October 2018 Bulletin: Cultivate Fraternity to Remain Strong

Lead article from the October 2018 bulletin, online now. It was originally published by past Grand Knight Steve House and is as true today as it was when this was written in 2011. God bless, Gary Frandsen, Grand Knight

Brother Knights, 

In our fallen world, Catholics are often called upon to be counter-cultural, to “go against the grain” of our secular world. The forces arrayed against the faithful are formidable. Satan prowling the world looking to devour us is bad enough, but consider that many other mainline Christian denominations are not aligned with the Church on abortion:

• Mormons allow exceptions for rape, incest, risk to the mother, and severe birth defects. 
• The Episcopal Church similarly allows for those exceptions.
• The Southern Baptist Convention allows the exception for risk to the mother. 
• The Evangelical Lutheran Church allows exceptions for risk to the mother and severe birth defects. 

And, don’t walk into any Catholic Church and believe you’re all .singing from the same hymnal. Just this week the Star Tribune article regarding the Archbishop’s call for parish action on the 2012 Minnesota marriage amendment, noted that the archdiocese has many “diverse” parishes and parishioners—meaning, I suppose, that many Catholics are out of step with the Magisterium on these fundamental topics. All of this is no surprise to any of us who pay even slight attention to the world around us. 

Being counter-cultural can indeed be a daunting prospect for Catholic men. The moral responsibilities of honesty, fidelity and chastity are difficult compared to the ease of going along with the world and its values. That’s where the men of St. Michael and St. Albert parishes can take heart that they are not alone, that organizations such as the Knights of Columbus offer a brotherhood that promotes love (charity), fidelity to the Magisterium (unity), and moral support (fraternity). In addition, we have various men’s faith-sharing groups, the Man Night events and the Archdiocesan Men’s Conference.

Brothers, avail yourselves of these opportunities to support one another in the daily struggle for holiness, for yourself and your families. You need those other men, and they need you!

September 2018 Bulletin: Stewardship

Lead article from the September 2018 bulletin, online now.

It's great to go on vacation and escape the everyday stresses and routines once and a while. It gives you valuable insight on how others live as well as that which you temporarily left behind. Of course one thing we can't vacation from is our Catholic faith. Our home parishes of Albertville and St. Michael have a long and rich history. We have been parishioners for only 15 years but it seems like we've been here all our lives.

We were recently on vacation in St. Augustine, Florida, where we attended Masses in the very first and oldest parish on the North American continent. It was established September 8th, 1565, by Spanish Catholic Priests. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine was not unlike our own. The homilies were very good, and Father Willis spoke eloquent about the problems facing his 458-year-old parish. They needed more readers, extraordinary ministers, servers, ushers, more folks for their music ministry and such. It occurred to me that these were some of the same needs at our own parishes here at Albertville and St. Michael. 

I believe words hold great power when used correctly. I tend to be very literal. The word stewardship is a perfect word to attach to any parish in general and ours in particular. I think its great that we now "officially" belong to stewardship parishes. The definition of the word itself when applied for our purposes would surely be to leave in our care as stewards and protect something that is truly precious. Something that deserves and needs care and protection. Insomuch as our faith needs a strong and well-cared-for church and parish in order to thrive. This charge is not just for priests, deacons and administrators (they of course are immensely important), but for the parishioners themselves. 

Parishioners will be there for the long road. No matter what trials befall the Church, a strong stewardship flock can save any Church from any trial. Many of our prayers have been answered here in our home parishes. We are somewhat insulated from the disturbing developments within the larger Catholic Church. We have been blessed with wonderfully faithful and good priests, deacons, church staff and volunteers. I believe the best way to ensure the continued strength of our parishes is to embrace the word stewardship. Each and every one of us hold the key as true stewards to this great and strong parish. 

I will, God willing, go on many more vacations in my life and visit many churches. I also believe that I will always look forward to coming back to my home parish where I will hope to continue my role as a steward.

God bless,

Gary Frandsen

Grand Knight

April 2017 Bulletin: First Degree on Thursday, April 6

From the April 2017 bulletin, online now.

Why are you a Knight?

Do you remember why you joined the KCs?  When your annual dues statement shows up in the mail do you stop and think about why you are still a member?  Take a few minutes and think about those two questions.  Are your answers to each question different?  I joined because I was fresh off of a CRHP retreat and on fire to get engaged somewhere.  I really had no idea what the KCs did but I knew it was for Catholic men and that was enough for me to give it a shot.  That was six years ago this June.  

I'm still a KC because I love the cumulative power we have to help those in need.  I cherish the friendships I've made.  I really enjoy being a part of the 4th Degree Assembly.  I am honored when we show up in number to pray the Rosary for a deceased member.  I am humbled by each and every thank you I get because of something this council did.  

What is your reason?  Is it a particular activity you enjoy participating in each year, values we promote, things we do for the youth, the insurance program, or something else?  Is there someone else you think could benefit from that answer?  If so, consider inviting them to the First Degree at our next meeting. 

Joe Van Hoorik

Grand Knight

November 2016 Bulletin: Faith-Based Friendships

Lead article from the November 2016 bulletin, online now.

I’ve watched as my daughter has grown up and how some of her very best friends as a little girl have disappeared completely from her social circle.  It’s interesting because, with some, I could see the conflicting personalities at a young age while there are others who came as a surprise.  As she gets closer to leaving our home and venturing out on her own, my wife and I have some very interesting conversations on what advice we can still give to her.  The topic of friends came up recently, and it really got me thinking about the role they play in our lives.

As a kid your friendships are built around what you did in the past and what you are doing now.  You met your friend because you had something in common (you lived close, were in the same class, your parents knew each other, etc.).  These friendships can last for a long time but eventually if you don’t have the same outlook for the future those friendships start to dwindle.  When you start thinking about the person you want to be, we find that certain friends no longer have so much in common with us.  Personally I find it hard to maintain many of the friendships from my life prior to becoming a faithful man.  It’s nice to reconnect with an old friend and reminisce about the past, but it quickly becomes obvious that our friendship is only tied to the past, and we are more different then we are alike.  Those friendships never go away, but they aren’t the ones that drive you to be a better person.  The friendships you truly value are those that share the same values as you and help you be the person you want to be.  Those friends for me are the ones I’ve developed through the church.  We have different pasts and do different things in the present but we share the same ultimate goal in life.  That goal is to get ourselves and our families into Heaven.  These are friends I can ask for advice on anything and know that if I ever needed them they would be there to support me.  If life sent us to different ends of the world I know that those friendships would not go away.

So my advice to my daughter is to always maintain faith-based friendships no matter where life takes you.  Other friends are great and very important but those friendships created around your faith will always hold you up and never let you forget about your true goal in life.

God Bless, 

Joe VanHoorik

Grand Knight

October 2016 Bulletin: Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism

Lead article for the October 2016 bulletin, online now.

Do those words come to mind when you think about the Knights of Columbus?  Do you know how those four principles define and make up the history of the order? Do you realize that you are a member of an organization that has over 1.9 million members throughout the world?

Father McGivney had a vision over 134 years ago to create an organization that was desperately needed to protect Catholic men, their families, and their faith.  This was a time when hostilities towards Catholics were high, and men were dying from harsh working conditions or leaving the faith to find the protection they needed.

Well over a century later our faith is still under attack and our beliefs constantly being challenged or even taken away.  The Church can only do so much, so how can we help?  How about a Catholic organization with 1.9 million members who took a pledge to live as strong Catholic men and support our Church and community in any way we can?  If you are only a first degree member there is a lot of background and meaning in those principles that you haven't been exposed to yet.  We are part of a pretty amazing organization that has done unbelievable things throughout its history. 

This month we are putting on a 2nd and 3rd degree at our council meeting.  I strongly encourage you to take this opportunity to learn more about the Knights of Columbus and what we stand for.

We haven't had a 2nd and 3rd degree for a few years so now is your chance to attend without having to travel!

2nd and 3rd Degree @ St Alberts Parish Center

Thursday October 6th

6-6:30 Registration

6:30 Ceremony Begins (no late arrivals accepted)

God Bless,

Joe VanHoorik

Grand Knight

April 2016 Bulletin: Death and Prayer

Lead article from the April bulletin, online now.

Brother Knights, March has been a month of mourning. This month we lost two great men: Willis Heins and Gordy Bongaarts. Between the services for both men I spent many hours at the funeral home and church. This was good time to reflect on the lives of these men and the importance of life and prayer.

I never had the opportunity of meeting Willis but I heard from several members that he was a great man and very active member. He served as Grand Knight from 1967 to 1969 and was one of the men that helped build this Council in the early years of its existence. Without men like him we wouldn't have this wonderful Council that we have today.

Gordy needs no introduction. If you have been a member for more than a couple years then you know him; chances are he probably recruited you. My Gordy story happened a few years ago when he drove Jim Weigers and myself to St. Cloud to receive our 4th Degree. The story involves arriving several hours early, failing to make plans for lunch, and a white-knuckle, death-defying ride home in the pouring rain. It's everything you would expect in an outing with Gordy. Gordy absolutely loved the KCs and the church and he wanted everyone to experience their many blessings in the way he had.

Both men were 4th Degree KCs, and I had the honor of serving in the guard at both of their wakes and funerals. When most think of the 4th Degree, they think of the masses we serve at, but the true beauty and joy of the 4th Degree comes in the way we honor our fallen brothers. During the wake we sit in a back room, shoulder to shoulder, for the entire length of the showing waiting for our five-minute turn to go out and guard the casket. Once our guard is over we return to the room and wait again. This process repeats for the entire length of the wake, which can be several hours. Nobody complains about the cramped quarters or long intervals of sitting and waiting. The man we are there to honor was once sitting in that room just like we are doing for him. The whole process leads up to the final salute and presentation of chalice and certificates to the family. After the 4th Degree is dismissed, the 3rd Degree comes in to say a rosary. In Gordy's case there must have been 40-50 KCs forming a circle around the visitation room praying a rosary for the soul of our fallen brother. Personally, I cannot think of a better way to honor a Catholic man than to have his fellow brothers surround him in prayer.

Tell your families that you want the KCs involved in your final preparations. Someone will reach out to your family but they need to know that this is important to you so it can be done properly. If you are a 3rd Degree member, that will include a rosary in your honor. If you are a 4th Degree that can be a full guard posting along with the rosary. The single most important thing you can do for the deceased is to pray for their soul. We are born and die as sinners and we need all the prayers we can get to make it to our final destination.

This month when you are kneeling in front of the blessed sacrament before mass I want you to say extra prayers for the deceased. Pray for grandparents, parents, siblings, friends, brother Knights, or anyone else you knew that has passed on. Pray for their souls, the forgiveness of their sins, and that the Lord welcome them into his heavenly kingdom.

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

April 2015 Bulletin: Get Active, Stay Active!

Lead article from the April bulletin, online now.

Well, it’s that time of year again.  Time to get ready for the State Convention by preparing all those forms.

As I complete the forms and look back at the past year, I have noticed how many activities we do in our council.  We have a very active council and many different programs which we couldn’t do without you!  I would like to thank you all for your involvement; being active in parades and Albertville City Days in the summer, to the tree lot & toy drive in the winter.  You probably do not realize that in just about every month we have some sort of event going on.  We could not do all of these without your time and effort.  It is greatly appreciated and I look forward to your continued support of all our different activities.  April is our Senior Citizen Dinner.  Contact Cory Sommer  at sommerhome66@gmail.com to help out.

A great resource for you to find out about our activities is at our business meetings which we have the first Thursday of every month, 7:00 PM at the St Albert’s Parish Center in Albertville.  If you can’t make it to that, we have a monthly newsletter, web site (http://kc4174.org) and Facebook also.  I would really like to encourage you to come to a business meeting, that’s where you are going to hear the most about how the council is doing and keep you updated on upcoming events.  Our April lecture program is a Micro-Beer Tasting. This is an Open Meeting and spouses are welcome.

The past few months our meeting attendance has been down and I would really like to see some fresh faces show up to these important meetings.  If I need to change how the meetings are run or if I am the reason that the attendance is down, I need your feedback.  Don’t worry about hurting my feelings, I have big shoulders.  So please let me know if I should be doing something differently.

I know everyone is busy and it is hard to make every meeting but it would be great if you could make a few during the year.  You could even heckle me and let me know everything that I did wrong or right in the meeting!!  We do a pretty good job of keeping the meetings to an hour and then you are free to go or stay.  We have some food and drink and a lecture program after every meeting that you can listen to.  In past lectures, we have learned about new tax laws, what’s going on with housing in our area, and updates on the Catholic school.  Again I hope to see you at an upcoming meeting.

Have a great Easter and Lenten season

God Bless,
Jim Wiegers

March 2015 Bulletin: A Silent Sermon

Lead article from the March 2015 bulletin, online now.

This month I couldn’t find the right words and had an extreme case of writers block. Every time I started to write I just stumbled and couldn’t finish a thought, so I went searching for some inspiration. I found this light hearted story and immediately thought of our very own Father Richards.

A Silent Sermon 

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.  It was a chilly evening.  The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. 

Guessing the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.  The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. 

After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone.  Then he sat back in his chair, still silent.  The host watched all this in quiet contemplation.  As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more.
Soon it was cold and dead.  Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. 

The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave, he slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire.  Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. 

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, “Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon.  I shall be back in church next Sunday.”

Author Unknown

We are very fortunate in the quality of priests and deacons that we have at our two parishes. They inspire us to continue to grow in our faith and challenge us to invite and be warming to others.

I hope you found some humor in this article and have a great start to the Lenten season!

God Bless,

Jim Wiegers

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 
-- Romans 12:13

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

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

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

August 2013 Bulletin: Here to Serve In Charity

Grand Knight's article from the August 2013 bulletin. 

I want to start off by congratulating past Grand Knight Mike Engel on a great year—but why did it have to go by so fast? These last few years it was an honor and a privelege to learn from past Grand Knights Steve House and Mike Engel. They are hard acts to follow and I pray that I, too, can leave a mark on this great council.

For this fraternal year I would like to continue to grow this council in fraternity, unity and charity. I have to admit I really don’t know many of the men in this council, and I’m sure many of you don’t know or haven’t heard of me. So here is a brief overview: I am married and have two children, Jake (age nine) and Sophia (five months old). We have been members of the St. Michael parish for just over four years, which is about when we moved to the area. I have been a Knight for four years and am a fourth-degree member. My main reason for joining the Knights was to have a way to give back to such a warm, welcoming community.

To try to accomplish this, we are going to do a couple things: first after some constructive feedback, we are going to revert back to the old format for meetings—we will start the business meeting at 7 p.m. and have a light meal or snack afterward for those who want to hang around. The other idea is to bring back the Knight of Columbus family of the month. All that would be needed is a short intro like I offered above and maybe a picture. I would appreciate any feedback on how to do this.

We all joined the Knights for one reason or another, but a huge part of being a Knight is charity. In this council we are fortunate enough to have many activities in which we can participate. So I encourage you all to volunteer to help out in at least one event and maybe even show up to a business meeting. Along with that we are in need of some men to fill open directorships or to help lead some of the upcoming events. If you are interested or know of someone who may be, feel free to contact me or one of the officers for more information.

As a last thought I will leave you with these words from Pope Francis on the Christian life:

In this period of crisis, today, it is important not to turn in on ourselves, burying our own talent, our spiritual, intellectual, and material riches, everything that the Lord has given us, but, rather to open ourselves, to be supportive, to be attentive to others. Set your stakes on great ideals, the ideals that enlarge the heart, the ideals of service that make your talents fruitful. Life is not given to us to be jealously guarded from ourselves, but is given to us so that we may give it in turn.

Former Chaplain Speaks on Catholic Social Teaching Tomorrow!

Fr. Meyers

Brothers: Please don't forget the June Council Meeting tomorrow, Thursday, June 6, at the St. Albert Parish Center. Our former chaplain, Fr. Nathaniel Meyers (now at Our Lady of Grace in Edina), and our Past Grand Knight Steve House will be speaking on Catholic social teaching.

A light supper begins at 6:30, with the presentation beginning around 7 and the monthly business meeting to follow. Join us!

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

Council 4174 Welcomes Seven New Members!

Seven new Knights were welcomed to the First Degree before the March council meeting. Pictured (left to right) are new members Jeff Madore, Andrew Bromenshenkel, Kurt Anderson, Joe Kulas, Toby Frelich, J.P. Gillach and Erich Kunzman. Please welcome them when you see them!

February 2013 Grand Knight's Message: Continuing the Work of Father Michael McGivney

Grand Knight's article from the February 2013 bulletin:

As I look back on the past half year, it is hard to believe I am working on my February article already! Like most fraternal years, we have seen many great things take place this year within the council, including:

• the support of Cornerstone Women’s Center, which now is in the final stages of renovation and preparing to open;
• the German dinner, family rosary and picnic, toy drive, coat drive, blood drives, prolife events, All Saints Party, St. Nicholas Party, and chili football classic; and 
• numerous men’s evangelization events, including Catholic Man Nights, men’s prayer breakfasts, and the recent event and speaker on Our Greatest Struggle.

Yes, our council continues to be active, supporting our parishes and tackling important issues we must deal with in our society. As we look at things done year to date, it is great to see the things we have accomplished, yet my hope for our council is to continue to grow in fraternal brotherhood. We have witnessed many encouraging things that our council continues to do to grow closer as Catholic men. As I sat at last month’s dinner before our business meeting, men of all ages and backgrounds sat together, enjoying each other’s company. I couldn’t help but feel as if we are growing in fraternity. I believe this is an essential aspect of our council — collectively we are growing united together, and united with Christ, for love of neighbor and love of God is essential to our mission.  And so, I ask those of you who have not attended a monthly business meeting held on the first Thursday of the month to please consider attending.  Our new meeting format begins with dinner from 6:30 to 7 p.m.  From 7 to 7:20 p.m. we have our lecturer’s series, which incorporates opportunities to deepen our faith.  Then, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. we hold our business meeting.  We hope to see more men attend, as the discussion and action at our council meeting is the foundation for council activities.

To continue the good works of the council, we must also support council growth. We must all treat membership as a personal mission.  It is no secret that the work of the council must be carried out by good Catholic men. Our “Men in Blue” campaign, in which we simply give out the new blue Knights shirts to active members and have them wear them to events we host, has gone a long way in showing prospective members the good we do. It creates a sense of fraternity, and men feel drawn to the service we provide. This simple aspect has changed many perceptions of what our council does to support the Church, yet this alone is not enough. Along with joyful service, each of our active members is our most effective membership advocate.  I challenge each of you this month to help carry on the work of the Knights of Columbus.  I challenge each of you to help personally talk to prospective members about considering joining the Knights, and letting them truly know what it means to be a Knight of Columbus.

This February and March, our council will conduct our membership blitz. It will take each of you to help make it a success.  First of all, on Saturday, Feb. 2, there is a first-, second-, and third-degree we want to invite men to attend at St. Vincent DePaul in Brooklyn Center.  The first-degree begins at 9 a.m. If you want to bring men to this degree, we can arrange to meet in the parking lot of St. Michael Catholic School at 7:30 a.m. and carpool down to the degree. The weekend of Feb.16 and 17, we have been given time at the end of the weekend Masses to briefly invite men to consider the Knights of Columbus. This year, we are trying a new approach, in which we will invite men to attend an informal meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 19, beginning at 7:20 p.m. and running until around 9 p.m. This meeting will be a straightforward opportunity to share who we are as an order and answer any questions that men might have.  We want to make sure men understand what we are about, as well as directly address any concerns they may have. We will have several officers in attendance to then walk men through the Form 100 and discuss what of involvement we hope new members will ideally commit to.  Because we want give men as much flexibility as possible to attend this meeting, there is no set beginning time of a formal presentation. That means if you have a prospective member who can only make it after 8:30 p.m., please have him show up.

Finally, our next first-degree held in our council will take place on March 7 at our council meeting.  New candidates should arrive by 6:45 p.m. so we can complete any Form 100 work that is required. The first degree will begin approximately at 7:15 p.m.  This is our best opportunity to successfully bring new men into the council. To support and grow the programs of the council, we need new, committed men willing to give 15 to 20 hours a year to the service of the council.  The future success of the council depends on each of us taking this mission seriously.

Our council achieves and succeeds on the planning and work of our officers and directors. Along with support of our membership blitz, I must ask you to consider a position as an officer or director. Over the past several years, we have been blessed to have many of the same officers and directors in place.  This collectively has led to well-executed activities in the council. However, this collective leadership has also come with some cost. To a certain extent, knowing that the officers and directors will make the programs happen has led to these men carrying a heavy weight.  As the Grand Knight, I also am concerned that we are burning out our officers and directors.  In short, we need to bring new men into leadership roles to balance the “burn-out” factor.  I ask you to consider if you can step into a leadership role in our council.  I would be more than happy to discuss what this looks like in various leadership roles.  To continue the work Father McGivney started, please consider how you can impact our council’s planning and leading this coming year.

Finally, for our order to grow not only do we need to lead our faith community in service, but we must lead men in faith formation.  This year we will continue to support and grow our men’s evangelization events.  I challenge you to attend at least one of these events this year.   Make a commitment to each other and to Christ.  Together when we grow in fraternity and in love of Christ, our order grows.  Please consider supporting the council through membership, time, and spiritual development.  Our council depends on it!

Sincerely in Christ,

Mike Engel

Grand Knight