K of C Serving Mother's Day Breakfast
Council 10881 Activities:
Church Activities
Members of Our Lady of the Chesapeake Knights of Columbus Council 10881 and their families continue to actively participate in various church service activities throughout the year.
· Mass – Knights serve as Eucharistic Ministers, ushers and lectors at most of the Masses. Children of some of the Knights volunteer as Altar Servers while several of the wives help to prepare the altar for the Masses. One Brother Knight leads the music ministry for all Masses with several Knights participating as a lead cantor, choir members and musicians.
· Religious Education Program and RCIA Teachers - Knights from the council and their spouses serve as Religious Education Program and RCIA teachers in the parish and in their homes.
· Youth Ministers - One of our Brother Knights leads the Youth Ministry Program at Our Lady of the Chesapeake Church as a full-time position. He is supported in this very popular teen program by his wife and sister.
· Hospitality Committee - One weekend each month, the Hospitality Committee has a “welcoming party” after all the Masses with refreshments served in the church foyer. A Brother Knight leads this activity with two fellow Knights and their spouses helping regularly.
· Bereavement Committee – Two Brother Knights serve on this committee which provides and distributes food in The Gathering Place banquet facility to grieving family members and friends following funerals. For obvious reasons, these Knights are always ready to respond on short notice.
Annual Community Awards Ceremony
The council held its annual awards ceremony in January 2009. Awards for the winners of the “Keep Christ in Christmas Program,” were presented to:
Pre-K - Kindergarten: Vivian Davenport (1st Place); Evelyn Davenport (2nd Place); Max Davenport (3rd Place)
First - Third Grade: Meghan Stull (1st Place); Katherine Stull (2nd Place); Madison Davenport (3rd Place)
Fourth - Sixth Grade: Jordan Pruchal (1st Place); Kiana Murdock (2nd Place); Dylan Heid (3rd Place); Matthew Heid (Honorable Mention)
Seventh - Twelfth Grade: Stephanie Reidell, Crystal White, Jennifer Reed (3-way tie for First Place).
Additionally awards were presented by the Grand Knight to the council’s selection for Police Officer, Fire Fighter, EMT, Catholic Teacher, Family and Knight of the Year.
The year 2008’s recipients were:
- Police Officer of the Year: Officer Paul Dziwanowski of the Anne Arundel County Police Department, Eastern District
- Fire Fighter of the Year: Mr. Jerry White of the Lake Shore Volunteer Fire Company (part of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department)
- EMT: Mrs. Carol Meekins, RN and EMT with the Lake Shore Volunteer Fire Company (part of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department)
- Catholic Teacher of the Year: Mrs. Mary Carm Fox, Middle School Religious Education Teacher
- Family of the Year: This year’s Family of the Year was Tim and Laura Janiszewski and their sons, Luke and Jake. And for the first time the council thought it appropriate to include in this recognition two of Tim and Laura’s extended family members, Kay Janiszewski (Tim’s Mom) for her work with the bereavement ministry and Marie Janiszewski(Tim’s sister) for her work with Tim on the youth ministry.
- Knight of the Year: Mr. John Donnelly, Recorder
This event was well received by the community as shown by the largest attendance yet of any of the council’s awards ceremonies including a significant turnout from the Youth Groups at OLC. Following the awards ceremony, council members hosted a reception for all in attendance. The Maryland Gazette provided media coverage before and after the event.
Mother's Day Breakfast
On Mother's Day 2008 the council held its annual Mother’s Day breakfast following all Masses to honor the mothers of our parish. This event was conducted in "The Gathering Place" at Our Lady of the Chesapeake Church. This year it is estimated that the council served over 300 guests (approximately 250 being served after one Mass alone). There is no charge for this event with the council relying on a “free will” offering to help defray costs. Any proceeds exceeding the actual costs for the food are donated to the parish to be used towards the mortgage on the banquet facility.
Irish Festival Parking
The Knights of Columbus of Our Lady of the Chesapeake provide festival security and assistance during The Irish Festival in November at the Timonium Fairgrounds. Funds that are raised at this event support several of the council's efforts including the Annual Awards Night and the Baptism Program.
Time and Talent Breakfast
In November 2004, the Knights of Our Lady of the Chesapeake prepared breakfast for the parish Time and Talent Weekend Event. The Knights took care of welcoming the diners, cooking and serving the breakfast, and cleaning the tables. About 375 people enjoyed the scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes, pastries, coffee cake, coffee, tea, milk, and orange juice. Deacon Don Latrick planned this event to acquaint the parish with the various church committees including the Knights of Columbus. Although the breakfast was provided at no cost to the parish, donations were accepted. Any profit was donated to OLC's building fund.
Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest
Our Lady of the Chesapeake Knights of Columbus continued its rich tradition celebrating the coming of Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, born to offer eternal life, to forgive sin and to rise in glory on Easter. Advent is a time of repentance, and a time of preparation for Christmas. This year, the youth of Our Lady of the Chesapeake celebrated the beginning of Advent by completing posters indicating how they keep Christ in Christmas. This year’s Keep Christ in Christmas Poster conveyed the sense of spirituality felt by many of our parish families. The poster contest celebrates Christ’s presence not only at Christmas, but his presence at all times; especially when we need Him the most. At this time in our country’s history, when the fight for peace against those who would cause chaos through random acts of violence against innocents is in full fervor, it is Christ’s assurance that he is present that gives confidence and hope.
In December, Brother Knights, act as judges, review all the posters and cast their votes for the best of the best in each Grade grouping. Several lively discussions among the judges illustrate the difficulty in choosing a “winner” among the entries. Ten judges and two coordinators, and the support of the religious education director at the parish, make this contest once again a huge success. The council awards are presented at our January awards meeting along with other community and council awards. Our council presents a $100 US Savings Bond to each of the first place winners and plaques to the top three entries in each category. Every child receives a certificate of participation.
This year’s Keep Christ in Christmas Poster conveyed the sense of spirituality felt by many of our parish families and had the largest number of participants in the council’s history. Thanks to all of the participants, and the members of our council who supported this program, the poster contest was a huge success and we look forward to many years of continued growth.
Gallagher House Christmas Party
The Gallagher House, a program of Catholic Charities, is a home in the Pasadena area for adults with limited life skills, and is supported by Our Lady of the Chesapeake's chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Our council sponsors an annual Christmas celebration for the residents of The Gallagher House--complete with Santa Claus, Elves, Christmas presents and refreshments.
Click here to view pictures from prior visit.
Baptism Program
The Council Baptism Program recognizing the importance of every child born and baptized into the church is now in its eighth year. We have continued to present certificates of welcome to the baptized children and Knight of Columbus rosaries to the children (and their parents) baptized at Our Lady of the Chesapeake Church. A red rose, representing life, is also given to each mother in recognition of her decision to bring a new life into the world and into the Catholic faith. Since the program’s inception, we have recognized well over 400 children. Hardly a week goes by when we don’t have certificates to present. This project has gained attention for our council in our church and community. The program continues to grow in other councils from what we have been told.