Grand Knight's Blog

2020/05/29

June Message

Brother Knights,

We are about to finish off our 100th year as a Knights of Columbus Council, we begin to realize what all we have been through this Columbian Year of 2019 - 2020. 
Let us look back at what we did this past year. We held the State Organizational Meeting and our 100th Anniversary Celebration on our Chartered date of July 13, 1919.

  • In August, we put on a kickoff Brunch for the Rama Pilgrimage Walk as well as took supper out to the people on the walk.
  • In September, we helped the Parish with the Fall Supper. 
  • October we faithfully took part in the prayer of the Rosary to Mary on Tuesdays. 
  • November, we had our Annual Deceased Members Memorial Mass and Supper with our deceased member’s widows and families. 
  • December, we with the mini Advent Retreat by serving supper to all who were attending. 
  • January was White Ribbon Campaign,
  • February we had the Vocations Endowment Campaign for the Charitable Foundation.
  • In March we held our last regular General Meeting that we could be physically able to attend.
  • In April and May we being apart physically but not Spiritually or visually as we set up a virtual novena and we also held the Virtual Rosary for the Month of May.
  • We also did volunteer by using our new Supreme Council initiative 'Leave No Neighbour Behind'. This program is about looking after our brother knights of our Council, our Parish, Community, giving blood, and getting groceries for all.piritually or visually as we set up a virtual novena and we also held the Virtual Rosary for the Month of May.
We also tried out with I would say was a good turnout for our first Virtual General Meeting and Election of Officers. There were some glitches for people trying to get on and we apologize for that. We hope to have the problem fixed for our next meeting, but we hope that we might be able to gather for our last General meeting in June if everything goes well with the Covid-19 pandemic easing of restrictions and closures.

Speaking of the Election of Officers we have elected for the 2020 - 2021 Columbian Fraternal Year the following:

  • Grand Knight - Rejean Houle
  • Deputy Grand Knight - vacant so far
  • Chancellor - Jonathon Rosas
  • Advocate -  Richard Swejda
  • Recorder - Wayne Exner
  • Treasurer - Gary Colbow
  • Warden - Harvey Kolodziejak
  • Inside and Outside Guards - Ryan Zazuliak and Nathan Bewcyk
  • Trustees - Al Flavel 1 yr., John Curry 2 yr., Jeff Krasowski 3yr.
  • As well as Past Grand Knight Jeff Krasowski.
The following positions are appointed:
  • Financial Secretary - Henry Kweens
  • Council Chaplain - appointed by the in coming Grand Knight as well as the
  • Council Lecturer is also appointed by the Grand Knight Elect.
If you know of any Knight who is a 3rd Degree member and would like to let his name stand for the Deputy Grand Knight position please let myself or any of the Trustees know and we could fill this position before the new Columbian Year.

These past two years as being your Grand Knight has been a great honour and a very humbling experience.  We had our ups and our downs. We have lost several members who have either passed away or moved away and they will be missed dearly by all who got to know them.

In closing I would like to wish our new Grand Knight Rejean and his newly elected Executive all the best and please do not hesitate to call any of us for help and guidance if needed I know that we are ready to help you.

On behalf of my wife Tamara and myself, we would like to thank you for your support these past two years and we both wish you a safe summer holiday season. Please stay safe and we are in this together.

Another Humble Servant,
Jeff Krasowski - G.K.


2020/04/28

May Message

Brother Knights,

as I write my May Grand Knight’s message we are over six weeks into our Physical and Social Distancing protocol issued by the Governments. We have been apart amongst our family, friends, neighbours and co-workers. Yet we as a Catholic Men’s Family Fraternal organization I feel have been more closer than ever before if not physically but we have been closer spiritually especially during this time of our religious calendar. I know that we as Council could not get together for our various programs and meeting but I hope that we stayed in touch with one another and I hope that we talked to our members and deceased members wives that are shut in or alone and let them know that they are not alone during this time of uncertainty. We have the technology at our fingertips to talk, text, email, message, facetime to check up on people from our couch or kitchen table.

There have been many webinars that were put on by our Supreme Office and by our State Office in regards to what could we do to continue to function as a Council from how we can hold meetings through virtual settings, through the phone and what proper avenues we could use. The Supreme webinars have really been about how to keep in touch with our Council members because if we do not keep in touch we could lose many valuable members to our council that we forgot to reach out to them. The State run webinars have mainly dealt with retention and Council Officers. These both are open to all Brother Knights.

I know that we need meetings and programming to continue. We have been active while this pandemic has us apart. We have been visible virtually by sending out the Protection Prayer in time of Pandemic. We also sent out a Novena for Easter. Fr Louis has offered us Sunday Mass through Facebook which is helping us lift our faith and spirits up. We have people form our Council and Parish that have set this all up so that we can continue to practise our Catholic Faith. I would like to thank John Curry and Rick Dubois for getting the prayer and the novena out to our members and also to our Parish family. Great Job! I know that we have many savvy tech people in our Council who might be able to help us get us hooked up so that we can have our regular meetings again starting this month. Whether we go through the phone or email. Please call me and we will see what the best way to go.

I asked our F.S. Henry Kweens to send out an updated Budget for this Columbian year to the Executive for feedback into what we need to cut or add to our budget. With the declining funds from bingo what we could do for a new fundraiser or what else can be done. As of Thursday April 24th , no one has offered any feedback to what we could do. I am asking the Executive to look at the budget and see what needs to be changed or kept. We need to do this before the next Columbian Year. Otherwise we are leaving the next years Executive in a bind for what their need of funds.

As "The Word" is being published this weekend so to is the Annual State Convention is being held virtually because of the pandemic. The Convention Booklets were just sent out last week through email and there has been a short chance for resolution feedback. As a Council we have had not a chance to discuss any resolutions and we apologize for that.
 
I would like to express on behalf of our Council our deepest sympathies to Gerald and Louise Farkus and also to Lewis and Gloria Lozinski on the passing of Gloria and Louise’s brother Ron Wrishko who passed away recently. He was a Brother Knight in Saskatoon. May he rest in peace.
I hope that you and your families are safe and are continuing to care for one another.

Another Humble Servant,
Jeff Krasowski - Grand Knight


2020/03/25

April Message

Dear Brother Knights,

As I write my April message we as not only as a Faith Community, a Province, a City, a Country, a Catholic Men's Family Fraternal Organization and a World are in a Health Crisis with the novel coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic. We are asked to follow the guidelines and protocols that have been put in place for us to follow. We butneed to follow these guidelines and protocols if we are to fight through this virus.

I am saying this because after a lot of prayer and reflection I have come to the decision that we as a Council postpone all activities and meetings until further notice. Let me be clear that I would like to make sure that all of you my Brother Knights are kept well informed of what is happening with our Council's well-being.
That many of our activities are being put on hold for the short term. I understand that some may be having questions and concerns regarding what our plans as a Council has in place. I am going to admit that I do not know for sure what these plans are but together we will answer these questions and concerns and we will make sure you my Brother Knights are well informed either through email updates, by mail notices or by phone. I want to make sure that we all are understanding that we are doing this to make all less anxious of what is happening to our Council. These are times when we as a Catholic Men's Family Fraternal Organization we are at our best. It is times like these that we pull together and we offer our basic principles of our Order Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism to not only our members but also to our Family, Church, Community and Country. We are all leaders and we need to lead through Prayer, Action and Faith that we all can get through this tough time.

I have thought about what would our Councils forefathers have done back in the early years of our Council's beginnings with the Influenza outbreak and I just could imagine the fear that they must have had and then their thoughts of how to help their fellow family member, parishioner, neighbor get through that time. We have the same chance to make a difference even if it is only through Prayer and keeping Social Distancing as our "sword and shield" in our battle against this virus.

I am suggesting that we postpone our Executive and General Meetings for the month of April. I am also hoping that if Orest and Johannes are in agreement that we continue to publish "The Word" because this is one way of keeping you informed of what is happening in our Council. Therefore I would like the Executive and the Trustees to work together in getting a new Executive for the Next Columbian Year for the May Meeting. I have also asked Henry our Financial Secretary to have the 2019-2020 Budgets updated and sent to the Executive and Trustees for their thoughts on what needs to be changed for next year's budget.

Finally, we need to keep all of our Council's members and their families in mind during this time of global uncertainty by keeping them and all mankind in our thoughts and prayers.
To all, please keep safe and healthy during this time.

Another Humble Servant,
Jeff Krasowski - Grand Knight


2020/03/02

March Message

My Brother Knights,

As we begin this Season of Lent, we as Knights of Columbus members are called to be a cornerstone of the Catholic Church. We often think that we need to give up something or to sacrifice something during this special time in our Liturgical calendar.

There are many things that I can think of that we as brother Knights have far too often take for granted that we might accidentally lose our focus on what makes us a Fraternal Catholic Men’s Family Organization. That is right I wrote Fraternal Catholic Men’s Fraternal Organization. To me, we are a big family. We like to help our brother knights who cannot do things that they once did. We enjoy talking to our fellow brother knights asking how their families are doing and when asked we like to talk about our families and mention how well they are doing. This is great but what happens when we know that a member is sick or in distress and we figure that someone else will mention it at a meeting before “The Good of the Order” part? We stay quiet.

I mention this because we all know of someone who is sick or in distress in our Council or Parish. We often, myself included, stay silent not mentioning someone that is not feeling well or are alone when we can be taking a moment to think about them and their families and say a prayer. We, can also if we want we could visit them and see how they are doing even if it is only for a few minutes. We are all charitable especially during this time of year trying to help make our world a better place, let us not forget our fellow brother knight’s who need our support and prayers for their families who may need our help in Carrying their Cross and be there for them at their time of need.

We are the cornerstone of the Church, our Parish community, our families and our community.

Another Humble Servant,
Jeff Krasowski - G.K.


2020/02/01

February Message

My Brother Knights,

I hope that you and your families are staying warm during this up and down winter temperatures. I would like to thank all brother knights and their families for the many volunteer hours that you have spent this past year for the Good of our Order and Council. Whether you have helped out at the World Curling Tour Bonspiel held in tow, helped work at bingos, in the Church, visited the sick, or even volunteered in the city, we appreciate your generosity of your time and talents.

I hope that all have received the new edition of the Council Roster. I know that I accidentally missed a few members who are holding very important chairmanships on our various committees for missing you and your committee was an oversight on my part and I am truly sorry that I forgot you.

Another Humble Servant,
Jeff Krasowski - G.K.