St. Mark Council News Official Publication Knights of Columbus Council 12654 St. Mark Catholic Church, Huntersville, NC April 2007 http:/www.kofcncstmark.org

Brother Knights:

We have just completed a blessed and faith-filled Lent and Easter.  This period seems to get better every year for me -- I hope the same is true for all. "Why Catholic?" is an added benefit this year. Looking ahead, there are a number of big Council events and activities to anticipate. The weekend after Easter will be our Membership Blitz weekend -- see if you can ask a friend or neighbor to consider joining the St. Mark Council. We need volunteers to lend a hand after Masses – we are most effective in attracting potential new members if familiar faces are outside Mass ready to answer questions and provide information about the Knights. Eight days after the Blitz ends, on April 23, St. Mark Knights will host the Spring Charity Golf Tournament at Highland Creek. Come on out and share a great day with your friends and our guests.  Get your teams and sponsors to Art Packard ASAP. The next weekend (April 28-29) will find Knights selling tickets to the May 11 5K Reverse Drawing and Dinner. Next is our May 7 Council meeting when we will elect a new slate of officers (see the lineup below). Be sure to attend, get your vote in, and congratulate the winning candidates. There is still time to submit you name as a candidate to Tom McGahey if you have an interest. GK Ed Keller.

Activities Calendar
April 14-15		Membership Blitz after all St. Mark Masses
April 23, 12 noon		Spring Golf Tournament at Highland Creek Cost to play is $90 Includes lunch and dinner Contact: Art Packard
May 7, 7:30 pm		Monthly Council Meeting 2007-2008 Fraternal Year Officer Elections
May 11, 7:30 pm		5K Reverse Drawing & Dinner Grand prize: $5,000 Included in ticket price is steak dinner for two, beer & wine Limited # of tickets available Contact Ed Kenney
May 18-20		State KofC Annual Meeting, Durham
May 19, 10 am & 2 pm		Confirmation at St. Mark Church Fourth Degree Knights in full regalia needed
October 20		Fourth Degree Exemplification, Concord, NC
2007-2008 Fraternal Year Officer Nominations
Grand Knight Bill Pugh	Deputy Grand Knight Ed Kenney		Chancellor Deacon Bob Murphy
Treasurer Chip Marshall	Advocate Chris Tucci		Recorder Mike Mullen
Warden Richard Clancy	Inside Guard Bruce Milstead		Outside Guard Rick Knack
First Year Trustee Ed Keller	Second Year Trustee Jack Clement		Third Year Trustee Ray Fitzgerald

April 2, 2007 Council Meeting Notes

Grand Knight Report

• A number of upcoming events that need volunteers from the Council, including the Golf Tournament, Membership Blitz, 5K Reverse Raffle and Dinner, and more.
• St. Mark Council is very close to meeting its annual membership goal of 11 new members (current tally is nine). The gap is larger for Insurance – six new sign-ups are needed. Meeting both of these goals by June 30 will mean that St. Mark Council will win STAR Council designation.

GK mail bag

• Thank you letters were received from seminarian Richard DeClue ($1,000 provided for general seminarian support), Dana Zaros ($250 provided for mission to Belize)
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools sent a thank you letter for the $1,150 provided to the Special Education program at Hopewell High School by Operation LAMB (Least Among My Brethren). St. Patrick Catholic School also sent thanks for Operation LAMB funds.
• Habitat for Humanity sent thanks and a recognition plaque for Council participation in building projects in the North Mecklenburg community.

Treasurers Report: Income for the month of March was $3,762; expenses were $5,071. Total bank balance as of March 31 was $11,344.

Seminarian support: The seminarian care package list was circulated during the meeting. Three more seminarian names were taken, leaving only one seminarian without a care package sponsor. Contact GK Ed Keller.

Fish Fry: Program Director Ray Marr reported that the March 30 Fish Fry at St. Mark netted about $300.

State Raffle: State Raffle Coordinator Sergio Miranda asked that Knights send in their money for ticket sales by the end of April. Total revenue so far is $900 (the Council gets a portion.)

New Third Degrees: Knights Alan Mulligan and Kevin Urban became Third Degree Knights recently by successfully completing a combined Second and Third Degree.

St. Patrick’s Day event: Ed Kenney that St. Patrick’s Day Dinner-Dance came in with a small deficit. Attendance has been shrinking every year, and the event this year was competing with the St. Patrick’s Day parade and other activities in Charlotte. The Council will evaluate whether to continue the event for 2008.

5K Reverse Drawing and Dinner: Ed Kenney also reported on the May 11 5K Reverse Drawing and Dinner.

• 125 tickets will be sold.
• Tickets are $100. In addition to the many opportunities to win cash prizes (including a $5,000 grand prize), admission includes two NY strip steak dinners with all the fixings, along with beer, wine and other beverages. Plans are to offer coffee and dessert also.
• Dinner will be at 7:30 pm, and the cash drawings get underway around 8 pm.
• There is a 1 in 10 chance that attendees will win back their $100. This does not include the two “sideboards” that will offer additional cash drawing opportunities throughout the evening.

Spring Races: Bill Pugh is again coordinating shuttle bus drivers for the Lowe’s Motor Speedway spring races coming up in late May. Pugh currently has 14 Knights signed up. He needs at least 20 volunteers to meet the charity revenue goal established for this activity. The races start the weekend of May 18-20, and run through Memorial Day.

Recognition

• Rick Knack is St. Mark Knight of the Month for March
• Ed Kenney and family are St. Mark Family of the Month

Field Agent’s report

• Insurance Field Agent Richard Keiser gave a brief talk about the compelling need for life insurance and long-term care insurance to protect and provide for the families of Brother Knights.

The Council passed a motion to provide basic KofC Life Insurance policies ($50/year) to those priests and deacons at St. Mark who are Knights and do not already have a policy with KofC Insurance.

The Power of Prayer

Mk 11: 24 - "I give you my word, if you are ready to believe that you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer, it shall be done for you.”

Please pray for all those who are sick and in distress, or in danger, especially

• Jackie Keller
• Dennis Murphy (Deacon Robert’s brother)
• Bruce Milstead (cancer)
• Dan Szako (upcoming hip replacement)
• Robert Howard (Mike Leahy’s father in law)
• Jim McLaughlin (Ray Fitzgerald’s nephew)
• Clara Goldfine (related to Ray DiDonato)
• Monsignor Bellow (recovery from surgery for arthritis in the hands)
• Lynn Jordan
• Jenna Hehn, who is deployed at sea with the U.S. Navy.
• All relatives of St. Mark Knights serving in the Armed Forces
• All U.S. Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines serving in Iraq and Afghanistan

Council Contact Information
Grand Knight	Ed Keller	655-8190	edwardkeller@bellsouth.net
Past Grand Knight	Tom McGahey	947-9334	tommcgahey@bellsouth.net
Deputy Grand Knight	Dick Christian	875-1258	dchristian@insouthinsurance.com
Chaplain	Msgr R. Bellow		richard_bellow@yahoo.com
Chancellor	Jim Lotito	948-9015	jllotito@bellsouth.net
Recorder	Mike Mullen	948-7484	michaelamullen@bellsouth.net
Treasurer	Chip Marshall	875-8811	chip.marshall@adelphia.net
Financial Secretary	Jim Bossert	655-8852	sixsigmaguy@aol.com
Warden	Kevin Csehoski	947-2856	kcsehoski@bellsouth.net
Advocate	Chris Tucci	896-9799	C2c01@msn.com
Inside Guard	Bruce Milstead	892-4578
Outside Guard	James Carter	948-8506	jcarterjr@adelphia.net
First Year Trustee	Tom McGahey	947-9334	tommcgahey@bellsouth.net
Second Year Trustee	Barry McCaa	895-2424	bemccaa@yahoo.com
Third Year Trustee	Jack Clements	992-0789	jacknnan@adelphia.net
Membership Director	Chris O’Keefe	875-2524	sandcritta@adelphia.net
Community/Health Dir	Open Position
Operation LAMB Dir	Joe Scallan	947-8175	jfscallan@adelphia.net
Council Director	Barry McCaa	895-2424	bemccaa@yahoo.com
Family Director	Andy Kopchinsky	655-0949	76triumph@adelphia.net
Youth Director	Sean McSweeney	948-5543	sean.mcsweeney@fedex.com
Church Director	Sergio Miranda	395-9802	smiranda@carolina.rr.com
Pro-life Director	Tony Gagliardo	439-0533	ajgags@aol.com
Insurance Field Agent	Richard Keyser
Coord, Parish Roundtable	Deacon Robert Murphy	947-7870	ram316@bellsouth.net
KofC Building Director	Jim Lotito	948-9015	jllotito@bellsouth.net
Web Master	Oscar Bernardo	894-9290	ocbernardo@earthlink.net
Web Master	Chris O’Keefe	875-2524	sandcritta@adelphia.net
Newsletter Editor	Mike Mullen	948-7484	michaelamullen@bellsouth.net