Meeting Minutes
The Meeting was held in the Parish Hall on Monday, September 16, 2024
Meeting was called to order at 7:03 PM
The Opening Prayer was led by Worthy Grand Knight Jim Schiffer.
The Opening Ode was sung – led by Brother Steve Lugo.
Roll Call of Officers: Chaplain, 3rd Year Trustee and 2nd Year Trustee were excused.
The minutes from the prior meeting (August 2024) were approved.
47 Brothers attended the meeting.
40 Brothers recorded volunteer hours – 193 hours over the last month.
Brother Jerry Marchal welcomed returning Knight Dr. Bill Eversman back to the Council.
Brother Bob Gomez introduced Honored Guest George Lacey as a potential candidate.
Worthy Grand Knight Jim Schiffer reviewed the proposed 2024-2025 budget with three main goals for the year:
1) Maintain charitable giving.
2) Maintain a positive net income; and
3) Continue to grow the fraternal brotherhood.
Budget points called out were as follows:
1) Anticipated Golf Tournament 2025 revenue and expenses were decreased from 2023-2024 actual due to the change in dates and venue.
2) It was noted that the expense tables within the budget do not foot or match, there is a variance of $3,500 which will be reconciled before the final budget is published.
3) A question was raised by Brother Jaime McWeeny regarding the Council income from Oktoberfest. It was clarified that Oktoberfest is a parish event and any income to the Council will be from the 50/50 raffle.
The budget was approved unanimously pending expense reconciliation adjustments.
WGK extended Thank You to:
1) All Brothers who assisted with the Parish Hospitality Mass on September 1st.
2) Brothers continuing to support Sunday Donuts after Mass, in particular Brother Bob Gomez and Brother Mike Stevens. Brother Bob Gomez passed around a sign-up sheet for future Donut effort volunteers.
3) All Brothers who assisted in support of the Our Lady of Guadalupe dinner and event on September 7th.
4) The 4th Degree Brothers for their support of the 9/11 memorial Mass and service.
5) All Brothers who attended the Sanctity of Life Mass and event on September 14th.
6) All Brothers who have shared their Spousal contact information and invited everyone who has not yet done so to please complete the information.
WGK briefly addressed the commentary attributed to Pope Francis regarding the upcoming presidential election in America where it was posed that both candidates are against life, and the vote will be cast for the lesser of the two evils.
Calendar of Upcoming Events
1. September 18th – Golf Committee meeting for 2025 tournament planning. All interested Brothers are invited to attend.
2. October 5th – an After Mass Wine and Cheese event for parishioners. Any Brothers interested and available to help are invited to contact Brother David Carpenter or Brother Mike Stevens.
3. October 6th – Hospitality Sunday Memorial Mass. All Brothers are asked to attend the 9:00 AM Mass and wear Knights of Columbus shirts and name badges. Assistance may be asked for based on parishioners’ needs.
4. October 19th – Oktoberfest. A sign-up sheet was passed around at the August Council meeting for Brothers available to assist with this Parish event.
5. October 21st – Council Meeting. This meeting will be held in the Parish Center (downstairs) and will include an Exemplification as well as a guest speaker from MANA House. Also expect leftovers from Oktoberfest for refreshments. All Brothers and potential candidates are invited to attend.
6. October 26/27 - The Men’s Renewal Weekend will be held at the Parish Center. Brothers interested in attending are encouraged to reach out to Brother Dan Fruehe via email or cell phone.
7. November 3rd – A Pancake Breakfast will be held after all Masses. Brothers interested in assisting should reach out to Deputy Grand Knight Steve Schwartz.
8. November 9th – Visit to MANA House.
9. November 16th – The quarterly event at Andre House with a 3:00 PM Dinner Service. Brothers interested in assisting should reach out to Brother David Hori.
10. November 17th – The Parish Fall Festival will be held for all parishioners, families and friends. Chefs are needed to support this event. Brothers interested in assisting should reach out to Brother David Carpenter or Brother Joe Boncher. Brother Jeff Langhorst has agreed to help cook.
11. November 18th – Council Meeting will include a guest speaker from Maggie’s Place.
12. December 6th – The Christmas Party will be held in the Parish center. The cost will be $50 per attendee and will highlight the welcoming of prospective Knights.
13. Date to be scheduled – Street Cleanup.
14. Date to be scheduled – Officer’s Installation Ceremony and Dinner. All are welcome to attend, however an anticipated count of attendees is needed to plan for a location and other details.
Committee Reports:
Training: WGK reminded all Food and Alcohol handlers to recertify by taking the training course. This remains a priority before the next Council meeting.
Recruitment/Mentoring: Brother Mike Stevens will have an updated report for the next Council meeting.
Technology: Charles DeLong has volunteered to chair this committee and is working to digitize the Volunteer hours management aspect for the Council.
Treasurer Report: Brother Sal Costa provided we have a current balance in cash of $19,841 and a Certificate of Deposit in the amount of $5,000 maturing in April 2025 at an interest rate of 4%.
Application for Membership: A Form 100 candidate application was received from William DeLong which was voted upon and unanimously approved for membership
4th Degree update: Brother Steve Lugo reminded all 4th Degrees that there is currently a $100 rebated for the purchase of regalia which includes the updated Jacket, Slacks, Beret and Sword. The next 4th degree meeting will be held at St. Bernadette’s on September 23rd at 7:00 PM.
New Business:
Brother Bob Gomez announced a luncheon for new parishioners will be held on October 6th and Fr. Fred has asked for Knight support to help serve. A sign-up sheet was passed around for volunteers.
Brother Michael Apodaca announced the collection of gently used clothes and food donations for the Navajo nation is upcoming in November. The flights are scheduled for November 14, 15 and 16. Brothers with donations may contact Brother Apodaca for collection.
A Cigar night at 21° on Thursday September 19th is scheduled, smoking is not required.
Brother Bill Kasley told us about his recent visit to the Gary Sinise Foundation in Franklin TN which included a tour of the offices, delivering lunch to the local Fire Station and a private screening of the 30th anniversary edition of Forrest Gump. Brother Kasley detailed the stories of two disabled veterans who live in Arizona for which the foundation is building smart homes, to be completed in 2025. Our donation to the foundation from our 2024 Golf Tournament was greatly appreciated and items for next year’s golf tournament will be sent to us for auction and handouts.
Visiting Brother Jeff DiDomenico provided new information on a multi-parish New Year’s Eve Black Tie event in support of the St. Joseph Youth Camp, which is the only youth camp owned by the Knights of Columbus. This event will serve as the main fundraiser for a new septic system for the camp. Our help is being asked to schedule this event in the Parish center. Additional support for planning, auctions, raffle, and food will be part of the planning process. WGK and Brother Bob Gomez will work with Fr. Fred for the Parish center request and determine what additional roles our Council can assist with.
Unfinished Business:
Brother David Carpenter indicated the Fall Festival is in need of 14 additional pop-up tents – size 10 x 10.
Chancellor Report: We are supporting two new Seminarians (Ben Sanford Continued) and Son Lee (New) and welcomed Brother David Hori to reach out to meet them.
Prayer Requests: Pray for Brother Vince Palumbo . Pray for Jason Negela. For Fr. Ryan Lee – prayers for the conference. Pray for Deacon Mike Johnson. Pray for Michael Montemayor. Pray for Mike Sanders. Pray for Reverend Eric Malstrom.
The closing prayer was offered by WGK Jim Schiffer.
The Closing Ode was sung – led by Brother Steve Lugo.
The meeting concluded at 8:10 PM.
The Meeting was held in the Parish Hall on Monday, August 19, 2024
Meeting was called to order at 7:04 PM
The Opening Ode was sung – led by Steve Lugo.
Roll Call of Officers: Chaplain, Recorder and 2nd Year Trustee were excused.
The Minutes from the prior meeting (June 2024) were approved.
51 Brothers attended the meeting.
22 Brothers recorded volunteer hours – 139 hours over the last month.
Pastor Fred Adamson welcomed back the Knights form their summer break and thank them for continuing Sunday donuts (and croissants). He invited everyone to attend daily Mass on August 20th in celebration of the feast day of St. Bernard of Clairvaux and provided a brief history of our Patron Saint and his ministry.
Eric Jensen was presented as candidate for the open officer role of Recorder and was unanimously elected.
Worthy Grand Knight Jim Schiffer read the application of candidate Michael Sanders to become a Knight of Council 12313. Michael spoke on his background and desire to join, and then was unanimously approved.
The Council wished Pastor Fred a happy belated birthday (August 9th).
Grand Knight shared thank you letters for proceeds distributed from the May Golf Tournament including letters from MANA House, Andre House, Maria Africa, St Vincent DePaul and Heaven- Sent Ministry. These will be posted on the website for viewing.
Grand Knight announced an officers meeting will be scheduled to draft the budget for 2024 -2025 which will be presented to the Council at the scheduled September meeting.
Grand Knight invited all Knights to attend and support the Hospitality Mass scheduled for Sunday September 1st and to wear Knights of Columbus shirts and name badges. Brother Paul Wise announced a Hospitality Training event scheduled for September 28th which will be a Liturgical Day of Renewal.
Training renewal is required with Food and Alcohol Handler’s certification being valid for three years. Safe Environment Training (SET) is required for all Parish Ministries as is annual renewal.
Grand Knight announced the upcoming 9/11 Memorial Mass and Past Grand Knight Mike Stevens provided history of the physical Memorial site on our parish grounds. A 4th degree Honor Guard presentation will follow the 9:00 AM Mass.
Grand Knight invited all to attend the upcoming parish event of Oktoberfest scheduled for October 19th at 6:00 PM. The Oktoberfest committee is already active and is being spearheaded by Brother Peter Loftus and Brother Mike Stevens. A sign-up sheet was distributed for support and tickets will be sold beginning in September for $20 after Masses. Mike encouraged each Knight to help sell the event and sign up to help work the event.
Grand Knight announced the Parish will hold a Fall Festival on November 17th from Noon to 3:00 PM in the south parking lot of the church. Brother Dan Fruehe provided additional details on the event which will focus on families and children and feature kid’s games, a petting zoo and food provided by Council 12313. Details are still being finalized; however, the ask is for Knight’s support at the event as well as potential donation of Hay Bales. (Pastor Fred may have a contact for those!)
Grand Knight announced that another pancake breakfast is in the works with the date TBD.
Grand Knight thanked several Brother Knights for assisting with the recent donations trip to MANA House in July, which was greatly appreciated by the Veterans and the MANA House team. A special callout to Kevin DeWitte and Kenny Grieco for the extra effort of cleaning and organizing the kitchen area.
Grand Knight provided insight into the next steps for us to continue our excellent work efforts as “Many Hands make Light Work.” With a caution to avoid burn-out, he suggested everyone needs to do something, but no one needs to do everything. His three focus points were:
1. Grow the endowment fund recently established. A Financial Committee will be set up to assist in the organization of this effort.
2. Spousal/Significant Other support. He has been approached by Ladies of several Knights to establish a mailing list where they can be informed of events and help to support where possible. An email will be sent to gather their direct email addresses for communication.
3. Recognize all Service Hours. Not all service hours are being captured on the sign-in sheets at the monthly Council meeting. A Technology Committee will be established to better track and report all the good deeds we are doing across all ministries.
With the existing committees of Oktoberfest, Donut Hospitality and Golf event, and the addition of the Financial and Technology committees we will be able to expand our support of the Parish.
Other committees being considered include Social Events, Brother Mentoring, and Spouses. Additionally, the position for a Volunteer Coordinator is being considered.
Brother Jaime McWeeny provided an update on the next Golf event scheduled for Monday April 7, 2025. Next year will be different as FireRock Country Club (where we have held the event for several years) will be closed for course renovations. The tournament will be held at Ancala Country Club, earlier in the year than historically scheduled. It is anticipated this scheduling change may bring a different crowd of golfers. We are looking for additional members for the Golf Committee and asking each Knight to promote the event specifically with additional sponsorships that are a very large part of the revenues.
Grand Knight announced another street clean-up will be scheduled for the fall.
Treasurer Report: Brother Sal Costa provided we have $15,829 in checking and $5,897 in Debit Account. Only $750 of outstanding checks currently, with $5,000 not yet disbursed to the Parish.
Unfinished Business: The proposal for a Tootsie Roll Drive (as had been previously done) was suggested. District Deputy Martin Perez advised the drives had been generated at the State Level and were stopped as Grocery Stores stopped permitting them. St Bernadette’s is apparently still doing these.
Knights of Columbus Polo shirt price is now $40.00 (extra for XL and up sizes).
Brother Marco D’Alonzo will be assuming food responsibilities for post- Council meetings.
New Business: Brother Dan Fruehe spoke on the upcoming Men’s Renewal on October 26th and 27th. About 1/3 of the Brothers in attendance had previously gone through this renewal experience. He invited all Brothers to sign up as space is limited to 25. Sign up is available at StBoC.org/Renewal-men.
A 21° Cigar night will be held on Thursday August 22nd at 6:30 and all invited to attend.
There is a Knight Transfer application from Bob Brassell, who lives in Fountain Hills and needs a ride to meetings and other evening events. Please reach out Grand Knight if you are available for this support.
It was moved, seconded and approved unanimously to provide $1,000.00 in support of the Parish Fall Festival coming up on November 17th. The estimated cost of the event is between $5,000 and $6,000 and there are additional business sponsors already signed.
For The Good of the Order: Brother David Carpenter spoke on three important passions. 1) Passion for the Church. 2) Passion to Help. 3) Passion for our Lord and Savior. How passion provides us with happiness and helps us to take a break from the in our lives. Looking back at the times when we had God in our lives, and never had bad day when He was present. It is time to give back to God for all of His goodness.
District Deputy – Martin Perez was in attendance. Thanked the council for all of their efforts and congratulated the Council on its continuing membership growth, proclaiming Council 12313 as a role model for other Councils. He encouraged us to continue to pursue new membership, continue to contribute to the community and continue our support of the Faith.
There will an Arizona Rosary Celebration on October 27th and it was suggested Council 12313 have a banner for the ceremony.
Prayer Requests: Kevin Olsen, Norman Armstrong, Reverend Eric Malstrom, Deacon Mike Johnson, Richard and Louise Whalen and Gail Wilfong.
The closing prayer was offered by Pastor Fred Adamson.
The Closing Ode was sung – led by Steve Lugo.
The meeting concluded at 8:18 PM.