Wednesday April 29, 2020

Newsletter Archives

Our next council meeting is on Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Further information on how to join will be sent out the weekend before the meeting to members of our council.

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.

Worthy District Deputy,

Worthy Grand Knight,

cc: State Officers

Following is an introduction to Bishop Checchio's letter (attached), in English and Spanish. Please share with all of your members, their families, and friends.

Vivat Jesus!

Vinnie Tavormina

State Deputy

I write to inform you of an extraordinary initiative of the USCCB in conjunction with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to invoke the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title “Mary, Mother of the Church,” in our common struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current president of the U.S. Bishop’s Conference Archbishop Gomez has written to the American Bishop’s asking for their participation this coming Friday, May 1st.

Bishop Checchio has written a letter, which is attached to this communication, explaining his pastoral response and his invocation of the Blessed Virgin in the name of the Church of Metuchen to take place at a Mass that will be live-streamed from the Cathedral of St. Francis, Metuchen, at 4:00 pm. Prior to the celebration of the Mass, there will be a live-streamed public recitation of the Holy Rosary at 3:30 pm.

Please encourage your parishioners and/or networks of contacts to participate in this event, as indeed the most important help we have comes from faith in the power of the Risen Christ and the gracious help of Mary, Our Mother.

Sincerely in the Risen Savior,

Father Christy, VG

Click Here ---> Bishop's Letter in English <---Click Here>

Click Here ---> Bishop's Letter in Spanish <---Click Here>

GK Murray Conway

Virus Victim

Brothers,

It is my sad duty to inform you that I have been infected with the coronavirus Covid 19! I hadn’t been feeling well the past couple of days and I had been monitoring my temp every day because of my exposure at work. Yesterday I woke up with a temperature and was coughing more than my usual allergies cough! I went and got tested and the results came back a few hours ago that it is positive!!

Please keep me in prayer as of now I am home and will be unless my symptoms worsen! Please pray especially for my wife Betsey and the boys! As Betsey and I celebrate 9 years married and 11 years together tomorrow we are definitely living our vows of good times and bad, sickness and in health!

Please pray for all who suffer from this virus!

Murry J Conway Jr

Grand Knight

Knights of Columbus

St Thomas the Apostle 4815

We are living unprecedented times... and as such, we need unprecedented leadership and perseverance. We are planning a Blood Drive with the Red Cross, just completed a very successful fundraiser for the Foodbank Network of Somerset County. Our next meeting, the second Wednesday of May (May 13), will again be online, we ask that you prioritize this meeting.

We will pray the Holy Rosary shortly after 7, the meeting will start at 7:30. Meeting invitations with joining instructions will be sent to council members the weekend before the meeting.

Stay Safe and Vivat Jesu,

Vincent Scafuto

Grand Knight

Blood Drive

Blood donors now required to wear a mask

For the safety of our donor community and in accordance with CDC guidelines, all donors are required to wear a face-covering or mask. Please bring a face covering or mask to your donation. If you do not have one, a mask will be provided to you. Thank you.

Worthy Brothers,

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.

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