Available Online www.frragan.com/members.html 1783 Moore Rd (Box 224) Avon, OH 44011-0224 (440) 934-4253 Vol. 67, No 1 January 2017 Official Publication of Father Ragan Council No. 3269 Grand Knight Report... Brother Knights, it s official. It is January/2017. We are at the halfway point of our Fraternal Year. I hope you had a very Merry Christmas, and may the new year bring you good health, happiness, prosperity, and an increased devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ and our Blessed Virgin Mother Mary. We continue to be a very active Council. For many years now, the first weekend in December is always a memorable one for the Fr. Ragan Council. For the 36th year in a row, we sponsored the Knights of Columbus Wrestling Tournament at Avon Lake High School. I had an opportunity to stop in on Friday night, and Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Elyria, Ohio Permit No. 374 Return Service Requested the place was packed! Thank you to PGK Roberto Cobos, Brother Mike Cobos, and all those who helped out with this year s tournament. What a great success! That same weekend we held our 32nd Annual Senior Citizens Dinner at the Hall. We seated over 280 guests for this complimentary dinner, and we boxed close to 75 to-go dinners for those seniors who could not make it this year. The only thing that was asked of our guests was to bring in a canned or dry good. We collected 6 boxes or approximately 420 pounds of food to be donated to those in need. Wow, that is awesome! Thank you to PGK Vince Gargaro, his family, and the many volunteers including the Avon High School National Honor Society for all they did to make this dinner a success. How about this food for thought: Since the 1st Senior Dinner, we have served over 4 tons of Turkey, 4,800lbs. of Mashed Potatoes, 2,000lbs. of Cranberry Sauce, 256 full pans of Stuffing, 185 pans of corn, 2,840 loaves of bread, 454 sheets of cake, and over 9,000 guests. Nice Work!! On Wednesday, December 8, 2016, The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Sir Knights were present to help St. Mary s of The Immaculate Conception celebrate their 150th Anniversary! Thank you to Fr. Cleaton for a beautiful Mass in a beautiful Church. On Sunday, December 11, 2016, we held a movie night at the Hall with our Chaplin Fr. Gerard. We watched a documentary about Our Lady of Guadalupe, a day before the Feast, December 12, marking the Marian apparition witnessed by St. Juan Diego in the year 1531. In addition, Fr. Gerard will be visiting the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City, next week. Have a wonderful trip Fr. Gerard! On Thursday, December 15, 2016, we had our Council Christmas party at the Hall. Again, a great time was had by all. Thank you to all who brought appetizers and desserts to share with everyone. On Sunday, December 18, 2016, we held the Annual Children s Christmas Party/Lunch with Santa Claus. What a turnout we had this year. Over 30 children from all 5 of the parishes we serve were present. In addition, 30 adults, 6 Brother Knights, Santa Claus and his helpers also were in attendance. Every child was given a stocking filled with candy. For those that couldn t have candy yet, a small teddy bear was given to them. On December 28, 2016, we held a First Degree at the Hall. We have 3 new Brother Knights. Welcome to Brothers Bob Dvoroznak, Michael Kiessling, and Vince Gargaro, son of 1987 PGK Vince Gargaro. We look forward to seeing you at some of our upcoming events. That being said, please make sure you look for some of the future Council activities like the Social Meeting on Thursday January 19, with Sir Knight Thomas Hummer and his Relics Presentation. Also, the Council is taking a bus trip to Washington D.C. for this year s National Right To Life March, leaving the Hall at 8:00pm on Thursday 1/26/17. God Bless You Brothers, and may the Peace of Christ be with you always. Vivat Jesus GK Kevin McHenry
Isabella News Next meeting will be Tuesday January 10th @ 7pm. Please join us. Children s & Council Christmas Parties Save the date...the Annual Isabella Tea Party will be held Monday April 24, 2017. Details will be announced soon.
Notice of Scholarship Application The Father Ragan Charitable Foundation will be awarding scholarships to deserving high school and college students for the 2017-2018 academic years. In order to apply for the scholarship, you must be the son, daughter, grandson, or granddaughter of a current Father Ragan third degree council member whose dues are current, or a deceased Father Ragan third degree council member whose dues were current at the time of his death. The number of scholarships an individual can receive is two. One scholarship can be awarded to applicants who are still attending a Catholic based junior high or Catholic based high school. The applicants will not be able to receive another scholarship until they graduate from high school and attend an institution of higher learning. Once again the individual will only be able to receive one scholarship. With the number of Brother Knights who have children or grandchildren, it is only fair that the same person does not receive a scholarship every year. To obtain an application you can 1) email PGK Fred Metz at fredmetz23@yahoo.com and an application will be emailed to you, or 2) you can write a letter to PGK Fred Metz, 3979 Woodland Drive, Vermilion, Ohio 44089 with a self-addressed stamped envelope enclosed and an application will be sent to you. All applications must be returned by regular mail to PGK Fred Metz address in previous paragraph by April 6, 2017. Recipients of the scholarships will be notified after the scholarship committee reviews the applications. All applications received after April 6 will be saved for the next year. The scholarships will be awarded on Thursday, May 18, 2017, at the beginning of the Father Ragan Council social meeting that begins at 7:30pm. Attendance at the scholarship presentation would be appreciated. The value of the scholarships will depend on the number of applicants and the final number of recipients determined by the scholarship committee. If you have any questions about the application, please contact PGK Fred Metz at (440) 963-0747 or send an email to him.
Valentine s Wine Tasting Planning Planning is underway for the Annual Valentine's Wine Tasting on February 18, 2017...but we need your help! Do you have any unused gift cards or certificates tucked away? Are you a season ticket holder for the Cavs, Indians, Monsters, Browns and can't attend a certain game? Do you perform or have access to special services such as spa, lawn care, home repair/updating? All of these types of items are great in raffle baskets/silent auction items. Please consider donating anything you may have or can procure. All donations are tax deductible. Donors will be listed on promotional flyers and in our program. Contact Kevin or Colleen McHenry @ 440-930-4740 Coats for Kids As America prepares to welcome a new president, the Knights of Columbus is urging its members and other Catholics to pray the Novena for National Unity from Thursday, Jan. 12, through Inauguration Day, Friday, Jan. 20. The prayer invokes the maternal intercession of Mary, the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the United States. Council Financial Secretary Tim Hohman (left) presented Big Brothers Big Sisters with the Council s donation for Coats for Kids.
THANK GOD IT S FIRST FRIDAY WEST Through the Gifts from God, we provide food for the body, food for the mind, and food for the soul. An inter-parish men s group will meet on First Friday for socializing, luncheon, talk by a priest, and concluding with the Celebration of the Eucharist. Harding Christ: Sir Knight of the Year Congratulations to Fr Ragan Council s Harding Christ who was recently awarded the Sir Knight of the Year award for the Lt McManus Assembly #811! Upcoming luncheons: DATE: January 6, 2017 SPEAKER: Rev. Fr. Jeffrey Barnish CURRENT LOCATION AND RESPONSIBILITY(IES): Parochial Vicar, St. Bernadette Parish, Westlake OPIC: The Fatherless - Becoming the Godfather the Youngest Generations Never Had DATE: February 3, 2017 SPEAKER: Rev. Fr. Kevin Elbert CURRENT LOCATION AND RESPONSIBILITY(IES): Pastor, St. Luke Parish, (Lakewood) TOPIC: Spiritual Reflections on Being a Good Man in Today s Culture DATE: March 3, 2017 SPEAKER: Rev. Fr. Michael Lanning CURRENT LOCATION AND RESPONSIBILITY(IES): Pastor, St. Angela Merici Parish (Fairview Park) TOPIC: tbd LOCATION: St. Clarence Church, 30106 Lorain Road, North Olmsted COST: $10.00 TIME: Registration/socializing begins at 11:15 AM; the Luncheon at 12:05 PM; talk at 12:35 PM; and will conclude with Mass. TO MAKE RESERVATIONS: For the January 6th luncheon, call me by January 3rdh at (440) 937-6606. For the February 3rd, call by January 31st. REMINDER: PLEASE SAVE YOUR USED POSTAGE STAMPS FOR THE MIS- SIONS. YOU CAN DROP THEM OFF AT THE LUNCHEON OR AT THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS HALL. George W. Perz Secretary-Treasurer, TGIFF-West Thur, Jan 5 Thur, Jan 19 Jan 26-27 Sat, Feb 18 CALENDAR Business Meeting (7:30PM, Knights Hall) Social Meeting (7:30PM, Knights Hall) RTL Bus Trip to Washington, DC Valentine s Wine Tasting (Knights Hall) http://www.frragan.com http://www.facebook.com/fr.ragan3269 frragan@gmail.com E-mail requests to add your address to the Fr Ragan distribution list