Welcome to the June 2026 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, June 10th, starting at 7:30 p.m. Dinner for $5 will be at 6:30, as usual. We will be holding elections for Council officers and Corporation directors (see reports of the nominating committees below). All members in good standing (which means all dues to-date are paid!) are eligible to vote. Please bring your 2026 membership card to the meeting.

• Our 2026 C&B Raffle Drive is well underway but we're behind last year's pace, so we need to pick things up! Books are only $10 each with two chances per book. Buy 5 books ($50) or more at one time and you will be entered into a special drawing for a $100 VISA gift card! Buy your books at Wednesday's meeting and turn in your stubs soon because your best chance to win a prize is by getting in on the “Quick Start Drawing” on July 19th. See last month's newsletter for full details.

• We'll be dedicating a bronze marker bearing the Emblem of the Order at the grave of brother Sir Knight Otto Romanino at 1o:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 13th, at Raymond Hill Cemetery in Carmel. (Note time change.) All Knights, Ladies Auxiliary, friends, and family are welcome to attend this brief but important ceremony.

• Our Ladies Appeciation Barbecue is Thursday, June 25th, starting at 7:00 p.m.. We can use some help in the kitchen, on the grills, with serving dinner, and with cleanup. This is an opportunity for our Council to show our appreciation for all that our Ladies Auxiliary does for the Council and our community. Speak with GK Rick Kreps or PGK Rob Firriolo if you're interested in helping.

Welcome Our

Newest Brother

Knights!

Please join us in congratulating the following ten Catholic gentlemen who received the honors of our Order on May 29th at the Exemplification of Charity, Unity, and Fraternity held at our Council:

Stephen Conner

Joseph DiCello

Thomas Kanganis

Daniel McBride

Francis Meaney

Michael J. O'Brien

Daniel Pica

Brian Sweeny

John Tegeder

George Tompkins

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

We also congratulate Eric Voyers from Father Breen Council #7490 in Patterson and Jozef Bachleda from Father Mooney Council #5743 in Mahopac, who also 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 buffet dinner after the ceremony.

Council & Corporation Elections - Wednesday, June 10th

Our Council will hold elections for all eligible officer positions at our June business meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, June 10th, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Please review the Report of the Nominating Committee and Proposed Slate of Council Officers for the 2026-27 Fraternal Year, which appears below. The report explains the rules for additional nominations.

We will also be holding elections for three Home Corporation directors. Please see the report of the Corporation's Nominating Committee below.

All members in good standing of our Council are eligible to vote for Council officers and Corporation Directors. Please bring your 2026 membership card to the June meeting as proof of eligibility to vote.

Jim Carey Honored With 2026 Founders Award

Our Council proudly presented our "Founders Award" to brother Sir Knight James R. Carey, Sr. at our Eleventh Annual Founders' Day Barbecue & Trongone Award Ceremony on Friday, May 22nd!

Grand Knight Rick Kreps kicked off the evening by presenting the award to Jim for his many years of devoted service to our nation, parish, Council, and community.

Our Worthy Chaplain, the Rev. Robert Quarato, offered a benediction recognizing Jim and the other Catholic gentlemen who laid the foundation of our Council, allowing us to continue performing works of charity and service with a fraternal spirit for the last 55 years.

Immediately following the ceremonies, we enjoyed a spectacular family barbecue and pig roast. Our guests feasted on a lavish buffet that featured a steak carving station, burgers and dogs, Mojo Chicken, sausage and peppers, fresh corn, homemade salads, and other barbecue favorites. And our resident Pigmeister, Rich Dambra, once again outdid himself this year with another best-ever roast pig. Nobody left hungry!

2026 George Dean Memorial Golf Outing

Our George Dean Memorial Golf Outing on June 5th was another fantastic day of golf and council camaraderie celebrated in loving memory of our dearly departed brother Knight, who ran our Council golf outing for so many years.

Our golfers enjoyed a beautiful and warm day on the links that included golfer swag, lunch at the course, a beverage cart, and lots of friendly competition and fun.

After shooting a great (or not so great) round, our golfers gathered at the Council for appetizers, cocktails, a hearty filet mignon dinner and dessert, followed by an awards ceremony and a seemingly endless stream of great raffle prizes.

This year's winner of Best Foursome was (once again!) Anthony Falco, AJ Falco, Ray Kolkmann, and Brian Bellantoni with a very impressive score of 60.

Coming in not too far behind them in second place was the team of Lou Noble, Joe Minello, Tommy O'Sullivan, and Alex Scavone with a very respectable 64. And coming in only one point behind them for third place was the foursome of Bobby Sleight, Mike Jaziel, Adam Brandt, and Rick Steaver with a 65.

Winners of the "Closest To Pin" contest were Kim Crecco for the ladies and Pat Cassidy for the men. Winners of the Longest Drive contest were Paul Cannizzaro and Gayle Russell.

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Many thanks to our Golf Outing Committee, chaired by Anthony Falco, for orchestrating another great outing, and for our stellar Kitchen Crew that served up another fantastic dinner. Judging by the feedback, the filet mignon was once again the star of the show, but the homemade creamed spinach was nominated for Best Supporting Side Dish.

And of course, thanks to the Dean Family (pictured above cutting the cake), our golfers, our generous sponsors, our volunteers both at the course and back at the Council, our raffle sellers, our donors of merchandise for the raffles, and everybody else who pitched in to make our major annual fundraiser such a great success. Proceeds from the outing are very important in helping our Council fulfill our mission of charitable service to our Parish and community.

Sign Up For Our Summer Blood Drive on Sunday, June 28th

*** MAKE AN APPOINTMENT ***

*** VOLUNTEERS NEEDED ***

Join us for our Summer Blood Drive set for SUNDAY, JUNE 28th, at the Daniel O'Brien VFW Hall, 32 Gleneida Ave (Rt. 52), in Carmel from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

In the summer months, the demand for blood increases but the number of donations declines. So as usual for this time of year, the blood supply is at a critical level!

As with previous drives, we encourage donors to make an appointment. To make an appointment online, please click here and visit the NY Blood Center Donor Portal.

To schedule an appointment by phone, please call: 1-800-933-2566.

We need VOLUNTEERS throughout the drive for escorting donors and for monitoring the canteen. Most importantly, we need volunteers for set-up at 8:00 a.m. and for break-down / clean-up at 3:45 p.m. If you can donate and hour or so, please click here and send Denis Hanrahan an email to let him know what time you're available, and he will coordinate the time slots. 

We hope you can join our members and our friends in this absolutely critical blood drive.

FYI: Donating blood is a safe, simple, and satisfying experience. Your donations help give life to the millions of Americans each year who require blood transfusions during surgery, after an accident, or because they have a disease that requires blood components.

There are many different ways to donate lifesaving blood products, including whole blood, platelet, plasma, and automated red cell donation. The process usually takes about 45-60 minutes.

You may donate if you are at least 17 years old (16 years old with written consent from parent or legal guardian), weigh at least 110 pounds, and are in good health.

Contact Denis Hanrahan at (845) 225-3048 or GK Rick Kreps at (845) 225-6318 for more info, or visit www.nybc.org.

AND PLEASE REMEMBER TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT!

The Feast of Saint James: July 9, 10 & 11

The 2026 Feast of Saint James is back on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 9th, 10th & 11th.

We will need a lot of Council volunteers again this year! We'll need help with the casino, beverage sales, in the Sausage Connection, staffing the attractions, and in other roles. Speak with our Grand Knight about how to get involved.

Members interested in dealing cards in the casino should speak with PGK Bobby Palazzo, who will train you to be a great dealer. We always need more dealers!

For those wishing to volunteer in other areas, the Volunteer Sign-Up Book will be available in the Parish Office shortly. Watch for an annoucement from the parish and on our social media sites.

Fourth Degree News

MEETING NOTICE

The next meeting of Mother Cabrini Assembly #1572 will be Thursday, June 18th, at our Council. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. All Fourth Degree Sir Knights are welcome and encouraged to attend.

NEWS

The Assembly will also be holding elections for all eligible officer positions. Get active, get involved, and consider taking an officer's position in our Fourth Degree Assembly! All members in good standing (which mean all dues to-date are paid!) are eligible to vote in the election for officers.

• Fly the Flag on Sunday, June 14th! Flag Day, also called National Flag Day, is a day honoring our national flag. The holiday commemorates the date in 1777 when the United States approved the design for its first national flag. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14th as the official date for Flag Day, and in 1949, Congress permanently established the date as National Flag Day. Each year the United States President delivers an address that proclaims the week of June 14 as National Flag Week, and all Americans are encouraged to fly U.S. flags during that week.

• Don't forget that Sunday, June 21st, is Father's Day! Fatherhood has its origins in God, who chose to reveal Himself to us as Our Father, sending his only Son for the sake of our salvation. Fathers therefore have a special role “in revealing and in reliving on earth the very fatherhood of God” (Familiaris Consortio 25). Father’s Day is an appropriate time to recall the essential role of fathers in the life of the family and in building a culture of life. It is also an opportunity to highlight spiritual fatherhood, which all men are called to embrace.

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.