APRIL 2025

 

Basketball Free Throw   Bishop’s Burse   C&B Books   Calendar   Coats for Kids   Color Corps   Columbiettes   Day of Caring   Essay Contest   Fourth Degree   Keep Christ in Christmas   Lottery Calendar   Pro‑Life   RSVP   Scholarships   Soccer Challenge   Veterans   Vocations   Wheelchairs

 

 

Revision of the WNY By-Laws

 

Worthy Brother Knights,

     After 25 years we now have an updated version of the WNY Chapter By-Laws. This was presented to all in its entirety with the original and the proposed changes below each item that was to be changed. This was available for all to read  and to critique and to submit anything that you thought should be given consideration and once received were given careful deliberation  by the By-Laws committee to review.  We appreciated the input from Brother Gene Mendrysa, GK, Father Baker Council who went over the whole of the By-Laws and presented some changes and those were incorporated. These changes did not affect the intent or or meaning of the contents but were grammatical in nature and some sentence restructuring The final draft of the By-Laws  after being available to all by email and the Chapter website for two months was voted on at the January 2025 Chapter meeting and after a motion to accept the final format was seconded with discussion and the vote came in to accept the new version of the WNY Chapter By-Laws.

 

     The new WNY Chapter By-Laws can be viewed in the PDF below and will be available on the WNY Chapter website.

 

     The members of the By-Laws committee that invested much time and effort to make this possible were ,Brothers  Lew Herman, Chairman, Joe ,Mead, Tim Meyers, Tom Creenan, Carl Galante, {Bob LaBarbera, recently deceased}, and Paul Sawaya   One person who needs to be recognized is Brother Joe Mead's daughter, Karla, who took the By-Laws and typed them in to the Microsoft Word format and added all the proposed changes several times before it was finished. The final version of the By-Laws as voted on at the January Chapter meeting is presented in the PDF below. This wasn't an easy chore for her and very time consuming. The task would have been difficult with out her help.

 

     This might be a wake-up call to all the councils out there that you need to look at your By-Laws and see how long it has been since they were revised and set up a committee to update them if necessary and at least review them.

 

Paul A. Sawaya, CCRN
Knights of Columbus
President
WNY Chapter

 

ByLaws of the Western New York Chapter (Final).pdf

 

 

Our Lady of Batavia Council

Chicken BBQ

April 13, 2025

 

Our Lady of Batavia Knights of Columbus will sponsor a Chicken BBQ on Sunday April 13, 2025, from 10:00am until sold out (take-outs only). Pick-up will be at the rear of Sacred Heart Church (Slomba Hall), Sumner Street Batavia. Cost of the dinner is $15.00, and includes ½ chicken, macaroni salad, potatoes, dessert and dinner roll. Proceeds benefit local charities. Presale tickets are preferred by calling Mike at 585-343-3810.

 

Fourth Degree.  The next 4th Degree in Western will be the “new” 4^th degree, and it will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2025. More details will be out with the packets for the assemblies and after a virtual meeting with the Navigators and Comptrollers.

     Also, the Knights of Columbus is having a special 4^th Degree on Saturday, February 22, 2025, in New York City. It is the 125^th Anniversary of the 4^th Degree and there is a special degree at St. Patrick’s Cathedral that day. It is open to any 3^rd Degree Brother Knights that want to attend, join the 4^th Degree using the new degree, and then have Mass with Cardinal Dolan. Obviously for those Brother Knights from this area it would be a good ride, and you would need to make hotel reservations. Please click here for details on this special anniversary degree. 

 

Color Corps.  4^th degree exemplification is April 5, 2025.  Attend the Color Corps training sessions on the 2^nd Thursday of the month at Fr. Justin Council to get training for the new exemplification 2^nd Thursday of the month.  For information, please contact Paul Sawaya: text or call at 716-401-4334 or email at rnsawaya@yahoo.com . 

 

Pro-Life.  On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, concurrently overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that legalized abortion nationwide nearly 50 years ago. Since 2022, the Knights of Columbus ASAP Program has donated over $10 million to pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes to help moms and babies in need. Participate in the ASAP program today to continue this effort.

 

ASAP. (Aid and Support After Pregnancy). ASAP is a featured program to support pregnant women, mothers, and their children, both born and unborn, by serving pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes. Through ASAP, for every $500 a council or assembly donates to a qualifying non-profit pregnancy resource center or maternity home (up to $2,000), the Supreme Council will issue a $100 grant to the same qualifying organization. What activities qualify for ASAP? There are a variety of activities you can organize to qualify for ASAP funds – most fall within the categories of financial support and material assistance:

•      Examples of financial support include direct donations, Baby Bottle Drives, proceeds from fundraisers, open houses, etc.

•      • Examples of material assistance include donations of baby items (equipment, food, formula, diapers, wipes), clothes (maternity, baby, infant, and toddler) and other items often listed on a center’s or maternity home’s website.

 

Ultrasound. The Knights of Columbus works together as an organization to purchase ultrasound machines for qualifying pregnancy centers Opportunity to view their unborn children on ultrasound machines at pro-life pregnancy centers. This initiative is funded by Knights of Columbus state and local councils with matching grants from the Supreme Council’s Culture of Life Fund. After the state and/or local council raises 50% of the cost, the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council will provide the other 50% to complete funding for purchase.

 

Day of Caring.  The Special Olympics Golf Tournament was held at Rizzo’s at Rothland Golf Course in Akron on Saturday, August 17, 2024. 

 

Veterans.  Trinity assembly donated to the VA hospital clothing closet drive. Hamburg council also assisted with dozens of gloves. Donated was $2,181 worth of clothing and $870 in cash. The hospital, being a soft target, has just placed concrete barriers in front of the ER and Main Entrance to protect against any type of attacks.

 

Lottery Calendar.  This year we started an incentive promotion in an effort to have more councils involved in sales. Hopefully all calendars are returned. If not contact Lew Herman.

 

Wheelchairs.  This initiative provides aid to those who lack the freedom of mobility in our communities and around the world. Whether councils are presenting wheelchairs to local veterans and neighbors in need or donating funds to benefit those abroad, mobility brings with it independence and dignity. Obtained at discounted prices, these wheelchairs change the lives of their recipients. We are always in need of wheelchairs at $150.00 each.

 

If your council or assembly wants to donate, please contact Larry Phalzer at Madonna Council 716-868-1218 or Lew Herman 716-984-1983

 

Vocations.  RSVP-Send applications and copy of cashed check (front and back) in together.  Fr. David Baker is the Vocations Director for the Diocese of Buffalo.

 

Click here for a list of current seminarians.

 

 

Scholarships.  All applications for Scholarships and Grants are due April 1 at the New York State Council Offices. The applications are available by selecting SCHOLARSHIPS on the NYS website at www.newyorkknights.com. Current eighth graders entering Parochial High Schools are eligible for consideration.

 

Basketball Free Throw Competition.  This event is usually completed by councils in January of each year, follow by regional and state-wide competitions.  Take the online Safe Environment Program now to be covered.

 

Soccer Challenge Contest.  This is a fall event. Be sure and take the online Safe Environment Program now to be covered.

 

Take Note: Anyone running any youth competitions or events need certification by taking the online “Safe Environment Program”/Supreme website. It only takes 45 minutes to complete, and the certification is good for two years.  The training is available here.

 

Coats for Kids.  Please contact Joe Gnojek <st.vincentdepaulcouncil17883@gmail.com> for more information.

 

Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest.  Essay  information is available at kofc.org > What We Do > Programs > Community > Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest

 

Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest.  Poster information is available at kofc.org > What We Do > Programs > Family > Keep Christ in Christmas.

 

Columbiettes.  Information on the Columbiettes can be obtained by contacting Steven Szumigala <steven.szumigala@gmail.com>.

 Columbiettes Auxiliary # 14687 St. Gregory’s:

  Calendar January-June 2025

  Officers 2024-2025

  Who We Are

 

Bishop’s Burse.  216 people attended the Bishop’s Burse at Ilio DiPaolo’s Restaurant on June 17, 2024.  The next Bishop’s Burse is scheduled on June 16, 2025.

 

C&B Books.  The Western councils sold 2,521 books in 2024 and 3,383 books in 2023. Our sales in 2022 were 4,829 books, and in 2021 we sold 4,154 books. Congratulations to the winners this year and thank you all for participating in this charitable event. If you have any questions or concerns or need assistance, please contact Gregory Traves <GregoryTKofC@gmail.com>.

 

 

 

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