My Brother Knights,

As we welcome the month of December, I would like to thank Dan Deatherage for preparing and cooking the smoked beef brisket entree for the St Francis Xavier Priests Appreciation Dinner, and Ray Heitman & his staff for providing and serving the rest of the meal and completing the work of the event. I would also like to say thanks to the council members who came to help set up and Len Archer for the projection system pro-gram. Thank you also to Darin Pollard for performing the duties of Mas-ter Of Ceremonies. It truly was another total team effort as are so many of our major events.

This month we will host our annual Breakfast With Santa on Dec. 8th 2019. I will need help from the membership to stage this event. I will have

a volunteer signup sheet at the next business meet-ing on Dec. 3rd. We will not have our regular officers and directors meeting this month due to the fact that we have scheduled our Council Christmas dinner and awards program at the Hoof and Horn Steakhouse be-ginning at 6 PM for that night. I invite and encourage every member and their spouses to come and enjoy a night of fellowship and fun.

Being the parish-based fraternal organization that we are, we need to continue to think about ways to do more volunteer work for our parish and the community. I am extremely thankful for the members who contin-ue to help coordinate and sponsor the events that we do. But we are al-ways looking for more members willing step up and help us out.

Please don’t forget that we will conduct an Admissions Degree cere-mony before our January 7th business meeting. Invite men to join our council that would help us to continue our acts of Charity, Unity, Fraterni-ty and Patriotism. For the brother Knights who are having birthdays this month, I wish you a Big Happy Birthday!

God Bless you and have a safe month.

Your Grand Knight and District # 2 Deputy

John Catron

Grand News

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Youth Activities &

Faith in Action

2

Birthdays and

Blood Drive

2

Appreciation 3

Christmas Dinner

& Awards Social

4

Volunteer Hours 4

Memorial Mass 5

Breakfast & Coats 6

Event Calendar

and Food Baskets

Volunteer Hours

7

C O U N C I L O F F I C E S

Knight Line D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 V O L U M E 9 , I S S U E 1 2

G R A N D K N I G H T - J O H N J

C A T R O N

D E P U T Y G R A N D K N I G H T –

J O H N J B I T U N J A C

C H A P L A I N — F R . J O S E P H

M I L L E R C . P P . S .

C H A N C E L L O R — R A Y F

H E I T M A N

F I N A N C I A L S E C R E T A R Y —

G O R D O N C A R M I C H A E L

R E C O R D E R — L E N A R C H E R

T R E A S U R E R — R O N J

O L I N G E R

L E C T U R E R — J O S E P H C

M A R M A U D

A D V O C A T E — R O G E R

R O H R E R

W A R D E N — B R A D L E Y C A R R

I N S I D E G U A R D — M A R K

W E R N E R

O U T S I D E G U A R D — J A M E S

L I N D S A Y

3 Y R T R U S T E E — J O H N D

M O R I N

2 Y R T R U S T E E — M I C H A E L

V I O L E T T

1 Y R T R U S T E E — C H A R L E S

H A Y E S

Official Publication of St. Francis Xavier Council #15126

P A G E 2

Former Associate

Pastor, Fr Joseph

Bathke Looks Over

To His Fellow Priests

At The Head Table As

Humorous Stories

Are Being Read By

The MC About

Memories Of Our

Priests

Knight’s December Birthday

Director’s Corner: Youth Activities And

Faith In Action Winter Events Update By John Bitunjac - Deputy Grand Knight and Director of Youth and Programs

As we approach the Christmas Season, we should remember that this,

the greatest of all seasons, is both a time for great celebration as well as a

time of great thankfulness.

With that idea in mind, I wish to thank all my Brother Knights for their

efforts this fall. Because of you, such activities as the Garage Sale, the

Wing-Ding, the Priests Appreciation Dinner, and our Thanksgiving Food

Baskets Drive to make a happier day for families here in Saint Joseph were

great successes. Due to the kindness of both brother Knights and members

of the parish the Coats for Kids was again a success as 20 winter coats

were distributed by our council.

As the Director for Youth Activities for our council, it is satisfying to re-

port that again the Keep Christ in Christmas Poster contest as well as the

Essay Contest were well participated in. Eighty Three students participated

in the poster contest. Their efforts can be seen at both the Breakfast with

Santa on Sunday December 8th or at the at the SFX Christmas Concert to be

held on December 12th. This years Essay Contest saw 55 students in the 7th

and 8th grade turning in efforts. A special thank you goes out to both Mrs.

Rubi Grant and Mrs. Jessica McFarlain for helping us with these projects.

Yet, as we are being thankful for past efforts, we need to keep an eye one

the future. Help will be needed for the December 8th Breakfast with Santa

and the Consecration to the Holy Family activities that will take place the

last weekend of December. January will see our council hosting not only

our local Knights of Columbus Free Throw Contests on January 15th and

22nd, but also the District 2 Free Throw Contest on January 29th. We will

continue to work on items in the Faith in Action Program.

I want to take this opportunity to wish all my Brothers a Very Merry Christmas and a most joyous Christmas season. I also look forward to all that we can accomplish in the future with your help. Vivat Jesus

Wish the following Brother Knights a

Happy Birthday when you see them

during the month.

Dec 4 - Christopher A Waters

Dec 6 - Michael A Thomas

Dec 15 - Ron J Olinger

Dec 16 - John J Bitunjac

Dec 20 - Michael L Flowers

Dec 22 - Leonard J Archer

Dec 24 - William B Carr

Jan 2 - Rev Timothy J Guthridge

Jan 3 - Mark S Werner

K N I G H T L I N E

Council 15126

Sponsored The

St Francis Xavier

11th Annual Priest

Appreciaton Din-

ner on Nov 17th

Blood Drive—Dec 3rd 1-5 pm

11th Priests Appreciation Dinner—A Fun Social Event

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 9 , I S S U E 1 2

The SFX Parish Priest Appre-

ciation Dinner this year was at-

tended by about 200 parishion-

ers and guests. Council 15126

hosted the event beginning with

a social gathering period where

attendees got to welcome former

Associate Pastor (1983-2007) Fr.

Joseph Bathke back to St Fran-

cis Parish before enjoying a deli-

cious meal of smoked beef bris-

ket cooked by Council Member

Dan Deatherage with the remain-

ing food items catered by Rays

Green Hills. During the dinner

and social hour a slide program

was displayed on the video

screens (along with background

music) which highlighted our

priests involvement in the many

ministries and support groups

of the parish. Following the din-

ner the attendees heard a classi-

cal music piano and flute duet

performed by St Joseph Mayor

Bill McMurray and his wife Judy.

Humorous memories and sto-

ries about Fr Joe Miller, Fr Bill

Walter, Fr Lac Pham and also Fr

Joe Bathke were presented by

the Master of Ceremonies, Darin

Pollard, from anonymous sub-

missions written by many of the

attendees during the dinner.

Our special guest speaker

was Fr Joseph Bathke of the

Precious Blood Priests who is

now the Pastor of Sacred Heart

Parish in Warrensburg, MO, who

reminisced about his past ser-

vice as an Associate Pastor at

SFX and his fond memories of

not only working with Fr Joe

Miller, but also of the Alaska

Cruise they both took last sum-

mer. Council Grand Knight

John Catron then presented

each priest with a Certificate of

Appreciation for their dedicated

service to the parish and a mon-

etary gift on behalf of all of the

parishioners. The entire group

of priests at the head table then

gave the attendees a collective

blessing in thanksgiving for the

appreciation expressed during

this event and called for suc-

cessful parish activities to be

experienced in the future.

A big “Thank You” goes to

the Council Appreciation Dinner

committee for their successful

efforts to plan, set up and host

this parish dinner event. Com-

mittee members were John Ca-

tron, Len Archer, Ray Heitman,

Darin Pollard, John Bitunjac,

John Morin, Ron Olinger and

Dan Deatherage. A total of 19

member Knights volunteered

their time and efforts to make

this year’s 11th Parish Appreci-

ation Dinner a very successful

and enjoyable event.

Fr Joe Miller and Fr Lac Pham In A

Humorous Moment During the 2019 St

Francis Xavier Appreciation Dinner

P A G E 4

Dec 17th Family Christmas Dinner & Council

Awards Social Event At Hoof & Horn

St Joseph’s oldest restaurant (established in 1896) The Hoof and

Horn Steakhouse, located at 429 Illinois Avenue will host its newest

Knights of Columbus Council (established in 2010) on Tuesday Dec

17, 2019 for our members and spouses annual SFX Council Christ-

mas Social and Awards program. After undergoing an exciting kitch-

en and dining room remodel, the Hoof & Horn is back and better

than ever. Our social hour will start at 6:00 pm in their private ban-

quet room with dinner to follow from a preselected menu. (an in-

clement weather alternate date if needed is Wednesday, Dec 18th.)

Dinner entrees available will be: Prime Rib, Baked Potato & Vegeta-

ble with Salad ($20.95/person) or Grilled Salmon, Mashed Potato &

Vegetable with Salad ($20.95/person) or Chicken Fried Chicken,

Mashed Potato & Vegetable with Salad ($14.95/person). Drinks from

the bar will be available from the wait staff during the social

hour and will be added to the meal charges tab. We have the room

reserved for 35-40 persons and will need to give them a firmer reser-

vation number after our council meeting on Dec 3rd. This banquet

room will hold up to 60 persons maximum so there should be plenty

of room for all council members and spouses who wish to attend.

Reservations are required by NLT Wednesday Dec 4th to Len

Archer at 816-271-3726 or archer@missouriwestern.edu .

K N I G H T L I N E

Don’t forget to

RSVP for the

December 17th

Council Christmas

Dinner and

Awards Social At

The Hoof & Horn

You know you can input your own Volunteer Service Hours as you do them instead of waiting every 6 months or at the end of the year? Just log in at our council website http:// uknight.org/ CouncilSite/ index.asp? CNO=15126 and click on the left column “Members Only” tab. You will need to enter your K of C membership number (found on your membership card) and then enter your eight digit birthdate (DDMMYYYY) as the pass code. Click on “Post Your Volunteer Hours and Visits”. Fill out and submit the information requested on the Fra-ternal Program Activities form. A copy of this form is also found on the last page of this newsletter. Your Council Program Director and Council Financial Secretary will thank each of you who submits your valuable hours in this way so that they can more easily complete the council totals. If you are not comfortable with the on-line submission then please fill out the hard copy form and give it to the Financial Secretary (Gordon Carmichael) by the date of the January Business Meeting. Thank you

Maur Hall Classroom

Building Located at

Conception Abbey—

Site of the Next

2nd and 3rd Degree

Exemplifications

on Feb,16 2020 Be-

ginning at 1:30 PM

Individual Volunteer Hours Are Due Dec 31st

mailto:archer@missouriwestern.eduhttp://uknight.org/councilsite/index.asp?CNO=15126http://uknight.org/councilsite/index.asp?CNO=15126

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 9 , I S S U E 1 2

Council 15126 hosted its annual Memorial

Mass for Deceased Knights on Sunday, Nov 9th

at the 4:00 pm SFX Parish Mass service. Council

members performed all ministry functions for

the Mass including Servers, Lectors, Eucharistic

Ministers and Hospitality Ministers. The Council

was joined at this Mass by the St Joseph 4th De-

gree General Assembly 569 Honor Guard. Many

favorable comments about the Knights overall

participation and appearance were received from

parishioners who attended this special memorial

service. The Council also set up a Memorial dis-

play table in Gaspar Hall with a photo display of

the deceased Knights being remembered. The

event chairman who coordinated this Council

Corporate Communion Mass was Ray Heitman.

Nov 9th Annual Council Memorial Mass for Deceased

P A G E 6

Parish Breakfast With Santa—Dec 8th

K N I G H T L I N E

Dan Deatherage

and Doug Glide-

well Preparing

The Smoked

Brisket For The

Parish Meal At

The 2019 Priest

Appreciation

Dinner Nov 17th

Darin Pollard

Showing One Of

The Coats Donat-

ed To Catholic

Charities For The

Coats For Kids

Project

Councils 15126, 12463 & 5067 Sup-port The Knights of Columbus Coats For Kids Program

Three cases of new coats were distributed by the Knights of Columbus in November to needy children throughout St Joseph who are partici-pants in the Coats For Kids Program. Thank you to those generous Knights and those parishioners who also helped to support this interna-tional effort. Three St Joseph Knights Of Columbus Councils sponsored this year’s Coats for Kids event involving these younger and teen aged students. The smiles on the recipient kids makes this project all worth while !

Santa and Mrs. Clause are stopping at our parish to visit with you and

your family. Enjoy a delicious breakfast of Biscuits and Sausage Gravy,

Scrambled Eggs, and Fruit served up by the SFX Knights of Columbus

Council at the Parish Center on Sunday, Dec 8th from 8:30 -11:30 am.

Throughout this breakfast children are invited to sit on Santa’s lap and tell

him just what they’d like for Christmas this year! Parents are encouraged to

bring a camera to capture the moment – it will be a great photo opportunity

and lots of fun! Some of your favorite Christmas movies and Christmas mu-

sic will also be playing. Proceeds of this breakfast with children and for children will be directed to our Knight’s Educational Scholarship fund for students within this parish. Walk-ins are welcome. No reservations are

needed. Volunteers may sign up at the next Council meeting on Dec 3rd.

Adults: $10 | Children 6-12: $5 | Family: $25 | Children 5 & under: FREE

food and $10 for a turkey or ham. A

total of 1,600 pounds of food was

donated through this Faith In Ac-

tion council project this year which duplicates our donation of

the past two years. This food dona-

tion will be applied toward our

Council’s total annual participation

in the Missouri State Council’s

Food For Families Program. Each

1000 pounds of food donated

through this state program nets a

$100 rebate to the Council’s gen-

eral fund. Any summer produce

donated to the SFX House of Bread

and the “40 Cans for 40 Days” indi-

vidual Lenten non-perishable food

donations will also be added to

make our total food program goals.

Council 15126 has been recognized

by the state council for the past

four years for meeting the 1000

pound minimum for donated food.

Don’t forget to remember those 40

families again when the 40 days of

Lent arrive this year.

On Saturday morning Nov. 23rd

ten Council 15126 Knights volun-

teered their service to help pick

up, transfer, sort, repackage and

deliver family sized boxes of food

to help make a better Thanksgiv-

ing holiday meal for 40 needy but

deserving families. Council

Thanksgiving Food Basket event

chair was Ray Heitman who coor-

dinated the contents of food to

purchase for each box. The food

was actually distributed through

the Catholic Charities Family As-

sistance Program. The food was

transported from Ray’s Green

Hills to the St Joseph Catholic

Charities Agency offices on South

10th Street. Thanks go to Mike

Violett, Mark Werner and Ray Heit-

man for the use of their pickup

trucks which made quick work of

the food transporting, sorting and

repackaging. Individual council

member Knights stepped up to

cover all of the purchase costs of

a $25 donation for each box of

2618Seneca Street

St Joseph, MO 64507

Phone: 816-689-4053 (Grand Knight)

Fax: 816-364-5174

E-mail: Yogi.dad2016@gmail.com

http;//uknight.org/CouncilSite/?CNO=15126

Newsletter deadline for articles and

pictures is 10 days prior to monthly

business meetings. Email content to:

archer@missouriwestern.edu

December Calendar of Events

Dec 3 SFX Quarterly Blood Drive PC 1-5 pm Dec 3 Council Business Mtg PC 6:30 pm Dec 8 Parish Biscuits & Gravy Breakfast With Santa 8:30 am –11:30 am Dec 12 SFX School Xmas Programs 7 pm Dec 17 Council Xmas Dinner Social & Awards, Hoof & Horn Restaurant 6 pm Dec 25 Christmas Holiday Dec 28-29 Consecration To The Holy Family At Parish Masses Jan 7 Admissions Degree #15126 6:30 pm Jan 7 Council Business Meeting PC 7 pm Jan 15,22,29 BB Free Throw Contests at SFX Jan 21 Council Off & Directors Mtg 7 pm Jan 25 SFX School Faculty Spaghetti Dinner Feb 16 - 2nd and 3rd Degree Exemplification At Conception Seminary College at 1:30 pm (Check the council webpage event calendar on the date of interest for additional details)

Council offices

Thanksgiving Food Basket Project

PAGE 7

http://kofcknights.org/CouncilSite/?CNO=15126

What Is RIB And Why Is It Important To Me? The Religious Information Bureau (RIB) was founded several decades ago in order to help non-Catholics learn about the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church. In the past the R.I.B. provided help to others learning more about our Church and its teachings through our partnership with Catholic Home Study (C.H.S.). RIB also helped our Order’s evangelization efforts on behalf of our Church. RIB has been changed starting this year. The printer of these home study courses is no longer partnering with the Knights of Colum-bus. Therefore, the state RIB team met with the Bishops from all 4 dioceses in Missouri and asked how bet-ter to evangelize their area. The diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph requested the funds go to the following programs: Franciscan at Home Program, Amazing Parish Conference Scholarships and the Discovering Your Gifts Program. Franciscan at Home is one of many avenues through which catechists can get formal training and draws

together the best of the Franciscan University Catechetics Program, the St. John Bosco Conference, and the

latest in online education. There also are opportunities for homeschool families, online graduate studies, and

more from Franciscan University of Steubenville.

The Institute’s collection of offerings includes workshops for general catechists, parish catechetical lead-ers, RCIA directors and teams, Catholic school teachers, youth ministers, and campus ministers. The Insti-tute also offers workshops for priests and deacons, formation for the ministry of parenting, skills develop-ment for those in pro-life ministry, and training in first proclamation for anyone engaged in aspects of evan-gelization and outreach. This makes available a rich and varied corpus of many hundreds of workshops spread across all these ministry areas, which can be accessed by individuals, or used in any way a diocese wishes. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO US? The answer being that $7.50 of your $36.00 annual dues goes to the RIB program. Since our council was originally chartered, we have contributed at least 100% of our quo-ta, and as much as 125%, which is assessed by the state council depending on our number of members. And this is just one of the many reasons why it is important to pay your annual dues.

Gordon Carmichael, Financial Secretary

December Blood Drive

SFX Council will sponsor the next bi-monthly blood drive from 1 pm to 5 pm on Tuesday December 3, 2019. Everyone who comes to donate blood will re-ceive a Chiefs T-shirt as well as being entered into our drawing for a smoked ham and smoked turkey. There is always an extreme need for blood in the community so please consider giving to help save lives; it doesn't cost anything but a little of your time.

Thanks, Mike Violette & Mark Werner

NEW HONORARY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS MEMBER

CONGRATULATIONS TO DONALD REID: Brother Reid was recently given a card for becoming an HONORARY MEMBER of the Knights of Columbus. Brother Reid was given this distinction because he reached 65 years of age and has 25 YEARS of continuous service in the Knights. If you know Brother Reid please congratulate him. You too can accomplish this distinction. Gordon Carmichael, Financial Secretary