Wishing you and those you hold dear ALL THE BEST FOR CHRISTMAS AND THE NEW YEAR. Fraternally. Michael Sangregorio, Grand Knight

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3 Let s start with some good news. Our council is in the process of appointing a Financial Secretary. We are preparing the forms necessary to complete the appointment of Bro. Michael Dynes. I am sure he will bring all his past experience, knowledge and dedication to this position to make it successful. We look forward to working with Bro. Michael in this new capacity. Our membership cards for 2018 are ready to go, so please send your payment promptly when you receive the notice in the mail soon or come out to our December meeting to make your payment and receive your card in person. We would be happy to see you if you have not attended lately and you could catch up on various events coming up during the Christmas season. One of our traditional events is our Keep Christ in Christmas full page newspaper ads campaign. Bro. Gene Cudney and helpers had this well underway and all was set to go in our local paper the Enterprise Bulletin. That was the plan as it had been done for the last ten years or so, until we were shocked at the news of the sudden closure of our newspaper along with several others. Bro. Gene is exploring other options to keep this campaign going and keep the message going that Christ is the reason for this season. Our council s float in the Collingwood Santa Clause parade in November brought this same message and was well received as evidenced by the positive comments shouted out by several on-lookers. Thanks to Bro. Michael Phillips and helpers for once again making the parade float a visible sign of what we stand for as Knights. Other ways that you can support your council are also coming up. Our annual Basketball Free Throw competition is set to go Saturday January 20 at St. Mary s School and preparations are well underway. This is a popular and fun for all event within our elementary school community and within our council. Please call Bro. Michael Dynes to let him know you can help at If you are still looking for a way to help support your council and are free on New Year s Eve, we have another annual event that needs your help. Our annual coat check at Blue Mountain Inn has been a successful event for many years. Blue Mountain s management team has generously allowed our council to staff their coat check room and use the proceeds for our charitable causes. Please consider helping out for a couple of hours. I can be contacted for more details at or by at grandknightcollingwoodcouncil@outlook.com. Should you need to buy Christmas cards this year, look for a fellow Knight at all Masses where we will have beautiful cards available at the church front entrance. Please keep Saturday January 27 available to attend a State sponsored recruitment training seminar at St. John Vianney Church in Barrie. That weekend the State recruitment team will conduct this training seminar for our members as well as conduct a recruitment drive after Sunday Masses at our church. We need as many members as possible to attend the training and assist at our church with the membership drive. Remember that our council s growth is in your hands. More details can be obtained by contacting me or by coming out to our meetings. Wishing you and those you hold dear ALL THE BEST FOR CHRISTMAS AND THE NEW YEAR. Fraternally. Michael Sangregorio, Grand Knight

4 Saint of the Month Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day December 12 A poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. He was a 57- year-old widower and lived in a small village near Mexico City. One morning, December 9, 1531, he was on his way to Mass and while walking by a hill called Tepeyac, he heard beautiful music. A radiant cloud appeared and within it stood a young Native American maiden dressed like an Aztec princess. The lady spoke to him in his own language. The maiden identified herself as the Virgin Mary, "mother of the very true deity" and asked that a church be built at that site. Based on her words, Juan Diego then sought out the archbishop of Mexico City, a Franciscan, Juan de Zumárraga, to tell him what had happened. As the bishop did not believe Diego, on the same day, Juan Diego saw the Virgin Mary for a second time she asked him to keep insisting. Eventually the bishop told Juan Diego to have the lady give him a sign. About this same time Juan Diego s uncle became seriously ill. This led poor Diego to try to avoid the lady. The lady found Diego, nevertheless, assured him that his uncle would recover and she told him to gather flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill, which was normally barren, especially in December. Juan followed her instructions and he found roses, not native to Mexico, blooming there. The Virgin arranged the flowers in Juan's cloak, and when Juan Diego opened his cloak before archbishop Zumárraga, flowers fell to the floor, and on the fabric was the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe exactly as she had appeared at the hill of Tepeyac. It was December 12, The bishop kept Juan Diego's cloak, also known as a tilma, first in his private chapel and then in the church on public display where it attracted great attention. Juan Diego's tilma has become Mexico's most popular religious and cultural symbol, and has received widespread ecclesiastical and popular support. Many claim miraculous and supernatural properties for the image such as that the tilma has maintained its structural integrity over nearly 500 years against soot, candle wax, incense, constant manual veneration by devotees and the historical fact that the image was displayed without any protective glass for the first 100 years without suffering degradation, and that it repaired itself with no external help after a 1791 accident in which nitric acid was spilled on the top right of the image, causing considerable damage but leaving the aureole of the Virgin intact. It also survived a bomb attempt to destroy the church in A brass standing Crucifix, bent in the explosion, is now preserved at the shrine museum. The shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage destination in the world. Over the Friday and Saturday of December 11 to 12, 2009, a record number of 6.1 million pilgrims visited the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City to commemorate the anniversary of the apparition. The Virgin of Guadalupe is considered the Patroness of Mexico and the Continental Americas. She is also venerated by Native Americans. The original tilma of Saint Juan Diego, which hangs above the high altar of the Guadalupe Basilica. The suspended crown atop the image dates back to its Canonical Coronation on October 12, The image is protected by bulletproof glass and low-oxygen atmosphere.

5 Brothers, I want to thank everyone that came out to participate at our Memorial Mass that is offered annually for our deceased Brothers of the Knights of Columbus of Father Lally Council The mass took place at St. Mary s on November 7 th before our November general meeting. It was very moving to see so many Brothers come out to pray and celebrate the Eucharist in remembrance of these fine men that have gone before us. It was also very humbling to see so many Sir Knights from St. Francis Assembly 3495 dressed in full regalia participating at this mass. They bring with them so much dignity and it is such a pleasure to watch them accompany Father Gerard into the Church. Having them there makes the Mass even more special. I want to thank you to the Sir Knights that formed this honour guard. Also I especially want to say a special thank you to Father Gerard for all he does for the Knights. It is his support and guidance that makes our Council and Assembly the wonderful groups that they have become. Thank you Father! As hard as it is to believe we are once again into the Christmas season. As usual I will be bringing a signup sheet to our December General meeting to get names of Brothers that are able to help with the ushering on Christmas Eve. As you all know we need extra help at the 5pm mass so I will be looking for 7 Brothers for that and then 5 Brothers for the 7:30 mass and 4 for the 11 pm mass. Please check when you can help out and give me your name and which mass you will be able to assist with at our December General meeting. Finally I want to remind everyone of our joint Council Christmas Dinner Dance that will take place on Saturday December 2 nd at St. Patrick s Parish Hall in Stayner. It is the first time we are having this Christmas Dinner Dance get together with our Brothers and their families from Stayner and Wasaga Beach. Please do your best to attend and enjoy this great evening that has been planned and put together for your enjoyment. Please let me know if you require more information and tickets by phone or . I will need to know if you are attending before November 29 th to give the numbers to the caterer. I am looking forward to seeing you there! I want to wish you and your families a very Blessed and Merry Christmas and a very Happy and Healthy New Year. Fraternally, Domenic Sanfilippo, PGK, Church Director

6 Knights of Columbus Long-Term Care Insurance Will You Need Coverage Down the Road? Thinking about one's finances 20, 30, even 40 years in the future is becoming more common. Investing in RRSP's and TFSA's are also common to secure a pleasant and enjoyable retirement. But what if everything does not go as planned and you need help with your daily living activities as you grow older? Do you have enough in your retirement savings to live in the assisted living home of your choice? What if you want home care? Knights of Columbus Long-Term Care Insurance is designed to provide you help with these services due to a long-term illness or long-term disability. Average costs for nursing home facilities can range anywhere from $20,000-$50,000 a year. Don't count on OHIP to pick up the bill, however if you don t have income to pay, there s government subsidy which you have to qualify for. Choosing Long-Term Care Insurance can help you pay for costs of a nursing facility or home care if the need arises such as a long-term disability or other long-term illness. Who Should Consider Long-Term Care Insurance? 1. You have a large amount of income or assets and feel you probably would not qualify subsidy. 2. You don't want to rely on assistance from the social services, feel like a burden to your family or relatives. 3. You don t have a family to rely on 4. You have a family history of long-term illness.e.g. Alzheimer s, Dementias (Vascular, Mixed, Dementia with Lew Bodies), Parkinson s, Huntington s, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, to mention a few. Once you have a long-term illness or long-term disability you probably would not qualify to purchase a policy and If you feel you may fall into any of the categories above, it is important you find out more about where to purchase a longterm insurance policy. Your employer may offer Long-Term Care Insurance as a part of your benefits, but check if you can keep your benefits after retirement and what is your cost? If not, consider purchasing a Knights of Columbus Long-Term Care Insurance policy. Call me for more info on this benefit. Dennis Beans, FIC Field Agent

7 Hello Brothers, It s been an extremely busy start to our Youth and Community programs running September to June. My focus this year is the community aspect of our Youth programs. How are we coming together as a community in Christ? After all this is the reason for our existence! The focus is wholly on getting the families of our EDGE, Life Teen, and Altar Server programs attending Mass and participating in our Parish community. We have an already beautiful Parish community that has been very generous with the Youth Programs, and I thank all of you for being part of that. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19 If we are to believe in what Christ has taught us, then we have a very real mission that needs to be intentional and requires effort. It is easy for us to sit in the pews and preach the Gospel, but God calls us to get uncomfortable in our faith, to go outside our comfort zone, our pews, and our parish and make disciples of all nations. This is something that isn t inherent in most of us and with no formal training how can we be successful? This is where we work as a community. Each and every one of us has been blessed with charismata, gifts and talents that we are to use to grow God s Church. Talents that can move mountains in His name. A couple years back I read a book called Devine Renovation by Fr. James Mallon. I highly recommend you read this book. Fr. James describes how he transformed his parish from a decaying state to a flourishing state and the recipe he refined throughout his years. There were some key messages. One message, not one priest or person alone can create change or growth in a parish. Think of the pressure on one man s shoulders with that responsibility. We need to de-burden our priests and help carry the load. It s also a very dangerous endeavour when your parish is built up on the efforts or one person. What happens when that one person moves on to another parish? Does the cookie crumble? Were the parishioners attached to the person or the person in Christ? Motivation for being in the pews needs to be our Salvation through Christ. The next note is very simple, it s the three B s. Belong, Believe, Behave. These words are intentionally placed in this sequence. If we are to draw new parishioners into our loving and merciful community, they need to first belong BEFORE they believe, BEFORE they behave. We need to be very cautious not to present ourselves, and our community as some ULTRA religious perfectionists. The error in presenting ourselves as saints will lead to a view of hypocrisy. Instead, we need to be grounded in authenticity. Authentic and honesty in a way that we are all broken damaged and in need of healing, hence why we are here at our Church. Our church is a hospital for the sick. The Graces we receive are free and underserved, heal us as God announces himself through every aspect of our Holy Mass. The invitation to join should be one of love, mercy, and understanding. With this approach new comers or those rejoining us will build relationships of trust that will foster learning (believe) and once one makes that connection from the heart to the brain, they will naturally behave.

8 The next important note from Fr. James is the three H s. Hymns, Homilies, and Hospitality. These three do not need to be in any chronological order, but each needs special attention. Why are they important? We are competing with a distracted and disconnected generation in this world. My generation, where the majority of the population is lacking in meaningful relationships. Everything hinges on social media, 10 seconds of attention, and self centered happiness. We ve been re-programmed in this digital age. This new standard leaves a major whole in our happiness. The beatitude whole. Beatitude is spiritual happiness that can only be fulfilled by God. You can t fill that happiness with shopping, likes, food, gadgets, or any other material thing. That spiritual happiness starts with belonging to God s church. Being part of a loving and accepting congregation (Hospitality), singing praises to God in thanks and offering (Hymns), and not only hearing God speak to us through the liturgy of the word, but relating that to our lives today in this moment (homily). Each of these connects us so that we belong, teaches us so that we believe, and helps us behave. This is a very quick summary of my motivations in volunteering to run the Youth & Family programs this year. Why I see it critical to have cupcake Sundays, to have the youth enjoy the hymns, to connect to the message. This is why I m motivated to continue to push the Community dinners and the Altar Server program. These are all activities that I believe will contribute to newcomers or returning parishioners belonging to our beautiful community. My hope is that we set some hearts ablaze focusing on the QUALITY of the output of our programs and not the quantity of those in the programs. It s becoming an urgent issue. I need other parents to step up and assist and use their talents. To re-prioritize Church over Hockey, Gymnastics, Dance and any other extracurricular that keeps us from our community. I m not saying hockey is bad, I m only saying that it needs to be below our priority of salvation, and our family vocations. As a volunteer, I ve been averaging 17 hours a week on these programs. In December I ask that you pray for our programs, that more family s step up and volunteer to lead some aspects of our programs, that they fall in love with Jesus and His saving graces, and we build stronger roots in our community. Pray that our community as a whole uses its gifts and talents. That together, we build bridges to new and existing parishioners. Reach out at Mass, meet someone new. Invite someone new, invest in getting our families back to Church and be comforted by Christ in your efforts. Efforts that take time and dedication. Thank you to all my Brothers. In Christ, Jason DeHetre St. Mary s Collingwood Youth Minister KofC Council 5793 Youth Director

9 Our Council of the Knights of Columbus offers prayers for those who are sick or in distress. Please keep these Brother Knights, their families and their care givers in your prayers... Under Good of the Order: Brother Mackenzie Dynes. PGK, FDD Bro. Don MacDonald, Bros. Paul McGinty, Bruno Jacka, Joe Gerynowicz, Jim and Delores Marshall, PGK Nick and Rika Huver, Bro. Nick Monid, Chelsea Cando, Jean Van Bethem, Shelia Bondi, Geraldine Bondi, Nancy Greco, Fr. Gerard, Leo Burger, Robert McDonald, John Dolan, Eva Sundqvist, Patrina Cannon, Martha Benoit, Bill Casey and the Gervais family. Father Bill Scanlon and all of our Brothers who may be ill. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE DECEMBER BIRTHDAY BOYS 5th Bro. Brian Oostdam 6th - Bro. Rene Lalande 14th- PGK Domenic Sanfilippo 15th- Bro. Frank Carlucci 21st- Bro. Jim Marshall 29th- PGK Peter Lalonde. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO OUR DECEMBER COUPLES 2nd GK Domenic and Antonietta Sanfilippo 3rd- Bro. Bob and Mary Giffen 11th- Brother Joe and Rosa Crupi 30th- Bro. Paul and Annemarie Proulx ================================================================== From Our Future Financial Secretary Brother Knights, as you may know or not I have submitted my name as a possible replacement for Financial Secretary, there is due process and forms that needs to be completed before my appointment by Supreme. In the transition period I have started to become familiar with where are Council is at and my new responsibilities, I do ask for you cooperation as this will take some time and patience by all. I have made contact with Brother Kas and hopefully we will get together over the next week. I do ask that you continue to pay your dues as we have membership cards ready (Thanks Kas) please send your dues to myself or to our Council address as below. Thank you Michael Dynes Sr Father Lally Council 5793 Michael Dynes St. Paul Street St Paul Street Collingwood Ontario Collingwood Ontario L9Y 3P2 L9Y 3P5 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen!

10 A Christmas Prayer Lord, in this holy season of prayer and song and laughter, we praise you for the great wonders you have sent us: for shining star and angel's song, for infant's cry in lowly manger. We praise you for the Word made flesh in a little Child. We behold his glory, and are bathed in its radiance. Be with us as we sing the ironies of Christmas, the incomprehensible comprehended, the poetry made hard fact, the helpless Babe who cracks the world asunder. We kneel before you shepherds, innkeepers, wisemen. Help us to rise bigger than we are. Amen.