August 2020 Bulletin: Planning Around COVID-19, Outdoor Meeting

Lead article from the August 2020 bulletin, online now.

It has been a wild ride so far this year. The officers met in July to go over the budget and activities for this upcoming Knight’s calendar year. With all the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 virus, a number of activities will take a year off as it is currently unclear when large in-person gatherings will be able to happen. Activities that made the cut and are anticipated to happen include, but may not be limited to, the Pro-Life Dinner in October, the Christmas Tree Lot, the Father-Daughter Dance and the Father-Son Fun Day.

Another event that is in the works depending on multiple factors is a combined Watchmen-Knights of Columbus sandwich-making event. More to come on that event as plans are nailed down. We also need to continue to welcome Fr. Brian Park into the parishes as our new pastor. It is definitely going to be more challenging for Fr. Park to connect names to masked faces.

The plan for the August council meeting on Thursday, August 6, will be to have the meeting outdoors near St. Albert’s parish hall (good weather) or in the St. Albert’s parish hall main room (not as good weather). It is important in this time of mask-wearing isolation to keep your brother Knights in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks for all that you do, and remember to keep the faith! 

God Bless, 

Andy Sipple
Grand Knight

Please remember our sick Brother Knights in your prayers, in particular, Adam Roden, Tom Hackenmueller, Elmer Waltz, Joe Perrault and Mike Salonek. Pray for all deceased brother Knights and  for the repose of the souls of all those who passed away,especially Norbert Russell. Lyle Buckingham and Wallace Barthel.

January 2020 Bulletin: Happy (Busy!) New Year!

Lead article from the January 2020 bulletin.

I hope this message finds you having had a very Merry Christmas and that you are having a very Happy New Year. The Knights calendar was busy in December and will be so in January as well. Many thanks go out to all who were involved in a successful tree lot. A very special thanks to the guys who took down the tree lot especially a big thank you to "Jungle" Jim Valerius; “Jolly” Jeff Eull; "Dyno" Don Legatt; "Maddog" Mark Rademacher, and old reliable; JOHN DELANDER, for their effort in getting the tree lot torn down and put away on Sunday December 16. Jeff Eull reports “I thought Jim Valerius was going to need a tow truck to get his pickup and trailer out of the field he was turning around in after we unloaded the supplies at the old Vetsch farmstead where they are stored. After about a dozen tries Jim got his rig out of the field. Only had about ten trees left that Don hauled away, should be another good, profitable year”. Also thanks to Dan & Dexter Dehmer for pulling the fence posts and to John and Greg Hackenmueller for use of their warming house. Thanks a ton guys!!!!!!

The January calendar has a family vocation night on January 11th at St. Michael Church after the 5:00 pm Mass where Fr. Blume from the Minneapolis – St. Paul seminary will be talking with youth about finding their vocation and there will be a program for adults as well. On Saturday January 25th there will be a spaghetti feed for brother knight Joe Perrault after the 4:00 pm Mass at St. Alberts. More information on the spaghetti feed will be coming out the closer we are to the event. Please consider helping out at this event to support Joe. The Father-Son event will be at the Monticello community center on Saturday February 1st. The Father-Daughter dance will be at St. Albert’s parish hall on Saturday February 8th. And since we are already into the February calendar – please reserve the evening of Saturday February 29th for the Knights Gala dinner at St. Albert’s parish hall. Cory Sommer did a fantastic job with the wine tasting event in December – thank you Cory. Cory is organizing the Gala Dinner and I am sure it will be a fantastic evening. Thanks to all involved in the St. Nicholas party – Brad Altepeter, John Ingebritson, Erich Kunzman, Dan Laird, Marie & Don Legatt, and the list can go on. It is pretty awesome to consider all of the work put in by this council – thank you to all for all of your work!!!

God bless,

Andy Sipple

Grand Knight

August 2019 Bulletin: Traditions of Leadership

Lead article from the August 2019 bulletin, online now.

This is the first bulletin article of the Knights of Columbus fiscal year. The article would be remiss if we did not recognize all the work put in by previous people getting our council to the point where we are today. Our council is one of the largest and most active in the state. We should thank Gary Frandsen for all of his many man-hours of blood, sweat and beers/tears working for our council. Gary has selflessly worked as the previous Grand Knight, organized and ran the Father-Daughter Dance and the Father-Son Event, helped with the Senior Dinners, attended Albertville Friendly City Days council for planning, put in a large number of hours making sure that the beer tent succeeded, put in time on the tree lot, organized and ran multiple spaghetti feeds and countless other activities with a mind-boggling number of hours put in. Thank you Gary!

This article would also like to recognize John DeLander. John DeLander was inducted into the Fourth-Degree Hall of Fame for 2019. John has also put in countless hours over the multiple decades he has been involved with our council. It would take a book to attempt to list all of the activities John has been involved with helping our council and the community. Thank you, John!

It is humbling to think of all the work that has been put in for the benefit of our community including financial gifts to the parish youth, help to those in need, pro-life activities, St. Nicholas parties, All Saints parties, beer tents, tree lots and many more. There are many other people to thank too numerous to mention – you know who you are. 

All the work done before has helped to build a strong Catholic foundation in our community. There are many activities approaching with the opportunity to get involved and follow where many men have gone before. Please continue lending your hands this year in helping to continue the fantastic work done for multiple decades by our council for our community. 

Erich and I will attempt to fill in the large shoes left by Gary in the upcoming year. We hope to continue to lead our council by offering members the opportunity to help out our community. As a youth I remember hearing, "Many hands make light work." I knew that if I helped out the work at hand would get done faster and everybody working would have less to do. We are aiming to give everybody the opportunity to get involved and hoping you do! 

God Bless,

Andy Sipple

Grand Knight

December 2018 Bulletin: The Catholic Tent

Lead article from the December 2018 bulletin, online now.

As Catholics, we get up on Sunday, morning, get dressed and make our way to Mass. It could be in Albertville, St. Michael or anywhere else on the planet. We come to give thanks. We come to seek direction. We come to acknowledge the beliefs we hold dear. Our lives may be running like a finely tuned sports car as we listen to the homily. We are doing what we think is natural and good. We see all around us in church our friends and other familiar faces. We see role-model leaders who receive special blessings and gifts allowing them to rise in order to give practical proof that what we strive for can be done. We see great marriages based on love and faith. We see those who hold a secure and steady job over the years creating comprehensive family stability. Our priests articulate our Catholic beliefs during Mass and explain to us how to live out the faith.

We all then walk back through those same church doors into our cars and smack headlong into something called the human condition---the sometimes harsh, on-the-ground, real-life week to come. There are those whose lives are not running like a finely tuned sports car. Theirs are more like an old beat-up Chevrolet overdue for a tune-up. Their marriages may be neglected and weakened. Their kids may not be burdened with seamless transitions into the teenage years. Many have to work their butts off to get Bs. They may be struggling with poverty, unemployment, addiction or severe health issues, physical or psychological. Any fill-in-the-blank human condition reality. No one leaving Mass on Sunday is immune from these possible predicaments including our leaders and priests.

It's important that we hold this truth close, lest we fall into an idealized fiction we cannot reach. The saints are among those we hold most dear. They are great examples of those who were able to overcame the world by lifting their faith in Christ above all. Their stories are replete with how they were able to meet and defeat the human condition through faith. Their sufferings in some cases were beyond our imaginations. Many of their stories seem idealized and beyond credulity. One thing we know for sure is they all had to live within that same condition.

I am a fair distance from the starting line to sainthood, let alone the finish, and would think myself foolish and pretentious to believe I could be close. One interesting observation in my limited study of the saints is that very many of them chose a life of solitude versus settling down and having a load of kids, a bunch actually leaving arranged marriages to give all to Christ. (Just saying....somebody should write a book about this.)

Let's remember this Christmas to pray for all who are struggling and remember that they sit in the same pews that we do every Sunday. It is true that the Catholic tent is filled with strong families. It is no less true that there are many families who struggle. Most I suspect are mired in the middle (my family included). One thing is for sure, the answers for all families can be discovered in Christ within the walls of their local Catholic Church. Merry Christmas to everyone.

God bless,

Gary Frandsen
Grand Knight

June 2018 Bulletin: We Do Great Work...But We Need Your Support!

Lead article from the June 2018 bulletin, online now.

Hello, Knights,

It's been a very eventful year with all our annual events, plus, fundraisers, gaming, socials and such. Andy and I handed out twenty-four $750 scholarships at the high school on Wednesday evening, May 23. This is one of the great things we do for this community. 

I have decided to be your Grand Knight for a second year if you so choose. We will vote on candidates at the June meeting. They are as follows: Andy Sipple, Deputy Grand Knight, Donald Legatt, Financial Secretary; Erich Kunzman, Chancellor; Dave Miodus, Warden; Brian Beaudry, Treasurer; Jim Shovelain, Advocate; Jeff Eull, Recorder; Cory Sommer, Lecturer; Dan Lhotka, Inside Guard; and Gene Hackenmueller, Outside Guard. All directors will remain the same. 

One thing that we have noticed over the past few years is the increasing difficulty to fill our events with volunteers. Our Christmas tree lot has become a real issue. We actually considered eliminating it because of this. Losing this fundraising event would be very unfortunate as the parish youth would have to cut back their budget. I would like to appeal to the rank and file to read all correspondence from the KCs in general and our council 4174 in particular. Dan Lhotka has graciously agreed to head up a calling committee. Please consider joining this important group as we move forward in the 2018-2019 year.

I am going to ask those who head up our annual scheduled events to familiarize yourself with the KCs websites this year so you can order kits and turn in forms for your events. This will go a long way towards gaining our council the recognition it deserves. Our annual AFCD beer tent is almost here and we have many shifts to fill. Please click on the link below and sign up today. Let's have another great year! 

God bless,

Gary Frandsen

Grand Knight

January 2018 Bulletin: Holiday Concert

Lead article from the January 2018 bulletin, online now.

For the first time in a long time I was able to attend a holiday concert to watch and listen to my daughter sing. In previous years my job prevented me from getting there on time, if I could get there at all. I showed up an hour early this time to grab a great seat.

I found said seat and opened up the program and began to read: STMA High School proudly presents "High School Holiday Concert." My mostly under-control cynicism nerve was involuntarily activated,and I immediately started complaining about the secular public school dissing (disrespecting) Christmas and its true meaning. 

How cliché and predictable of me. I have no idea where Joseph Osowski or Brandon Berger are located in the spiritual and religious spectrum. In many ways that would be reason enough not to assume the program would be antithetical to the Christmas message. But go there I did. My doubts lasted about 10 seconds into the first bars of this magnificent performance.

As I mentioned, I have no idea if the producers of this event were Christian. I can, however, unequivocally claim with confidence piled high that Jesus Christ was not only in attendance, but indeed held the invisible baton and occupied the director's podium for this Christmas present to all who were in attendance. The traditional carols were delivered intermingled with witty arrangements of some classics, world premieres, and above all, music singing the praises of Jesus Christ. Indeed, music fit for the celebration of the Mass including the Angus Dei from William Albright's Chichester Mass. 

Our children's voices were pitch perfect (in my estimation) and quite professional in execution. The story of the first family and the birth of Christ never left the auditorium. I am quite sure Jesus was the one who locked up after the last had left.  We had starting Knights football players standing in front of the crowd to sing God's messages. Choir concerts have traveled a great distance from my high school days!  

For those of you that are worried about God's departure from the public school, go ahead and give your pillows an extra punch tonight and rest easy, because at least in our district, thanks to the wonderful work of Joseph Osowski, (Mr. "O"), Brandon Burger and a bunch of great kids, Jesus is alive and well.

God Bless,

Gary Frandsen

Grand Knight

Watch Brother Knight Steve Sustacek's recording of the STMA High School Holiday Concert.

August 2016 Bulletin: Great Year Behind; Great Year Ahead

Lead article for the August 2016 bulletin, online now.

This month marks the beginning of a new fraternal year for us.  I’ve been in my role as Grand Knight for a year now and it’s been a great journey.  We did a ton of great things last year and I want to thank all of you for everything we accomplished.  Since we are starting a new year it is a good time to remind all of us about all the events we have ahead of us and ask everyone to make sure they help out where they can.

One of the common themes that come up at our officers meetings is how to better engage men to help out at our events, especially the new men that join the council.  Here you will find a list of the events for this year where we know we will need men to help. We will be printing it out as a post card for all the new members but I want to get it front and center in this bulletin for everyone to see.

I ask that you look it over, find something that interests you, put it on your calendar and sign up when you get the email for help.

Contact me if you have questions or want me to put you down to be contacted when the event gets closer. 

Thank you all for being KC’s and I look forward to a great year!

God Bless,

Joe VanHoorik

Grand Knight

May 2016 Bulletin: The Catholic Voter

Lead article from the May bulletin, online now.

WHEN THERE IS NO "ACCEPTABLE" CANDIDATE

In some political races, each candidate takes a wrong position on one or more issues involving non-negotiable moral principles.  In such a case you may vote for the candidate who takes the fewest such positions or who seems least likely to be able to advance immoral legislation, or you may choose to vote for no one.

A vote cast in such a situation is not morally the same as a positive endorsement for candidates, laws, or programs that promote intrinsic evils: It is only tolerating a lesser evil to avoid an even greater evil.  As Pope John Paul II indicated regarding a situation where it is not possible to overturn or completely defeat a law allowing abortion, "an elected official, whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and public morality"(EV 73; also CPL 4).\

Catholics must strive to put in place candidates, laws, and political programs that are in full accord with non-negotiable moral values.  Where a perfect candidate, law, or program is not on the table, we are to choose the best option, the one that promotes the greatest good and entails the least evil.  Not voting may sometimes be the only moral course of action, but we must consider whether not voting actually promotes good and limits evil in a specific instance.  The role of citizens and elected officials is to promote intrinsic moral values as much as possible today while continuing to work toward better candidates, laws, and programs in the future.

With the presidential elections front and center in the news and so many people talking about the candidates I find myself questioning what my duties as a Catholic voter are. I have heard so many people say, "I will not vote for X” or “If X gets the nomination I'm not voting."

Those statements really bother me because I feel that even if we don't agree with a particular candidate we still have a responsibility to vote. I don't particularly care for the front runners in the race but I still feel obligated to support the party that best upholds my Catholic values. I do not know about you but regardless of what any politician says I can not say I trust them to do anything other than protect their own best interests. Those best interests reside in supporting their political party because without the support of the party the politicians career will be short lived. Politicians do not get to where they are by not knowing how to play the game. Those are my opinions so I decided to see what the church says about voting.

I found a copy of the Voters Guide for Serious Catholics published by Catholic Answers in my KC briefcase and I highly recommend all of you to read it.  Above is an excerpt from the guide that talks about what to do when there is no acceptable candidate.  Obviously we have the right to not vote but we also have the responsibility to promote good and limit evil. In the case of this election I strongly believe that we as Catholics have to vote because not voting will result in votes for the party that will cause greater harm to our beliefs than the candidate we refuse to vote for.  We are obligated to uphold the 5 non-negotiable issues (Abortion, Euthanasia, Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Human Cloning, and Homosexual Marriage).  The only way to uphold those values is to look past the candidate and vote for the party that has done the most to uphold those non-negotiable issues.

This November 8th make sure you get to the polls and vote.  Don't let your personal opinions stop you because we are morally obligated to limit evil by making informed voting decisions.

God Bless,

Joe

Joe VanHoorik

Grand Knight

February 2016 Bulletin: Prayer Matters

Lead article from the February 2016 bulletin, online now.

Thank you to all those who came out to the Monica Mize Benefit. I can tell you that during all the planning leading up to the event we never thought it would be as successful as it was. There was so much outpouring from the community that words cannot describe it. I especially want to thank DGK Gary Frandsen for coordinating the spaghetti feed and Andrea Zachman and the CRHP women that did most of the event planning. I also want to thank all the Knights and their families who showed up to help out. I was fortunate enough to help count the proceeds that evening and be able to share the final number with Steve and Monica. That final number, that has grown even more since that evening, turned out to be over $25,000. How amazing is that?

Gary and I were talking while we were cleaning up about how it seemed a little superficial that we did all of this to raise a bunch of money. It just felt like there is something more we can do.  The truth is we did do a lot more than raise money for the family. We got a whole community praying for them. At one point in the evening there was a prayer circle around Monica, which was unbelievably touching to see. We cannot heal the disease or take away the suffering that the family is going through. But we can pray for them and try to take away the worldly stresses as much as possible. Hopefully, the family can focus on healing and spending time together rather than worrying about getting the bills paid. Hopefully our prayers have an impact. Hopefully our community grew a little bit closer. Hopefully we all grew a little bit stronger in our faith.

I also had the pleasure of delivering checks to Cornerstone and the Parish School this month.  It's got to be my favorite part of being Grand Knight.  I get to see first hand the appreciation on the faces of those we help.  It's a blessing I will never forget.  I am very thankful and proud of all of you for what we have built. Keep up the good work!

God Bless,
Joe VanHoorik
Grand Knight

December 2015 Bulletin: Helping Those in Need

Lead article from the December 2015 bulletin, online now!

This month I want to keep it short and simple because we are actively working on a fundraiser benefit for Monica Mize and I want that to be front and center in your minds. For those that don't know Monica, she is a member of the St Michael parish. She was just diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that has metastasized to her bones causing hypercalcemia. She is looking to fight this battle with a more holistic approach because she is also pregnant with their 8th child and the treatments for the hypercalcemia cannot be prescribed during pregnancy. In addition, the path that the Oncologists would take involves chemotherapy and radiation, which is harmful to the developing baby. Several of the officers met with Monica's CRHP team last week to begin planning a fundraiser for her family. With last month being Respect Life month, I now call on you to take action in supporting our pro-life beliefs. This woman, with seven children at home, is deciding to fight this disease without hurting her unborn child. I could not imagine a more selfless example of being pro-life than what she is doing right now. We must support her and pray for her..

My aunt and godmother were diagnosed with breast cancer in April of this year. This came not even a month after being let go from her job. Due to the intense chemotherapy she's been going through she has not been able to look for a new job and her unemployment benefits have run out. She is not an active member of a parish where she lives and does not have the community support that we have here. I can only do so much to help her and it pains me to see her struggle so hard to get through this. I share this with you not for sympathy but to ask for your prayers and to remind you that we are part of something great. We as the Knights of Columbus and as a Catholic Community are so very blessed to be able to do so much for our own that are struggling and in need. Don't forget that and don't take it for granted because you might be in need of assistance some day. If you can help in any way (time, talent, or treasure) in our upcoming fundraiser for Monica please reach out to myself or another officer.

God Bless!
Joe VanHoorik
Grand Knight

The Knights of Columbus are joining forces with Monica's CRHP team for a comprehensive fundraising event on January 17th culminating with a 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. spaghetti feed at the St Albert’s Parish Center. We will need our spaghetti feed A-Team available to make this feed a huge success!

October 2015 Bulletin: Catholic Community

Lead article from the October 2015 bulletin, online now.

Community: noun
1. A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
2.  A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

This last month we got to enjoy the St Michael parish festival.  It amazes me how many people come out to enjoy the festivities of the weekend.  Of course the KC's sponsor the German Dinner on Saturday night, which I must admit is probably my favorite event to work at.  The German Dinner was the first event I worked at when I became a Knight and I remember how much I truly enjoyed myself and how it changed my opinion of the KC's.  I believe this event showcases better than any other what we are all about as Knights of Columbus.  First and foremost we are supporting the church, we conduct the event on church grounds and all profits go directly to the church.  Secondly, we serve the community.  This event draws more that just people looking for good food.  It pays homage to the German heritage that created this community and the people that live here.  The crowd is cheerful and the polka music creates a very nostalgic and friendly atmosphere that gets people to stick around long after they are done eating.  Third, and what impressed me the most as a new knight, was the fraternity between brother knights.  We joke around, we serve a great meal, we support our church, we enjoy a beer together, and we have a great time doing it.  What else defines the KCs better than that?

While at the festival I had the opportunity to meet Angela Erickson, the new director at Cornerstone Options for Women.  I am very excited for the future of Cornerstone.  Angela brings a whole new level of energy and optimism that will take the center to the next level. She will be speaking at our pro-life dinner this month and I encourage you to attend and meet this great addition to a cause we support so greatly.  Aside from our conversation around Cornerstone she made a comment that really got me thinking.  When I introduced myself as the Grand Knight she said: “Aren't you kind of young to be Grand Knight?”  This was awkward, I didn't really know how to answer that statement so while I was trying to think of a response she followed it with: “My husband would like to join the KC's but the men are so much older that he doesn't feel comfortable with it yet.”  Now I understood where the first comment came from.  They are not members of our parish and he is not referring to our council.  I've noticed that its a very common perception of people outside of our community to assume the KCs are strictly a group of older men.  We have a very young and active council.  Just like our parish, our council reflects the unique and vibrant church community we represent.                                                  
What is community?  Community doesn't just apply to where we live.  It applies to the particular characteristic we have in common (Catholics) and the feeling of fellowship with our fellow Catholics.  We have a unique community here that is very rare.  Our church community is not defined by where we live.  We have many parishioners that do not live in the STMA communities.  Its also not defined as just being Catholic.  There are many Catholics churches much closer to many of our parishioners but they still choose to drive out here.  There are also many Catholics in our city that choose to travel to surrounding churches.  Yes, believe it or not, our community is not for everyone and that’s perfectly okay.  Our church community is also not defined by age, social status, or race.  We have such an awesome variety of people that you cannot group us into any other category than by our church community.  Nowhere is our church community more obvious then when you attend the annual festival.  People from all over show up, it even draws a lot of people that aren't even Catholic.  Just like the community we support, our KC council is not your typical council.  We have men of all different ages and social status.  We have more programs and members that most councils.  Every year we see a new group of you men that are on fire with their faith and ready to support this community.  What is it about this church community that drew you in or kept you here?  What can we as Knights of Columbus and Catholic men do to maintain and promote this community so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy it like we are right now?

God Bless!

Joe VanHoorik
Grand Knight