An eventful October
Even before our general business meeting on October 7th, we were off and running in what turned out to be a very active month for our council! First off, on Saturday Oct. 2nd Youth Committee director Tony Cuesta and five other council members hosted our council-level KofC Soccer Challenge on the grounds of the parish. Five area youths participated – four more than last year – and given that each participant was in a different age group all five advanced to the District-level competition. The Districts were held at St. Stephen School the very next day, October 3rd. Chizu Egwatu, son of our Outside Guard and Council Committee Director Cornelius Egwatu, won his age group and will advance to the Regionals, to be held November 6th in Tarpon Springs. Congratulations to all!
Saturday Oct. 9th found the Blessed Antonio Rosmini Council well-represented at the District 35 Charity Golf Tournament, at Summerfield Golf Club in Riverview. The proceeds went to benefit brother Knight and former State Public relations chairman Tim Manning, to help defray the cost of expensive medical treatments he was required to receive in the past year. Our council donated $500 to the cause, for which we received a tee-box sign advertising our council, and our own PGK Miguel Molina, knight Michael Garrido and his friend Andy Walzer played in the tournament. Their team played very well – coming in at 3rd place in a field of more than a dozen teams. The day was a success, raising well over $5,000 for Tim. The District plans to make hold a tournament every year, and will select a different cause to benefit each year. Special thanks to PGK Miguel Molina for coordinating our council’s support of the event.
On October 16th, more than 15 of our Knights and their ladies joined our pastor Fr. Chris Fitzgerald and the Legion of Mary at the annual Rosary Rally at the front of the church property along Hwy 579. It was a public display of our devotion to our Blessed Mother, and given some of the friendly toots of car horns we heard as we were setting up – we certainly received approval from some of our brothers and sisters driving by. That same weekend, October 16th & 17th, we joined other parish ministries for the inaugural Ministry Info & Recruiting Weekend or “Ministry Fair” after each of the masses. My thanks to all of you who stayed after mass and spoke with the men of our parish about the difference they can make in their community, their parish, and their family in the Order. We are following up with a number of men who expressed interest in joining the council, and definitely enjoyed some good visibility.
The following Saturday, Oct. 23rd, Deputy GK John Mabe, Financial Secretary Chito Ocampo and I attended the State Deputy’s travelling meeting, “Building the Body of Christ.” He and other State Council officers outlined the State’s emphasis on retaining members in the Order and reinforcing the idea that the Order is a tool not only for serving others, but also for advancing the Gospel of Christ by building the Catholic Church. Their message was well-received by all of the councils represented.
Catching our collective breath, we got to work the very next morning, Sun. the 24th, for our first parish breakfast of the Fraternal Year. While we didn’t feed quite as many folks as we have in the past, we did raise $300 for the council’s activities. Also, as good as our food has been before, our guests said it was even better this time. That should mean good word-of-mouth for the next breakfast, which will be around Valentine’s Day. Sticking with a food theme, a dozen of our knights and family members joined our bi-monthly effort to Feed the Needy of our area. Approximately 90 people received a good, hot meal courtesy of the knights and our parish!
Finally, on the final weekend of the month, more than two dozen knights, ladies and family members gathered at the parish on Friday evening, the 29th, for our monthly Pot-luck Social. There, we recognized September’s Family of the Month, the Coletta family (Jason, Tarah & Ava), and also October’s Family of the Month, the Parker Family (Don & Mary), and October’s Knight of the Month, Richard Brown. Everyone enjoyed a wonderful time of good food and fellowship. We then closed out the month selling tickets after all the masses on Oct. 30th & 31st, for the Nov. 12th Luz Fund Thank-You Spaghetti Dinner. We will sell tickets again the following weekend, and of course at the door. We hope to see you there!
A Personal Thank-You
As you probably have heard, my wife Jean suffered a seizure on October 12th, falling and separating her right shoulder in the process. She gave me and our sons a scare, but she came through with no permanent ill effects and no problems noted in any of the tests performed at the hospital. God has truly blessed us with the best possible outcome, and Jean and I would like to thank each of you for your prayers and support. May Christ bless you all!
November is here!
Although short compared to October’s calendar, I anticipate that November will be another successful month for our council. As an example, we anticipate processing Form 100s to add at least four new members to the council this month – almost half of our adjusted goal!
Of course, the best way to prove a successful November will be to pause for a few days at the end of the month to thank God for all of the blessings he has bestowed on us. Please accept best wishes from my wife Jean, our sons and I, for a wonderful Thanksgiving for you and your family. See you soon!
Fraternally yours in Christ,
John Wilbur
Grand Knight
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