January 2015 Bulletin: Don't Give Up On God

Lead article from the January 2015 bulletin, online now.

Lyrics from Casting Crowns, “Praise You in this Storm”

I was sure by now

God You would have reached down

And wiped our tears away

Stepped in and saved the day

But once again, I say "Amen,"

and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls

I barely hear Your whisper through the rain

"I'm with you"

And as Your mercy falls

I raise my hands and praise the God who gives

And takes away

And I'll praise You in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am

And every tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

It is easy to Praise God when everything is going well for you and your family; on the same token we find it all to easy to curse God when things don’t go the way we planned.  I know all too well from experience how easy it is to get frustrated and give up on God.  Many of you know part of my story and for those who don’t, you soon will.  The Holidays are always tough on us for my wife and I have lost many pregnancies over the years, the hardest of which is the loss of my son Connor who was still born at 36 weeks.  It took me a while to get over this loss and I did a ton of blaming everyone from my wife to the doctors to God.  It has been over 10 years already and I can’t help but think how things could have been.  As I reflect on this and the other losses I see that this helped form me into who I am today.  It helped me to realize that I was on the wrong path and I needed to bring God back into my family.  So I guess what I am saying that even in your darkest hour, God is still with you and will help you along your journey if you help him.  I still find myself wandering and from time to time; I am still a work in progress, I guess.  But I know that if I stay strong in my faith and help my family stay strong in their faith we can make it through anything.

I remember when

I stumbled in the wind

You heard my cry to you

And you raised me up again

My strength is almost gone

How can I carry on

If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls

I barely hear You whisper through the rain

"I'm with you"

And as Your mercy falls

I raise my hands and praise the God who gives

And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord

The Maker of Heaven and Earth

My little words of advice: even though you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, keep your faith and keep moving forward.  No matter what life brings you -- the ups, downs, twists, and turns -- don’t turn your back on your faith and know that God is with you on your journey.

God Bless,

Jim Wiegers

Grand Knight

December 2014 Bulletin: Christmas Fellowship

Lead article from the December 2014 bulletin, online now. 

Can you believe the fraternal year is half over already? Wow does time fly and our council has been very active yet again. We had a huge hand in building a new rectory for our priests, coat drive and we did a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for a fellow Knight. The youth had the soccer challenge, All Saints party and the St. Nicholas party is coming up. We did overnight adoration for the confirmation students retreat. We marched in 3 parades this summer, and made it through the storms during Albertville City Days. The trees are coming in for the tree lot and we are gearing up to start shortly, which will take us up till Christmas.

Let us not forget to keep Christ in Christmas; we need to help make sure the youth of our community don’t forget that it’s not all about just getting and receiving presents. I have to say our council does an excellent job of being active, visible and a positive influence on the youth of our community. Let us continue to be outspoken about our beliefs and support our faith.

Our next meeting will be an open meeting and we will be bringing back the wine tasting. So don’t forget to invite your spouse or significant other. We will have a shorter business meeting and get you to the sampling. It should be a good time and best of all you won’t have to listen to me fumble through a whole meeting!

Hope you all have a safe and joyful Christmas and a happy New Year!

God Bless,
Jim Wiegers
Grand Knight

November 2014 Bulletin: Work, Pray, Love

Lead article from the November 2014 bulletin, online now. 

So this month I took the easy way out and found an article that I thought was appropriate with the elections coming up and  with what has happened the last few years in society.

Work, Pray, Love: Archbishop Chaput's advice for modern Christians

“Religious believers should acknowledge that they are now 'strangers' in U.S. society, in part because of their own failures, but should nevertheless work for renewal and worship God with joy”, said Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.

“Our job is to be the healthy cells in a society.  We need to work as long as we can, as hard as we can, to nourish the good that remains in our country – and there’s a deep well of good that does remain – and to encourage the seeds of a renewal that can only come from our young people.”

Archbishop Chaput’s comments came in his Oct. 20 Erasmus Lecture, a webcast event sponsored by First Things Magazine and the Institute on Religion in Public Life.

“We should hope because God loves us.  And that’s more than an empty piety,” the archbishop said.  “The proof of it is sitting right next to you in the friends who believe, as you do, in the goodness that still resides in American life, and who want to fight for it.  In Christian belief, God’s Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The world changed.”

“Our job is to echo his Word by helping our witness become flesh in the structures, moral imagination and bloodstream of the world around us,” he added.  “If that happens, the world will change again.”

The archbishop reflected on the many changes in American society.  The title of his speech, “Strangers in a Strange Land,” alluded to the estrangement of religious believers who “once felt rooted in their communities” but now feel “like strangers, out of place and out of sync in the land of their birth.”

He said “the biggest failure, the biggest sadness, of so many people of my generation, including parents, educators and leaders in the Church, is our failure to pass along our faith in a compelling way to the generation now taking our place.”

“If we want to change the culture of a nation, we need to begin by taking a hard look at the thing we call our own faith.  If we don’t radiate the love of God with passion and courage in the example of our daily lives, nobody else will – least of all the young people who see us most clearly and know us most intimately.”

“But the real problem in America in 2014 isn’t that we believers are foreigners.  It’s that our children and grandchildren aren’t.”

Archbishop Chaput stressed the importance of worship and the adoration of God as more important than action.

“We are a people of worship first, and action second,” he said.  There is no real political action or social service “unless it flows out of the adoration of God.”

“Adoration grounds our whole being in the real reality: the fact that God is God, and man is his creation,” he said.

Christians forget at their peril that they are “in the world but not of the world,” he continued.

Citing the French writer Henri De Lubac, the archbishop said that “when the world worms its way into the life of the Church, the Church becomes not just a caricature of the world, but even worse than the world in her mediocrity and ugliness.”

Archbishop Chaput criticized several other trends in the U.S., where he said freedom is “more and more” constrained.

Freedom has been defined as the maximization of personal choice, especially through modern technology.  Democracy and government has also become an expression of consumer preference, with “very little space for common meaning, classic virtue or shared purpose.”

The U.S. Supreme Court’s Oct. 6 refusal to hear state appeals defending marriage amendments “creates a tipping point in American public discourse,” he said.  “The dismemberment of any privileged voice that biblical belief once had in our public square is just about complete.”

The archbishop said that the “most disturbing” aspect of the marriage debate was “the destruction of public reason that it accomplished.”

“Emotion and sloganeering drove the argument,” he said.  “People who uphold a traditional moral architecture for sexuality, marriage and family have gone in the space of just 20 years from mainstream conviction to the media equivalent of racists and bigots.”

“This is impressive. It’s also profoundly dishonest and evil, but we need to acknowledge the professional excellence of the marketing that made it happen.”

Hope you enjoyed the article, and God bless,

Jim Wiegers
Grand Knight

October 2014 Bulletin: The Tree of Life

Lead article from the October 2014 bulletin, online now.

A few weeks back I had the pleasure to hang out with two other Knights and a wife of one them.  We had good conversation and some very good home brew.  We somehow got onto the topic of our faith and how we explain it to friends or acquaintances from other denominations.

The one way that caught my attention was by referring to the Tree of Life to help explain why we believe in our faith.  As you probably already know, in Catholic Christianity, the Tree of Life represents the immaculate state of humanity free from corruption and original sin before The Fall.  Pope Benedict XVI has said that "the Cross is the true Tree of Life."  Saint Bonaventure taught that the medicinal fruit of the Tree of Life is Christ Himself.  Saint Albert the Great taught that the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, is the Fruit of the Tree of Life.

I may have missed some of the details so I hope they forgive me if I misquote. But here is how she explained it to others that I found interesting: The roots are from Jesus and his teaching deep in the ground and strong.  Then you have our Catholic Faith like the trunk sturdy and strong firmly attached to the roots.  Attached to the trunk you have branches which would be like other Christian religious like Lutheran, Protestants, which have some of the same beliefs but can become damaged and fall from the trunk.  From those branches you get to the leaves which are like Bob’s church—they pop up and fall off to the ground and other leaves grow in its place, loosely tied to roots, and trunk of the tree.  I thought that was a really good way to explain our faith and how attached we are to the roots, Jesus.

This is a good way to communicate to others without offending them or their religion for as you know to have a tree you need all these parts and we are all striving to know our God the Father better.

God bless,

Jim Wiegers

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

-- Hebrews 12:28-29

September 2014 Bulletin: Rectory Project Update

The new rectory, nearing completion

Lead article from the September 2014 bulletin, online now. For a history of the rectory project in photos, "like" the St. Michael Catholic Church Facebook page at www.facebook.com/stmcatholicchurch.

It is with great joy that I update you on the status of the rectory project.  Last year at the St. Michael Fall Festival, our Council officially kicked off the rectory campaign, launching this bold initiative. So at the one year anniversary of the project, I am very excited to report that this year’s Festival will be a significant milestone for the Rectory Building Team. That is to say, as of late August the interior of the rectory will basically be 100% complete and by mid-September the entire landscaping should be completed. So our Council, which has led the construction management, planning, provided many of the contractors, and made a substantial investment in the funding, will be able wind down our involvement in the project.  

The rectory team, including numerous Knights
and past Grand Knights from Council 4174

First and foremost: all credit for the success of the rectory project needs to be given to God. The entire parish placed their faith into the hands of a few to be good stewards of their gifts, and God made sure this project would not fail. Honestly, I am surprised about how few setbacks we experienced Every time an obstacle arose, the team would pray about it, and in no time the issue would be resolved.  

Personalized pavers from donors
 lead up to the steps

When we launched the project last September, we hoped to break ground in late fall if we could find a way to fund the initial $120,000. After that we would hope for mild weather so we could have contractors work through the winter. When we did not reach our funding goal to begin construction in the fall, we worried if we could raise enough money to even start the project. We prayed a Novena to St. Joseph, and then it happened: an anonymous donor stepped forward and offered a matching grant of $10,000 to get the ball rolling.  So at the beginning of Advent we began the paver campaign.  As Christmas and New Year’s neared, God answered our prayers again.  Actually, He kind of tidal-waved our prayers!  At New Year’s Eve, John Bonham, fellow Knight and Parish Administrator, worked late into the evening entering paver contributions for the end of the year donations, which exceeded the expectations. Then, just to make sure we understood the project was in God’s hands, we had one of the longest winters in years. We were so fortunate not to have started in the late fall. Every time something came up, we gave it to God in our prayers, and He worked it out.

As construction began, everyone on the Building Team felt responsible to make sure we were good stewards of the generous donations. We wanted to make sure the parish would feel a sense of ownership and pride in what they created.

The altar in the rectory chapel

We wanted to make sure, like our magnificent churches, the rectory would inspire as well. Through the dedication of Rectory Team members, our Council 4174, the St. Henry’s council, contractors, benefactors, parishioners, and much of the surrounding community, the rectory really is a beautiful home. St. Michael Catholic Church has a long history of inspiring architectural work and has believed that the beautiful designs help us all draw deeper into the mystery of the Trinity and Heaven. The council can rest assured that the rectory will follow that tradition.  While the entire interior of the home is absolutely beautiful, the centerpiece of the home is the chapel. At the center of our Catholic identity is the Eucharist and so there is no better expression we could give our priests than to provide a magnificent chapel in which our Lord will be present in the Eucharist. This chapel will help draw our priests’ hearts and minds deeper into the mystery of God. 

This year as a council, our participation at the Fall Festival will be to give tours to the parish so they can see the fruits of so many people’s resources and prayers and the home we built. We will have council members acting as guides. I encourage every council member to come and see what you have helped create. I also need about 15 men to help us with tours.  If you’re interested, at the end of this article is contact information for Jim Shovelain. If you want to help, please email him.

By the time this article reaches the majority of you, the building of the rectory will be nearly complete. On behalf of the Rectory Team, I want to express our gratitude for all of your support. So many people made this project a success, but most certainly the project would not have happened without the strong support of the council. As a council, I hope each and every one of you feels a sense of accomplishment as we prepare to turn over all aspects of the rectory project to the parish. For it truly has been a home built by the Grace of God.

To help at the Fall Festival tour booth, please email Jim Shovelain at shovelain@juno.com.

In Christ,

Mike Engel

Dei Dome Gratia Project Lead

Past Grand Knight

Upcoming Events: Soccer Challenge, Blood Drive

Knights of Columbus Council 4174 is sponsoring two community events in early September -- check out the details below and don't miss out!

KC Soccer Challenge

The Knights of Columbus Soccer Challenge is returning to St. Michael and Albertville! All boys and girls ages 9 to 14 are invited to participate in the local level of competition. The event will be held at the STMA Middle School East soccer fields on Friday, Sept. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. and again on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 1 p.m. until all participants have kicked.  The event is being held on two dates again this year so that more kids have an opportunity to participate, and you can come to either session regardless of your age or gender!

• Check out our flyer for complete details.
• Contact Steve Sustacek at stevesustacek@yahoo.com with questions.

KC Blood Drive for Memorial Blood Centers

KC Council 4174 is hosting a community blood drive at St. Michael Catholic Church on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• To schedule your donation, go to the Memorial Blood Centers website and enter sponsor code 3912.
• For more information, contact Scott Fredrickson at scott.fredrickson@monticello.k12.mn.us.

August 2014 Bulletin: Summer Reflections

Lead article from the August 2104 bulletin, online now.

Welcome back.  I hope you enjoyed your summer!  I get to fumble along with articles again this year, lucky you!!

I want to start this new year by reflecting on a recent experience I had back in June. Along with many of you, I was fortunate enough to walk with our Lord on Corpus Christi Sunday after the 10:30 a.m. Mass.

Sitting in church I noticed the church was pretty full for a summer Mass. I thought to myself, "This is great all these people here to walk with our Lord." Then as Father ended Mass and before the procession started, I couldn't believe how many people were leaving. They all had their reasons: kids are tired, have to be somewhere, weather could turn bad.  Believe me, I know; I was in the same place a few years ago. I didn’t have the time for a procession; there were more important places to go, and people waiting for me. Why would I want to walk around behind the Blessed Eucharist?  Someone I know may see me.  I was lukewarm in my faith, and this just didn’t seem very important at the time.  The discerning part was a comment like, “We shouldn’t do this because this is not a Catholic community anymore.  Why should we walk out in public with the Holy Eucharist?”

The Church staff did an amazing job of changing the route on the fly due to the weather. The procession was shortened to just around the church parking lot instead of to the Catholic school and back.  For those who stayed, and it was a good number of parishioners, we went to the four altars that were set up and heard beautiful gospels.

As Knights, we are called to be evangelists of our faith and to protect what we believe in.  We should not be afraid to step out of our comfort zone and show the world our faith.  What better way to do that than to participate in the procession and walk with the Lord through the streets?

My challenge to you this year is to invite others to share in our glorious faith and take our Lord to others who may not know him.

God Bless,

Grand Knight  Jim Wiegers

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. -- 1 Corinthians 16:13

Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser: Eat Well for a Good Cause!

Council 4174 youth director Ivan Weber (far left) and
brother Knight Dan Dupay collect money at the
annual St. Michael Fall Festival German Dinner.

The Knights of Columbus is sponsoring a spaghetti dinner at the St. Albert's Parish Center on Sunday, July 27, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. to help Brother Knight and council youth director Ivan Weber address his need for a new van that will enable him to enter the vehicle and drive it from his motorized chair. Please join us if you can and make a donation. Those not able to attend fundraiser but who wish to donate can send a check made out to the Knights of Columbus to 10461 Karston Circle, Albertville MN 55301. Thank you and God bless.

June 2014 Bulletin: Year In Review

Lead article from the June 2014 bulletin, online now.

I can hardly believe it has been a year already! This has been a very rewarding year for me, and thank you all for the support and encouragement you have shown me throughout the year. I truly appreciate all the feedback and corrections when I screw up in a business meeting (laughing with me, not at me), and for the feedback on the articles that I have written.

I just got back from the State Knights Convention and it was a neat experience, even though we did not receive any awards. I would like to apologize to each of you, for either I didn’t get the forms in on time or I didn’t do a good enough job of reporting about our council’s exceptional accomplishments over the past year. I promise to do a better job next year to get you guys recognized for all your efforts and involvements in the wonderful programs that we have and for your continued dedication to our community. We have an amazing and active council, which is evident by the influx of 24 new members to date this year! The new members that I have spoken with were attracted to the Knights through our works and seeing what we do for our parishes and our local community. Let us continue to let our actions speak loudly and be welcoming and inviting to men of our parishes.

With that said, we have our Awards Banquet and Social coming up on Wednesday, June 25th, 6:30 p.m., at the St. Albert Parish Center. We will have a catered dinner, some awards and recognition, and of course socializing. We have had a great year and it is about time we celebrate! If you know some of the new members or you proposed them make sure you invite them personally to get involved and to this social where they can meet other members. Also, remember that this is open to the wives for without them and their support we wouldn’t be able to do all the events that we do. Our wives are truly remarkable for the sacrifices that they make so we can be out doing the council’s good work. Whether it be meetings or events, they are always supporting us. Let us remember what it says in Ephesians 5:25: "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her."

Please RSVP for the social to me at jimwiegers@gmail.com or by calling 763-486-7032 no later than June 23 so we can get an accurate head count.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. 

-- Proverbs 18:22

May 2014 Bulletin: Courageous

Lead article from the May 2014 bulletin, online now.

The other night I couldn’t sleep so I was flipping through the channels before I finally came across something decent to watch. I ended up stopping on the movie Courageous, which I had seen before and enjoyed the first time I watched it. It was getting late, but I couldn’t stop watching. The movie had me hooked.

When the movie was over and time for bed I still couldn’t sleep. Some lines in the movie stuck with me and kept running through my head. The first line that was on my mind was when one of the male characters was talking about fatherhood and how he didn’t want to just be a good enough father anymore; he wanted to be the best father he could be. That got me thinking. Am I settling for just being a good-enough father or am I being the best father I can be? After examining my conscious, I found that I have some room for improvement and that I need to make some changes in how I am parenting. Why put off that dance with your daughter or shooting hoops with your son? You may not get another chance to enjoy them, and in a blink of an eye they could be gone.

The other line that stuck with me that I really struggled with went something like this: I will be the spiritual leader in my home. So again I thought through that statement, and lo and behold, I didn’t like the conclusion I came back with. I don’t walk the walk as to being the spiritual leader in my household. I found that I don’t always follow through and pray with my family. I pray and read scripture, and I know that my wife also does, but why don’t we find the time to do this together? My children need to see us praying, not just before meals or while at Mass, but together as a family.

How could I have let this happen? If I don’t take the time to show and teach them, who will? It is up to me to show them and to guide them to the best life possible. Below is part of the resolution from the movie:

I DO solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children. I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home. I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me. I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.

I hope that you will also examine your life; maybe there is room for improvement for you as well. If you have never seen the movie Courageous I would highly recommend you do. Maybe some parts of the movie will stick with you also.

God bless,

Jim

For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that I always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ. 

Philippians 1:20

Sign Up Now for the KC Tootsie Roll Fundraiser, April 26-27

Each year Council 4174 participates in the annual KC Tootsie Roll fundraiser weekend to raise money for people with developmental disabilities in our local communities. This year's fundraiser will be Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27. We are looking for Knights (and their children) to give out Tootsie Rolls and collect free-will donations after masses that weekend at both Albertville and St. Michael parishes. We will also have donation sites at Coborns in Albertville and Marketplace in St. Michael. We are looking for two Knights to collect donations for each two-hour shift at the grocery stores. This is a good time wear that blue council shirt and enjoy fellowship with a fellow Knight! Please sign up online today!

April 2014 Bulletin: Our Faith

Lead article from the April 2014 bulletin, online now.

Do you have friends or family who aren’t Catholic and challenge what you believe? I sure do and some of them can recite scriptures left and right. I don’t always have the right words to say or I’m just not up for the argument. I always seem to search for what to say or I avoid the topic altogether. But I just learned something this past month from my soon to be 10 year old son. Who said you can’t teach an old dog a new trick!

Here is the story of what I learned from him: It was Ash Wednesday and we were in a rush but I made sure that we went. As we went through Mass my son was fidgeting and asking, "How many more songs? Can we go yet?" I was getting pretty upset with him. After we had the ashes put on and got back to the pew, he was saying they itch and, again, "How many more songs?" Now I was getting really frustrated with him and told him, "Sit still; it’s almost done."

We left Mass in a rush because we had to get changed for cub scouts and our den meeting. We quickly ate and headed off. After we arrived a few boys started to pick on my son saying he had dirt on his forehead and things like that. You got it. He still had the ashes on! Then something changed. I notice my son reacting not in anger, but he just talked about the meaning of the ashes in his terms. He told the boys that it was the least he could do for Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. I was shocked to hear him say that to the other boys, none of whom are Catholic or very religious. They sat down and later Jake was talking to them about Duluth and the big ships being towed by much smaller tug boats. He explained that the tugboats are us and the bigger ship is Jesus as he follows us on our journey.

So if you were at Mass, that was a lot like the Homily that night. He was paying attention! My son told them about getting the ashes on his head and about returning to ashes someday. Later he went on to tell the boys that he receives Jesus every weekend from the Bread he gets at Mass. The boys didn’t pick on him anymore. They thought it was cool that he had ashes, for he made it sound like they were hot out of a fire and they then wanted some too.

So it occurred to me that when people want to challenge my faith I don’t need to hide, I can easily defend it by how I feel. I don’t need to recite the correct scripture or search for the perfect words, though that would help. I can just stick to what I know and try to lead by example and that should be good.

God Bless,

Jim

A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
-- Proverbs 16:9

March 2014 Bulletin: Support Our Priests

Lead article from the March 2014 bulletin, online now.

At our last council meeting it was brought up that with all that is going on in our diocese, it is important for our priests to know that we have their back. Let me tell you a little story of how our priests have affected my life—then I want you to reflect on what ways they have affected your life.

For those of you who know the story please bear with me: My wife and I have always wanted many children, and we were blessed with one right after we were married. I thought we would have a whole baseball team, but we struggled to have any more. We were able to conceive but had multiple miscarriages (some of those late term). We were ready to give up. Then one day my wife decided to stay after mass and have a blessing done for those who want to have children. A few months go by, and you guessed it, she was pregnant. Again it was a tough pregnancy, and we were worried: here we go again. We spoke to our priests many times, and they assured us they were praying for us.

Then one day my wife’s water broke, and we were off to the hospital. She was only at 30 weeks at the time. We got settled at the hospital, and we would be there for a while…next thing I know, our priest was there, and we had mass in her hospital room.

We were at the hospital for a few weeks until we couldn’t wait anymore, and my baby girl was born. It sounds like no big deal, but who called or visited almost every day to see how my wife was doing? Our priest! What a wonderful feeling to know that they care and take time out of there busy schedule to seek out others. This is only one way that they have touched my life, and I know more than ever they need our support.

We wrote the letter below from our council to the priests of both of our wonderful parishes to let them know that we stand behind them and pray for them daily.

Dear Father,  

It’s been a difficult fall and winter for Archbishop Nienstedt, the archdiocese, and all of our priests. The Knights of Columbus from Council 4174—your Knights—want you to know that you have our prayers and support. Blessed John Paul II once called the Knights the strong right arm of the Church, and we are committed to defending our priests against unjust accusations and attacks.  

We are with you, Father. If there is anything you need from our council, do not hesitate to ask. God bless you.

They were so thankful to know that we are standing firmly behind them and ready to serve the needs of our wonderful parishes. Please continue to pray for and stand up for our priests!

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord  your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. 

 – Deuteronomy 31:6 

Next Blood Drive Slated for March 29

Sign up now for the next Council 4174 blood drive at St. Michael Catholic Church on March 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. View our online flier for details, then sign up online at mbc.org.

February 2014 Bulletin: A Great Year So Far -- Let's Keep It Up!

Lead article from the February 2014 bulletin, online now.

Wow, can you believe that the fraternal year is half over already?

My, does time go by fast! Looking back on the first half of the year, we accomplished a lot. During the summer we participated in two parades, made pretzels and hosted a Catholic Man Night. We were able to enjoy each other’s company at the chili and football event … and yet again, the Vikes didn’t show up on that night. We hosted the St. Michael Fall Festival German Dinner, blood drives, and a major degree in September.

Our youth have been busy with our council’s first-ever Soccer Challenge, the resurrected free throw contest, and a poster contest. We hosted the pro- life dinner and the Marriage Love and Respect series. Our council also hosted the All Saints and St. Nick parties. We sold out the Christmas tree lot three times and closed the lot a week early. We were able to help the Hanover Food Shelf with the two cases of coats from the Coats for Kids Drive, and they were gone in just a few days! We also had another successful toy drive for this year. We were able to celebrate together at our council social, and it was
nice to see the strong turnout; hopefully everyone had a good time.

And let’s not forget the biggest initiative yet: the St. Michael Rectory Project. If you haven’t heard we have surpassed our Phase 1 goal of $120,000 and should be breaking ground in April!

I’m sure I missed a few things, but what a great council we have! None of this is possible without all you contributing in one way or another, and your works don’t go unnoticed! I hear all the time about what wonderful things the Knights do for our two parishes. I am deeply honored to be part of such giving and charitable council and look forward to all the upcoming events.

With all of these activities and more, we are still in need of a council director and a family director. We could also use a round table for this council. The Council director works with the officers and helps to lead a few events during the year, the biggest being the tree lot. The family director works with the officers on family events such as the St. Nick party, Father Daughter Dance and Father/Son Fun Day. The round table chair would meet with the priests of both St. Albert and St. Michael parishes and see how we can better serve them. If you are interested please contact me or any of the officers or
directors. God Bless!

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 
– 1 Corinthians 15:58

January 2014 Bulletin: Ring in the New Year with Council 4174

Lead article from the January 2014 bulletin, online now!

Brother Knights, you and your spouse are invited to ring in the New Year at our council social on Friday, Jan. 17, at St. Albert’s Parish Center. Come for food, drink and fellowship with other Knights at no cost to you! There will be no meeting—just a chance for you and your spouse to enjoy a night out.

The festivities start at 6:30 p.m., so get a babysitter if you need one and enjoy a night out on the Knights! Please RSVP by emailing jimwiegers@gmail.com.