We are men who lead, serve, protect and defend, whether we are giving out Coats for Kids, donating wheelchairs, lending a helping hand in disaster relief efforts, supporting local pregnancy centers or providing top-quality financial products.
MINUTES OF COUNCIL GENERAL MEETING
Dining Room
01/07/2024
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER at 7:30 P.M.
OPENING PRAYER: by ROBERTO NIETO
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: by PAUL RYAN
OPENING ODE: by MIKE FITZGERALD
ROLL CALL OF OFFICERS: P=PRESENT, A=ABSENT, EX=EXCUSED
CHAPLAIN: VACANT
GRAND KNIGHT: MIKE FITZGERALD: P WARDEN; ADAN LUNA: P
DEP GRAND KNIGHT: MARC EVANS: EX INSIDE GUARD: GAMALIEL HERNANDEZ: P
CHANCELLOR: PAUL RYAN: P OUTSIDE GUARD: RUSSELL LEROY: P
FINANCIAL SECRETARY: PETER PERTA: P ADVOCATE: RUSSELL GULLEY; P
LECTURER: JAMES RUSSELL: P 1ST YR TRUSTEE: JORGE RUIZ: P
TREASURER: JAMES SMITH: P 2ND YR TRUSTEE: DAN MURPHY: P
RECORDER: ROBERT NIETO; P 3RD YR TRUSTEE: JIM RUSSELL: P
ARE ALL PRESENT IN POSSESSION OF A CURRENT MEMBERSHIP CARD: per Outside Guard: Yes
Approve Minutes of the Prior Meeting – The minutes of our December 3rd General Membership Meeting have been posted on the Council’s website. A motion to accept the minutes as posted was made, seconded and approved.
GRAND KNIGHT’S REPORT: by Mike Fitzgerald
New Knights who are attending their first General Membership Meeting: None
The next order of business was a Special Presentation by Rick Self
The Catholic Brothers for Christ – Rick Self, from Council 1789 in Colleyville, is President of the Catholic Brothers for Christ Ministry. He is here along with his fellow Knight, Mike Benes, to tell us about their program. Rick shared with our Council that this ministry has been around for fourteen (14) years serving the DFW community. Two Knights from our Council have attended past events hosted by this organization. The goal is to get men engaged and activated in their faith. At last year’s event, the actor, Jim Caviezel, was a featured speaker. Rick presented a video. We are a community of men from all walks of life. We are committed to a deeper relationship with Jesus. We are grounded in prayer, committed to the Sacraments, and driven to serve. We are more than a men’s group. We are a movement! Go to catholicbrothersforchrist.com and discover how you can be part of this brotherhood.
In the Spring of 2024, over 1,000 men met in Allen, Texas, and heard various speakers. Bishop Edward Burns and Bishop Kelly were present at the event. Last year’s theme was Defend Life. This year, our theme will be “How to Bring Joy to a Broken World.” Men are welcome ages 16 years and up. Invite your sons and grandsons and nephews. We are called to continue to grow in our faith. The cost is $55 per person and there are scholarships available. The price is $10 for students. This year, the conference will be at St. Anne Seton parish in Keller as it is capable of hosting an even large group than last year (church capacity is 1900). The event includes prayer, the sacraments, and fellowship.
Our Council contact is Paul Ryan. Please contact Paul if you have questions
Catholic Brothers for Christ
Saturday, March 1, 2025
St. Elizabeth Anne Seton Catholic Church
2016 Willis Lane
Keller, TX 76248
Begins at 8.a.m. with and the conference ends at 3 p.m.
The Dallas Diocese Chapter of the Knights of Columbus meeting planned for Saturday, January 11, 2025 has been postponed due to prediction of icy weather.
Diocese of Dallas Chapter Clergy Appreciation Dinner – The Council has purchased a table for the DDC Clergy Appreciation Dinner which will be held on Friday, January 24, 2025 at Council 799 in North Dallas. The table will seat eight (8) and we have extended an invitation to our two (2) priests to have them attend. Both Fr. Christian and Fr. Uche are planning to attend. Deacon Gene and Deacon Charlie and their wives are planning to attend. The table will cost $1000 which is an increase from 2024 table price of $800. The DDC agreed to refund $100 for each priest in attendance (up to two (2) priest). A motion was made to donate the amount of any refund from the DDC to the Parish, which was seconded and past.
Fr. Uche met with GK Mike Fitzgerald on the proposed pamphlet that our Field Agent, Evan Fernandez, would like to place in the Narthex hallway (bookshelf). Fr. Uche asked that every prospective Knight be asked if they are married in the church. The parish office is happy to provide information on sacramental marriage.
Men’s Bible Study -This will take place on Saturday, January 11,2025 at 6 a.m. in the Dining Room This is led by our own Deputy Grand Knight, Marc Evans. Hopefully you can attend.
Financial Secretary’s Report – Peter Perta:
Membership: 244
Fr. Christian Casado transferred into our Council
Two (2) new Knights have joined: Jesus Suarez and Nelson Gomez – not present
Three (3) Knights have achieved 25 years of service in the Knights and are now recognized as Honorary Knights. Congratulations to Russell Gully, Clifford Winter Roach and Steve Reid.
Dues Collected YTD: seventeen (17%) percent (Dues are collected on a calendar year basis)
Starting January 8, 2025, you will be able to pay through our website (via credit card)
Star Council quota is fourteen (14) members for the Fraternal Year; we stand at eight (8) members to date
We have spent thirty-eight (38%) percent of our budget; we are currently well under budget
RSVP Program -We are sponsoring five (5) seminarians at $500 each. This is to help them pay for travel expenses as many of them come from outside the country.
Knight in Need Fund: stands at $6,150
Special Olympics – For the 2024 Special Olympics, there were a total of twenty (20) Councils who participated in four (4) events. Our Council 8157 was ranked third in the number of volunteer hours given to this important organization.
We have updated rosters available for anyone who would like one.
Treasurer’s Report -Worthy Treasurer, Sir Knight James Smith, please provide your report. James advised the Council of last month’s ending balance, the overall deposits made this month, the overall expenditures for this month and the resulting ending balance. James Smith will speak to the bank about having some of the Council’s money put into an interest-bearing vehicle.
4th Degree – SK James Smith – The Clergy Appreciation Dinner was well attended, which include five (5) nuns from St. Joseph’s and five (5) priests. The meeting scheduled for 01/09/2025 has been cancelled.
Knight Hands – S/K Allen Reitmeier -There was an article in the Texas Catholic regarding the great work done by Knight Hands! The article highlights the over five hundred (500) projects done by Knight hands since it began in 2010. The article appeared in the 12/13/2024 issue of the Texas Catholic and was written by our own Jeff Miller. Allen reported that four (4) projects have been completed recently. One project involved repairing a ceiling for Gonzalo’s Allion’s mother-in-law. We received a nice donation. We replaced a baseboard and installed a new tabernacle at the church. Thank you for your help, Dan Murphy and John Espree. We have four new (4) projects in the works. We signed out a wheelchair tonight. We have cancelled our contract with IONOS and are now signed up with the company, KofCHosting, started by own Jorge Ruiz. We are in the process of moving our many stories from the old platform to the new platform.
Baseball Concessions – S/K Allen Reitmeier -No baseball until late March 2025
Church Activities – SK David Ybarra – No report
Program & Committee Reports
Programs
Faith – Marc Evans – absent; Mike Fitzgerald invited all Knight to attend the Saturday 6 a.m. Bible study.
Family – José Montoya – No report
Community – Dan Murphy – No Report
Life – Sir Knight Mike Moloughney -absent;
GK Mike Fitzgerald led us in prayer to help end abortions.
Admissions Committee – S/K Jim Russell
The Admissions Committee met with 2 prospective Knights; Mario Prado; he lives in Duncanville and is a cabinetry maker and also works at McDonalds on the weekends. Adan Luna is his sponsor. The other prospective Knight is Simon Leonides – He works in banquets and is a chef. Adan Luna is his sponsor, and the committee recommended we extend an invitation for membership. A motion was made, seconded, and the motion passed. The exemplification ceremony will take place in Spanish on 01/12/25/25 at 2:30 p.m. in Room 221. All Knights are invited to attend.
Awareness Committee – Vacant
Council Activities – Vacant
Health Director – Dr. Robert Nieto – The blood drive which took place on Sunday, December 8th, resulted in twenty-two (22) units of blood being donated. Casino Night 2025 will take place on Saturday, February 15, 2025. Please come to this event. We also need volunteers to help work the event; help with setting up, serving food and tearing down.
Recruitment – SK Jim Kowalski – We need six (6) more members to reach Star Council and 20 new members to reach Double Star. Adan Luna has the secret sauce to recruit new members to our Council, he simply asks them to join our Council. We just need to ask. We get better participation from our Council membership than any other Council in the Dallas Diocese.
Retention – SK Paul Ryan -no report
Safe Environment – SK Russell Leroy -no report
New Website for Council 8157 by Jorge Ruiz
Jorge Ruiz reported that we now have a new website for our council. The address is the same. After you log in, if you will look in the right hand corner of the screen, provided you have your membership number handy you can create your login and pay your dues. The password is the year of your birthday, separated by a hyphen, and then your membership number. This is a temporary password. You can now create your own personal password. You can update your profile. You can consent for a background check. You will receive a reminder if you need to get Safe Environment Training (SET). You will receive a SET completion certificate a copy of which needs to be sent to Russell Leroy, our Safe Environment Officer. Our Council is now live to track our SET status. There will be Knights who will be due to do the training every month. You may also pay your membership dues on the website via a credit card. The website has a listing and explanation of all Knight programs that come from Supreme. We now have the ability to include the programs we participate in. We can add programs that are unique to our Council such as Knight Hands. We have a page dedicated to our District Deputy and explains what he does. We also have information about our field agent and his contact information. We will likely be having a session in one of our Council meetings to meet the SET requirements.
Our District Deputy Kebran Alexander let us know that audits may be done, so we may need to nudge members to complete their training. Please take care of this as it is very important.
Unfinished Business – none
New Business – Paul Ryan proposed we give an additional $1,500 donation to the parish for 2025 to go toward the Capital Campaign. This is a one-time donation, and it is earmarked for this year. There was a motion made, seconded, and the motion passed. It will need a second vote at our next meeting.
Help is needed to take down the Christmas Nativity from the narthex. This will take place on Saturday.
District Deputy Kebran Alexander – Father McGiveny’s relic exposition has been postponed indefinitely. Kebran challenged us to make our mark in the parish during this Lenten season. Brother Ronnie Ellis’ wife died from cancer. There will have her ceremony this Saturday, February 01/11/2025 at St. Elizabeth at 10 a.m. Please attend if you can. We have Fat Tuesday coming up. Let us remember our decreased Brother Knight Wendell Jean Pierre. He has asked if we have reached out to his wife? Are we checking in on the widows of our deceased Brother Knights? Wendell Jean Pierre always would share some philosophical thoughts at the end of each Knight’s meeting. Perhaps someone can step up and fill in this role. Consider what would happen if James Smith passed away without life insurance. Would his wife know to contact if one of us passes away prematurely? James Smith responded, “It is already paid for!” Kebran thanked us for the great work being done by the Council. The new website will allow our Knights to be better informed and connected with each other.
Jim Russell asked if you are a 4th degree Knight and plan to attend, please wear a tuxedo and formal attire to the funeral of Brother Ronnie Ellis’ wife.
Field Agent – Eben Fernandez -absent
Good of the Order:
Knight of the Month: Jesus Aguirre
Family of the Month: Barry and Lilibeth Barksdale
Frank and Lourdes Salazar (September)
Prayer Requests – We offered prayers for Gilda Evans and Brother Knight Joel created a special prayer for Gilda’s health. Thank you, Joel, for your thoughtful prayer.
Closing Prayer
Closing Ode
50/50 Meeting Drawing -Ticket # 6625 Kebran Alexander
50/50 Membership Drawing – Alex Sabo (not present). The $353 pot rolls over to the next meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
