Monsignor James S. Conlan Council #5329 – March 2020 Activities Summary

Knights of Columbus

 

Monsignor James S. Conlan Council #5329 – March 2020 Activities Summary

 

COVID-19 Pandemic Response – Our Council is currently discussing ways to help those within our Parish Community and those throughout our service area of the greater Pine Bush, NY area that have been impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic that much of our world is currently dealing with. If you or anyone you know are a member of the Church of the Infant Saviour Parish or you are someone who lives in the greater Pine Bush, NY area that needs assistance getting groceries or other essential items or just needs help in some way and you live in the greater Pine Bush NY area, please contact our Council’s Deputy Grand Knight Joe Ditizio at (917) 859-6383 and help will be provided. Please feel free to share this information with others in the greater Pine Bush, NY community area. As we firm up plans and begin rolling out our response, updates will be posted to our web site.

 

We continue to pray for all those impacted by the pandemic especially those who are sick, those caring for the sick, first responders and emergency workers, medical professionals and support personnel, essential workers, those at risk of illness especially the elderly, and all those who have died because of this illness– especially those who have died alone, that they may know the everlasting loving peace of the Lord Jesus Christ in eternal rest and salvation.

 

2020 Annual Knights College Scholarship Essay Contest – Once again this year we are running an essay scholarship contest open to all High School Seniors within the Pine Bush Central School District. Those interested should write an essay on this year’s chosen topic and submit it accordingly for review by our Scholarship Committee. The Committee will then pick the top three essays by popular vote and those three finalists will be voted on by the larger Council during our regular business meeting. Essays are due by email or US Postal Service on May 22, 2020. This year’s essay topic is:

 

“When someone states that they are against the Catholic Church or won’t attend Mass because of the scandals involving the clergy, how can I counsel them that the Catholic Church is still the one formed by Jesus Christ who offers his true presence in the Eucharist on a daily basis in the sacrifice of the Mass?”

 

You can read more about the contest including how to submit your essay here. Good luck to all participants!

 

Easter Sash Put on Church Outdoor Crucifix – Our Council, as it has in years past, has put up the white Easter sash at the request of Church of the Infant Saviour Pastor Father Rodrigo on the church’s outdoor crucifix for the 2020 Easter season. In these times of challenge and duress parishioners have shared with many of our Brother Knights how much hope it gives them to see this crucifix during the Lent and Easter season adorned with a sash. We hope all those who see it also find a sense of hope when they are on their way through the Hamlet of Pine Bush, NY especially during these challenging times.

 

 

The Easter Sash is on the Crucifix in front of the Blessed Mother Grotto at the Church of the Infant Saviour in Pine Bush, NY.

 

 

 

 

Monsignor James S. Conlan Council #5329 – Looking Ahead

 

Catholic ID Cards – Our Council has been looking into lamented cards identifying you as Catholic and explaining what to do if unable to communicate that you are a Catholic during a medical emergency event such as heart attack or car accident. The cards would be given out to all in Parish interested in them at no charge. Stay tuned for details as we firm up details about the card and when it will be available to the Parish community.

 

Knights Religious Vocations Formation Support Program – The Knights of Columbus Supreme sponsors a program called RSVP (Refund Support Vocations Programs). For every $500 a Council or Assembly donates to support a seminarian, Supreme will reimburse that Council or Assembly $100 until you hit the $400 refund max (which means the seminarian received $2,000 in support). This program is one way that the Knights help foster the religious vocation and how we continue to support priest, bishops, and the Church in making sure there are future clergy to serve it and its Catholic faith community. Annually our Council participates in this program by supporting a seminarian. The Dean of Seminarians assigned us Seminarian Luis Silva last year as our candidate for the RSVP program. Our Council, again this year, will be making a $500 donation to Luis that he will be able to put towards his tuition fees in Seminary for this year. Please keep Luis in your prayers as he continues formation towards the Priesthood.

 

2020 Young Parish Catholic of Year Scholarship – Our Council decided that we should be doing more to support young adult Catholics in our Church of the Infant Saviour Parish Community. So in addition to the aforementioned Annual Knights Essay Scholarship, we have decided to give a teenager/young adult in our Parish Community a $500 scholarship to support their college education. We have discussed possible candidates and made a final selection. The final candidate was selected because of their public display of faith, their private devotion to the faith, their volunteer work in our Parish, and their witness to living as a young Catholic in a world that does not often support being such. We are going to be contacting that young person in the coming days– once we do we will make an announcement on this web site about it.