Leon Eggers 1931 - 2020

Published on: Sunday, November 22, 2020

Leon was born in Wausau, WI of parents Charlotte Sucharski and Fred Eggers, Jr. on Nov. 19, 1931. He is survived by his wife Lorrayne Thielemans. He had four children with now deceased first wife Jacqueline Scherr. They are; Sharon Okray (Mickey), Sandra Hill (Robert), and deceased Judith Sprecher (Dennis) and deceased Leon Eggers (Debbie). He has 5 living grandchildren and one deceased. He has 8 great-grandchildren. Leon attended Pershing High School and Chrysler Trade School. He was manager at Schlitter Tool for many years. He had a great love of music and loved boating on Lake St. Clair and in earlier days was a hunter in Northern Michigan. The family will be gathering for a Funeral Mass. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Leon originally joined the Knights of Columbus on August 1, 1964 and was a member of St. Paul of Tarsus Council 11689. He rejoined the Council on January 12, 1996. He joined our Assembly on March 22, 1998. He had regalia, so I assume that at one time he was a member of the Color Corps.

Eternal rest grant onto him, Oh Lord. May his soul and the soul of all our faithful departed Knights rest in peace. Amen.

The Knight's Shield - November 2020

Published on: Thursday, October 29, 2020

Fall is upon us!

I hope this finds that everyone is safe and healthy.

The road cleanup was held October 3. There were about a dozen men, and it made light work. It only took about an hour to complete. Thank you to all who participated!

We held our last outdoor meeting in October. We will be indoors for our next general meeting on November 12. We cannot serve a meal according to the social distancing and mask guidelines. So the meeting will begin at 7:30 with no meal.

The By-Law resolution passed with no dissent, the new By-Laws are posted on our website. If you would like a hard copy let me know and I will provide printed copies for any one that wants one.

Our Virtual MI Drive is still going online. We did collect before and after all masses Columbus Day weekend and took in about $800. Not too bad considering the lower attendance at Mass currently. We also collected some at our October meeting. We are well over $1,000 online at the time of the writing of this article, so that will put us at the maximum for the attached resolution to match funds out of the gaming account not to exceed $2,000. See the resolution attached for your review. We will be discussing and then voting on this at the next general membership meeting.

The memorial mass this year is virtual and will be posted on YouTube. I don't have the details at the time this is being written. We had 5 Brother Knights called home to be with the Lord last year.

You may not have heard, but November 3rd is election day. Please exercise your right and perform your duty to vote your conscience. Remember to promote our non-negotiable Catholic values. The sanctity of life from conception to natural death, the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman as a lifelong commitment, and religious liberty.

This is also the season for giving thanks to the Lord for the blessings that he has bestowed upon us. I am personally thankful for my family and friends. This includes my Knights family and friends. I am thankful to be chosen to lead this wonderful and active council, even during these trying times. I am also thankful for my Catholic faith. Getting through this time would be much more difficult without it.

I pray that you and your families and friends all stay safe during this pandemic.

Vivat Jesus!
Tom Gray

2020 Fall MI Drive

Published on: Sunday, October 11, 2020

Road Clean Up 2020 - Thanks To All

Published on: Monday, October 5, 2020

The Knight's Shield - October 2020

Published on: Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Happy Autumn Everyone!!

I hope this finds that everyone is safe and healthy during these trying times.

Currently, we are planning for the October meeting to be outdoors. If weather is threatening, we will hold it under the canopy. I am going to move the time up 1/2 hour from 7:00 pm to 6:30 pm to give us a little more daylight. We will be voting on the By- Law update and resolution at this meeting. You can also provide feedback by contacting me or any other officer of this council.

Without any change to the State mandate from our Governor’s Executive Order of no more than 10 people at an indoor gathering, we wil have to go to virtual meetings starting in November, as the weather will no longer permit outdoor meetings. I will send out a Zoom invite to attend the meeting a week or so prior, unless something changes.

The Road Clean-up is going to be October 3. See the attached flyer for details.

Regarding the MI Drive this year...after much deliberation and discussion, our council leadership has decided to forego hitting the streets. We are going to do a virtual MI Drive. Stay tuned for more information, as we will all need to participate. We will probably be doing a “Go Fund Me” or something like it. We will need to spread the word virtually to as many people as possible via social media and email to be successful. We will be looking for some volunteers to be at the Masses on Columbus Day weekend to man the tables with jugs so parishioners can donate. We will also have signs prepared with the info for the virtual drive.

We are going to have to cancel the Trunk or Treat event as well because of Covid.

On a positive note, Father McGivney’s Beatification Mass is October 31. In honor of this, listed below are 10 things you probably did not know about him.

1. Not only Catholics, but even Protestants were inspired by Father McGivney’s witness of faith. Alida Harwood, the daughter of a prominent Episcopal minister in New Haven, frequented Mass at St. Mary’s Church where Father McGivney served. When Alida contracted malaria at the age of 25 and lay on her death bed, it was Father McGivney that she asked to see.

2. He was a surprisingly good baseball player. We know that in one game with his seminary team, he scored three runs, contributing to a big victory with a score of 23-6. He paved the way for a long history of baseball planers who would join the Knights.

3. More forward-thinking that Yale? Father McGivney pushed the boundaries as a theater director. At a time when, according to Parish Priest, nearby Yale University was limiting theater to only male actors. Father McGivney welcomed women to perform when he directed his parish’s St. Patrick’s Day play in 1880.

4. He helped young people take charge of their lives and create a better future. Father McGivney saw that many young men were neglecting their religion and turning to alcohol abuse. In response, he founded St. Joseph’s Total Abstinence and Literary Society, a group that helped young men stay strong in the faith and become active in their communities. No doubt, Father McGivney’s experience with this group prepared him when he later founded the Knights of Columbus.

5. His vision for the role of the laity was very unusual for the time. Seventy-seven years ahead of the Second Vatican Council, the idea that a Catholic organization could be led by laymen was quite extraordinary. Yet that was Father McGivney’s vision for the Knights of Columbus.

6. He ministered to inmates. Father McGivney was responsible for ministering to inmates in the city jail. One inmate was 21-year old Chip Smith who, while drunk, shot and killed a police officer. Smith was convicted for first-degree murder and sentenced to be hanged. Father McGivney ministered to him daily and, on the day of Smith’s execution, the priest was filled with sorrow. Just before he died, Smith comforted him: “Father, your saintly ministrations have enabled me to meet death without a tremor. Do not fear for me, I must not break down now.”

7. He was only 38 years old when he died in a 19th century pandemic. And that’s actually not surprising — life expectancy was short for priests in Connecticut during this time in history when the Catholic population was growing in American. Disease was common and the priests were overworked.

8. He’s on the path to sainthood. Father McGivney’s beatification this year is the latest development in his cause for canonization.

9. His belongings were burned when he died. When Father McGivney died, his personal items were burned to prevent the spreading of disease. Only a small number of his writings and belongings remain.

10. He is known to intercede especially in four areas (from Columbia magazine):
• Employment and Finances. Just as parishioners looked to Father McGivney for help when “No Irish need apply” was often included in job postings, so today many receive help when they are laid off or seeking a better job.
• Substance Abuse. In Father McGivney’s day, alcoholism afflicted the immigrant population, and many now find relief from drug or alcohol abuse after praying to him.
• Family Reconciliation. Father McGivney helped Continues to respond to the prayers of families.
• Return to the Faith. Father McGivney founded the Order to keep men from joining anti-Catholic societies. Today, many Catholics receive favors when calling upon him to help their fallen-away children return to Mass.

I pray that you and your families and friends all stay safe during this pandemic.

Vivat Jesus!
Tom Gray

The Knight's Sheild - September 2020

Published on: Monday, August 31, 2020

Autumn is almost upon us. I don’t know about you , but I am ready for some cooler weather. I hope this finds you and your families well!

Currently, we are planning for the September meeting to be outdoors again. Construction is at 98% complete, according to my source. The hall and kitchen are now open for business. The pantry is almost moved in, just a minor amount remains to be moved. We just need final occupancy in order to begin using the pantry and Religious Ed areas. Estimate is a couple of weeks, but you know City Hall… Regardless of occupancy, we are still under orders from the State and the Archdiocese that we are limited to 10 individuals indoors. If weather is threatening, we will hold the meeting under the new awning. We will plan for the bells and the irrigation this time.

We did a rosary for Brother Joe Hopersberger on Monday, August 25. There were 10 Knights in attendance. A special thank you to Phil Mularski for leading and the doing the mysteries. Also, thank you to George Loewen, Art Krygowski, Vince Ursini, Henry Leflere and Mike Hartel for each doing a decade. Also in attendance were Sal Ales, Frank Burda and Ralph Pullis. The family was very appreciative.

We have been asked by the parish to move our monthly general meeting from the 2nd Monday to the 2nd Thursday of the month to accommodate Religious Ed having access to the social hall. Attached is a resolution to do that. Also attached is a draft of the updated By-Laws for the Council. In order to change the night, we have to update the By-Laws. There are also a couple of more items the Council leadership would like to update. Please review these items and be prepared to discuss them at the next membership meeting. You can also send me correspondence if you have any issues or revisions to GK11689@mikofc.org, or call at 586-265-9885.

Vivat Jesus!
Tom Gray

Joseph Earl Hopersberger - NOVEMBER 27, 1946 – AUGUST 19, 2020

Published on: Friday, August 21, 2020