Grand Knight’s message — June 2016
Brother Knights, Ladies, and families,
At the end of the Easter season, the Church celebrates several more important events in the liturgical calendar, including Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and Corpus Christi. Now we go back to Ordinary Time, but we should remember not too put too much emphasis on the “ordinary” part of our lives, for Jesus our Lord did not come into this world to make us comfortable, but rather to make us uncomfortable — we are challenged to live our lives in a way that continues and extends Jesus’s earthly ministry. While this sounds daunting, we should remember also that Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to help us. May the Holy Spirit help us and guide us in all we do!
As we come to a close on the 2015–2016 Columbian year, I’d like to take this opportunity to look back at the end of my two years as Grand Knight. It has been quite an adventure and a learning and eye-opening experience. I want to thank all the Brother Knights and Ladies who have patiently, kindly supported me, especially all those who have been involved in whatever ways to run our programs. Remember why we do it: Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism.
At our May meeting, our Council elected a slate of Officers for the 2016–2017 Columbian Year. We are especially thankful that Bro. Leo Sosa let his name stand for election as Grand Knight. I know he is going to do a fantastic job, and already he is working diligently behind the scenes to get things going for 2016–2017. In this month’s newsletter, you will find a list of the newly elected Officers.
On the weekend of May 6–8, Bro. Leo Sosa and I attended the Alberta/NWT State Convention, which was held in Calgary this year. I am delighted to report that we scooped up a big pile of program awards, including the top award in the AB/NWT jurisdiction for four out of the six K of C service program areas. Those program entries are being submitted for consideration for awards at the Supreme Convention. I am also happy to report that I was elected as one of the insurance delegates to the Supreme Convention, to be held August 2–4 in Toronto. I am very excited for this and I will report back in August.
This year, our Council is also on the verge of achieving Star Council status. We have already met the membership growth target and service program target. There is one last element to meet and that is insurance growth. I encourage all members to consider taking advantage of the K of C’s financial programs and benefits. These are top-rated programs and you can be assured that the funds are both securely and ethically invested. Remember that even if you aren’t interested in life insurance, there are other K of C products that would also count for the purposes of insurance growth — RRSPs, TFSAs, and long-term care insurance, to name just some examples. If you want to find out more, please contact Bro. Todd Bouchard, our fraternal benefits advisor (his contact information is in the newsletter, p. 2).
As you have noticed in these monthly GK messages, I have been highlighting some of the upcoming events. This time there is but one major event to promote: The Installation of Officers for 2016–2017 and the year-end social and BBQ will be held on Saturday, June 18, following 5:00 PM Mass. There should be still a wee bit of time to get tickets for our BBQ. I hope to see a big crowd where we can celebrate together a great year for our Council and look forward to the coming of the next fraternal year.
I thank my wife Stephanie for all her love and support and patience, especially these two years I was busy being Grand Knight.
Fraternally yours,
Bro. Jeremy Sit
Grand Knight