Grand Knights Corner

This month, I would like us to reach out to the Brother Knights of our Council that we don’t see on a regular basis. I also encourage Council members to engage with each other and participate in Council events.
For those who are local, whether you have never been to a meeting or have not been for some time, please stop by for a meeting! The second Tuesday of the month promptly starting at 7pm is the business our meeting at St. Peters Mission Residence. It normally lasts about one hour where you can hear all the great programs we do during the month and plan for following months. We will also be glad to hear any fresh ideas that you may have to contribute to our council’s success!
For those who are not local, we would still love to hear from you from time to time. Drop a line to by using one of the following methods: kofc8297.org, select “Contact” and enter data, Email us at [email protected] or write to us at KofC Council 8297, PO Box 2277, Poulsbo, WA 98370. Hope to hear from you soon!
Vivat Jesus!
John Wahlfors, Grand Knight

Faith Programs

Pope’s Monthly Reflection:  For Parishes, “We pray that parishes, placing communion at the center, may increasingly become communities of faith, fraternity and welcome towards those in most need.”

Supreme Chaplain Challenge:  “I challenge you to mindfully practice curbing your tongue, particularly avoiding taking the Lord’s name in vain.  Second, I challenge you to seek to grow in your respect for God as a catholic man by participating in the Faith in Action, Into the Breach program.”

Lent: Ash Wednesday on 22 February begins the season of Lent this year.  Our parish normally conducts Lentin prayer/reflection sessions on Fridays of Lent.  An announcement should be forthcoming in the St. Olaf parish newsletter with dates and times for these events.  Participation by Knights and their families contributes to the Council’s Spiritual Reflection category of the Faith in Action program.

Prayer: Prayer to St. Valentine
Dear Saint and glorious martyr,
Teach us to love unselfishly and to find great joy in giving.
Enable all true lovers to bring out the best in each other.
Let them love each other in God and in God in each other. Amen.

Community Programs

Washington State Adopt-a-Highway:  Our Council participates in our state’s highway cleanup program. Our assigned area is Highway 3 from Falkner Rd NE to Hood Canal bridge (2 Miles).  We alternate sides of the highway to clean on each cleanup event.  Our next cleanup event is scheduled for 11 February, however that may need to change due to a conflict with our audit, also scheduled for the same day. The conflict will be resolved at our upcoming Officers Meeting on February 9th so stay tuned. The cleanup crew meets at St. Olaf’s parking lot at 9am for a safety brief and issue of required equipment, then carpool to cleanup site. Please come help us keep our highway clean.  The more people participating…the faster we can finish this noble task!

KC HELP: Our KC HELP effort has recently taken on a new dimension because of our expansion into the St. Vincent de Paul facility at 1137 N. Callow in Bremerton. Our Brother Knights in Bremerton have stepped up big time by staffing our location on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Our first month of operation saw an upswing in activity in that portion of Kitsap County and we expect the pace to continue to expand. In the month of January, we helped 111 people with 240 pieces of equipment with a total value returned to the community of over $60,000.

If you would like to serve in some capacity in this vibrant and essential service to our community, contact Larry Devlin or complete the volunteer application linked here. We particularly could use help in accounting, grant research and writing, website development, procedure/policy development.

Our KC HELP website is www.kchelpkitsap.org and our Facebook handle is @kchelpwestwa

Family Programs

Family Reflection: A Good Friend:  When we see someone doing good, we are inspired to do good things, too.  The opposite is also true.  Children whose consciences are still being formed can be easily led into sin by bad examples of their friends. Be watchful about the company children keep and encourage friendships with those who do good. 

Scholarship Program: Now is the time to start the annual scholarship award process.  Come to the next membership meeting and join in the planning process.  We need at least three volunteers to comprise the selection committee!  This program helps a graduating high school senior of our parish to get started at college, university, or a trade school.

Life Programs

40 Days for Life: Spring 2023 campaign starts on February 22^nd and runs to April 2^nd.  The core hours for this event are Monday through Friday 9am-4pm.  The event is located adjacent to the Planned Parenthood facility, 723 NE Riddell Rd. Bremerton.  Signups can be made at [email protected].

February Birthdays

Calendar

Refer to our Calendar Page

Good of the Order

Congratulations to Matt Wurzbacher for achieving 50 years continuous service as a member of the Knights of Columbus!

Prayers are requested for the following:

For the health of Brothers Jerry Goodwin, Tom Redfern, Dan Dahl, Roy Behling, and Jake Steiner.

For the repose of the soul of Jeanne Flanders, mother-in-law of Brother John Rebar