evaluation of the parish has begun.

Parishioners and staff who wish to do so may write letters with their own comments about our parish and the pastoral leadership of the parish.

Please address and mail your letters to:
The Office of Priest Personnel
Archdiocese of New York
1011 First Avenue
New York, NY 10022

Letters should be received by the Personnel Office no later than February 28, 2021. Any correspondence received after the deadline will NOT be included in the evaluation process.

Our Council will be writing a letter in support of Msgr. Marchitelli, noting his spiritual leadership of our Council and our parish, his good stewardship of the parish, and his perseverance in the face of challenges presented by the pandemic. We encourage you to write your own letters to the Archdiocese that share your thoughts and experiences, in support of renewing his assignment to our parish as Pastor.
Fish Fry Fridays Start Feb. 19th!

Our annual Lenten Fish Fry Fridays will begin on February 19th!

We will be offering take-out orders only to start. We'll assess whether we can resume limited dine-in service in the weeks to come.

All orders each week must be placed in advance and pre-paid through Eventbrite, just as we did with Oktoberfest. PGK Mike McDonald has volunteered to process orders by phone for people without internet access only.

Orders will be available for pickup in 15-minute blocks (e.g., 5-5:15, 5:15-5:30, etc.). There will be a limit on the number of orders available in any given time block to ensure that all orders will be filled on-time.

We are offering a Seniors-Only Hour from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in consideration of their safety and for their convenience. Regular orders will then continue from 5:30 until 8 p.m.

Full details and a link to the ordering site will be sent in the days to come, in a separate email. Watch for it!
Congrats to the Winners of our Ladies Auxiliary Super Raffle!

Bernie Takes the Grand Prize!

Our Ladies Auxiliary sold all 200 tickets to their Super Raffle and live-streamed the drawing of the winners from our Council during halftime of the Super Bowl.

And the lucky winners are:

$5000 Grand Prize: Bernie Cummins
$750 2nd Prize: Eric Gross
$250 3rd Prize: Christina Dimase

Proceeds from the raffle will allow the Ladies to continue to make much needed donations to the various worthwhile charities and causes they support, most of which are right here in our own community.

Well done, Ladies!
Fourth Degree News

MEETING NOTICE

The next meeting of Mother Cabrini Assembly will be Thursday, February 18th at our Council.

The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. All Fourth Degree Sir Knights are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Members will be able to purchase and pick up tickets to sell for our 2021 "Night Out on the Sir Knights" Year of Dinners Raffle. Please bring your stubs and money to the meeting with you for tickets you have sold.

REGARDING DUES

All regular members should have received their 2021 dues notices in the mail. If you have not already returned your dues form with your payment, please do so as soon as you can. If you did not get your notice, please contact FN Vincent LaRusso.

Honorary Life and Life Members will be receiving their cards enclosed with the notice and do not need to pay dues. However, they should return the form and can also use it to participate in the 50/50 charity fundraiser.

There was a delay in receiving the 2021 cards, and the Assembly is experiencing another delay in getting them out in the mail to members who have paid their dues and to the Honorary/Life members. So please be patient.
KofC Elects Next Supreme Knight

Patrick Kelly’s tenure as the Order’s 14th Supreme Knight will commence March 1st

The Knights of Columbus Board of Directors elected Patrick E. Kelly as the next Supreme Knight on February 5th, to continue the mission of charity, unity and fraternity established by the Order’s Founder, Blessed Michael McGivney, almost 140 years ago.

Carl A. Anderson will retire February 28th, after more than 20 years of service as Supreme Knight and upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. He leaves a legacy of Christian witness and service to the Catholic Church, to the Knights of Columbus and to communities throughout the world.

Patrick Kelly’s tenure as the Order’s 14th Supreme Knight will commence March 1.

Statement by retiring Supreme Knight Carl Anderson:

“The Knights of Columbus board has elected an extraordinarily well-qualified new Supreme Knight in Patrick Kelly. Patrick has dedicated his life in service to the Church, his country, and the Knights of Columbus. He has served as Deputy Supreme Knight for four years and is a well-rounded public servant with diplomatic and military experience. He is ideally suited to carry on the work of the Knights of Columbus as we enter a new era, faithful to our principles of charity, unity and fraternity, and in close collaboration with the Holy See and the bishops throughout the world. As Deputy Supreme Knight, Patrick has played a leading role in several major initiatives, including our international religious freedom efforts, our pro-life Ultrasound Initiative, and our new public initiation ceremony. He also served as Executive Director of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, leading its transformation through the creation of its worship spaces and world-class exhibit on the life of St. John Paul II. Most recently, Patrick led the Knights’ grassroots response to the COVID-19 pandemic titled “Leave No Neighbor Behind.” Through this initiative, brother Knights around the world are serving those isolated and alone in quarantine, supporting food banks and blood centers in need of vital supplies, and providing other essential services. Patrick has the experience and strong faith necessary to lead the Knights into the future.”

For over a decade, Patrick Kelly has worked at a senior level on the frontlines of the Knights’ work in charity, advocacy, and the management of the organization’s multibillion-dollar insurance and investment operations. Mr. Kelly joined the Knights as a university student in Wisconsin in 1983 and later served as State Deputy in the District of Columbia from 2012-2013. He was named the Knights’ Vice President for Public Policy in 2006 and was elected Deputy Supreme Knight in January 2017.

Statement by Archbishop William E. Lori, Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus:

“The Knights of Columbus board has elected a brilliant new Supreme Knight with whom I have had the pleasure of working with for more than a decade. Patrick Kelly is a devoted husband, father of three young daughters, and a man of deep faith with many years of experience as a public servant. He possesses the knowledge, experience and commitment necessary to carry the Order forward in service to our brother Knights, their families, our parishes, and our communities.”

The newly elected Supreme Knight is a retired Navy Captain with 20 years of military service. In 2016, he retired from the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps Reserve, where he specialized in international and operational law and served as the Commanding Officer of the international law unit at the United States Naval War College. Previously, Mr. Kelly had a long career of public service that included advisory roles to Congress and the Department of Justice. Mr. Kelly also served as Senior Advisor to the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom at the State Department. His responsibilities included serving as the Department’s principal interlocutor with the Holy See and other nations on religious freedom issues.

Mr. Kelly holds a law degree from Marquette University Law School and a master’s in theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America.

Acceptance Statement by Supreme Knight-elect Patrick Kelly:

“I am honored, thankful and blessed. I am honored to be called to serve as Supreme Knight. I am thankful to my wife and family, and to my brother Knights for affording me this honor and privilege. I am blessed to have worked beside Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, who has done so much to strengthen the Knights of Columbus and fulfill our mission through acts of love, kindness, compassion and prayer that have helped countless people here at home and around the world. Carl has long been a friend to me, and while I count myself among our many colleagues who will miss his daily collaboration, I know that he will continue to contribute much to the good of the Order as Past Supreme Knight and a member of the board of directors. I wish Carl, his wife Dorian, and the entire Anderson family the very best and thank them for everything they have done in service to the Knights and the Church.”

“I look forward to continuing Carl’s great work and will strive to guide the Knights of Columbus by the principles of charity, unity and fraternity according to the vision of Blessed Michael McGivney. These principles are as important today as they were almost 140 years ago at our founding. They are a proven path to deepen our Catholic faith, and build strong families, strong parishes, and strong communities that work together for the common good and recognize the dignity and worth of every human being. I ask for prayers as I endeavor to advance the great history and traditions of the Knights of Columbus in service to the Lord, his Church, our brother Knights and their families, our parishes and our communities.”

To read Mr. Kelly’s full bio, click here.








  • Info on "Lent 2021" from brother Knight Jason Poniatowski - How have you prepared for Easter in the past? Like most of us, maybe you've given up chocolate, or tried to pray more. Christ is commanding us to live a life of prayer, asceticism, and fraternity year-round. During Lent he invites us to go even deeper by increasing our fervor for prayer, fasting, and alms-giving. Lent 2021 is a spiritual exercise for men that will immerse you in the Christian life and lead you through likely one of the most fruitful Lenten seasons you have ever experienced. Throughout these 40 days, allow the daily scriptures and reflections provided to be your guide as you begin your disciplined life of prayer, asceticism, and fraternity. For more information or to enroll in this spiritual exercise, contact Jason at jasonponi@gmail.com.
Remember, a full calendar of events can always be found on our website: carmelknights.org under the Upcoming Events tab. And don't forget to "like" our Facebook page for up-to-the minute announcements, photos, event listings, and items of interest.