The Lake Current - April 2019
Welcome to the April 2019 edition of our monthly newsletter! H ere's a quick reminder before we get into the news:

  • Our regular monthly business meeting is this Wednesday, April 10th, starting at 7:30 p.m. We are planning to make a special presentation of a donation to St. James parish from the proceeds of our Men's Beefsteak Dinner. As usual, dinner starts around 6:30 p.m. There are many activities to plan for and important business news to share with the membership, so all members should attend!
PGK Mike McDonald Honored at Chapter Awards Gala

It was an afternoon to remember as Past Grand Knight Mike McDonald was honored at the 18th Annual KofC Westchester-Putnam Chapter Annual Awards Gala on Sunday, March 24th. Three full tables of guests from our Council -- the largest group from any council -- celebrated with Mike and his wife, Patty , in recognition of Mike's t wenty years of devoted service to our Council.

The cocktail reception and dinner at Mulino's at Lake Isle in Eastchester was once again fantastic. Never shy about making our presence known, our Council cheered all of the award winners enthusiastically, and kept the dance-floor filled, showcasing incredible dance moves including the Barry Bop, the Ferris Shuffle, and the Carmel Crawl.
Our Council was also honored with the presentation of the Columbian Award from Supreme Council for the 2017-2018 fraternal year.

This award recognizes councils that have conducted and reported at least four major programs in each of the Order's six Service Program categories: Church, community, council, family, culture of life, and youth.

Grand Knight Steve Gheduzzi and PGK Rob Firriolo accepted the award from Chapter President Adam John on behalf of all of our members and Ladies Auxiliary members who have worked so hard on our many program activities, which benefit our parish, youth groups, community organizations, local and national charities, and people in need.

Be sure to keep an eye out next year for announcement of the 2020 Awards Gala. It is sure to be another great time you won't want to miss!

Enjoy more photos from the event, below.
Council Wins Two Awards for St. Pat's Parade Marchers

Our Council was honored to be presented with two awards at the 2019 St. Patrick's Day Parade Awards Ceremony on March 22nd. We were happy to host the event in our Council chambers, where fourteen awards were presented to marching groups by the Northern Westchester-Putnam St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee.

Our Council was given an award for Largest Marching Unit thanks to the great turnout in support of our choice for parade Grand Marshal, Bill Dowling . This award is presented annually in loving memory of our dearly departed brother Knight James J. "J.O." O'Neill.

Grand Knight Steve Gheduzzi thanked all of our members who braved the nasty weather with their families to march in the parade and come back to the Council Hall for the reception in honor of Bill after the parade.
We also won a second award for Best Civil or Fraternal Unit . Veterans and other members from our Council proudly carried a commemorative United States flag flown over the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This award is presented annually in loving memory of Stephen P. Driscoll.
Pictured here is Warden Mike O'Brien accepting the award along with Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell, Assemblyman Kevin Byrne, and Ladies Auxiliary Past-President Gail Driscoll-Silke, sister of Stephen Driscoll.
Congratulations to all of the winners , including our good friends at the Driscoll Memorial Pipe Band , which won the award for Most Colorful Unit .

And congratulations to ourselves for making this year's parade something extra-special! Well done Council 6318!
Only One More Fish Fry Friday for 2019!

Hard to believe it, but our 2019 Lenten Fish Fry Fridays are coming to a close! Our last one will be this Friday , April 12th, from 5-8 p.m.

The reception of our weekly specials has been truly amazing. In addition to old favorites like Lobster Mac and Cheese, Sole Piccata, and New England Clam Chowder, we've rolled out exciting new specials like Mussels Fra Diavolo, Fish Tacos, and Pan-Seared Scallops. (If you blinked, you missed the scallops. Sorry about that! )

We'll be closing out the season by bringing back this Friday the one special that everybody asks for: Lobster Mac & Cheese! We're adding 50% more lobster meat to make it even more special for our Grand Finale.

Each week seemingly breaks new records in number of customers served and number of orders sent out of the kitchen. A typical night sees over 80 orders and over 220 meals served, mostly between 5 and 7 p.m. That keeps our kitchen crew, sales staff, and dining room crew very busy . But seeing the happy faces and hearing all of the positive feedback makes it all worthwhile.

And our efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last Friday, reporters from Supreme Council came to our Council to interview our crew, and take photos and video, for a feature story on what we do at our Fish Fry. They said they've been looking to do a story on KofC fish fries, heard about us, and decided that we'd be a great example of what councils across America do on Lenten Fridays.

We'll post the story on our Facebook page as soon as it is published, so make sure you "like" our page .

Thanks once again to our tireless Fish Fry Crew, and to all of our customers who make everything we do so worthwhile.

[As a bit of an aside, some have asked why we do not hold a Fish Fry on Good Friday. This is in recognition that Good Friday is a most solemn day, and one which our members may choose to observe with services such as Tenebrae, and Stations and Veneration of the Cross, and by having dinner at home with family. Please read "Closing Thoughts on Holy Week" at the end of this edition of The Lake Current . Thank you for your understanding.]
Sunday CA$H Bingo Returns

Our Ladies Auxiliary's fun-filled Sunday Cash Bingo games are back for 2019! Their first event will be Sunday, April 28th , raising funds for the American Cancer Society's Patterson Relay-for-Life Team, "Margo's Angels."

As always, our bingo features big cash payouts and a $500 jackpot ! Admission is only $30 which includes all-nighters. Doors open at 1 p.m., first game at 2 p.m. Attendance is limited to the first 100 players. Complimentary coffee and cake. Bell jar tickets will be sold.

Future Sunday Cash Bingo days planned are September 22nd, October 27th, and December 1st . The Ladies are also planning a "Bags and Bucks Bingo " on Saturday, November 16th. Save the dates!

For RSVP & payment details, speak with President Maria Barry or email: ladieskofc@gmail.com .
Fourth Degree News

There will be a Fourth Degree Exemplification on Saturday, April 27th . All members of Mother Cabrini Assembly are encouraged to support our candidates by visiting the Assembly's hospitality suite at the Crowne Plaza in Suffern starting at 10;30 a.m. For more information, speak with GK Steve, FN Vincent LaRusso, or Color Corps Commander Mike O'Brien.

MEETING NOTICE
The next meeting of the Fourth Degree Sir Knights will be Thursday, April 18th at 7:30 p.m. at our Council. All Sir Knights should attend!
NY Mets Excursion - June 29th

Join us as we continue the tradition started by J.O. as we travel down to Citi Field for our Third-Annual Jimmy O’Neill Memorial NY Mets Baseball Trip on Saturday, June 29th .

Your $110 payment gets you:

  • 1 ticket to see the Mets vs. Atlanta braves, with seating in the Big Apple reserved section;

  • Lots of pregame activities to honor the 50th anniversary of the 1969 championship "Miracle Mets";

  • 1969 World Championship pennants given to the first 15,000 guests;

  • A great tailgate party BBQ at the council, including beer & soda, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and

  • Luxury bus transportation to Citi Field leaving promptly at 1:30 p.m., with beer, soda and water provided on the bus. Feel free to bring whatever you else you want to drink.

There are only 54 openings, so you must prepay by June 1st! For tickets call Bobby Palazzo at 845-216-1997.







  • Paint Party - Friday, May 10, 7 pm: Our Ladies Auxiliary is hosting another great paint party! Create your very own handmade, personalized wood sign masterpiece. Perfect for your home or as a gift for an upcoming birthday, Mothers Day, graduation, wedding, baby shower, housewarming, Fathers Day, or Communion. No painting experience is necessary, as you will be guided through the process. All materials will be provided. Proceeds will go to support a local charity to be announced. Bring your own snacks and desserts; cash bar. Price ranges from $45 to $65 depending on size of the sign you choose. Click here for more info and to sign-up. (Get it? Sign-up. We crack ourselves up.)

  • Founders Day BBQ - Friday, May 24: Our annual summer-kickoff BBQ is back, and we will continue the tradition of honoring a deserving member with the Angelo Trongone Award for distinguished service. Our pig roast was such a hit last year that we're planning to do it again. More details will be announced as we get closer to the date, but plan to be there and bring the whole family!

  • Council Golf Outing - Friday, June 7: Our awesome annual Golf Outing will be here before you know it. Details will follow, but SAVE THE DATE and make your reservations for a foursome with Anthony Falco. Please also help us gather sponsorships, as this is our major annual fundraiser for the many charitable and community activities that the Council supports.

  • Night at the Races - Saturday, June 8: Back by popular demand, Our Ladies Auxiliary is hosting another fun-filled Night at the Races, where you can wager on real horse races. We'll also be showing the Belmont Stakes live on our big screens. More info to come, but SAVE THE DATE and speak to President Maria Barry for more information.
Closing Thoughts On Holy Week
Beginning April 14th with Palm Sunday, And Culminating Easter Sunday, April 21st.
Holy Week is a very sacred time of the year, when we will commemorate and remember the last week of Jesus' life on this earth. The greatest focus of the week is the Passion (suffering) and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the events that led up to it.

It begins with Palm Sunday , which marks Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The central feature of the service proper to this day, as it was in the earliest times, is the procession of palms. The palms are blessed and are then borne in procession to the church, where an entry is made with a certain amount of ceremony, after which the Mass is celebrated. The other notable and very ancient feature of the present Palm Sunday service is the reading of the Gospel of the Passion by three readers.

Especially important for Catholics is the Easter Triduum . This is the three days just before Easter. On Holy Thursday , we reenact the Lord's Last Supper, which He shared with His apostles on the night He was betrayed and arrested. This is one of the most beautiful liturgies of the entire liturgical year. At the Mass, the priest will wash the feet of twelve men, just as Jesus did. Also on this night, priests all over the world will renew their sacred vows. This is because, at the Last Supper, Jesus not only instituted the Mass (Eucharist) but also the ministerial priesthood.

On Good Friday , the day of the crucifixion and death of our Lord, we have the veneration of the Cross. A service is typically held at three o'clock in the afternoon (the hour He is believed to have died) and another later in the evening. We go forward and kiss the Cross in order to show honor and respect for Christ's sacrifice for our sake. There is no consecration of the Eucharist on this day, and the Communion we receive will be from the night before, which has been reserved in the tabernacle.

Holy Saturday is a vigil. We keep watch for the expectant rising of Our Savior. This was the day He went down into the netherworld in order to bring back up with Him into heaven those who had died before His coming. Up to this time, the gates to heaven were closed and no one could go there because of the original sin of Adam. Jesus changed all that. By paying the price for our sins on the Cross, He gained for us our eternal salvation, and heaven was opened once more. Also on this night, persons who have spent months of preparation will be received through Baptism and Confirmation into the Catholic Church for the first time. It is a joyous occasion.

Those who engage themselves wholeheartedly in living the entire paschal cycle (Lent, Triduum and Easter's Fifty Days) discover that it can change them forever. This is especially so of the Triduum which, standing at the heart of the Easter season, is an intense immersion in the fundamental mystery of what it is to be Christian. During these days, we suffer with Christ so that we might rise with Him at His glorious Resurrection. Holy Week is a time to clear our schedules of unnecessary activities. Our minds and hearts should be fixed on Jesus and what He did for us. Let us bear the Cross so that may be worthy of wearing the crown He wore.

[Thanks to the Catholic Education Resource Center for this information.]

The officers of Our Lady of the Lakes Council wish you and your family a blessed and joyous Easter Season!
Remember, a full calendar of events can always be found on our website: carmelknights.org under the Upcoming Events tab. And don't forget to "like" our Facebook page for up-to-the minute announcements, photos, event listings, and items of interest.