P.O. Box 243
Oxford, MA,
01540 / / Edition #15-1, Feb. 2015
Council Website
Fr. Dennis J. Rocheford Council, Oxford, MA #4241
Grand Knights Message:
Greetings Brothers and Friends,
I hope you all are enjoying all the snow! The good thing is that spring is just right around the corner!
“MEMBERS, MEMBERS, MEMBERS”!!Our Council as you all know is always on the lookout for new members. It should be a priority with all of our members to try and recruit at least one new member!! New members are the lifeblood of our organization, so if you know of or talk to a Catholic Gentleman that you think could benefit from our council, please remember to try and get them to join!! All you need to do is ASK!!
As we close in on the end of this Fraternal Year, now is the time for all members to look forward to next year, and think of any Council Office that you may be interested in and mention it to Brother Scott Koneczny. We are always looking for new Members that are willing and able to step up to a new position in our Council.
Vivat Jesus, Rick Landry - Grand Knight,
Past Events and Funding Support: (since last bulletin)
Here are some of the things that we’ve accomplished since our last news letter:
- We held a “Deceased Members Mass” at St. Ann’s on Nov. 8th at 4 p.m. Mass. We prayed for our deceased brothers along with their families who attended. We want to make this an annual event.
- Our annual Halloween Special Peoples Party at St. Roch’s was held on Nov.2ndfor special needs adults. It was held as a tribute to our deceased Brother Jim Cashman for all his years of dedication to this event. This and future events like this will be held in his honor. For those who have never been to one of these parties, we put on a dance and buffet for these adults with Ron & Lucette singing, we served everyone a buffet, and they all love to dance all afternoon. It not only makes all of them happy, but also all of us, knowing that they are having a great time.
- We donated $220 for the K of C “Coats For Kids” program.
- We awarded a College Scholarship to Tanner Provencher (son of Vin Provencher) for $500.
- We helped support Andrew Ravenelle (son of Dave Ravenelle) making his Eagle Scout Award project.
His project was to build a Madonna statue/monument at the St. Ann’s outdoor grotto. He and his helpers also cleaned the area as well. The monument was also dedicated to our PGK Jim Cashman.
- We again this year setup and took down the Christmas Manger in front of St. Ann’s Church.
- We will be resuming our sponsorship of an Oxford Little League team this year for $500 and our banner will be displayed on the outfield fence once again. “Good luck team”!
Upcoming Events:
- Catholic Men’s Conference on March 21st at DCU Center, Worcester. If any member would like to go, please contact our Grand Knight for tickets. Need to know by March 3rd meeting to get discount price.
We ordered 12 tickets for those who signed up at the Feb. meeting. The conference is limiting tickets this year to 1,000. When they sell out, no more tickets will be available.
- State K of C Convention and raffle May 15 - 17, 2015.
New Members & Transfers:
We had several members transfer in from other Councils. They are: Steve George, Deacon Paul Connolly,
and new brothers who made their 1st & 2nddegrees are: Doug Dumais and Mike LeBlanc.
2014-2015 COUNCIL OFFICERSGrand Knight: Rick Landry
(h) 508-839-1355 – (c) 508-614-8901
KyleMcDonald - Deputy Grand Knight
Fr. Michael Lavallee- Chaplain
Fr. Robert Kelley - Chaplain Emiritus
Rich Rowe - Chancellor
Charlie Sawa - Financial Secretary
Gary Maynard - Recorder
Norman Mercier - Treasurer
Eric Koneczny - Warden
Dave Ravenelle - Advocate
Dick Lavoie - Lecturer
Ken Germain - Inside Guard
Thaddeus Szkoda - Outside Guard
Marcel LeClair - Trustee
Scott Koneczny - Trustee
Don Morin - Trustee
CONGRATULATIONS:
For “Knightof the Month Award” to Gary Maynard for Nov. 2014 and Dick Lavoie for Dec. 2014 for their dedicated service and support of our many functions!
-STATE RAFFLE TICKETS -
The annual State Knights of Columbus raffle tickets are still available. Please sell or purchase a book to support your Council’s commitment to the State’s effort to help the needy.
Tickets are $1.00 each or $15.00 per book. Please return sold ticket stubs and money to any Council Officer or mail it to Oxford Knights of Columbus, P.O. Box 243, Oxford, MA 01540.
Better still, why not bring it to a meeting yourself and meet some of your brothers you may not have seen for a while!!
The raffle will take place at Annual K of C State Convention on May 16, 2015. You don’t have to be present to win.
All ticket stubs and money must be turned in to the Council no later than at our May 5th business meeting.
Important Message about Scholarships:
If you have a High School Son or Daughter or Grandchild who is going onto College this fall, you can submit his or her name to our Council for a Scholarship. A Form is available from our Grand Knight and must be received no later than March 15th.
4th Degree Applications:
If any Brother 3rd Degree Knight wants to make his 4th Degree, he can do so by notifying our Grand Knight.
The next 4th Degree will be held Apr. 11th at Fairview Council in Chicopee. Our Council has 2 applicants so far for this degree.
/ A Chaplain’s Message
By Fr. Michael Lavallee;
(copied from last year’s Feb. news letter)
Dear Brother Knights,
It seems like this winter will never end! The cold, ice and snow have made it very difficult to travel and live normally. Plans have frequently had to be canceled and flues and colds have sickened many.
Lent has begun and as we anticipate this season’s arrival it is important that all of us consider how we will live it well. What needs the greatest attention in our spiritual lives! When was the last time we went to Confession? Can we make more time for God through daily Mass and Scripture reading and study? What is God calling us to let go of so that new life can come to us?
May God bless us with a good Lent which will bring us closer to Jesus.
Sincerely, Fr. Michael Lavallee, Chaplain
By Fr. Robert Kelley
(copied from Feb. 2013 News Letter)
Lent is once again upon us as we will hopefully take time to reflect on how we look at ourselves and others. To understand that if we or others do good things, it should not be with individual praise and if we or others falter, it should not come with despair. For there is greatness and frailty in every person. In Lent we follow the way of Jesus, to repent for our faults and to see the greatness within by imitating Him, who though Divine, humbled Himself for our sake.
Only in Jesus will we find greatness and only in Him will we find forgiveness.
Sincerely, Fr. Robert Kelley, Chaplain Emiritus
IN MEMORIUM
Remember in your prayers our deceased Brothers and wives who passed away since our last news letter:
Brother William Yucatonis died Jan. 30, 2015 at age 64.
He was a recent transfer to our Council.
Brother Al Pinard’s wife Kathleen died Feb. 7, 2015 at age 91.
Brother Phil Gagne III died Feb. 10, 2015 at age 77.
Brother Arthur Bouley died Feb. 14, 2015 at age 71.
News Letter Editor: Dick Lavoie