October 2014
Vol. 8-Issue 4
Knights of Columbus
Elkins Council #603
THE KNIGHTLY NEWS
--A Newsletter for Brother Knights and Parishioners--
COMING SOON: KNIGHTS
CHRISTMAS DINNER DANCE
COUNCIL KICKS OFF
“COATS FOR KIDS” PROGRAM
The Council’s annual DinnerDance-Giveaway will be held on
December 5th. The dinner will
consist of our traditional Italian
Sausage with peppers and onions,
pasta, tavern ham and salad. It
will be held at Orchard hall, and Brother Dan
Dilatosso will provide the music. Tickets are
available for a $40/couple donation from any
Knight or by calling Brother Ray LaMora Jr at 6360364. The ticket provides the purchaser with our
fabulous Italian dinner with all the trimmings,
desserts, drinks, an evening of dancing and of
course the chance to win a little extra Christmas
spending money. Brother Knights, we need your
help in selling tickets, so buy one and sell a few.
Help is also always needed in preparation and
during the event. Grand Knight Mark and Brother
John Vallelonga will be asking Brothers to sign-up
for committees to setup, cook, serve, cleanup and
etc. The cooking and setting up of the hall is on
Thursday afternoon, with final preparation on
Friday before the dinner. Again, the event is Friday
December 5th with dinner is at 6, dancing at 7 and
drawings throughout the night. SO MARK YOUR
CALENDER-December 5th, BUY A TICKET
and COME OUT FOR A GREAT DINNER
AND WONDERFUL EVENING. Looking
forward to seeing you there!
The Knights of Columbus
launched their coats initiative;
designed to keep kids warm in
harsh winter climates. With
many families, with young
children, struggling in tough
economic times, a clear need was there to provide
warm winter coats to children in
our communities. And so, the
Knights of Columbus’ “Coats for
Kids” program was born in 2009.
The Elkins Council participated in
the program in 2010, and will do
so again this year. The Elkins Council has purchase
and will partner with Catholic Charities of West
Virginia to collect and distribute coats to those in
need. Coats will be collected during late October
and November, and will be distributed
by Thanksgiving. Knights and
Catholic Charities will be accepting
new or gently use clean winter coat or
jackets, requesting members and
parishioners to drop off coats in the
CC of WV collection box or their
office. In Buckhannon, the Council will be working
with the Parish House to distribute coats to Upshur
County families.
NOVEMBER MEETING
AT ST. PATRICK’s HALL
The Council will hold its November
regular meeting in Coalton at the
St. Patrick parish hall. During the
upcoming year, Grand Knight Mark
Joseph is planning a meeting or activity at each of
our Roundtable parishes. Later this year, a meeting
will be planned for Holy Rosary. The Council’s
goal is to involve and include all member Knights
in Council activities, and to welcome any new
members to join. See you there!
FIRST SQUIRES INVESTITURE SET
Our local Columbian Squires will hold
their first investiture ceremony on
Sunday November 2nd. The event will
be held in the parish hall at 4:00PM,
and conducted by District Deputy Bob Angotti of
Clarksburg. All candidates-squires are encouraged
to attend. These young men will become Charter
members of the Circle. Any young Catholic man
between the ages of 10-18 can join. If you are
interested in becoming a Squire please contact
Deacon Raymond or Chief Counselor Mark Joseph
for an application. A second investiture ceremony
will be scheduled in the near future.
FOURTH DEGREE ASSEMBLIES
OFFICERS INSTALLED
Newly installed Assembly Officers with State
Master Al and Fr. Bill (front row center]
The Our Lady of the Mountains Assembly officers
traveled to Clarksburg last month, and joined the
Clarksburg and Fairmont Assemblies for a Officer
Installation ceremony. Clarksburg Faithful Friar,
Fr. William “Bill” Anderson opened the gathering
with prayer. Newly appointed State Master, Sir
Knight Al Musilli, concurrently conducted the
installation of the Officers from the three
Assemblies. Faithful Navigator, Sir Knight Neil
Williams lead the members of the Elkins Assembly.
At the conclusion of the investiture, the Our Lady of
Peace Assembly provided a dinner for all those in
attendance. Next year’s Fourth degree installation
will be hosted by the Our Lady of the Mountains
Assembly here in Elkins.
COUNCIL OFFICERS INSTALLED
Brother Knights and their spouses gathered in the
St. Brendan parish hall to officially install the
Elkins Council officers for
the 2014-15 fraternal year.
After a short blessing, the
evening ceremony was began
with dinner. Afterwards,
Worthy District Deputy Bob
Angotti asked Brother John
Vallelonga to open the
installation ceremony with
District Deputy places
a prayer, which was
jewel on Grand Knight
followed by the pledge of
allegiance to the flag. Past Grand Knight Ron
Elmore thanked everyone for their support during
his term. With Brother Neil Williams assuming the
role of the District Warden, each of the officers
received their charge and jewel of officer from the
District Deputy.
Our new Grand
Knight Mark
Joseph made a
few remarks
before closing
the evening
New Council Officers with DD Bob
activities with a
prayer.
UPCOMING ACTIVITES:
KUDOS:
♦Chairman Brother John Vallelonga and all
Brother Knights who bought or sold Football
Frenzy tickets to set a Council record for sales of
502. Top sellers were Brothers Ron Elmore,
Roger Ware, and Neil Williams.
♦Brother Deacon Raymond Godwin as Emcee of
the Forest Festival Distinguished Guest Dinner and
Queen’s Ball.
♦Brother Mark Kwasniewski on his grand
opening of “The BIG TIMBER” tasting room
during the Forest Festival
♦St Patrick’s parish for another outstanding
SPAGETTI Dinner for the community, and all the
helpers and especially to all the customers
♦ALL Brother Knights who helped with Festival
Chairs, including Sales Chairmen Brothers Chris,
Ray, Roger and Joe, Driver Bob and especially
the Sainato family for helping with setup.
►Squire Meeting: Sunday November 2nd at 4:00PM
in the St. Brendan parish hall—Initial Investiture for
ALL Squires
►Assembly #3159 Meeting: Tuesday November 4th
at 6:30 PM in the St. Brendan parish hall
►Council #603 Monthly Meeting: Tuesday
November 11th at 6:30 PM at St. Patrick’s parish
hall. Coalton
►Keep Christ in Christmas/Card Sales and Poster
Contest: in November, and placing of KCIC-signs on
November 29th
►Christmas Dinner Dance: Friday December 5th,
Preparation: Wed-Sausage stuffing, Thurs-Cook and
Prepare Orchard hall Noon-6 & Fri.-final preperation
►WV-State Mid-year Meeting: Saturday December
6th, hosted by the Elkins Council, in the St. Brendan
Parish Hall. Coffee at 8:30, Meeting 9:00-3:00
COMING SOON:
►Knights’ Free-throw Championships: early
January at the Elkins Middle School, date-TBD
KNIGHTS TAKE PART IN TUCKER COUNTY “RUN FOR IT”
The fall color painted the trees across the Canaan Valley, as over
1100 runners and walkers gathered for the Tucker County
Foundation’s “Run for IT” event. Over twenty participants
represented the Elkins Council, donned their blue K of C Tshirts, and readied for the race. Our group met at the Davis Fire
Hall to register, and in the “Parade of Teams”, Brother John lead
the group in a prayer closing with an “Amen” and “GoKnights”. Our six runners took off first on the 5K course,
followed by the 2K walkers on the “Tour of Davis”. Brother
John Dibacco with his sons, Squires Ryan and Michael ran the
The runners
5K. Brother John pushed Mary in her wheelchair around the 2K
gather before
course, passing folks along the way and finishing with a very
the race (above)
respectable time. After the event, many of the Knights took in
Brother John
some of the sights and enjoyed items from the food booths. The
and Mary on
the course (r)
Council shared in County Commission and regional awards and
also received funds from the general fund. All in all, it was a
beautiful enjoyable fall day for the participating Brother Knights, Squires and their
family members.
OUR “NEW” BROTHER KNIGHTS
The Council held a special
admission ceremony to
welcome in two new members.
Joining the Council and the
Order were two of the
missionary/staff from Camp
Bosco. Our new Brother
Knights are: Coleman Boring, and Anthony
“Tony” Morello. The degree was held in honor of
Saints John Paul II and John XXIII. The Elkins
Degree team conducted the exemplification, which
was lead by Brother Bob Hammer. Brother
Coleman is a graduate of Walsh College with a
degree in Theology, and is from Dover, OH.
Brother Tony originally from Illinois, is a graduate
of the University of Kansas with a degree in
Communications. In
October, Jared Deprospero
also joined the Order and the
Elkins Council. Brother
Jared took his first degree in
Grafton along with two
Brothers from Council
#713. Brother Jared
Brother Jared with
sponsor Brother Frank
graduated from WVU, is
originally from Hurricane
and is currently working as a financial advisor.
After both ceremonies, our newest members joined
their Brothers with refreshments and conversation.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE POSTER
CONTEST ANNOUNCED
Saying NO, to drugs
and alcohol is the
theme of the Knights
of Columbus’
Substance Abuse poster
contest. The Council
will kick off the contest in early December with a
due date of January 15th. Posters will be accepted
from youth ages 8 to 14. They will be judged on
artwork, originality, slogan and how they relate to
the audience. There will be two categories, drug
prevention and alcohol abuse and two age classes,
8-11 and 12-14. The winning council posters will be
forwarded to compete at the State and International
level. Youth Chairmen Brother Bob Hammer will
lead the judging, and will award participation
certificates and a gift card for the local winners.
OUR SEMINARIANS Addresses:
As our two seminarians continue their journey to
the priesthood, the Council encourages all to pray
for them and to send cards of support. Additional
information will be included in our next issue.
Seminarian
Brian Crenwelge
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary
16300 Old Emmitsburg Road
Emmitsburg, MD 21727-7797
Seminarian
Martin Smay
Pontifical No. Am. College
00120 Vatican City State
Europe
“KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS” ACTIVITIES with a YOUTH POSTER CONTEST
In early November, the Knights will again be offering Christmas
cards with a religious message. The Knights of Columbus’ “Keep
Christ in Christmas” (KCIC) program is designed to remind
everyone, that the true meaning of Christmas is the birth of
CHRIST. Orders for these beautifully designed cards will be taken
in all parishes, so as to have the card available by Thanksgiving.
Sales will begin at the Holy Rosary’s dinner on October 26th. The
Knights will then be manning their sales tables during the
weekends of November 1st and 2nd and 8th and 9th after all the
Masses. So take the time to order a box or two, a KCIC car
magnet, stickers or ornaments. Besides the card sales, the Council
will be placing their 4x8-Keep Christ in Christmas signs in three counties and
conducting a KCIC-Poster contest. Youth between the ages of 5 and 14 will be
encouraged to design and draw a poster that reflects the true meaning of the
Christmas season. Poster will be judged on artistic design, slogan and
originality. They will be judged in three age classes, 5-7, 9-11 and 12-14.
Judging will take place during the first week in December, and will be exhibited
in the parish halls. The Council winners will receive a certificate and gift card.
The three Elkins Council’s winning posters will also be forwarded for State and
International competition.
Chloe Helzer’s Angel Tree
2013-KCIC poster
KNIGHTS ASSIST…
15th ANNIVERSARY OF ST. BRENDAN’S
In the fall of ’99, Saint Brendan’s third church was dedicated as our new parish home. Therefore, earlier this
month, we celebrated the fifteenth anniversary in our current church on October 12th [Columbus Day] with a
covered dish luncheon for which the Knights along with the Holy Rosary guild provide the main course, of ham
and chicken. “Service to the Church” is an important element of the many activities of the Knights; the Elkins
Council grew as the parish grew with our origin in 1901. The Knights joined the hundreds of fellow
parishioners in remembering baptisms, weddings, other sacraments and funerals that took place in our current
church. We can also reflect on those that occurred in the original and old St. Brendan churches. The Knights
were there to dedicate the church, assist with the placement and dedication of the St. Brendan statue, making a
pledge to the Capital Campaign, assisting with maintenance efforts, celebrating
during many events and serving the parish in various
DID YOU KNOW:
ministries. We are blessed to have such a beautiful
Our 8-sided shaped
structure, active congregation and spiritual gathering
church represents the
space. Hopefully, our current church will serve our
day after the Sabbath,
children, our grandchildren and us, as they and we grow in
the everlasting eighth
our Catholic faith for many, many years to come.
day, “the first day of
Resurrection”. The
octagon shape creates
a beautiful eight point
star ceiling.
Original Church ----Old St. Brendan’s
1897-1928
1928-1999
31 yrs
71 yrs
--Our current parish home
1999 to present
15 yrs and more…