
Grand Knight Message

Gerry Aponte
Grand Knight




Brother Knights,
Autumn is upon us, and as we transition from summer to winter, we, as Knights, must also embrace a season of transformation. The political spectrum and our cultures are constantly changing, but if we remain united and believe in our faith in God, there's nothing we can't overcome. Remember, Jesus gave His life to help us understand the meaning of Loving one another, Forgiveness, and Charity. Unity is our Strength. Father McGivney envisioned the men who would follow him into Catholic Knighthood, and we are also called to do the same.
Brothers, on September 17, we enjoyed our annual Family Picnic after stopping for the past few years due to COVID-19 and insufficient ticket sales last year. By the glory of God, we had beautiful weather for the day in which we had over 120 family members from the Knights of Columbus and our worthy priest from St. Michael's and the Holy Spirit.
The Family Picnic was chaired by Brother Knights Michael Harms and John Bashaw, who organized the food, including salad, corn, baked potatoes, chicken, hamburgers, and hot dogs. Brother Greg Jones donated fresh produce from one of his clients. Brother Knight Jamie Zappulla provided the desserts with homemade zeppoles and fried Oreos, which produced a lovely end to a beautiful meal. Brother Eddie Astone donated the bounce house and dunk tank. Thank you, Brothers, for your commitment and dedication to our family fun.
We had children in the bounce house and on the basketball court while the KOC family enjoyed the community and weather.
This event was a success with the help of other Brother Knights who volunteered to help set up the grounds, cook, serve, and clean up. There are too many to mention here, but you know who you are, and we appreciate everything you did for our members and their families and friends.
Our Financial Secretary, Steve Nagy, and I volunteered to be dunked in the dunk tank (by hitting the bullseye ring), raising additional money for our council and local churches.
As we grow as a brotherhood and engage with the community, we look forward to future events like the Family Picnic. We will do everything in our power to build on the positives of the day while changing some aspects to make the events even better in the future.
Several of our guests have stated that they have seen a change in the unity and teamwork shown by the Knights and Columbus Club. We look forward to continuing to work with the Columbian Club on future events.
Lastly, we thank Fran Bashaw and Marisol Harms, who worked the bar and provided our families with the beverages needed to enjoy the day even more.
If you did not make the Family Picnic, you were missed, and we hope to see you at our future events, as our success depends upon the community and support of our members.
I want to remind all our members of our Monthly Knights Digest: as stated in the past, it is time that the council digest goes paperless as we move towards a more cost-effective and efficient way to reach our Council families. The mail newsletters will be discontinued OCTOBER 2023. If there's anyone who needs to receive the digest via postal service, please get in touch with Michael Peter as soon as possible at dd18kofcmwp@gmail.com.
Our monthly digest can already be viewed at www.kofc4504.org.
Lastly, if you would like to be added to our Council Email Blast/Columbian Club List, please don't hesitate to contact Michael Harms at Knights4504recorder@gmail.com so we can keep you updated on announcements and events. . Our Halloween Custom Party is scheduled for October 28, 2023. All tickets can be purchased at the Columbian Club Bar.
If you have an idea for a program, are interested in volunteering with us, or have a family member who is interested in volunteering with us, please contact me at
grandknight4504@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you and working alongside you all.
Please ensure that Rev. Msgr. Dr. Anselm Nwaorgul and Rev. Dr. Krzysztof K. Maslowski are in your prayers, as we appreciate their exceptional work with our Parishes.
Vivat Jesus!
Gerry Aponte, Grand Knight

