Brother Knights and families,

I thought that it would be better to present and publish a quarterly newsletter instead of writing to you each and every month. I must confess that I have been finding it very difficult to find something meaningful to write every month. I suppose that I was going on at a fairly good pace for quite some time but I have simply run out of gas so to speak.

I also feel that Father Gerald should be the primary "voice" or author that all Men should tune in to at the Council level.

With that said, having a quarterly newsletter seems to just make sense to me and so that is what we have now (at least for the remainder of this Fraternal Year). And speaking of this Fraternal Year, I want you know that I have enjoyed the support and the assistance that I have enjoyed these last 17 months as the Grand Knight. So many of you have been so supportive of moving the Council activities forward and I thank you.

 

I want each and every one of you who will read this to seriously consider praying about your level of participation in our Council. For those of you who are not currently filling an Officer or Directors position, I humbly ask you to think about taking on one of those positions for just one year. The commitment is as involved as you want it to be in my opinion. I have made it very clear that I will not accept another nomination, nor will I seek another term of office as the Grand Knight in the coming Spring. And that decision is based on my believe that we must constantly look for newer and different ideas and ways to carry out the mission of our Order.

 

I do not believe that my style of leadership is always the best style. I have served in this capacity for a time and for a reason and I look forward to serving under the guidance of new leadership at the Council level.

 

I would remiss in failing to mention the current Advent and Christmas season. I have thought a great deal about Knighthood and about the true meaning of Christmas and the life and mission of Jesus Christ. Living as a Christian in a secular world is frustrating at times to say the least. For me doing some days, it seems impossible. I am a very faulted person who fails daily to live up to what Jesus has called me to be and do. I am sure that you share some of my frustration with how the "hustle and bustle" of the Advent period prior to Christmas seems to completely rob us of our energies and time to actually sit and reflect on how important Advent is. I try to make all of my Christmas preparations quickly so that I can take a few breaths and sit in an "Advent moment" if just for a little while.

 

One of our family traditions of late has been to purchase and distribute the clever buttons that say "It's okay to say Merry Christmas". Kathy and I like to hand them out and also wear them when we doing our Christmas gift shopping. I really enjoy engaging people in public in defending Christmas and the reason for the season as they say. You will find it surprising just how many people actually agree with you when you liberate them by letting them know how much you appreciate them saying "Merry Christmas".

 

 

On another subject, the New Year is fast approaching and I have asked the Parish to place a bulletin announcement into circulation regarding the First Friday of the New Year. I would like for all Knights to join me at 7:00 P.M. on January 6, 2012 for Eucharistic Adoration. Let's start our year off correctly by coming to our Church and humbly bowing before our King and pledging our lives and our talents to Him in service.

 

I look forward to the New Year and I want to see some new faces at our meetings please. If you have not attended a meeting in a long time, please give me a chance to prove to you that our meetings are well run and informative. My prayers for you are that you will have a Blessed Advent, a Merry and Holy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

 

Stay engaged, polish your Armor, Sharpen your swords and say the Rosary.

 

God Love you,

SK Frank Finch

Grand Knight

Council 10963