Tonight at the Greater Columbus Chapter meeting, our council–along with the others in the diocese–were presented with our council awards. As you know already, we made double-star council. I was quite excited to see the plaque they gave us (see to the right). You can click it to see a blown-up version of it.
Congratulations, Men, you all helped with this. It’s a great honor. I am very happy about this.
Several weeks ago I was inspired to write this post. It has taken until now to actually get it done. At Mass one Sunday Father was giving the homily and was speaking on the Eucharist. He posed the question: What does the Eucharist mean to you?
Of course I immediately thought of the theological aspect of it. “It’s the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ.” then Father said, “I know you could tell me what the Church teaches what the Eucharist is, but that is not what I want to know. What does the Eucharist really mean to you personally?”
So, here I go.
My most intimate time with Adoration and the Eucharist was in college. I was in Austria at the school’s campus there. In Austria, I really dove into my Faith and immersed myself in the Mass and the Eucharist. I would go many nights to adoration in the chapel and I would kneel for 45 minutes to an hour just staring in adoration. The Lord really opened up my mind and my heart at that time. I never felt more close to God than I did that semester. To me, the Eucharist was my solace from the week’s studies and travels. The Lord would comfort me there in that chapel. All my cares and concerns melted away while I gazed as His greatness. New things were revealed to me. I didn’t see just the wafer in the monstrance, I saw into a world of brightness and beauty that I have never seen since. This is what adoration should be. This is what I felt I should feel every time I received Him in the Mass.
Fast forward 16 years and I’m a father of 6 boys. It’s all I can do simply to get through mass being able to hear what is being said and try to focus on what is happening at the altar. I cannot lie, for several years, the Eucharist was an obligation that I knew if I didn’t go to Mass and receive then I would have to go to confession. I had lost the intimacy, the love, the amazement that I once had. I never wanted communion to be routine, but there it was, all the same.
I was snapped back to reality that Sunday when Father spoke on the Bread of Life and asked that pointed question. I realized what I had been taking for granted; what I had neglected. The Eucharist is the heart of the Church! The Eucharist should be the focus of my daily life and prayer. I’m not there yet, but I am getting closer. There’s been a rekindling of my faith in that homily and I appreciate more the beautiful gift the Lord has left us. No where in the universe exists the Eucharist. This is where the Lord comes down to earth to dwell within us. I have a new-found appreciation for it again. I look forward to mass, I look forward to receiving.
Thanks so much to Fletcher for hosting our annual Family Picnic! While it was a small crowd, we had fun anyway. The kids played on the swing set in the back as well as played board games in the house. Us adults hung out under a shady tree and took in the breeze.
I have a couple pictures below, I didn’t bring my camera so I only used my cell phone to get pictures my children.
Fletcher was teaching my son Nick how to play ping pong. He actually made it over the table once with me!
I went to the tour meeting this past weekend and they outlined the Ohio State council’s new two-year program “Strong in Faith and Service”. There are some new options and some returning ones. I’m very excited about this year and the work we’re going to do.
The entire calendar has been entered into our online calendar. Our events for the parish are in there so you can see all the great things we’re going to accomplish. I look forward to working with each of you and working with new people as well.
It looks like we’re on track to get DOUBLE Star council for last year! I’m very excited about that! Thank you to everyone for your efforts and work you did!
On a final note. Please continue to keep in your prayers Shane Ball. Brother Ball was in a car accident last month and got pretty banged up. He’s up and around but still in a back brace. He’s got a lot of healing to do. We’re praying for you, Shane. Take care of yourself!
I want to thank all those Knights who helped out at the last two events; our first fish fry and the Youth Pancake breakfast. Especially those guys who came in a pinch to help out at the last minute. It was very helpful!
So, our big fund raiser is on it’s way. The money we receive from these fish fries help fund so many of the things we give away money for including our yearly gift to the parish of $1,000 and seminarian help as well as many other organizations we give money to. Please pray for the success of the fish fries because they this really makes or breaks us.
The pancake breakfast was very successful! I don’t know how much we raised for the youth but I think it was a lot. Thanks again for your help.
So, everyone is giving Happy New Year messages… I guess I’m no exception.
I want to thank all those great Knights who have helped with our events this past year. Fletcher brought us through to half way through the year as one of the best Grand Knights we’ve had in a long time. I took over in July and had a rough start but I think I’m getting the hang of things.
Please continue to pray for me and my family as I try to lead this council for the remainder of the fiscal year.
My goals for this council this year are as follows:
I think these goals are all attainable. Will you help me reach these goals?
Thank you to all the brothers who helped with the coat drive this year. I was thoroughly impressed with the amount of items that were given by the parish this year.
For those who don’t know, the coats are brought to Otway county in southern Ohio where they are given to two clothing “stores” which are manned all by volunteers. The stores sell the items for “pennies on the dollar”. The money is first used to pay utilities for the buildings and then the extra money is given to the food bank which uses it to buy food that is given away to the poor down there.
This year we were able to fill a 3/4-ton pickup truck full of bags of clothing! It was amazing! Thank you St. Patrick Church parishoners for your generousity and thank you Knights for your work in helping move all those bags.
Sunday we had our family picnic. It was an absolutely gorgeous day; the weather really cooperated. Not only that, our Worthy Deputy Grand Knight provides us with a spread that was delectable. Everyone brought great side dishes to add to the array and I for one left quite full along with two cases of beer (Thanks Pierre!).
In attendance was about 11 knights and their families. I would say perhaps 35-40 people including children.
I wish I had more pictures, come of them came out blurry. However, if you’d like to see them, head to our gallery.
Dear Brother Knights,
First, I would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
As the new year is upon us it is time for us to make our new year resolutions. We all know that the number one reason for the Knights of Columbus is Charity. Giving Charity is accomplished in a number of ways, Time, Talent and Treasure.
There are some members of our council, who wish to give money to everyone who is in need. They live by the motto quoted in the Bible, “Ask and you shall receive”. Unfortunately, before you give, you have to have the means to give. As we all know, from our Worthy Grand Knight’s maticulous financial report, money is not falling freely into our bank account like manna falling freely from heaven.
To put money into our bank account, we have to work to put the money there, and that is accomplished by giving our Time and Talent to our Council’s fund raisers. We have two main fund raising projects each year, the Fish Fries and the Pizza sales.
Our Worthy Grand Knight, Fletcher Hastings, does all that he can, however, he cannot do it all by himself. He needs ALL of our help to accomplish our fund raising goals. I am personally asking each and every one of you, to make a New Year’s Resolution, to give of your Time and Talent, during this upcoming year in the assistance of Fletcher, in reaching our financial goal.
If we all work together, then the burden will not fall on the shoulders of a few, but on the shoulders of the many.
PKG Bill Harris
He is Risen! (He is Risen Indeed.)
We have come to the end of another Lent. As we enter the Easter Season, I hope and pray that all my brothers and sisters out there can remember the sacrifices we endured during Lent and continue to grow closer to Him who is our Savior.
St. Patrick Church always has such a beautiful reverent Easter Triduum every year. It was so wonderful to be there on Thursday for the final liturgy, Friday for the 7 last words, and the Easter Vigil which is always so wonderful. What a precious thing is our Faith. How wonderful is it to have the Eucharist and the beautiful masses that we can attend!
During Lent I went to a Mission talk at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Grove City. They had Fr. Larry Richards there from Erie, PA. He is a very dynamic speaker and he really convicts you to turn your life around. I went on the healing night with the Eucharist and the healing prayer. It was amazing. The Eucharistic procession was wonderful. What a glorious thing we have!
He inspired me to find a Mass that I can attend on a daily basis and stick to it. I encourage each of you to do the same. Daily mass is the fuel that keeps us faithful to Christ and His Church as well as our families. Receive the Eucharist everyday and it will change your life.
