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

December 2019 Bulletin: Christmas Celebration and Perrault Benefit Coming Up

Lead article from the December 2019 bulletin.

A busy November continued with setting up for the tree lot. Don Legatt once again orchestrated a very successful tree lot set up. Many hands did make light (or not so heavy) work setting up the tree lot. See the pictures in this bulletin. The following people volunteered their time on Saturday for the tree lot set up, unloading the trees or both depending on their availability – Don Legatt, Erich Kunzman, Cory Sommer, John DeLander, Dave Miodus, Mark Rademacher, Jeff Eull, “Jungle” Jim Valerius, Brad Altepeter, Tom Kienlen, Kenneth Justen, Pete Ruhland, Eric and Daniel Paluck, Scott Arndt, Daniel McDonald, Todd Rathbun, Jim and Jake Wiegers, Chad Ronning, Joe and Isaac Van Hoorick, and Brent and David Traynor and possibly more. Please forgive me if you were there and your name was not listed, it was a busy day. The tree lot sales help the St. Alberts and St. Michael youth group. Thanks for all of the help. 

The month of December will have an OPEN MEETING and WINE TASTING Party on Tuesday December 3rd at the St. Albert’s Parish Hall starting at 7:00 pm. Please come and bring your spouse, a friend or someone that is interested in joining the Knights. Many thanks to Cory Sommer who is running this event. Cory has indicated that this year’s wine tasting event will be extra special. The meeting day needed to be moved to Tuesday as there was a wedding reception set up at the parish hall and a parish wide adoration at St Michael’s church conflicting with the regular meeting date of the first Thursday in December. 

Following the wine tasting the St. Nicholas party is scheduled for Saturday December 7th in the St. Michael Catholic School cafeteria. Don and Marie Legatt are continuing their selfless work putting together another party for the Knights. Help is always appreciated for setting up, working, and cleaning up after the St. Nicholas party. Please contact Erich or Brad to let them know if you can help – thank you. 

A look into January shows that there is a spaghetti feed benefit for Joe Perrault, who is having back surgery on Saturday January 25 – please keep him in your prayers. 

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you for all your work for the Knights to help out our community. 

God bless, 

Andy Sipple

Grand Knight

November 2019 Bulletin: New Kniights, St. Nick, Christmas Trees and More!

Lead article from the November 2019 bulletin.

The Knights were busy in October with multiple events including a first degree after the October council meeting. Three new Knights have joined. Many thanks to the first degree team. October finished with the pro-life dinner at St. Albert’s parish hall. Thanks to Jim Shovelain for organizing another Pro-Life dinner and for his continued work protecting life. Marie Legatt organized another Saints party at St. Alberts parish hall – thanks Marie for your continued work helping out the Knights.

As the days are getting shorter and the temperature is dropping you can feel the Knights tree lot is approaching. This year providing the weather and tree delivery cooperate, the tree lot set up starts on November 16 and lot filling on November 23. Youth from both St. Michaels and St. Alberts parishes will help with the tree lot setup. The Knights Tree Lot will be open beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving, November 29, through Sunday December 15 (or earlier if the trees run out). There will be multiple ways to sign up for a shift or two helping to sell Christmas trees including a sign-up genius that is in this bulletin and will be sent out via e-mail. Please also consider help setting up and taking down the tree lot. As the dates get firmed up on the tree lot more information will be sent out.

Other activities in December include the St. Nicholas party will be held at the St. Michael parish school on Saturday December 7. Thanks to Don and Marie Legatt for organizing and running another St. Nicholas party. It has been heard that another St. Nicholas is needed this year – please contact Don, Erich or myself if you are interested in dressing up as St. Nicholas at the St. Nicholas Day party. There will be a coat drive November 9-17 and a toy drive starting November 11th and ending December 15th. All of this work done by the Knights helps out the local community. 

Thank you again to all who continue to help with the busy Knights schedule on top of your home schedule. Please include brother Knights in your prayers that we can continue to help out those around us and spread by word and deed the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

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

May 2017 Bulletin: 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima and Reminders!

Lead article from the May 2017 bulletin, online now.

2017 marks the 100th Anniversary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria, Fatima, Portugal, beginning on May 13 and ending October 13, 1917.  The children were Lucia Santos, age 10, and her younger cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto.

This amazing story begins with these children reporting that on May 13, 1917, a woman adorned like the sun appeared to them from the sky and lighted on a shrub.

The woman asked them to devote themselves to the Holy Trinity and to “pray the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and an end to war.”  The woman asked the children to return on June 13th, and when Lucias’ mother heard about this she sought counsel from the parish priest, Fr. Ferreira.  He suggested she allow them to go and said he would question them afterward.

The Virgin Mary appeared as promised and told the children to pray the Rosary daily to bring an end to World War I – the war which precipitated the rise of godless Communism in Russia with the Bolshevik Revolution occurring in October, 1917.  Mary also revealed that Francisco and Jacinta would be taken to heaven soon, but Lucia would live longer to spread her message and devotion to her Immaculate Heart, which she promised would eventually triumph over Communism’s errors.  The 1918 flu pandemic, from which about 50 million died globally, took Francisco in 1919, and Jacinta in 1920.  Both were beatified by St. John Paul II on May 13th, 2000.

Our Lady allowed the children to see a vision of hell and asked them to pray for sinners.  They became fervent in their prayer life for the conversion of hardened sinners.  She also entrusted to them a secret.

Government officials intercepted the children before they reached the Cova da Iria on August 13th.  The parents and officials tried to convince the children to stop what they perceived as nonsense; but neither derision nor threats persuaded the children, and they courageously held true to their witness.

The Virgin Mary appeared to them on Sunday, August 19th, at nearby Valinhos, and spoke to them about a miracle at the Cova da Iria on October 13th. She reminded them to pray the Rosary daily and “pray a lot… for sinners and sacrifice a lot, as many souls perish in hell because nobody is praying or making sacrifices for them.”

Although it rained incessantly for three days before October 13th, an estimated 70,000 people gathered to witness the promised miracle, soon to be called “Miracle of the Sun”.  Our Lady appeared to the children and Lucia saw light rising from Mary’s hand and reportedly cried out, “Look, the sun.”  For about 10 minutes the sun seemed to dance and then zigzagged to the earth only to spring back to its original position.  The people were at first horrified thinking it was the end of time, but then they broke out in praise as the sun returned to its position, and all their clothes had become dry. 

In 1930, after ongoing investigations, the Catholic Church officially recognized the apparition events as “worthy of belief”.  It is important to note that the Catholic Church defines these events as “private revelations.” They do not form the deposit of the Catholic faith, and we are not bound to believe in them.  Yet, Holy Mother Church holds them out to those who wish to receive such miracles as supernatural gifts to deepen the practice of their Catholic faith by following Jesus in his Catholic Church.

In the coming monthly newsletters there will be small vignettes of the miracles and messages of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Fatima until its conclusion on Oct. 13th, 2017.   Look for opportunities at both St. Albert and St. Michael Churches to draw closer to God’s promises through devotion to Our Lady of Fatima.  First monthly event: Mass, May 13th, 9:30 a.m. at St. Michael Catholic Church with Patriotic Rosary until Noon near the Historic Church (unless inclement weather).

Father Thomas McCabe

Council Chaplain

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Deputy Grand Knights Message

Hello Knights.

The long winter's over and we will be mowing our lawns soon.  We are also nearing the end of Grand Knight Joe VanHoorik's  second year at the helm and I would like to personally thank him for his great leadership and the great things he has accomplished for Council 4174.  We are also closing in on the Albertville Friendly City Days (AFCD) softball tournament and beer tent event.  This three day annual effort funds much of what we do during the year.  We will need the assistance of many Knights to make this important three day event a great success.  Multiple shifts on June 8th, 9th, and 10th will be open on the Sign Up Genius website soon.  We will need more volunteers than in years past.  There will be opportunities to serve beer as well as help out with score keeping and ball shagging during our new multi-tier softball tournament.  I would like to ask the new Knights in particular to sign up for this year's AFCD events.  Let's get this new 4174 Council year started with a bang!  Thank you for your help. God bless you and your families.

Gary Frandsen

Deputy Grand Knight

  

Called to Serve? Consider a Directorship!

By Jim Thorp
Outgoing Council Director

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

Council booth at the St. Michael Fall Festival

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

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

St. Nicholas Party

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

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

German Dinner at the St. Michael Fall Festival

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

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

Christmas Tree Lot Fundraiser

March 2013 Grand Knight's Message: To Imitate Christ

Grand Knight's article from the March 2013 bulletin:

“And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry.”

— Matthew 4:3

I wish I could say that my understanding of fatherhood with my   first child—Katelyn, now almost 13—was the same as when our youngest child, Peter, was born nearly two years ago. Maybe at the age of 40, I understand truly how fast they grow up. Certainly, faith has changed in our lives, and I am more grateful for the gift of my children. In either case, I am more aware of my role as father to help shape the lives of my children.  To a 22-month-old boy, I have come to see, Daddy is the king of the universe. Every action I do is carefully examined and repeated by son. Every household choir involving a hammer, screw gun, or tape measure is met with tiny hands trying to hammer, screw, or measure. For to my son, he shows his love and admiration for his father through this imitation of what I do.

I watch in amazement every time he grabs my hand and walks me over to his tractor to play “fixit” with him or drive little tractors across the carpet. His response to love is to imitate the one he loves. His love is expressed back to me through his imitation of what I do. In much the same way, we witness to God’s love in our imitation of the one who loves us perfectly.

I recently witnessed an awkward exchange between coworkers: one Catholic and one Lutheran. It was that all too frequent exchange in which my Lutheran coworker jokingly stated how thankful she was to be Lutheran so she didn’t have to do any of that fasting or giving up of meat. Like all too many Catholics, my good friend the Catholic had no real response, and ended up trying to make a joke out of it.

Christ is THE example for us to imitate. Matthew 4:3 is just one verse that clearly states Christ fasted. Christ went into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights and fasted. This alone is all the reason we need to  truly embrace our Lenten journey. Scripture states it, and Christ did it.  We need no more reason to deny self and to confidently proclaim that  to others. When we enter Lent in a disposition to deny ourselves in    response to Christ love, we are saying to God, you are worth the inconvenience.  We are showing God our love for him as my son Peter shows his love for me.

Christ is also THE supreme teacher. Before his public ministry began, Christ entered the desert. He teaches us through his word, and his actions. We can thus have confidence that this time of self-denial will bring about spiritual growth within us. It will help prepare us to   witness to the world as Christ witnessed to the world.  For in Matthew 4:3, the ending of the verse states “and afterward he was hungry.”

What could Christ be hunger for? Well, clearly he would have been physically hungry. Two thousand years ago, fasting would not have meant leaving the fries out of the Happy Meal. However, scripture is speaking to a deeper hunger. Christ hungered and thirsted for the souls of others. Christ does nothing that he doesn’t want us to follow. He wants us to hunger and thirst for souls. As his perfect love was and is the very essence of total self-denial, we to can learn to love more perfectly when our love becomes self-sacrificing. Before we can give totally, we must learn to die to self in little ways. Study the lives of the saints; they all learned to die to self. Lent is essential for our spiritual growth, so we can become what God envisions us to be.

Lent has not always been my favorite of liturgical seasons. I spent many years as a Catholic not embracing the opportunity to grow in virtue and imitate the one we should love above all.  Like many Catholics, Lent was a time I grudgingly kind of followed the “silly tradition” us Catholics do. Not surprisingly, I cannot say Lent brought about any kind of spiritual growth in my life.  Lent was a waste of 40 days and nights in my life       because I did not want to unify myself with Christ’s   suffering, and thus denied myself God’s graces. There is a reason Mother Church invites us to a season of self-denial. She wants us to grow in holiness. She wants us to grow closer to God, and she knows sometimes the very best way to show love is through imitation of the ones we love.

I ask you to consider your Lenten resolution. Do you see the rest of Lent as one of the very best opportunities to show your love for Christ and to grow closer to Him?  Have you set any type of Lenten resolutions that really take some self-denial?  Have you stopped ordering the super-sized extra value meal for the regular-sized one or have you decided to go hungry just a little?  If your answer is no, then I invite you to reconsider. I pray the rest of your Lenten journey brings you closer to our Lord Jesus Christ!

Sincerely in Christ,

Mike Engel

Grand Knight

We Need Your Help!

St. Nicholas Party

Over the next few weeks, we have several great opportunities to serve our church and community. Give the greatest gift you have, completely free of charge: your time and service!  

St. Nicholas Party 
Our annual St. Nicholas Party for St. Michael and St. Albert parish families is coming up on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. at the St. Michael Catholic School. We need volunteers to assist with this event: decorating and set-up (4:30-6 p.m.); food service (6-7:15 p.m.); gym monitors and game leaders (6:30-8:30 p.m.); and kitchen and clean-up (7:15 p.m. to end). Please contact Mike Engel or Jeremy Rohr if you can assist. Thank you!

Cornerstone Women's Center

Cornerstone Remodeling
Cornerstone Women’s Center will be working to remodel their new building. They are asking for help every Thursday with various construction tasks. You do not need extensive construction knowledge, just the ability to pitch in and help. They are working all day long, so even if you only have a few hours to help – they would love to see you! Please contact Jim Patton to pitch in.

KC Christmas Tree Lot

Christmas Tree Sales 
Special thanks to those of you who helped set up the KC Christmas Tree Lot the last two weekends! We still need volunteers to fill several shifts at the tree lot, beginning this Friday through Sunday, Dec. 16. Please sign up online today.

 Please note: We try not to publish personal email addresses or phone numbers on this site. If you need contact information for the Knights listed above, please email Jim Thorp at jthorp@kc4174.org. Thank you all, and God bless!