Welcome to the February 2026 edition of our Council newsletter!

As usual, a few quick but important items right up-front:

• Our next regular business meeting will be Wednesday, February 11th, starting at 7:30 p.m. Dinner for $5 will be at 6:30, as usual. All members are welcome.

• Members, Ladies, and our families and invited guests are all welcome at our annual family-friendly Super Bowl party on Sunday, February 8th. Doors open 2 p.m. for the pre-game shows. Enjoy the game on the big screens in our Lounge and Council Hall. Our Home Corporation is providing some wedges, but we're also continuing what's become a great tradition of doing a POT LUCK DINNER. Everybody is encouraged to bring a hot dish (appetizer, main, or side - preferably in a foil half-tray), a cold dish (salads, sides, dips & chips, etc.), or a dessert for the community buffet table. The selections get more and more creative and diverse each year, so bring something special and show off your culinary skills!

• There will be a brief but important Fish Fry Staff Meeting on Monday, February 9th at 7 p.m. in our Council hall. Whether you're a regular crew member or just interested in getting involved, all members and Ladies are welcome to attend this Fish Fry planning session. We always need help in a variety of capacities and areas, each Friday night for six weeks in Lent. Our first Fish Fry Friday this year is February 20th! If you cannot make the meeting but have any suggestions or comments, please speak to GK Rick or send an email to the crew by clicking here. Feedback is a gift, so let's hear from you!

Welcome Our

Newest Brother

Knights!

Please join us in congratulating the following four Catholic gentlemen who received the honors of our Order on January 23rd at the Exemplification of Charity, Unity, and Fraternity held at our Council:

Raymond Bednarczyk

James "Jimmy" Bianchini

Gene Mallon

Joseph Schiavone

They are now Third Degree members of the Knights of Columbus and our Council!

We also congratulate Jeremy Di Fabbio and Aidan B. Cassidy from Father Breen Council # 7490 in Patterson, who participated in the exemplification.

Please welcome our new brothers and their families, and encourage them to take part in the many fun events and volunteer opportunities that we offer.

A big thanks to our in-house Degree Team for doing another fine job of presenting a dignified and impactful ceremony, and to our Worthy Chaplain, Father Quarato, for delivering the opening invocation and closing blessing.

Thanks also to all of our members who attended in support of our newest members, and to our fantastic kitchen crew for preparing and serving a very tasty filet mignon dinner after the ceremony.

Remembering J.O. at our Tenth Annual Men's Beefsteak Dinner

Our Tenth Annual James "J.O." O'Neill Memorial Men's Beefsteak Dinner on Saturday, January 17th, was another sold-out afternoon of great food, great football, and great friendship all for a great cause!

After a lavish array of hot and cold appetizers, our crew served the full house of hungry men all they could eat of our signature charcoal grilled filet mignon on garlic butter baguette rounds, as we gathered in our only annual "just for men" event to watch the NFL playoff games and enjoy the company of our brother Knights and friends.

We were honored to have Father Tran, Father Marius, and two visiting priests -- along with numerous local dignitaries -- on hand to enjoy the Beefsteak and support our fundraising efforts for St. James the Apostle Parish.

Pictured here cutting the dessert cake is brother Knight Jimmy O'Neill, son of the namesake of our event, James J. "J.O." O'Neill.

Thanks to the support and generosity of our guests and donors, as well as to the hard work of our volunteers, we are going to be able to make a substantial donation to St. James Parish, to be announced at our February business meeting. We plan to present our donation at a future business meeting.

Join us in thanking all of our guests and donors, and in sending a big shout-out to our Beefsteak Crew -- who did the shopping, set-up, prep, cooking, serving, and clean-up -- for another outstanding effort, including grilling out back in some nasty weather. At Beefsteak it's "All about the Beef" and we're still getting compliments about this year's offering. Nobody left disappointed or hungry!

Winter Blood Drive Helps Ease Local Blood Shortage

A great big THANK YOU to our cadre of dedicated volunteers, and to all of the amazing donors in our community, for making our rescheduled Winter Blood Drive on February 1st another amazing success.

Originally scheduled for December 27th, we were forced to cancel due to bad weather and unsafe driving conditions. Unfortunately, because other drives in our area also had to be cancelled, and because of a much worse than usual flu season combined with rampant respiratory virus, the American Red Cross and regional partners, including the New York Blood Center, raised the flag that the local blood supply was critically low, with donations down to nearly 40% below hospital demand in parts of the state.

Our rescheduled blood drive collected an impressive 120 units of blood! That number is even more remarkable considering that the drive was held over shortened hours on a Sunday, it was bitterly cold, and and a lot of people are still under the weather with the various bugs going around.

Over the last 28 years of holding our winter and summer blood drives, we've collected an astounding total of 4,731 units of blood!

Sincere thanks to all the donors, and also to all the volunteers who help make this happen, especially our own brother Knight Denis Hanrahan, for whom organizing our summer and winter blood drives is a labor of love.

Tommy Feighery to Lead 2026 St. Pat's Parade

We are thrilled to announce that our own brother Sir Night Thomas "Tommy" Feighery is the Grand Marshall of the 2026 Northern Westchester / Putnam Saint Patrick's Day Parade, now in its 49th year!

Tommy was officially installed as Grand Marshall before a packed house at Centennial Golf Club on Friday night, February 6th. Our Council was well represented, with three tables full of Knights and Ladies to cheer Tommy on as he received his Grand Marshall's sash.

As in past years, the parade steps off in Mahopac at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 8th. And our Council will continue the tradition of hosting the best after-parade reception in town, featuring live entertainment and a delicious corned beef luncheon.

Please join us in congratulating Tommy, and check out his incredible biography below, courtesy of the parade committee. It leaves no doubt this honor is very well deserved!

Fish Fry Fridays Are Here Again!

Our beloved Lenten Fish Fry Fridays will start up again on February 20th and continue every Friday in Lent [except Good Friday] from 4:30-7:30 p.m.!

We're planning to do things just like we did last year. Seniors Hour, affordable made-to-order meals, online ordering, dine-in and take-out service -- and of course our fan favorite weekly specials -- are all coming back. (If you're not familiar with how we do Fish Fry, click here and check out the item in the March 2025 newsletter for all of the details).

As a reminder, you must pre-order in advance by using our order website: carmelfishfry.com. No phone or walk-in orders, please! 

All orders must be placed online by 7 p.m. on the Thursday before the upcoming Friday. As always, quantities on our weekly specials are limited and frequently sell-out. So order early!

Our Lenten Fish Fry Fridays assist our Parish and community with keeping our Lenten obligation of abstinence from meat. And with your support, we hope to continue to make charitable donations from our Fish Fry proceeds. Through our 2025 Fish Fry alone, we were able to donate $9,500 to important local and national charities. (See our July 2025 newsletter for a full list).

Let's beat that number in 2026. FISH ON!

High School Tuition Scholarships Available

The New York State Council of the Knights of Columbus is awarding high school tuition scholarships for students enetering the ninth grade of any Catholic High School in New York State. They must be children, grandchildren, or legal wards of KofC members in good standing from any Council located in New York State.

Information and the application may be found by clicking here.

Applications must be submitted or postmarked no later than April 10, 2026. For questions, please use the contact information provided in the documents provided by our State Council.

Fourth Degree News

MEETING NOTICE

The next meeting of Mother Cabrini Assembly will be Thursday, February 19th, at our Council. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. All Fourth Degree Sir Knights are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Please return your stubs and money for tickets sold for the Assembly's 2026 "Night Out on the Sir Knights" Year of Dinners Raffle. Additional tickets will be available at the meeting.

All members should have received their dues mailing by now. Please let FN Mik Vrabel or FC Andrew DeStefano know if you have not. Your prompt payment of dues helps keep our costs down for followup mailings and allows the Assembly to continue its many worthwhile patriotic activities and donations.

• Feb. 15 (Sun): Brendan Toohey Breakfast - Come to the 9 a.m. Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church in Mahopac, stay for breakfast in the Parish Meeting Hall immediately after. This is a West/Put Conference fundraiser for the St. John's Food Pantry and will honor Past Conference Chairman Ed Schmidt. Speak to WGK Rick if you're interested in attending.

• April 11 (Sat.): Special Olympics Volunteers Needed – Lend a hand for the Time Trials at Mahopac High School (421 Baldwin Place). Arrive by 9 a.m. and you'll be done before 1 p.m. This is a great opportunity to volunteer with your child or grandchild – they can get service hours, you can show your charitable spirit, and you both can share a great memory. Please wear your Knights of Columbus hat or jacket. (This is an outdoor event, so dress for the weather!) If you have any questions, please contact brother Knight Chris Cohen by email.



• Apr. 12 (Sun): 23rd Annual Westchester-Putnam Chapter Awards Gala - Join us in honoring a very special brother Knight and Ladies Auxiliary member at Cortland Colonial Manor starting at 1 p.m. The cost is $90 per person, which includes a fantastic cocktail hour, dinner, dessert, wine, beer and soda. Contact GK Rick if you would like to attend. Pre-payment is absolutely required! Watch for a future announcement of the honorees.