Grand knight
October 5, 2024
Brothers,
Tomorrow we welcome two new brother Knights into our Council after the 11am Mass. As always it means a lot to these men if we show up in force and make it clear that we are happy to have them.
Please make an effort to attend if you are able.
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
September 18, 2024
Brothers,
They are looking for an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion for the Funeral Friday if a brother Knight would like to volunteer.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
September 17, 2024
Brothers,
Please pray for Richard Laurent and his family as I was notified he passed away today. He was a Knight for 68 years and I know he touched the lives of many in our parish community.
His funeral Mass will be on Friday at 11:00 am at St. Charles. Visitation will be Thursday at Marshall Funeral Home and 1 hour prior to the funeral Mass on Friday.
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
September 13, 2024
Brothers,
As you may have heard, another of our brothers, Leo Marshall, has been called home to heaven. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. Leo was a Knight for almost 59 years. He is fondly remembered for all he did for the council, in particular the years he hosted the council picnic at his house and the wonderful time everyone had.
The funeral Mass for Leo will be Monday, September 16th at St. Charles Church at 11:00 am. Visitation will be Sunday, September 15th at Marshall Funeral Home from 4-6:00 pm and 1 hour prior to the funeral Mass at St. Charles Church. Please keep Leo and his family and friends in your prayers.
Link to his Obituary
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
September 11, 2024
Brothers,
The Rosary was also very near and dear to Tom's heart as many of you know. His family has also asked that we say a Rosary tomorrow before the funeral which we will be doing at 9:30 at St. Charles.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
September 10, 2024
Brothers,
Tom's Family has asked if we could help with ministers for the funeral this Thursday. Please let me know if you can assist with any of the following roles.
- 1 or 2 Lectors for the First Reading, Second, Reading, and Prayers of the Faithful.
- EMHC
- 2 Knights to bring up the gifts
- 2 or 3 Knights to assist with hospitality. Our normal crew is unavailable. Diana Eakin will be there to guide
We also still need help for Saturday. 3 more people to carry the canopy for the procession following the prayer service at 4pm and then folks to help put away chairs and clean up after the event.
Please let me know if you can help.
Hope to see many of you tomorrow.
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
September 5, 2024
Brothers,
We have a lot going on next week so I wanted to sum everything up in one nice easy spot. Please read through and plan to help/ attend as much as you can.
On Monday at Ralph's house from say 1-3pm they are doing the clean up of the aebleskiver booth. For those not working during those hours they would love some extra assistance. Please contact Ralph with any questions.
Then on Wednesday Sept 11th we have our Prayer for Peace Prayer Service at 7pm at St. Charles. As you may know, we are the only council to have held this service since it's inception in the wake of 9/11. All are welcome.
On Thursday the 12th, there is the funeral for our brother Past Grand Knight Tom Russell. Visitation is at 10, Funeral at 11. I know many of you will be there to commemorate him and pay our respects to a man who did so much for our council.
That evening we have our regular meeting.
Last but certainly not least On Saturday we have been invited to participate in the ECCE eventon Saturday the 14th. As I share in the article for this weekend's bulletin. Our Order has a long history of standing up to the clan and defending religious freedom. Here's a link to an article telling the story. I'd like to encourage all of you and your families to continue this proud tradition and attend the event in force.
We also have been asked to assist with a few things.
1st. Volunteers to carry the canopy during the procession with the relic. The prayer service will start at 4pm and shortly thereafter we will process around the blocks and into the church for Mass. This is similar to what we do for Corpus Christi.
2nd. After the event is over they could use our help putting things away. The council has generously greenlit us to supply a round or two of drinks for this crew so we can get some fraternity in too :) I'm estimating we'll start picking up around 7.
If you're able to help with either please let me know.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
August 27, 2024
Worthy Brother Knights,
Our Brothers at St. Joseph and Flat River Right to Life could use our help this weekend with our Labor Day Ice Cream Social. Proceeds from the event will go to Flat River Right to Life and their efforts to save the unborn and promote a culture of life.
If you are able to help for a few hours between 9-3 on Monday at St. Joseph please let me or Bob Thompson know.
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
August 13, 2024
Thank you to everyone who has signed up so far. We could still use some help in the booth Sat 12-2 and 4-5 both day or in the kitchen on Saturday.
Please let me know if you are able to help or you have talked to someone who plans on helping but isn't on the list yet.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
August 11, 2024
Brothers,
Past Grand Knight, Tom Russell was called home to be with our Lord this morning.
Please continue to keep his family in your prayers. As soon as I have details for funeral arrangements I will pass them along.
Tom has done so much for our council and will be greatly missed.
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
August 7, 2024
Brothers,
We are close to 1 week away and still need a lot of volunteers to make the booth at the festival happen. We have shifts of two hours both Friday and Saturday in either the booth cooking or in the kitchen from 7am to 5pm (7-10 and then every 2 hours after that).
Thank you to those who already have signed up, otherwise please let me know when you can help, call me at 616-916-0143, or stop at the back of Mass this weekend.
Also our regular meeting is tomorrow where we will be having an installation of officers, (so officers please make every effort to attend tomorrow).
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
August 2, 2024
Brothers,
In preparation for the Danish Festival we will be cleaning the booth at Ralph's house on Monday, August 5th. Cleanup starts at 5pm, (but feel free to show up at 4pm) and we'll be eating afterwards around 6. Many hands make light work and we have jobs for people of all ages so it is a family affair.
14198 MacClain St. NE
Go north of M-57 on Montcalm Avenue or south of Wise Road to MacClain. On MacClain, travel about half a mile west of Montcalm Avenue. Look for the "VanOcker Drive" sign, and head up the hill to the house.
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
August 1, 2024
Brother Knights,
It is time to start asking for volunteers for the Danish Festival. I'm looking for 1 volunteer per Mass this week to stand in the back after Mass and sign up volunteers if we can please.
They will be announcing that we are back there.
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
July 29, 2024
Worthy Brothers,
Next Sunday is the Parish picnic at our St Mary location. We have been asked if we would volunteer to set up the grills and cook. Please see the signup link below for all the open spots, but again, if possible, they were hoping we'd take the cooking spots.
Signup Link
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
July 23, 2024
Worthy Brother Knights,
Due to the Diocesan meeting taking place on Thursday during our regularly scheduled meeting, our meeting was moved to tomorrow. Same time as always (6:30 Rosary, 7pm Meeting start) and will once again be in the gym due to the construction taking place.
Look forward to seeing many of you there.
Vivat Jesus
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
July 10, 2024
Brothers,
Our regular meeting is still tomorrow night, however it will be in the Gym instead of McKinney hall due to construction. It should be pretty set up with tables and seating from a funeral.
Please continue to pray for Tom as he is in the ICU last I heard.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
July 9, 2024
Worthy Brothers,
Please keep our brother Tom Russell in your prayers. I'm told he has suffered from a stroke and is currently in the Hospital in Grand Rapids.
Kevin
July 7, 2024
Worthy Brothers,
I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th and has a great weekend. Thank you to everyone who helped hand out bags this past weekend. Tomorrow and Sunday we have 2 Baptisms, 1 at each St. Charles liturgy. As many of you know when a child is baptised we give the family a small basket with a "Made in God's image" receiving blanket, a Casey teddy bear, and a few prayer cards and a brochure on the Knights.
I will already be at the 11am Mass doing donuts, but could someone give the basket to the family after the 7PM Mass tomorrow?
Please let me know. The basket is in the Library and I can give you the code if you need it.
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
June 28, 2024
Brothers,
I could use the help of a few Knights attending the Saturday evening and 11am Masses at St. Charles this weekend. As you may have seen in last week's bulletin the parish loved brother Juan's idea to invite the parish to support the God's Community Kitchen meals and suggested we hand out something like the food bags we do for a food pantry drive after Mass this weekend. We have small little lunch sacks with a note asking people to donate money and return to the parish. The idea was the bags we hand out are a physical reminder for people throughout the week and part of why our food drives are successful. I will have the bags there, but please let me know if you can assist at either Mass.
I also just received a call from our brother John Kirsch's wife. He is having some complications from a hip surgery he had a little while ago and is back in the hospital here in Greenville. Please keep him in your prayers.
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
June 24, 2024
Brother Knights.
Thank you for a great year! We reached star council, ran a lot of amazing programs, welcomed 11+ new brothers into the council and did a lot of great work.
To celebrate, this Sunday at Ralph's house (address below), we'll be having our end of year party. We plan on eating around 2pm. Hamburgers and Hotdogs will be provided, but please bring drinks and chairs for yourselves as well as a dish, side, or desert to share.
Ralph VanOcker's place, 14198 MacClain St. NE
Directions: Go north of M-57 on Montcalm Avenue or south of Wise Road to MacClain. On MacClain, travel about half a mile west of Montcalm Avenue. Look for the "VanOcker Drive" sign, and head up the hill to the house.
We have our meeting this week Thursday at 7 as well.
And last but not least, Welcome to our two new brothers Robert Pratt and Randy Davis! We're thrilled to have you and look forward to getting to know you better. Thank you to everyone who ran the exemplification this weekend.
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
June 20, 2024
Worthy Brother Knights,
This Sunday after the 11 am Mass we will once again be having an exemplification for 3+ new brothers joining us.
Robert Pratt who joined the Church at the Vigil. Zack Moore who came into full communion with the Church two weekends ago and Randy Davis who joined our Church a few years ago
Strong showing from RCIA :)
These gentlemen are very excited about joining and it's important we make them feel welcome as we invite them into our local council. Attending their exemplification is the first way we can do that. Unfortunately, this weekend is a large vacation weekend, and more of us than normal are out of town. If you are in town this weekend could you please make an effort to attend and show them what fraternal brotherhood means.
We plan on starting at about 12:30 if you attend a different Mass.
Thank you
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
June 4, 2024
Hello Brothers,
I've received 2 requests for help lately.
1st, Jim Smejkal had or is having open heart surgery in Grand Rapids and his wife Mary will be with him tomorrow, however she has an arm in a sling and is unable to drive herself home tomorrow. Are any brothers coming home from Grand Rapids tomorrow evening that could give her a ride back to Greenville (Turk Lake area). She is flexible on time but was thinking 5-6 after work for someone. Please let me know and I can get you her contact information.
2nd, This Friday June 7th Bishop Walkowiak is celebrating the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew, Grand Rapids, for Mass at 6 p.m. followed by a diocesan eucharistic procession. All are invited to adore the Lord and proclaim our Eucharistic faith during this special celebration.
The Bishop specifically asked the Knights for help with this in particular at the convention and the Knights of the Diocese are helping carry the canopy and ushering the procession. They could definitely use more ushers if you are able to attend/ help. This is a link to sign up.
Thank you for all you do,
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
May 28, 2024
Worthy Brother Knights,
We still need 3 volunteers to help with the canopy this Sunday after Mass for the Corpus Christi procession.
The job is relatively straightforward in that after Mass Father brings the Blessed Sacrament out under the canopy and then you march with Father and the procession around the two blocks stopping at the front door when we get back the church for benediction.
As the route does have some uneven spots this is a better role for some of our more mobile Knights.
Please let me know if you can help so I can make sure we have coverage this week.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
May 21, 2024
Brother Knights,
Because our Worthy District Deputy, Brother Juan, and I will all be at the convention this Thursday, as well as not having too many pressing issues to discuss, I'm going to cancel our meeting this week. The only thing we need to settle between now and our next meeting at the moment is lining up 4 volunteers to carry the awning for the Corpus Christi procession on the 2nd at the 11 o'clock mass. I and a few other brothers may be serving, but if we could get a few strong men to walk the block I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you, Vivat Jesus, and have a great week.
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
May 8, 2024
Brother Knights,
This weekend we plan to give out flowers to the mothers of the parish after each Mass. I have arranged the flowers but we do need individuals to hand them out. The St. Joseph and St. Mary Masses are usually the most difficult to get coverage at so if you are able to assist with either of those two Masses please let me know.
Also tomorrow we have our regular business meeting. Please attend if you are able. We have a little bit of a backlog of bills to pay as well as a few updates. We also will discuss officer elections for the upcoming year. This would normally be mid term so nothing needs to change, but if anyone would like an officer position there are a few of us pulling double duty on a few that would be happy to share. Please just reach out directly.
Lastly our Brother Carl Barczak was in the hospital last week and would appreciate some extra prayers.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
May 2, 2024
Brother Knights,
As a reminder this Sunday after the 11am Mass we'll be having an exemplification and welcoming 3 new brothers: Miles Feuerstein, Ezekiel Rewa, and Jacob Woycehoski!
As brother Juan has shared before, it means a lot to those joining when the council shows up in force. Please attend if you are able and show them how glad we are to have them join the council.
This should also qualify us for Star Council again this year. Thank you for all that you do.
Vivat Jesus
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
April 23, 2024
Worthy Brothers,
In addition to our regularly scheduled meeting this Thursday at 7pm (rosary at 6:30) we have 2 calls out for help.
1. The Social Committee is planning on putting on their traditional First Communion Brunch after the 11am Mass this weekend for the communicants and their families. They are in desperate need of volunteers this year. I think one of the challenges is that quite a few families that normally help with this sort of thing have children receiving first communion this year and so are unable to help. If you are able to assist between 10 and 2 this Sunday I know it would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Stewart at greatparts@hotmail.com or 616-540-0092.
2 Still no takers on the two fraternal benefit options (reposted below). Two men attending one of these events should be all that stands between us and Star Council again this year. If you haven't attended a fraternal event this year and can watch a 1 hour (or less) webinar please let me know.
We need a total of 14 unique individuals so while the 12 that have already participated are more than welcome to attend either, we need 2 new folks.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
Wednesday April 24th at 8PM eastern registration link
On Demand Webinar On the 2024 Economic Outlook by our Asset Advisors
April 20, 2024
Brother Knights,
If you read the note in the bulletin this weekend you'll see that we have two fraternal benefit night opportunities in April. As a council we need at least 2 individuals to attend one of them in order to qualify for Star Council. While hitting Star Council is a great way for our group to get some recognition for all the awesome work done throughout the year, that's not the main reason we should make an effort to learn about our order's fraternal benefits.
1. They allow us to continue carrying on Father McGiveny's legacy of caring for our families in the event we're called home to heaven.
2. The funds managed are what allows our organization to fund much of the charitable work we do.
3. There are some new offerings via the (relatively) recently established Asset Advisory arm. (see the second option below)
Below are the details on both events. One is a scheduled live event on April 24th at 8PM Eastern (registration may say 7 in spots as it's hosted by Wisconsin). And the other is on demand, meaning you can watch it at any time from the comfort of your own home. Please let me know if you need any assistance or are able to attend. I have a form I need to fill out with the attendees from our council.
Vivat Jesus
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
Wednesday April 24th at 8PM eastern registration link
On Demand Webinar On the 2024 Economic Outlook by our Asset Advisors
April 5, 2024
Brothers,
Thank you again to those that signed up for today and tomorrow. If you're going to Leppink's, the person before you will have everything you need so feel free to go straight there.
For those helping in Greenville, please stop by the St. Charles office to grab any supplies on your way out to either Walmart or Jorgi's.
We still have 6 spots left. Please signup below.
Sign up here
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
April 4, 2024
Brothers,
We went with a smaller number of locations in an attempt to have more coverage at the locations where we tend to raise more money. As you can see We're getting closer, but Walmart, our highest earner, is pretty empty on Saturday. Please grab a spot and help us raise money for Camp Optimist and the Special Olympics.
Sign up here
Thank you to everyone who has signed up. I know the form has been a little buggy so if you tried to sign up and you aren't on here please let me know and I'll get you penciled in right away.
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
April 1, 2024
Brother Knights,
Reminder that tomorrow from 4:30- 6:30pm we are hosting the Spaghetti Dinner to benefit Flat River Right to Life at St. Charles. If you can help please do so and let Bob Thompson, Stewart Smith, or myself know. If you aren't able to help please consider attending, enjoying the meal, and supporting the cause.
Also, Thank you to everyone who signed up so far to help with the MI drive this weekend. If you haven't signed up yet there is still plenty of time to do so. In my opinion it's one of the easiest things we do as Knights and people genuinely are happy to put their money in the cans for us. If you have signed up I encourage you to check out the page here. The form has been a little troublesome so feel free to email me the spots you want to confirm.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
March 31, 2024
Happy Easter to you and your families!
Some of you may have noticed the signup sheet for the MI Drive wasn't working, but it is now fixed. Please take a moment to sign up and grab a slot. Tootsie_signup.
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
March 28, 2024
Brother Knights,
Looking forward to celebrating the Triduum and the Easter season with all of you.
As a reminder we do not have a meeting tonight. Next week however we have two events where we can use help.
1st, On Tues, April 2nd, from 4:30 to 6:30, We are putting on our spaghetti Dinner to benefit Flat River Right to Life. We could use some extra hands in the kitchen.
2nd, Friday and Sat Next week we are doing our Spring MI drive. Please sign up for a shift here, and this is a great event to bring little ones along too. People love to see kids helping.
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
March 22, 2024
Brother Nights,
As you may know, due to the snow this morning the school and parish office closed today, however we are still having the fish fry tonight. Safety comes first, but if you were planning on helping or attending tonight and can still do so, we look forward to seeing you tonight.
Additionally as discussed at the meeting our next meeting would have been this coming Thursday but will be canceled so that we can participate in celebrating Holy Thursday instead.
Thank you,
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
March 7, 2024
Brother Knights,
Tomorrow we host our first fish fry for lent from 5-7. As always we can use lots of help to make the work go quickly. If you are able to help and haven't already let us know, please let Ralph (cc'ed) or I know. One area we're typically light on help is toward the end for clean up.
Thank you and we're looking forward to a successful few weeks.
Vivat Jesus
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
March 6, 2024
Brother Knights,
As a reminder we are making the pies we have been selling on Saturday March 16th at St Joseph in Pewamo.
We could use a few more volunteers.
We will be meeting at 630am in the lower level parking lot at St Charles for anyone that wants to carpool or follow us over.
For anyone that wants to just meet us over there we will be starting right at 8am at St Joe's.
They always need help cleaning up afterwards too for anyone that wants to come around 1pm.
I would recommend wearing old shoes as things can get messy with the flour and dough.
Anyone with questions can call Mike Smith @ 616 835 3892
Vivat Jesus
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
February 28,2024
Brother Knights,
Reminder the Fraternal Benefit night is tonight Wednesday the 28th at 7pm via Zoom Linked Here.
We should of course always be considering attending these to learn about the opportunities being a Knight of Columbus offers us, but to hit our attendee goal for the year we need 4 more people to attend and I have two people who have shared they will be joining so far. If you are able to make it please let me know so I can document accordingly.
Also last night I met with the social committee as it relates to the Chili Cook Off coming up on St. Patrick's day, March 17th. They're excited about the event and hoping to make this a recurring event. I know that's a busy weekend for us with pie making the day before, but they are looking for people to sign up and compete (make chili). If you make a mean chili please let Bob Thompson, the social committee or me know. As an aside...being in the competition is probably a great way to avoid getting asked to help :) Otherwise please save the date to either come enjoy the event or volunteer to help with setup or tear down. Stay tuned.
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
February 26,2024
Brother Knights,
Apologies. Thank you to our Worthy District Deputy who pointed out I was off by a day on the Fraternal Benefit night. It is actually Wednesday the 28th at 7pm via Zoom Linked Here.
In addition to learning about the insurance options available to us as Knights, the Most Reverend Bishop Donald J Hying of the Diocese of Madison, WI will be discussing "Authentic Leadership in Men". It starts at 7pm. If you are available to participate and or have any questions on how to login/register please let me know.
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
February 26,2024
Brother Knights,
Yesterday we welcomed 3 new brothers into our council, Daniel Rivera, Brian Murray, and William Rumney, along with a brother knight for council 8564. Here is a link to the post featuring our exemplification along with a nice picture. It was very well attended and we are thrilled to have the three of them join us.
Also we need a few more brothers to attend a fraternal benefits event this year and there is an upcoming opportunity this Thursday to attend one online via Zoom Linked Here. In addition to learning about the insurance options available to us as Knights, the Most Reverend Bishop Donald J Hying of the Diocese of Madison, WI will be discussing "Authentic Leadership in Men". It starts at 7pm. If you are available to participate and or have any questions on how to login/register please let me know.
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
February 20,2024
Brother Knights,
Thank you for running a smooth meeting in my absence 2 weeks ago. One thing discussed that we need to do at our meeting this Thursday is select our 2 delegates for the State Convention.
The convention is held on Mackinac Island at the Grand Hotel the Weds-Friday before Memorial weekend so the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th this year.
Anyone with questions or who would like to add their name to be considered as a delegate should please give me a call.
Thank you,
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
January 31, 2024
Brother Knights,
Reminder that tonight we are hosting the Tri-District meeting at St. Charles. Doors open at 6 p.m., meal at 6:30 and meeting at 7 p.m., with plans to get you out by 8:30 at the latest. All are invited to attend.
Thank you,
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
January 17, 2024
Brother Knights,
Due to the weather St. Charles is closed for the day and the Tri-District Meeting for tonight needs to be rescheduled. Please stay safe and warm. I will update you as soon as a new date is selected.
Also hate to sound like a broken record, but we still need 1-2 volunteers for Free Throw this Sunday, and 1 volunteer to judge the spelling contest 1/24, 12:30 at St. Charles School.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
January 16, 2024
Brother Knights.
Reminder that tomorrow the 17th at 6:30 we are hosting the Tri-District Meeting tomorrow in our gym. Details on what was covered at the Diocesan Meeting will be shared and a light meal will be served.
Please plan to attend if you are able. Doors open at 5:30 PM, Meal at 6:00 and Meeting at 6:30.
Also we could still use 1 or 2 volunteers for the rescheduled Free Throw Contest this Sunday at 1pm.
Thank You,
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
January 14, 2024
Due to the weather and Faith Formation classes being canceled today, the Free Throw Contest is moving to next week Sunday at 1pm.
2 of the volunteers from today won't be available so if you are able to help out next weekend please let me know.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
January 12, 2024
Brother Knights,
Thank you to Michael Smith and John Taylor who knocked out the Creche takedown last night to get ahead of the snowfall. We no longer need volunteers for Saturday morning.
Weather permitting, the only thing I could still use a couple Knights for is scoring the free throws the kids make at the free throw contest on Sunday after the 11am Mass. It's a fun and easy one so please let me know if you can help.
Vivat Jesus
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
January 10, 2024
One of our brothers suggested that we could get work on getting the Creche down tomorrow before our meeting (5-5:30 start) and the coming storm on Friday. That makes two of us who could do it tomorrow, any others?
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
January 10, 2024
Brother Knights,
I survived the adventure getting to the diocesan meeting last night. Couple things.
1. This is the weekend we normally take down the Creche. If you are able to help this Saturday please let me know. We usually start tearing down between 8am and 9am and the more help we have the quicker it goes.
2. This Sunday at 1 pm we have our annual free throw contest for ages 9-14. Takes about 4 to 5 people to run super smoothly and it's always a fun one for the kids. Please let me know if you can help with this one as well.
3. Lastly just a reminder we have our normal business meeting tomorrow starting at 7pm with the Rosary at 6:30 in McKinney hall.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
December 22, 2023
Wishing each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and wonderful weekend.
We have 5 new brothers ready to be brought into the council (our worthy District Deputy has been very busy) It's been suggested to me (and I'm inclined to agree) that instead of our normal business meeting this coming Thursday the 28th we should have the exemplification and welcome the brother knights (they are all e-Members already) into our council along with sharing in some Pizza. I know it's the Holiday week (part of the reason a few of them are available) and some folks are going to be out of town, but if you are able please make an effort to show up in force to welcome this group into our amazing organization.
Currently the plan is to have the exemplification Thursday the 28th at St. Charles, in the church at 7pm with pizza to follow.
The only item that discussing on the 11th (our next meeting) would be a little late for is the free throw contest. We have that scheduled for Jan14th to give the schools time to get back in session and help us spread the word. In the past I have run that program and it doesn't take a large crew to pull off, but it's also a fun one the kids enjoy, so I'd be happy to work with anyone who would like to get involved or learn how to run point on this program. Let me know.
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
December 13, 2023
Brothers,
Still looking for at least 2 folks to assist tomorrow night with Christmas Angel pickup. Time has been shortened to 6 pm - 8:15pm. Making a family's Christmas happen is a pretty awesome thing to be a part of and I can't think of too many more rewarding things than being on the front lines of this one. Please let me know if you are able to help so I can ensure we have coverage.
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
December 12, 2023
Brother Knights,
Sarah Moore has once again graciously managed the majority of our Christmas Angels program this year. This Friday, December 15th she is receiving donations and drop off from 5:45pm - 9:15pm and then distributing on Saturday from 9am-11am. She could use a couple of helpers each day to assist. My family can assist Saturday (though I'm sure the more the merrier) but we could use at least 2 volunteers to help Friday night. Please let me know if you are able to help.
Also we have our normal meeting this week Thursday. Looking forward to sharing a few updates and starting to chat about the programs we have as we move into January.
Thank you,
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
November 24, 2023
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.
For those of you who can help us cut up the branches tomorrow please meet us at the Gym at 10am. If you have clippers those would be helpful too.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
November 21, 2023
Brother Knights,
This weekend we host one of our most original events, our Family Focus on Jesus Advent wreath making event. Each year we co-sponsor the event with the school and help families prepare for advent and focus on what truly matters this season by making natural homemade Advent wreaths and a prayer service.
First, I would like to officially invite you and your family to join us this Sunday the 26th at 12:30, we'd love to see you there.
Each year we also need helpers for a few hours Saturday morning to unload and trim the pieces of the greenery for the wreaths. More to come on when the greenery will get there for a start time (most likely 9 or 10am), but if you are able to help please let me know and or plan on swinging by to help make the event a success.
Thanksgiving update
With Thanksgiving just a few days away I want to express how thankful I am for all of you. We also have a lot to be thankful for in the outpouring of support we had from the parish and you all for our food drive and our Thanksgiving baskets.
On the food drive front we had over 135 bags of food donated (plus numerous monetary donations) which the pantry was incredibly grateful for. I saw their shelves at the drop off and it was very timely.
On the basket side, we had a large increase of requests this year. As a council we made the decision to take care of as many families as we could and I'm proud to say we were able to say yes to everyone from our area that reached out to us. As of this moment we have provided a meal to 49 families. Big thank you to Charlie Smith for spearheading the program these past few years, Ron Woycehoski and his son (a future knight) for running the program with him, Mike Smith, Stewart Smith, Gene Hahnenberg, Jennifer for fielding all the calls, and all of you who for helping make it happen. We should be incredibly proud!
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
November 8, 2023
Brothers,
As a reminder, tomorrow we have our meeting. We have quite a few things happening in the next month or so.
This weekend we collect the bags full of donations at each of the Masses. If you are able to help at the one you plan on attending please let me know. Distribution seemed to go well with several people asking for more than one bag.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
November 2, 2023
Brothers,
This weekend we hand out bags for our annual food drive. Help handing them out will be needed after each Mass. If you could, please let me know if you are able to help out and which Mass you plan on attending so I can make sure we have coverage at all 4.
For anyone wondering, yes we did just do a drive a few months ago, but that was an emergency drive due to the pantries running critically low. We put it to a vote at the last meeting, and due to the increased need, feedback we got from parishioners, and the holiday season, we decided to still move forward with our regularly scheduled annual drive. Father will be making an announcement for us.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
October 25, 2023
I forgot to mention in my note this week that this Friday is the Flat River Right to Life benefit dinner. Details and Registration can be found at https://rtl.org/event/flat-river-right-to-life-benefit-dinner/.
At a previous meeting the Knights voted to purchase a table and I know they would appreciate seeing us show up and support the cause.
Also attached are the minutes from our previous meeting. Please take a look under the "Minutes" tab and let us know at the council meeting tomorrow if we need to make any corrections or additions.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
October 23, 2023
Brother Knights,
This week Thursday we are having an abbreviated meeting (attendees from our last meeting will vouch that we can do it) and at 7:30 kick off a "watch party" of the Fraternal Benefit webinar happening that night. Please see the details below, but it will be on Aligning Financial Decisions with your Catholic Values, a slightly different topic than ones I've attended before.
I encourage all to attend and invite their fellow brothers who may not be as diligent at reading these notes. Also fraternal benefit nights and the investments/ resources shared in them are for any Catholic man so, as always, feel free to invite any men of the parish.
As I'm sure most of you already knew, but I as a newer Knight more recently learned, the fraternal benefits side of our organization does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to the financial contributions the Knights are able to make.
FYI based on the invite I would expect it to go to about 8:30pm
Aligning Financial Decisions with your Catholic Values
Thursday, October 26, 2023 7:30 PM EDT
Join us to learn more about insurance, investment and charitable solutions that align with your Catholic values.
Presented by Anthony Minopoli, President & Chief Investment Officer, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors.
Hope to see you there,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
October 12, 2023
Appreciate everyone who's signed up so far to help with the MI Drive. We still have slots left, especially in the afternoon each day.
Still time to sign up or swing by the church office the next two days and see where we could use the help.
stcharleskofc.org/tootsie_signup.html
We were able to hand out one of the two checks from our spring drive today to Camp Optimist for $942. They were very appreciative and wanted to make sure we all knew they couldn't do the work they do without support like ours.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
October 9, 2023
Brothers,
There are still a lot of open slots for the drive this Friday and Saturday. Please pick one and help us raise money for the Special Olympics and Camp Optimist. I promise the time will go quicker than you think and you'll be pleasantly surprised with how many donations you receive just by being there and smiling.
Really the only limiting factor to how much money we can raise is how many of the spots are covered.
stcharleskofc.org/tootsie_signup.htm
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
October 2, 2023
Brother Knights,
Twice a year we stand in front of local businesses handing out Tootsie Rolls and collecting donations for the Special Olympics and Optimist Club-Camp Wah Wah Tay See, a local summer camp for individuals with special needs. Last time we did the drive we were able to raise over $2,000.
This event takes a lot of Knights to make it successful. Please pick one (or more...we're not picky) slots that you could help out via this link or call me at 616-916-0143
If you've never done it before or it's been a little bit since you participated I have to say this is one of the most surprising events we do each year. The businesses look forward to us being there (or else they are really good at pretending). Kids' faces light up at getting free candy. People donate with a smile. And people you've never met talk to you about how much they respect the Knights, that their grandfather was a Knight, or maybe they have a family member who attends the Special Olympics. Mother nature doesn't always cooperate but if that's the hardest part I'll take it.
Side note if you have children, this is a fun way to show them how we can give back and as anyone who has brought their children will tell you, people are even more generous when they see kids out there putting in the effort for a cause.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
September 16, 2023
Brother Knights,
Thank you again to all who helped hand out bags last week. This week we collect the donations. If possible please plan to get to the mass you are attending early and offer to help people bring the bags in from people's cars and collect everything in one place. The carts are very helpful.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
September 13, 2023
Brother Knights,
Looking forward to our meeting tomorrow please see the attached minutes from the previous meeting.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
Knights of Columbus Meeting Minutes 8-24-2023
September 9, 2023
Brother Knights,
Our brother Frank Rademacher let me know he is in the hospital and could use our prayers. Please keep him in your prayers this weekend.
Also wanted to remind you that Monday the 11th at 6:30pm at St. Charles we are hosting the World Day for Peace prayer service for the parish. All are welcome and we picked the time to encourage families with children to attend.
Thank you
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
September 6, 2023
Brother Knights,
Short version: We need a few volunteers to hand out brown bags this weekend at Mass, particularly St. Joseph and St Mary. Please let me know if you can assist after Mass.
A short while ago we were asked by the parish to do another food drive for the two local food pantries. Due to food prices they are running very low. Thank you to Dave Mendrea and Bob Thompson for scrambling with me at the last minute to make this happen since the sooner we get the bags out the sooner we can get the food to the pantries in need.
We will, of course, need some help collecting the food the following weekend at Mass as well.
Lastly I could use a few strong Knights to help me move a bookshelf out of the Knights Library and over to Father's house. I tried to do it with my sister last week and I think it's a 2-4 Knight job. Thinking either after Mass this Sunday, after our meeting the 14th, or maybe some time during the day next week depending on schedules.
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
August 23, 2023
Brother Knights,
Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into the Danish Festival this year. I know a lot of people worked long hours and extra shifts and it definitely paid off. I spent most of the time in the kitchen, but from what I heard Friday was very busy and Saturday we had a line across the street for the whole day! Thank you!
Reminder that tomorrow night we have our meeting at 7:00pm and Rosary at 6:30. Looking forward to it.
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
August 17, 2023
Brother Knights,
Looking forward to a successful few days with the Danish Festival. For anyone planning on or able to help with setting up the booth tonight, we are planning on starting at 4:30 today instead of 5pm.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
August 15, 2023
Thank you to everyone who's signed up to work at the Danish festival this weekend. We still have lots of open slots, particularly in the afternoon and the kitchen. If you haven't done so please go to http://www.stcharleskofc.org/danish_signup.html and sign up for a slot of a few.
Thank you,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
August 9, 2023
Brother Knights. Thank you to all of you who signed up to help with the Danish Festival so far. For those of you who haven't, we now have a signup form on the website at http://www.stcharleskofc.org/danish_signup.html .
Also attached are the minutes from our last meeting. Please take a look. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting this Thursday.
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
Last Minutes
August 8, 2023
Brother Knights,
This upcoming week we have a few events to note. First, Monday starting at around 4:30pm at Ralph's house, we will be getting the Danish Festival Booth out and cleaning it to prepare for the festival. His address is 14198 MacClain St. NE. It's a family event, and the more people we have show up to help the less work we all have to do. Hot dogs and hamburgers will be provided, please bring a dish to pass.
On that note Knights are at all masses this weekend and next with signup sheets for the festival. It takes a lot of people to run both the booth and kitchen both days. Please sign up to help.
On Thursday the 10th we have our council meeting. Due to some maintenance in McKinney Hall we will be in the gym (means we'll have plenty of seating available). Rosary will be at 6:30, meeting starting at 7pm. At this meeting we will be doing an installation of officers. If you are an officer please plan on attending if you are able and dress to be photographed for the website. This will also be our last meeting before the Danish festival.
Next weekend, on Sunday the 13th, we will also be celebrating a prayer service for the canonization of Blessed Fr. McGivney. Service will begin at 2pm at St. Charles. If you haven't attended this in the past, it's a great way to show respect and learn about the founder of our order while being a part of an American's path to sainthood.
Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Vivat Jesus,
Kevin
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
July 31, 2023
Hi All,
Apologies for the late notice, but Kris, Ralph, and I will be meeting at Ralph's house this Wednesday at 5:30 to start coordinating the remaining things needed for the Festival. If you'd like to help in planning and are able to attend the meeting please let me know.
For the rest of us planning on helping at the actual event in a few weeks, feel free to start letting us know where and when you would like to help. A more detailed signup sheet will be coming soon.
Thank you,
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
(616) 916-0143
July 5, 2023
Brother Knights,
Hopefully everyone had a wonderful 4th of July.
I wanted to remind everyone of the End of the Year Council Picnic. This year we have a lot to celebrate winning Star Council. It is a family event so please bring your family. I know my children love playing on the outdoor equipment at Ralph's.
When: 1pm Sunday, July 9th
Where: Ralph VanOcker's place, 14198 MacClain St. NE
Directions: Go north of M-57 on Montcalm Avenue or south of Wise Road to MacClain. On MacClain, travel about half a mile west of Montcalm Avenue. Look for the "VanOcker Drive" sign, and head up the hill to the house.
What to bring: Lawn chairs, plates, utensils and drinks for yourselves, and a dish or chips to pass.
Provided: Hamburgers, condiments, and buns will be provided by the council.
Look forward to seeing you there!
Kevin Norton
Grand Knight
St. Charles Council 2084
616-916-0143