Worthy Brother Knights,
Happy 2022! I hope you all had a blessed and wonderful Christmas holiday time and was able to see as many of your family as possible. This was the first year we did not have our grandsons here so that was a little rough, but we hope to see them early this spring.
District Deputies have to turn in an end of year report listing the activities of each of their Councils. When our Worthy DD Mark Davis gave me that assignment, I started writing all that 7923 did in 2021, and boy that list got long in a hurry. Worthy Brothers, we accomplished a lot! So instead of my usual notes at the start of the newsletter, I’ll just let attach my report to this newsletter, and you can see all we did together.
I will mention here though that our Knight of the Month for December was David Werve and our Family of the Month was Tom and Marion Marasco.
One change we are making for the new year is that the Newsletter will be back on the Council website kofclilburn.org. Because the newsletters used to contain our account balances in the Treasurer’s Report, we did not make the newsletter available to the public. Since the account balances are listed in the Membership Meeting minutes which all Brothers receive. There is no need to put them in the newsletter, and the newsletter will go back on the website. We are adding to the newsletter, however, our charitable donations for the prior month.
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I hope that after reading all that we accomplished in 2021 that you will be psyched to outdo that in 2022. I encourage more participation in monthly Council Membership Meetings and Charity Fund Raising Events.
The Monthly Membership Meeting is always held at 7pm on the second Monday of the month. Remember you can attend either in-person or virtually. Come in person to enjoy the fellowship or, if you prefer, join on-line to still keep informed of Council events. There is typically at least one Fund Raising Event each month: the family breakfasts, dinners, monastery sales, etc.
Charity also comes in the form of service like working at the monastery or serving other ministries or the parish. If you haven’t had a chance to join in Council activities try to make a resolution to do so in 2022. Ask yourself why did I become a Knight?
Vivat Jesus,
Glenn Klein
GK7923
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2021 Council 7923 Year in Review |
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“Bouncing Back” has been the theme of Council 7923 in 2021. 7923 has had an extraordinary year with the Faith, Family, Community and Life categories.
When 2021 started we were still under various COVID restrictions that hampered our ability to engage in many of the typical activities the Council sponsors and enjoys; but over the course of this year with the support of our Pastor and Chaplain Fr. Sunny, we have steadily returned to a near pre-COVID level of activity.
This has been the Year of St. Joseph, and our Brothers have been strong in their dedication to Faith based programs. There are currently 29 Knights participating in the “That Man Is You” program at SJN Church. In August, 7923 hosted Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, the “Dynamic Deacon” who conducted a three-night Parish Retreat. Several Knights participate in weekly and monthly Adoration programs. One Sunday a month we have our Knights Mass, and we say a rosary before each Council Membership Meeting. We continue to support 1-2 Seminarians through the RSVP program. We held our annual Mass of Remembrance for deceased Council Brothers, and Knights of the Honor Guard attended the Parish All Souls Day Mass.
7923 has regularly supported the Knight of the Month and Family of the Month Programs, and our Family of the Month for October was selected by Supreme as the Family of the Month for Georgia.
At the start of the year, we had not yet gotten back to in-person dining events so we instead held take-out events to raise charitable funds. We started the year with a pulled pork take-out for Super Bowl Sunday and then drive-thru Fish Fry’s on all six Fridays of Lent, a turkey dinner take-out in June, and a hamburger drive-thru event in July. In August we had our first dine-in meal event with August Family Breakfast. Since then, we have had four more family breakfasts, a Spaghetti Dinner night, an Octoberfest, and a Lasagna Night all dine-in. We also had a pork take-out dinner in September. Fish Fry’s generated approximately $14,000 in revenue used to fund charities in our community and improve recruitment. Other meal events this year raised approximately $4,500. Ministries benefitting from charitable meal events include the Boy Scouts, Special Needs Ministry, English as Second Language, Life Teen, Bereavement Ministry, and Parish Youth Softball.
In association with St. John Neumann Regional Catholic School, the Council brought back Family Breakfast with Santa after missing it in 2020 due to COVID. Approximately 400 pancake breakfasts were served, families got pictures with Santa, and the school received a check for almost $1,900.
Also, with SJN school we conducted the Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest. The three award winners received their certificates and gift cards at the School Christmas Pageant Mass celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Konzen
This year, the St. Vincent De Paul Society Holiday Program, in lieu of an Angel Tree and Food Drive, consisted of collecting money to purchase gift cards for needy area families. Brothers of 7923 supported SVDP with $3,500 in donations to the program.
Another Community project, 7923 and BSA Troop 522 held a Flag Retirement Ceremony at which about 30 US flags were retired. A reception followed. Knights from 7923 helped Brother Knights of Council 14496 at the Georgia Tech Catholic Student Center with their Homecoming tailgate welcoming students and parents to the Catholic Center.
The council supported the St. Stephen’s golf tournament that benefits Right to Life. Knights put up the Walking with Moms in Need sign on the SJN campus broadcasting the organization’s mission of pregnancy support. We also supported St. Marguerite D’Youville’s golf tournament benefitting homeless veterans and Wounded Warriors.
Brothers of 7923 continued to volunteer hours at the Visitation Monastery in Snellville. Brothers helped with mowing the 25 acres and various landscaping and facilities maintenance projects. Through Christmas Monastery sales, we raised approximately $3,200 for the Holy Spirit Monastery.
7923 was the host Council for the State Deputy Meeting in July, and in January 2022 will host it for a second time. We were host for a virtual 4th Degree Exemplification, and we held two in-person Exemplifications of Charity, Unity, and Fraternity.
We end 2021 still under some COVID restrictions, but we have bounced back considerably over the course of the year and look forward to complete normalcy hopefully in 2022.
Glenn Klein
GK7923
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Council's Charitable Contributions - December 2021 |
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Breakfast with Santa for SJN School:
Family Breakfast for ESL:
SVDP Holiday Program:
State Raffle tickets:
Monastery Sales:
Pennies for Heaven:
Kentucky Tornado Relief:
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Total:
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$2,083
$578
$3,500
$450
$3,173
$123
$500
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$10,407
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Our Council 40th Anniversary Celebration will be held on Friday, January 21st, 2022. PGK Bruce Rago will chair the event. |
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BK David Werve – Knight of the Month.
PGK Tom & Marion Marasco – Family of the Month.
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50/50 and Attendance Award |
- 50/50 Drawing
- BK Brian Jeffers won $10.
- Attendance Award
- No winner. Next month’s Attendance Award will be $150.
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Prayers for Knights in Need
Please pray for the following Knights in need (list from the last meeting):
- All BK’s - For all our military and first responders who keep us safe every day.
- Mark Dallas – Susan Munroe breast Cancer treatment.
- Mark Dallas – Brenda Dixon leukemia treatment.
- Frank Swider – Daughter Eileen Stewart - blood disorder and Son-In-Law Bob Stewart, stomach.
- Jim McHugh – BK Leo Schiltgen - recovering from a blood infection.
- Harvey James – Wayne De Grey heart issues.
- David Werve – Anne Feaster grief over Houston’s death.
- Jerry Demerly – Two cousins with Covid19 and Sister with health issues.
- Woody Lott – Jack Hozvalt cancer.
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Lecturer's Reflections
BK David Werve read an excerpt about “On the Immaculate Conception” from Fr. David Compte i Verdagauer (Manlleu, Barcelona, Spain). Please read the excerpt below.
“And coming to her, he said, Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
Today, the Gospel plays a chord made up of three notes. Three notes which, in our society, are not always that well tuned: one note of doing, one of friendship, and another one of coherence of life. Nowadays, we all have very busy lives, but, do we have a plan? Today, when we are navigating through a world of communications, are we capable of being alone in our company for a while? Today, in the information era, are we letting it shape who we are?
Mary, a young woman “betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David” (Lk 1:28) has a plan, of human proportions, evidently. However, God comes into her life to bestow on her another project…of divine proportions. Today, he wants to come into our lives too, to give our everyday human tasks divine proportions.
“Do not be afraid, Mary” (Lk 1:30). Let’s not do things just any old way! Lest the addiction of “doing things” hides a void. Marriage, a life of servitude, our profession, should not mean a leap in the dark. “Full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28). A presence that accompanies and provides a meaning; Trust in God, which – indirectly – brings us to trust others and friendship with God that renews our friendship with others, too.
Today, when we are confronted with so many stimuli, often opposed, it is necessary to give shape and unity to our life. Saint Louis Mary Grignion says “Mary is the living mold of Gold” and explains: “A sculptor can make a statute in two ways: The first way [the chisel] is long and involved and open to all sorts of accidents. It only needs a faulty stroke of the chisel or hammer to ruin the whole work. The second [a mold] is quick easy, straightforward, almost effortless and inexpensive, but the mold must be perfect and true to life and the material must be easy to handle and offer no resistance.” Mary is the perfect mold. Do we turn to Her? Are we easy to handle?
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Council 7923 Officers
Chaplain
Fr. Sunny Punnaknziyil
Deacon Mike Hayward (Assistant)
Grand Knight
GK Glenn Klein
Deputy Grand Knight
DGK Angel Cardenas
Chancellor
BK Harvey James
Recorder
BK Brian Jeffers
Treasurer
PGK Steve Brischler
Warden
BK Charlie Brantley
Advocate
BK Larry Hoffman
Financial Secretary
PGK Jim McHugh
Inside Guard
BK Francisco Espinoza
Outside Guard
BK Alex Naumis
Lecturer
BK David Werve
1st Year Trustee
PGK Mark Dallas
2nd Year Trustee
PGK Michael MacFarlane
3rd Year Trustee
DD Mark Davis
District Deputy
DD Mark Davis
Insurance Field Agent
BK John Paul (JP) Williams - 678-787-2201
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Happy Birthday Knights
Morris Facchini 1/2
James Curtiss 1/3
John Cruzat 1/3
Brian W. Hanley 1/4
Bernard DiMarco 1/9
Daniel Cassandra 1/10
Norman Johnson 1/10
Lionel McNamara 1/11
Scott Martin 1/11
Edward J. Dantzer 1/13
Noah Saunders 1/13
Virgil Ponzoli 1/15
Randy L. McCormack 1/18
James Taylor 1/20
Robert Stoakley 1/20
Thomas M. Studer 1/20
Paul T Klepac 1/21
Louis C. Branchetti, Jr 1/23
Kevin A. Prevost 1/26
Brian Gay 1/28
Robert J. Delaney 1/31
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Upcoming Council Events
January 3rd @ Houston Feaster Center - Officer/Planning Meeting - 7:00pm
January 4th @ Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q 1190 Scenic Highway - Tuesday Lunch - 12:30pm
January 9th @ Reynold's Hall - Monthly Breakfast - 9:30am - 1:00pm
January 10th @ Houston Feaster Center - Business Meeting - 7:00pm, Rosary - 6:30pm, National Championship Game Watching Party @ 8:00pm
January 11th @ Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q 1190 Scenic Highway - Tuesday Lunch - 12:30pm
January 18th @ Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q 1190 Scenic Highway - Tuesday Lunch - 12:30pm
January 25th @ Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q 1190 Scenic Highway - Tuesday Lunch - 12:30pm
January 27th @ Houston Feaster Center - 4th Degree Meeting - 7:00pm, Dinner - 6:00pm
January 30th @ St. John Neumann Church - Knight's Mass - 8:30am, Rosary in Chapel - 8:00am
February 6th @ Reynold's Hall - Monthly Breakfast - 9:30am - 1:00pm
February 7th @ Houston Feaster Center - Officer/Planning Meeting - 7:00pm
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Breakfast with Santa at SJNRCS |
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Honor Guard for SJNRCS Mass with Bishop Konzen |
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KofC Essay Winners from SJNRCS with Fr. Sunny, GK Glenn Klein and Bishop Konzen |
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Knight of the Month BK David Werve |
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Flag Retirement Ceremony with Troop 522 |
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DD Mark Davis telling everyone to join us for the National Championship Game watching party after the January Business Meeting |
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Be sure to "LIKE" us on Facebook |
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