Monsignor James S. Conlan Council #5329 – April-May 2020 Activities Summary
COVID-19 Pandemic Response – Our Council completed the first phase of our Pandemic Response efforts by reaching out via web sites, social media, email, and phone calls to both Brother Knights, as well as, the Parish community of the Church of the Infant Saviour to find families and individuals who are in need as a result of this virus’ impact on their lives this month. More on that outreach can be found here.
Last month we had a family in need reach out to us ahead of this Outreach program and we assisted them with a $500 donation to address their specific challenges. After the Outreach took place we also had two more separate families contact us with other specific challenges and both of those families received a $100 grocery store gift card to help alleviate the challenges they are experiencing this month. We are also in process of working with a third family to gauge what they need for their particular challenges and will be following up as we work with them towards helping them out. We also had a senior citizen in our Parish who needed assistance getting to essential services such as the grocery store and the pharmacy this past month. One of our Brother Knights selflessly stepped up to the plate and has been helping that person safely get to where they need to go locally. Again this was all because of this Phase One Outreach and it is reassuring to know that our Council did the right thing by reaching out to the Parish community. There were definitely challenges and help needed locally. We were happy to help and thank everyone who reached out to us for doing so.
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.
We will also be announcing our Phase Two portion of our Pandemic Response plan as we finish up Phase One in the coming weeks.
2020 Annual Knights College Scholarship Essay Contest – Once again this year our Council held our Annual Essay Scholarship contest that is open to all High School Seniors within the Pine Bush Central School District. Essays had to be in by email or US Postal Service by May 22, 2020. You can read more about the contest rules and theme this year here. Our Council’s Essay Committee will now be reviewing blindly all essay submissions and coming to a final decision as to what student made the best submission this year. Once a winner is selected, we will contact that young person and post an announcement on this web site with that final winner’s name. Good luck to all participants and thank you to all who submitted essays this year for taking part in the Scholarship contest!
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 in April, made 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.
Monsignor James S. Conlan Council #5329 – Looking Ahead
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.
Council Officers Election – The Knights of Columbus Fraternal Year runs from July through June annually. As such, it is that time of year again where local Councils hold elections and install candidates based on popular vote or appointment. We will be announcing our roster for the 2020-2021 Fraternal Year next month accordingly after final voting takes place. Any Brother Knight in good standing with our Order who wishes to be nominated for a position should contact our Council here so we can get you on the nominations list for final voting ahead of our next scheduled meeting in June 2020. You must be present to vote and absentee voting is not allowed as per the Order’s standard Council rules. More info will be emailed out by our Council to all members when a final voting date for members is announced if in the event we do have to postpone our next meeting due to the ongoing pandemic.
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