Saturday April 25, 2020

Newsletter Archives

Our next council meeting is on Wednesday, May 8, 2020

Further information on how to join will be sent out the weekend before the meeting.

Mass is streamed live on Facebook each morning at 8:30 AM. Sunday Mass will be streamed live on Facebook at 10:30 AM. The Masses will also be posted on the website for later viewing (www.blessedsacramentnj.org).

Click this link, to visit our parish's online giving page and donate to support our parish's essential programs.

Brothers,

As we continue under the "Stay Home, Stay Safe" mandates, we continue to look for ways of staying connected as a council. This past Wednesday we held our council meeting. I would like to thank those that attended and encourage all council members to attend the next one on May 8. Please pass this information on to other members that may not be readying this publication.

I would like, once again, to thank Brother Jon De De Leon for spearheading our first virtual fundraiser, the Funds for Food for the Foodbank Network of Somerset County Fundraiser. Congratulations Jonathan on a great and successful event. Read brother Jon's thank you note below and thank you to all those who donated. For those of you that would like to support the Foodbank Network of Somerset County, we are leaving the GoFundMe fundraiser up as described in Jon's article. Please be as generous as your means allow.

Our June blood drive is scheduled for June 7, 2020. See PGK Manny's "Back to the Future" article for further inside and a link to register for to donate. It is of utmost importance to return to a sustainable way of life, part of that we support our council, our church, and our community.

What are your thoughts? Reply to this email and let us know!

Stay Safe and Vivat Jesu,

Vincent Scafuto

Grand Knight

Funds for Food Virtual Fundraiser

for the Foodbank Network of Somerset County

Worthy Brothers,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter with your respective families. I know this was a very unique Easter, in that we couldn't be extended family, but it was a beautiful day out and I hope that you were able to get outside and spend some time with those around you.

I wanted to pass along the great news that not only did we meet our goal, but we exceeded it! We raised over $3,000 for the Food Bank Network of Somerset County! We received many donations through our GoFundMe page, along with numerous offline donations (checks mailed to us), and to top it off, our council's donation.

I want to personally thank all of you who donated and participated in this event. This will definitely go a long way with those in need, especially now during these tough times. While we're closing this specific drive (i.e. cutting a check to the Food Bank), we've decided to keep the GoFundMe page open to accept donations indefinitely, considering the current economic conditions and the need at the Food Bank will only grow.

Think of this as the big Donation Box in the lobby of the Church. Since the Church is closed to accept food-donations, we figured it would be good to keep the GoFundMe open. This is not a plea for more donations towards the $3,200 we've raised, but something to keep in the back of our minds as we get through this pandemic.

Again, thank you all for your generous donations. Please stay safe and healthy. God Bless!

Fraternally Yours,

Brother Jon De Leon
Treasurer, Event Chairman

Brothers, Family, and Friends of Council 5959.

Here is our first challenge! Blood Drive on June 7, 2020, 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM,

God Willing!

No, we cannot do this one on Zoom! Please register online, and donate in person.

I know what you're thinking:

Well, lets put it into perspective, its a matter of life and death... people continue to require our blood, and we, at times, must use our own best judgment, weigh the risk versus the benefit and make our own decision. How will we, as Christian families continue to live our faith, and as KofC Council Members, live our principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity? How will we continue to support our parish?

The time is now to establish a sustainable normal, a new normal. What was previously "taken for granted", may not return for a long time, at least not in the same form. Our government (we the people) cannot make blood, and if we continue to print money to pay for the "stimulus" packages we will very quickly and permanently ruin our economy. We must return to a semblance of normal now, I don't condone breaking the law, or putting yourself at risk, but it is time to find alternatives and define the new normal for ourselves.

Being tested for the virus does not protect you from the virus. Just because you do not feel sick, does not mean that you do not have the virus. You can unknowingly carry the virus around and pass it on to others. This is a new reality, the virus is predicted to return periodically, potentially every year. Having all this, and more in mind, we must continue our lives, the best way to do this is to go "back to the future". Re-adopting our good old fashioned, tried and true best practices. We must, however, adapt them to the new reality of physical (not social) distancing, hand washing, and mask-wearing, but also using our common sense. Just because someone, me included, says something should be a certain way, does not mean it is, use your own common sense and approach to adapt our old fashioned best practices to the new reality. Some state, cannot remember which, actually prohibited people for cutting their own lawn, now how is cutting grass going to infect you with the virus? Common sense is missing in many of our leaders, we must retain our own.

Here are a few of our old-fashioned ways that I suggest we must re-double our efforts albeit it adapted to the new reality of physical distancing.

1) Visit your neighbors. How are they doing, do they have the essentials? Don't assume that everyone is staying current, many may not have the latest technology, or be able to get to the store, etc.

2) There is no greater need than right now, especially for the Foodbanks and Organizations that have now been started to feed the millions who are out of work.

3) Don't expect "normal" to be the same as before the COVID-19 pandemic. We must be prepared for a sustainable future.

A. Stay physically distant when it makes sense, but always socially and spiritually close

B. Continue always to wash your hands, implement and practice sanitary rules to be sure we are not contaminating each other.

C. Continue to build on your digital capabilities... it is a matter of survival.

D. Support our local businesses, help them adapt to the new normal.

What do you think? Let's hear more opinions!

Fraternally Yours,

PGK Manny

Click Picture to Donate to the

Foodbank Network of Somerset County

Contact Information for Council Members and Family

Brothers,

We know not when, we know not where and we know not how! Please make it a point of specifically providing our council's contact information to your loved ones! This information is relevant not only for you, but also for your loved ones, as they may need to contact one of us.

• Field agent for insurance information and questions Cell: 917-589-1252; Charles.Gardner@kofc.org (Br. Bud)

• Financial Secretary for dues and council related information; fs@kofc.ws (PGK Bob)

• Council Officers - officers@kofc.ws

• Council's phone number, 929-459-5950, leave a message and one of us will call you back as soon as possible.

We have many electronic resources available to us,

• www.kofc.org, for our Orders global organization

• www.njkofc.org, for the KofC State

• www.kofc.ws, Our Council

• At the top of this newsletter, you will always find our social media links to Twitter and Facebook as well as a link to our page

Knights of Columbus Insurance

Exemplification Ceremony

The Knights of Columbus has revised the degree program; it is now one Exemplification Ceremony which combines 1st. (Charity) 2nd. Unity and 3rd. Fraternity, our Orders' principles. The 4th (Patriotism) continues to be a distinct event.

The link below, includes a video of the ceremony.Take the time to view this video as a refresher as to what the nights are about and why your joined and to help you explain to your family who the Knights are, what we stand for and what we do.

https://videos.kofc.org/exemplification