WIXLIB

November 2021SFX Knights NewsletterSt. Francis Xavier the MissionaryCouncil # 10957“In Service to One, In Service to All”Council Meetings held at St. Francis Xavier Parish Hall2nd and 4th Tuesday’s @ 7:00 P.M.21370 Newtowne Neck Road, Compton, MD 20659Grand Knight’s ReportBrother Knights,October was another busy month for the Council as wecontinue to do great things. We conducted a Charity, Unity,and Fraternity Degree Exemplification, participated in a virtual FraternalBenefits Seminar, distributed shoeboxes for the Box of Joy Program,donated 1500 each to Special Olympics and Care Net Pregnancy Centersfrom the golf tournament proceeds, installed the Memorial to the Unbornand held an Oktoberfest dinner in the Church Hall.Fortunately, cases of the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus seem to bein decline. The Pfizer Covid-19 booster vaccine has now been approved bythe FDA for people 65 and older and for those over 18 who haveunderlying medical conditions or are at greater risk of getting COVID-19because of their jobs. If it’s been six months since your second Covidvaccination, you are eligible to receive the booster.The Church remains open for both daily and Sunday worship. The Councilwill continue to hold our General Membership (second Tuesdays of themonth) and Officer’s Planning Meetings (fourth Tuesdays of the month) inthe Church Hall.This MonthCharity, Unity, and Fraternity Degree Exemplification. District 2 isconducting Exemplifications on a monthly basis throughout the fraternalyear. Anyone who has not completed the Charity, Unity and FraternityDegree and would like to participate in an Exemplification, please notify meor Jim Berned and we can get you scheduled for one at your convenience.

Our Council conducted our first Exemplification ceremony on October 10thafter the 11:00 AM Mass. Mark Walker was the only candidate and becamethe newest member of our Council.Barn Repair. Local Amish/Mennonite residents removed/replaced the barnsiding. It needs time to weather and will need to be stained/painted comespring. Assistance is still needed to organize equipment stored there andremove any unwanted material. Please let us know if you can help.Fraternal Benefits Seminar. Several members of our Council met at MikeHolton’s home to participate in the Fall Virtual Fraternal Benefits Webinarfeaturing Van Mueller. Van presented many useful tips and insights on howto build a legacy for our families while minimizing our income tax liabilities.Box of Joy Program. The Knights are sponsoring the Cross CatholicOutreach Box of Joy program for the Parish. Boxes were distributed duringall Masses on 23/24 and 30/31 October. Boxes will be collected by theKnights in early November and transported to the local collection site at St.Michael’s Church.Golf Tournament. As a result of our golf tournament in August, the Councilwas able to raise over 4900 for local charities. At our meeting on 26October, the Council presented checks in the amount of 1500 to both theSpecial Olympics of St Mary’s County and to Care Net of SouthernMaryland. The Knights would like to thank all the members of thecommunity who supported our tournament and made it such a success.Memorial to the Unborn. Our Council has combined the proceeds from theMother's Day and the Father's Day drive-thru breakfast to purchase andinstall a Memorial to the Unborn. The monument was delivered on 28October and the pad installed directly in front of the flagpole adjacent tothe hall. Due to inclement weather, installation was postponed until 2November. Archbishop Gregory will dedicate the memorial and the outdoorStations of the Cross on 5 December.Oktoberfest. The Knights sponsored an Octoberfest dinner in the churchhall on 30 October. The menu consisted of bratwurst, German potato salad,sauerkraut, applesauce and vanilla pudding.Family of the Month. The Jerry and AnnMarie Abell family has beenselected as the Family of the Month for October. Jerry is a volunteerfireman in the community and assists in cutting the grass on the churchgrounds. AnnMarie is a lecturer at Mass and assists Father Ryan with RCIAclasses. AnnMarie is also a major contributor to the church bazaar. Whenyou see them, please congratulate Jerry and AnnMarie on receiving thisaward.Upcoming EventsLeave No Neighbor Behind Program. The Council is still participating in theLeave No Neighbor Behind Program by helping our neighbors (e.g., pickingup and delivering medications, groceries, and other needs) during the

COVID-19 pandemic. Our Council actively put our faith into action byhelping people who are less fortunate in our community. In our founder'sspirit, we lead efforts to assist those most in need, especially during theCOVID-19 pandemic. Jim Howe has formed partnerships with local aidorganizations, including Mary Lou Gough Food Pantry, Immaculate Heart ofMary Food Pantry, All Saints Soup Kitchen, and our local Care NetPregnancy Center. In support of these partnerships, he delivered over 2,500pounds of food. Additionally, our Knights assisted individual families withhome chores, providing food, and running missions of mercy like picking uptheir prescriptions.Outreach. It is vitally important to stay in touch with our fellow Knights. Ifyou haven't seen or talked to someone in a while, please call him to findout if he may need some assistance. Perhaps he is sick, lost a job, has familyissues, or other problems.Knights of Columbus Membership Church Drive. The Membership ChurchDrive and reading of necrology will be conducted at all Masses during theweekend of 13 and 14 November.Parish Bazaar. The Parish is planning for our annual parish bazaar on 20November. The Council has been asked to assist in parking and supportingthe set up and tear down of the event.Thanksgiving Food Baskets. Again, this year, the Council will distributeThanksgiving food baskets to less fortunate members of the Parish.I ask that we continue to pray for our community and nation, and assistthose who may be struggling during these trying times. Together, we canand do make a difference as we continue to lead, serve others, and defendour faith. Additionally, please pray for the victims of Covid-19 and theirfamilies, those that are currently suffering from the disease and for thepeople of Afghanistan who are suffering at the hands of the Taliban.Fraternally,GK Herb Male, Grand KnightCouncil #10957

Chaplain’s ReportDear Brother Knights,In a speech given in 2013 by Pope Francis, he says “ifwe can realize that everything is God’s gift, how happy willour hearts be! Everything is his gift. He is our strength!” Aswe look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving Day, let us pause and reflecton our attitude. Do we have the attitude of gratitude? Are we grateful forwhat happened to us, whether they are little acts of kindness or momentsof grace?It cannot be denied that we are still not over the pandemic. Indeed,even though restrictions have been loosened, there are still people gettingsick and even dying of Covid. There are also problems that continue todivide our Church and our country. Even within our families, I am assumingthat you have encountered some difficulties and conflicts.Furthermore, we cannot deny that it is difficult to be grateful if youjust experienced a tragic act. Losing someone really close to you is painful.Those affected by the recent hurricanes, flooding and wildfires are stillgrappling with the loss of properties and even lives. What about those whoare undergoing hospital treatment, surgery, or procedure? Will there bereasons to give thanks? Definitely. Trials are part of our lives, and thenature of suffering is a mystery that will be difficult to fathom but there arestill reasons to be thankful.Our tragedies should not prevent us from acknowledging our giftsand graces. The attitude of gratitude is something that we really need tohave. As we look forward celebrating Thanksgiving Day, let it not just be aday to watch a lot of football games and stuff ourselves with turkey,potatoes, and pies. This Thanksgiving, let us really give thanks for all ourblessings and graces.Personally, I am thankful for the many graces that God continues toshower me. It’s almost a year since I came to St. Francis Xavier parish andas I get closer to celebrating my first-year anniversary as youradministrator, and as your chaplain, I am humbled by the generosity of thepeople, especially my brother Knights. Indeed, our Town Hall Meetingconvinced me that our community really cares for our parish and for eachother.Yes, there are difficult moments. Yes, there are problems, sufferings,trials, and difficulties. However, one must never forget to be grateful. Allwe need is to remember the moments of happiness and the moments of

serenity. Why don’t we get our pen and a notepad and write down at least10 things in the past year that we are thankful for. Furthermore, we justhave to realize that every time we go to Mass, when we celebrate theEucharist, which comes from the Greek word eucharisteo meaningthanksgiving, we thank our Lord Jesus Christ for what he did for us. Hence,let’s thank God for all our blessings and graces.Aside from God, let’s also remember to give thanks to our lovedones. Pope Francis further says that “Saying ‘thank you’ is such an easything, and yet so hard! How often do we say ‘thank you’ to one another inour families? These are essential words for our life in common.”So, as we celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday, let us be thankful toGod for our many blessings. Let’s also thank our family and friends whohave been patient with us in spite of our shortcomings. As a final note, Iwant to say thank you (again and again) to our Knights who generouslyoffer their time for our council, for our community and for our country.Vivat Jesus!Father RyanSt. Francis Xavier Church NewsLooking ahead:The Olde Fashioned Christmas Bazaar, this year, is back on November 20.TMIY- Saturday mornings 6-7:30am Join us in person in the Hall contact:Matt Cosgrove, matthewcosgrove@verizon.net, Mark Coontz,mark coontz@live.com.Happy Birthday!!We would like to extend our Best Wishes to the following people whoare celebrating their birthday this Month.Craig M. DorransNovember 06Robert E. Bowles, Sr.November 10Paul A. O’BrienNovember 12Joseph M. StanalonisNovember 14Paul H. RomanNovember 18George K. AbellNovember 25

November is Remembrance MonthPlease remember our deceasedmembers and wives who have gone tothe Lord!Frank T Abell & Wife Teresa, J. Perry Abell & Wife Shirley,Joseph W. [Joe Dick] Abell & Wife Rosemary, Shirley A. Bowles, John H.Bond, Jr., Sanford Brooks, John W [Bill] Bussler & Wife Cecilia, Father TomCrowley, Charles A. Daniels, Raymond Dean & Wife Agatha, Kenneth N.Delhagen & Wife Mary, Dr. David M. Federle, MD, Salvatore [Sal] J. Franco,James [Jim] T. Marsh & Wife Joan, Father John Mattingly, Francis [Dish]Morgan & Wife Virginia, Shirley Nickerson, John J. Polko & Wife Joan,George E Raley & Wife Eleanor, Robert B. Rezza, Arthur L. Robitaille,Richard I Russell Sr & Wife Agnes, Carrol Stickell, Raymond [Ray] P.Weigand, Joseph A Wilkerson & Wife Annie.Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine uponthem.Mary Queen of the Knights, Pray for us. AmenFather Andrew White Assembly #377MessageMy Brothers,November is Remembrance Month and the month forCouncil Memorial Masses, All Souls Day and VeteransDay. This year, the parade in Leonardtown on Nov 11this on and the Veterans Memorial at Helen is also on.Please show you support for our military veterans fromall services, when you can. Wear your red, white andblue, be patriotic and show your children your pride and respect for ourmilitary of yesterday and today. Congratulations to our New Sir Knight, CarlWolf, who took the Exemplification of the 4th Degree on October 16.Our next meeting is on November 18, 2021, at St John Francis Regis Council7914.God Bless America,SK Bob BowlesColor Corps CommanderFather Andrew White Assembly #377