Message from Grand Knight, Rick Kuertz

Brother’s,

Welcome to the October edition of the Cross and Compass. I hope this message finds you and your family doing well. As we move into the heart of autumn (not so much down here), I want to take a moment to reflect on the significance of October for our faith and for our Council. October is a time of renewal, reflection, and action. It is also a month filled with opportunities for us to live out our principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism.

One of our first opportunities in October is remembering it is Respect Life Month, and as Knights of Columbus, we are called to be at the forefront of defending the dignity of every human life—from conception to natural death. Our commitment to life is unwavering, and we have many opportunities to put our beliefs into action. I urge all members to participate in any local pro-life activities, whether it’s attending a prayer vigil, supporting a pregnancy resource center, or educating others on the sanctity of life and asking your friends, family, and neighbors to vote no on Amendment 4. Future generations are counting on us!!!

We have a lot of things going on in October, but before we get there, let's talk about September. I want to thank Nick Catone and John Chiumento for all of their hard work on the Blue Mass. I’d also like to thank all of the brother’s that attended the service including the Color Corps, and Knights on Bikes. All of the First Responders who attended the Mass were very appreciative of the show of support they were given. Well done brothers!! We also had another successful Blood Drive and Food Collection. Thank you to Paul and Eric and your teams for all your hard work. We finished the month out with the 5th Sunday Rosary, thanks go to Bob Burhoe for all of your hard work and efforts. I know you were at every mass saying the Rosary and I appreciate your time and dedication, and I want to thank all of those that volunteered to help say a Decade of the Rosary.

If we weren’t busy in September, we sure are in October. We have the Annual Golf Tournament coming up on October 26th and Dave Tura and his team are still looking for sponsorships and foursomes to play. This event is very worthwhile as all proceeds are donated to 3 local pregnancy centers. If you can volunteer your time, or sponsor a hole, there is still time, please see Dave Tura. We also have the Parish Picnic coming up on October 20th. Sign-ups will be going out soon. If you are able, please volunteer for one of the slots. It’s going to be a great event that we are doing along with the Faith Formation team. We also have our annual Columbus Day retreat at our Lady of Perpetual help on October 16th. Event registration has been closed, but I’m sure Jim Quinnan will let us know if he has any openings due to cancellations. On October 7th our newly formed Social Committee will be hosting a Breakfast with Brother’s at Skillets at 9:00 am. This committee is working hard to get more brother’s involved on a regular basis. Their activities like a baseball game over at the Stadium will be posted on the website, so check out the website regularly as they post new events to keep us all connected as we look to strengthen our fraternal bonds. Great work Eddie and Mark! Also don’t forget to book your table or buy your tickets online for our Second Annual K of C Operation Wounded Warrior fundraiser which will be held at the Venice Community Center on November 8th. If you have any questions, please contact Ray Pronko.

For those who were not at the meeting last month, the Council voted to move our meetings to the 2nd Wednesday of each month due to scheduling conflicts with the bible study. We will be meeting in the Parish Center. We did this to keep things consistent throughout the year. Our pancake breakfasts are coming back and those will be the 1st Sunday of the month, again, we are trying to stay consistent so everyone can work it into their routine. The breakfast was going to kick off in October, but will now start on November 3 because of the renovations that were happening in the Parish Center. So please mark your calendars to come to breakfast the 1st Sunday of the month.

In closing, I want to thank each of you for your continued dedication and service. Together, as brother Knights, we can make a profound impact, living out our faith through action and commitment. Let us move forward in October with renewed devotion to the principles that unite us and the mission that drives us.

I look forward to seeing everyone at Mass or our next meeting on October 9th starting at 5:30 with the Rosary.

Fraternally your brother,

Rick Kuertz, GK