Happy New Year and welcome to the January 2026 edition of our Council newsletter!

It's a short newsletter this month, and as usual we start with a few quick but important items up-front:

• Our next regular business meeting will be Wednesday, January 14th, starting at 7:30 p.m. Dinner for $5 will be at 6:30, as usual. All members are welcome.

• Beefsteak is this Saturday, January 17th. This is our annual major fundraiser for St. James parish! If you made your reservation, please turn in your payment to GK Rick or Treasurer Rich Dambra as soon as possible. Please bring your donations of wine and spirits for the Basket of Cheer raffle, as well as sporting event tickets, theater tickets, gift certificates to local restaurants and other businesses, and stays in vacation homes for our raffles and auctions to our meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 14th. We count on these donations to raise enough funds to meet our fundraising goal for St. James. Please also note that we will need volunteers both before and after the event to help with setting up, prep, serving, and -- most importantly -- cleanup! Please speak with GK Rick if you are interested in helping out.

• $1,825 raised for the Parish Food Pantry! - Thanks to the generosity of our members and our guests, our annual Adult Christmas Party on December 20th raised $1,825 in gift cards for the St. James the Apostle Food Pantry to help local families in need. This year's party was a fun night that offered an outstanding hot dinner buffet - a feast! -- and the Ladies Auxiliary did not disappoint with another incredible dessert table. Over the years, our free Christmas Parties have raised over $19,285 for the parish food pantry! Thanks to all our members who attended for making it such a success, and to our St. James clergy for joining us, and for the grace and blessing delivered by our Chaplain, Fr. Quarato. And of course, special thanks to our Kitchen Crew, volunteers, and bartenders for throwing us all such a great Christmas party!

• Admission Degree - Friday, Jan. 23 - New members will be welcomed into our Order and our Council at an Admission Degree on Friday, January 23rd, at 7:00 p.m. (Candidates should arrive by 6:00 p.m. properly attired!) All current members are encouraged to attend in support of our newest prospective brother Knights. The new degree ceremony is brief (approximately 30 minutes) and dinner will be served afterward. Please encourage your Catholic gentleman friends and family to join our Order and become a part of our incredible Council. Speak to GK Rick or Chancellor Peter Carey for more information.

Fraternal Activity Survey Time

At the Knights of Columbus Annual Convention this past summer, Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly announced that Brother Knights donated a record-breaking $197 million to those in need last year.

Through Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids, we’ve now given more than 1.6 million winter jackets to children in need. And we just set a new record for the most coats given in a single year.

KofC blood drives collected more than 260,000 pints of blood last year.

Behind these numbers are countless acts of quiet service, as our Order dedicated 48 million hours in 2025 to serving others.

We continue to support people with intellectual disabilities through our work with Special Olympics. The world too often denies their dignity, but they are made in the image and likeness of God. Last year, we gave nearly $5 million to advance this truth. And even more importantly, we provided nearly half a million hours of volunteer service at competitions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The Global Wheelchair Mission continues to grow. We have now donated more than 158,000 wheelchairs, including a record of more than 19,000 just last year. 

Supreme Council counts on each member council to submit an Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity by January 31st in order capture data on all of the amazing work that we do that would otherwise go uncounted in the annual statistics.

If you wish to report your charitable service in 2025, please click this link and return the Individual Member Worksheet to GK Rick Kreps. Please note that you may report activities performed with our Council or on your own.

And thank you for all that you do to make our Council and our Order so special!

Fourth Degree News

MEETING NOTICE

The next meeting of Mother Cabrini Assembly will be Thursday, January 15th, at our Council. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Members will be able to purchase and pick up tickets to sell for the Assembly's 2026 "Night Out on the Sir Knights" Year of Dinners Raffle. Please also bring in your stubs and money for tickets you have sold.

We also plan to prepare our annual dues mailing, so volunteers are requested to assist with the effort before the meeting.

All Fourth Degree Sir Knights are welcome and encouraged to attend.

From our Ladies Auxiliary...

• Nativity Scene Take-down - Thank you to the brothers who turned out on Wednesday, January 7th, to take down the Nativity Scene at St. James the Apostle Church, as well as the Council Christmas decorations. A very special thanks once again to Clancy Relocation & Logistics (clancymoving.com) for taking such good care of our nativity scene figures. Clancy created special packing crates for each figure to protect them in transit and while in storage. They delivered the figures to us after Thanksgiving. Last week they carefully packed them up and transported them back to storage until we need them in November. All of this is done at no cost to our Council or our parish!

• Feb 6 (Fri): St. Pat's Parade Grand Marshal Installation Dinner We are thrilled to announce that the Grand Marshal for the 49th Annual Northern Westchester/Putnam St. Patrick’s Day Parade is our own brother Sir Knight Tommy Feighery! The Grand Marshal Installation dinner will be on Friday, February 6th starting at 6:00 p.m. at Centennial Golf Club in Carmel. THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT! If you have already reserved, please get in your payment to our Treasurer, Rich Dambra, or to GK Rick Kreps.

• Feb 8 (Sun): Super Bowl Party - Join us for our annual family-friendly Super Bowl party. Enjoy the games on ultra-HDTVs. Doors and our Lounge open at 4 p.m. Some snacks and wedges will be provided, but the best part of the party is our Pot Luck Dinner. So bring an appetizer or entree (preferably in a foil half-tray) and enjoy the buffet! Desserts are also welcome.

• Feb 9 (Mon): Fish Fry Staff Meeting - Whether you're a regular crew member or interested in getting involved, all members and Ladies are welcome to attend a brief staff meeting / planning session for Fish Fry on Monday, February 9th at 7 p.m. in our Council hall. 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!