Brother Knights,

Wow! January went by quickly! I am surprised how fast my personal “To-Do List” is becoming my “Didn’t-Do List” and I have a feeling of disappointment in my not accomplishing what I set out to do. This does not mean that I failed to accomplish anything; just not what I planned to do.
What am I to do about this? In a recent nighttime meditation, I read “Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step. I encounter many opportunities to make wise choices. When I ignore those opportunities, I can’t recapture the moments. All I can do is ask forgiveness and move forward.”
Ok, so let’s apply this meditation thought to membership in the Knights of Columbus. Under our Council activities, each Brother has many opportunities to serve others in our Council, parish, and community. Fortunately, our Council is blessed to have 30 to 40 members who are serving in events/activities sponsored by our Council and the Parish. An example list of events/activities is as follows:

Council Chaired Projects
Blood Donation Drives (Quarterly)
Intellectually Disabled Fund Drive (Dec.)
Spring or Fall Festival (Tentative)
Movie Nights (Monthly)
Street Clean Up (Monthly)
Father/Daughter Dance (April)
Mardi Gras Benefit Party
Veteran’s Breakfast
Stations of the Cross/Lenten Dinner
Easter Egg Hunt (tentative)
Easter Sunday Parking Volunteers
Santa Breakfast (Dec.)
Fifth Sunday Corporate Communion
Rosary before Council Meetings (Monthly)
Ladies of Charity Volunteers
Catholic Charities Volunteers
Second Harvest Food Bank Volunteers
End of Life Presentations
Parish Playground Refurbishment

Parish Sponsored Events/Programs (K of C support invited or requested)
Youth Ministry
Elementary Faith Education
High School Faith Education
Confirmation instruction
Catholic HEART Work Camp
Adult Faith Education/Formation
RCIA Team & Sponsors
ALPHA
Nicodemus Club
Mass Ministries
Ushers, lectors, offertory gifts
Eucharistic Ministers
Choir
Janitorial Volunteers
Social Action
World Marriage Day
Adult Social Fundraiser
Harvest of Blessings Volunteers
Sunday coffee and Donuts

Parish-Sponsored Projects (KC support needed)
Youth Ministry
Elementary Faith Education
High School Faith Education
Confirmation instruction
Catholic HEART Work Camp
Adult Faith Education/Formation
RCIA Team & Sponsors
ALPHA
Nicodemus Club
Mass Ministries
Ushers, lectors, offertory gifts
Eucharistic Ministers
Easter Parking
Choir
Janitorial
Social Action

It is obvious to me that many of our Brothers are not selecting opportunities to serve in spite of their good intentions during their initiation into the Council. I understand that it is not an unusual situation in many Knights’ councils for 20 -30 Brothers to do most of the work. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Active Brothers, please encourage our inactive Brothers to participate more fully in Council activities. Inactive Brothers, please renew your good intentions, learn more about the service opportunities, pray, and choose one or more now! (You don’t even have to ask forgiveness for past failures, just move forward!)

The only way the world knows anything about Christ is by watching His followers. (Steve Lawhead)

Respectfully submitted,

Cy Henke
Council 15706 Lecturer
Vivat Jesus