Greetings Brother’s,
Welcome to the March edition of the Cross and Compass. I hope this newsletter finds you and your family
doing well. It is hard to believe we are in March already, but you sure can tell as our Council is staying very
busy with a full calendar and our church is full. I absolutely love this time of year as the weather is getting
nicer and we begin our journey to Easter with Lent. As we enter the season of Lent, let us take this time to
reflect on our faith, deepen our commitment to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and grow closer to Christ.
Lent is an opportunity to strengthen our fraternity and serve our community with humility and love. Lent this
year will take on a new meaning for me since I walked the Camino de Santiago last summer. I learned what it
means to offer our sufferings up for other people and our church. As I walked, the pain was real and doubts
swirled in my brain, but when I started offering the pain up, it became more manageable and it gave me a
new sense of purpose and drive to continue. I hope this Lent you as well can learn this important life lesson if
you haven’t. I thank Father Jay for motivating me and reminding me to continually offer my pain up, I still do
it to this day, it has definitely stuck with me.
Additionally, as we reflect on our Lenten journey, let us take the time to consider our personal sacrifices and
the ways in which we can be of service to others. Lent is not only about giving something up but also about
giving of ourselves—our time, our prayers, and our charity. Through our works and actions, we bring Christ’s
love into the lives of those around us.
I wanted to give my brothers an update as we had a very busy February with the Food Drive, Pancake
Breakfast, and Membership Drive. Thanks to all members who helped make these events successful. March
is going to be another extremely busy month for us as we have a lot going on. We start the month off with
our Pancake Breakfast on March 2 nd . Then on March 4 th , we have our annual Fat Tuesday Paczkis (Polish
Donuts) after the 8:00 am mass in the Parrish Center. Our monthly Food Drive will be on March 22-23 which
is the same weekend as our Blood Drive on March 23. We will then finish up the month with our 5 th Sunday
Rosary. As you can see, we have a lot going on and we need a lot of help to continue to make these great
events for us, so please sign up when you get a Sign-Up Genius request in your email. If all of this wasn’t
enough things to do, we also have the #1 Irish Tenor Andy Cooney coming to Our Lady of Lourdes on March
7 th . The doors open at 6:30 for this event. The cost is $48.00 and the proceeds from this event will be going
to support our upcoming kitchen renovation. I also wanted to say THANK YOU, for all the feedback I have
gotten on our meetings, changes are coming!!! The Social Committee has a lot going on as well, please check
the website for the details. This is another way to build strong last relationships and a great way to meet a
lot of brother’s.
This month, let us also focus on service and unity within our council. Whether it’s assisting at the parish,
supporting charitable initiatives, or simply being there for one another, our collective efforts make a
significant impact. Let us embrace our mission with renewed energy and faith.
I urge each of you to find a way to contribute to our Council, whether by volunteering at our upcoming
events, reaching out to a fellow Knight in need, or simply deepening your own faith journey through personal
prayer and reflection. As we draw closer to Easter, may we strengthen our bonds of brotherhood and remain
steadfast in our commitment to living as true Knights of Columbus.
I look forward to seeing everyone at Mass or at our next meeting on March 12 th . We will begin with the
Rosary at 5:30, followed by dinner and our meeting.
Vivat Jesus!
Rick Kuertz, Grand Knight 