Grand Knight,

Jonathan De Leon

Dear Brothers, Sir Knights, Family, and Friends,

Happy 4th of July!

Thank you to those who fought and preserved our independence and freedoms, especially the Freedom of Religion.

As we enter our new Fraternal Year, first, thank you for electing me as your Grand Knight. I have big shoes to fill in Vinny and those PGKs before me. I still have a lot of learning to do and will need your help this year, especially in your involvement in meetings, leadership roles, and council and parish-sponsored events.

We also need to plan events for the fraternal year. Fr. Brian is open to collaborative events with the other parish organizations and the inclusion of all the parishioners as appropriate. We need to present him with concrete dates and plans to ensure there are no conflicts and for his support with scope and communication.

Thank you to PGK Patrick Noonan for the great effort to end our Fraternal Year on a great note! We thank you for your talk on "Reflecting on the spiritual legacy of Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus.” and the amazing results of the latest Blood Drive! You are a great example of what we can do as members of the Knights of Columbus.

Thank you to PGKs Dave Adams, Manny Cirne, and Brs. Sean Zuckowski and Harley Juth for the Coffee and Donuts Social on June 27, also a great event with the participation of over 50 parishioners, Fr. Brian and Msgr. Brennan.

Lastly, I would like to congratulate PGK Dave and Becky Adams on the celebration of their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Dave and Becky continue to be an integral part of our council and parish and on behalf of the council, it is my pleasure to wish them the best and many more years of happiness.

I look forward to serving you and the Council as your Grand Knight. Thank you and God Bless!

Vivat Jesu,

Jon De Leon

Grand Knight, Council 5959

Fr. Brian Nolan

Daily at 9:00 AM and Weekend Masses Sat at 4 PM and Sun at 7:30 and 10:00 AM and 12:00 Noon

Click here to access our parish's online giving page

It is important that you review the frequently updated information on our Webpage, the link is below. Please visit Parish's webpage for latest Holy Day Mass schedules.

Click on this link to view guidelines for this weekends' Masses, sign up to volunteer.

Click to view Mass streamed on Sunday June 20 (Father's Day), DGK's message starts a bit after 1 hour.

Good morning everyone! Welcome Back! It is so nice to see all of you (and your faces)! I have not seen the church this full in a really long time.

Thank you, Fr. Brian, for your guidance and support, and the opportunity to speak to the parishioners.

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, Godfathers, father-figures. Enjoy your Day!

My name is Jon De Leon, Grand Knight elect of our parish’s Knights of Columbus council. You may have seen me, usually at the 4 PM mass on Saturdays with my family. I am especially honored to be elected leader of this great organization in the year of St Joseph. I have the full support of my wonderful wife, Allisson, with whom I am raising two boys, Jack and Grant.

Some of you may not know who the knights are, and others may not know that we are an active council here at Blessed Sacrament and are part of a fraternal organization of over 2 million catholic men worldwide. We are family oriented, rooted in charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. Our focus is to support our Church, and our community, specifically women, children, and those in need.

In the last year, an incredibly challenging year, we raised over $10,000 for charities such as the Food Bank of Somerset County, SHIP, FISH, American Legion, and the Pregnancy Aid Center.

Prior to the pandemic, we ran such events Oktoberfest, Parish Picnic, the Blood Drive, and Plant Sale benefiting the charities mentioned.

The Knights of Columbus have been here at Blessed Sacrament for 55 years and have supported the Parish and our community in so many ways, which leads me to why I’m here. I’m reaching out to you, my fellow Knights and the parishioners of BSC, for your continued support.

Today, as the incoming Grand Knight, I am reaching out to not only my fellow Knights, but to you, the Parishioners of Blessed Sacrament Parish

To my fellow Knights, I know firsthand how difficult it is to juggle family and council activities. Both Allison and I work, and as you probably know, it is a daily struggle to keep all the ball in the air. But I am living proof that it is doable with the proper planning and prioritization. We need more Knights to be more active within the Council, participate in more activities and take on leadership roles.

To the parishioners of BSC, we are not a group of just older men; we are at least eighteen years of age and practicing Catholics; these are the only two criteria to be eligible to join the Knight of Columbus. If you meet these criteria and are interested in becoming a Knight, please reach out to me or any of us for details. Wives or perhaps mothers of men 18 year of age or older, and you would like them to participate in wholesome activities, and perhaps get them out of the house for a few hours, send them our way!

It will be a collective effort by us to not only grow the Knights but grow this great Parish. Over the next week, we will sponsor 2 events open to the entire Parish. These events are also listed in the bulletin.

This Wednesday, the 23rd, at 7PM, there will be a presentation on Blessed Father Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, in the Parish Hall.

And next Sunday, the 27th, after the 10AM we will have a coffee and donuts social in classrooms 1 and 2 off the foyer, to welcome each other back.

Thank you again to Father Brian for the time today.

Thank you, Allison for your unconditional love and support, and Jack and Grant for allowing me to be your dad, I love you!

Thank you to my fellow Knights for your friendship, knowledge and support these last 3 years.

Thank you all for your patience and again, Happy Father’s Day

Charles Bud Gardner, Field Agent

917-589-1252 - charles.gardner@kofc.org