"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ..."

Archbishop Nienstedt prays over Deacon Paul Shovelain.

Deacon Paul's first baptism...

Last Saturday, many of our council witnessed the ordination of one of our own. Paul Shovelain, son of our former Grand Knight and long-time Pro-Life Director Jim Shovelain, was ordained to the transitional deaconate along with six other young men at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. God willing, these seven will be ordained priests next year. Numerous families drove in from Albertville and St. Michael, along with countless family members, and even the elderly priest who baptized Paul decades earlier. In addition, among the Fourth-Degree Honor Guard escorting the seminarians, clergy, and the archbishop in were at least five local Knights. Paul has given so much of himself to St. Michael parish, the St. Michael and St. Albert youth groups, and the community. It was good to give him something back, in the form of our presence and our prayers.

On Sunday morning at the 10:30 mass, Deacon Paul baptized two infants and delivered a moving homily (below) about meeting and sharing Christ. He spoke without notes, with the earnestness and joy that every knows and loves in Paul.



Congratulations, brother -- may God continue to bless and guide you. Blessed Mother, pray for him!

Called to Serve? Consider a Directorship!

By Jim Thorp
Outgoing Council Director

“Surely the great secret of the spiritual life is to abandon ourselves to all that he wishes, in perfect confidence that all will be for the best; and hence it has been said that all things turn to good for those who serve God.” — St. Vincent de Paul

Council booth at the St. Michael Fall Festival

For most of us, this call to the KCs is one of many crying out for our time and attention. We also hear the call of work, which helps us to provide for and protect our families; our wives, children, friends and relatives, who need our attention; our church and community, which need our time and talents; and our God, who wants a closer relationship with us—and we only have so much of ourselves to go around. With so many demands on our time and ability, how do we decide which calls to heed, and which to ignore?

In my case, I looked for overlap. In the KCs, I found an organization that actively supports the Catholic Church and its teachings, parish ministries, and people in need right here in our communities. I found an organization dedicated to protecting and strengthening Catholic families—and an organization in which I could demonstrate my love of, and service to, God as well as my wife and children, with real action.

St. Nicholas Party

For the past few years I have served our council, first as Community Director, and currently as Council Director. These directorships are coordinator positions, which work with others to ensure the projects our council undertakes are successful. Each director generally has a few primary projects they help to lead each year, and the support of good, experienced men who have worked on these projects for years.

We currently have two directorships opening up at the end of June. The position of Family Director organizes the Father-Daughter Dance, Father-Son Fun Day, and St. Nicholas Party. Our current Family Director, Jeremy Rohr, has been supporting these activities, plus leading KC-funded marriage enrichment activities, and is stepping back from the former to focus on the latter. My position, Council Director, works with our worthy Financial Secretary to organize and oversee the annual Christmas Tree Lot fundraiser and with the St. Michael Fall Festival Committee to organize the German Dinner. I am stepping down to focus more effort on this bulletin and council communications—so my replacement will not need to fill that role!

German Dinner at the St. Michael Fall Festival

These are manageable, but much-needed, leadership roles that have the strong support of the officers and the entire council, and we are looking for a couple of men who feel called to serve. Worried you’ll bite off more than you can chew? Partner with a friend to be co-directors, or offer to help lead one of the individual projects within these directorships.

We are all called to serve. If you are interested in learning more about serving as a director in the KCs, join the council officers on at the Grand Knight Mike Engel’s residence on Wednesday, May 29, 7-7:30 p.m., for snacks, refreshments, and a brief information session to answer your questions. Contact Mike at mengel6672@hotmail.com for details and directions. We hope to see you there!

Christmas Tree Lot Fundraiser

May 2013 Grand Knight's Message: Council Social and Awards Dinner on June 19

Grand Knight's article from the May 2013 bulletin.

Brother Knights,

Our council has had another busy and successful year carrying out programs, and I want to personally thank you all for your hard work!

Council Social and Awards Dinner
Council 4174 cordially invites you and your spouse to our second annual council social and awards dinner. We hope you all will consider attending. It’s a great opportunity for our new members and veteran Knights to meet each other.

• When: Wednesday June 19, at 6:30 p.m. 
• Where: St. Albert’s Parish Hall 
• What: Food, fellowship and recognition 
• Dress Code: Casual 
• Cost: Free 

Please RSVP to me at mengel6672@hotmail.com as soon as possible to help us plan for food and drinks. I look forward to seeing you all there!

Council Funds
As outlined in our updated council bylaws, funding requests larger than $500 are to be published in the monthly newsletter for your consideration. At our next council meeting, the council will vote on the approval of the following requests (going forward, these will appear in the Financial Secretary’s column):

•  Three funding requests in support of Albertville Friendly City: $1,200 for liquor liability insurance, $12,000 for liquor expenses, and $1,500 for a general donation to AFCD committee.
• A budget request of up to $7,500 for the purchase of the trees for the 2013 Christmas Tree Lot.
• A funding request in the amount of $1,500 for the Council 4174 Over-50 fishing trip to Mille Lacs Lake.
• A funding request for $925 to the State Student Loan Fund
• A budget request of up to $600 for All in God’s Plan 

A Few Thoughts 
Brother Jim Thorp has written an article this month about the role of directors in the council. I encourage each of you to consider new ways you can help support the council’s mission. Also, please join us at our last two council meetings of the fraternal year for an evening meal and our guest lecturer speakers. On Thursday, May 2, Brother Knight Matthew Christoff, one of the founders of Catholic Man Night, will speak to us. And on Thursday, June 6, Fr. Nathaniel Meyers will address our council. As is typical, an informal dinner and fraternity will begin at 6:30 p.m., with our speakers beginning at 6:50 p.m. Our business meeting will start promptly at 7:30 p.m.

Finally, our country continues to endure tragic events, and our witness and prayers are needed greatly. Please hold in your hearts everyone affected by the Boston Marathon tragedy and accidental explosion in Texas.

Sincerely in Christ, 

Mike Engel 

Grand Knight