My Brother Knights:

In like a lamb out like a lion – that’s how March has been. We started the month with relatively good weather and a few First and Second Degrees in an attempt to boost our membership in the final quarter of the Columbian Year (lamb). We then ‘turned the corner’ and had a fantastic St. Patrick’s Day Dance (in the snow and ice) and will close with a ‘recruitment weekend’ from March 24-25; an open house at OLM on March 29^th and a Third Degree on March 30^th in Sparta (lion). It certainly doesn’t get much busier or better than this!!

For those of you who had the good fortune of attending the St. Patrick’s Day Dance, you had the pleasure of being part of the best dance that the Council has thrown since I don’t know when. The DJ’s were fantastic, playing music that everyone could dance to, as was evidenced by the crowd that never left the dance floor. The food was phenomenal, as was evidenced by those in attendance saying that they come just for the corned beef. And the drink was plentiful, as we saw in the crooked smiles of our guests! Our very own Fr. Sean added an authentic ‘touch o’ the Irish’ with a good prayer and joke to begin the evening. Our council leprechaun continued to spread his ‘Irishness’ to all in attendance by offering a ‘ride on his shillelagh’ to anyone who was interested, even though he was confined to his wheelchair. And we closed the evening by presenting Dan Aloia with an award for his 50 years as a member of the Knights. It truly was a great evening and if you weren’t in attendance (and you know who you are), you missed a once in a lifetime party.

This being said, there are four people who deserve recognition: First – an event is only as successful as the planning and organization that goes into it. Without the watchful eye of the dance chairman, the evening would not have gone as smoothly as it did. From the coordination of workers, to the placement of tables, to the memorabilia we each received, the night was made more memorable thanks to the diligent efforts of the dance chairman – Mark Kearney. Thanks Mark – since you’ve taken on this responsibility, you’ve brought the dance to new heights of attendance and fun. For these reasons – you are one of the Co-Knights of the Month for March!

Second – every event needs an ‘eye catcher’, something that grabs your attention as soon as you arrive. As soon as you entered the hall, the guests were amazed not only by the amount of decorations, but also by the perfect placement of them. Every year our decoration chairman, John Corona, says that this is his last year of doing the decorations, but every year he resumes his charge, has more people help and does a fantastic job. For these reasons – you are the second Co-Knight of the Month for March!!

Third – what would a Knight’s function be without all the food that we are famous for? The preparation, the selection, the purchasing, the dictating, the resting and the cajoling are the main ingredients that make our dinner the best in the state. The saying goes – ‘if you build it, they will come.’ Well for the A-Team – ‘if you cook it, they will come and eat it.’ The A-Team is made up of many people, all of whom give up their time to ensure that the meals we eat are better than anything you could get in a restaurant, and sometimes even at home. Yet the glue that keeps the A-Team together and the main reason that members of the A-Team continue to cook is a man who is selfless in his dedication to our council. George Coppola continues to give of his own time to make sure that our council and our guests have the best meal possible. For these reasons, George is our Third and final Knight of the Month for March!!! Please join me in congratulating these three Knights. If we were more like them, the possibilities of what we as a council could do, would be endless.

The final individual that I would like to recognize is our Council Historian – Dan Aloia. On March 19^th, Dan celebrated 50 years as a member of the Knights of Columbus, and as such, Dan was honored at the St. Patrick’s Day Dance. Many people know Dan for his bowling and often joke for him to make sure the lens cap is off when he takes a picture. However, without Dan, the history of our council would be lost. Dan has an eye for taking just the right picture at the right time. The Knowledge that he has of our council helps to keep the past alive and shape our future. The dedication that Dan has given to the Knights can only be surpassed by the dedication and love that he has given to his family. We are all lucky to have the history that Dan shares with us, but we are better people for knowing Dan. Dan thanks for the memories! We look forward to many more.

In closing, March was a great month for our council. April will be equally as busy, but can it be better? The answer to that question is up to you.

May His Light Guide You,
Derek J. Jess
Grand Knight

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