Archbishop Elder Council 1195

We recently held another successful Top Golf fundraiser, attended by over 50 of our Brothers, friends, and family. The morning was filled with healthy competition, fun, and the spirit of Brotherhood. Our Worthy Chaplain, Fr. John Paul Walker, O.P., blessed all the attendees and prayed for those who will receive the wheelchairs.

Due to other commitments, Fr. John Paul could only stay for about 45 minutes, but he came anyway to offer blessings and support to the Council. He even hit a few golf balls, reverting to his college form.

The event was a great success, and we want to acknowledge the hard work and effort in planning and executing it. To our Worthy Treasurer, Brother Dale Walczak, and Worthy Brother Mark Holland, we cannot thank you enough for everything you did to make this event possible. The Brothers of the Elder Council TRULY APPRECIATE you.

Worthy Brother Dale hasn’t provided the final figures yet, but he has informed me that we have raised over $2,000. This surpasses our target of $1,500 to purchase 10 wheelchairs for the Global Wheelchair mission, a significant contribution that will provide people in need with the gift of mobility.

I want to thank all our sponsors: Ferrari’s Little Italy, Mariner Wealth Advisors, Pella Windows, Rug Gallery, Sterling Cut Glass, Volz CPA, and Woodward Construction. Your generous gifts and donations helped us raise funds for this noble cause, and we are truly grateful for their support.

The Rise and Shine breakfast was delicious, and there was plenty of food for everyone to enjoy. The competition ranged from professional golfers like Team Sodergren to Fr. John Paul’s Knuckleheads. I want to thank my teammates, Worthy Brothers David Brecount and Jim Hook, who were gracious enough to tolerate my enormous handicap. Thank you for practicing the virtues of patience and kindness.

Team Sodergren, led by our Worthy Brother Andrew, was the clear winner of the tournament. Not only did they win the team award, but Andrew was also the winner of the Putting Contest, and another team member won the Longest Drive – displaying their true golf prowess. It may be fitting to say, “Break Up Team Sodergren,” as it was once said about the great New York Yankees.

The attached pictures from the event are courtesy of Brother Mark Holland.

Thanks to everyone for their support!

Precious Blood Assembly Faith Captain Dale Bottoms Presents Chalice to Transitional Deacon and Seminarian Matt Montag

Worthy Brothers, one of the benefits of being a Knight of the Fourt Degree is that upon your death, you can have your name inscribed on a chalice that is bequeathed to a priest or parish. This is a good way to be remembered and prayed for at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Last month, in memory of Richard “Dick” Wysong, Precious Blood Assembly gave a Chalice with his name to Seminarian Matt Montag who will be ordained this May. Matt, and his dad Al, are members of Abp. Elder Council. Dick Wysong served as Past Grand Knight of St. Michael Council, Past Faithul Navigator of St. Isaac Jogues Assembly, District Deputy, Community Chapter Secretary and Vice President, Master of Southern and Western Ohio Districts, and was a Charter Member of Precious Blood Assembly. He was also a recipient of the Cincinnati Chapter William Rieckelman Award as Greater Cincinnati Knight of the Year for 2010.

Worthy Brother Knights Craig Babcock, Jim Hook, and PGK Tom Hahn from Abp. Elder Council paused their work on the house for the Serenelli Project long enough to take a quick picture. The Serenelli Project’s mission is to provide strong Catholic community to individuals returning from incarceration or who simply have a criminal history. You can read more about them here: https://www.serenelliproject.org/.

The 5th Annual – Elder Council Chili Cookoff was an absolute success. Fifty (50) brothers, family members, priests, and novices attended. Twelve (12) competitors took the challenge, went for the Gold, and competed for the coveted title of ‘Elder Council Chili Champion’!

The ‘Elder Council Chili Champion’ for 2024 is Worthy Brother Joe Sharpshair.

• 2nd Place – Brother Philip Mary
• 3rd Place – Dominic Pappalardo
• The winners for the Youth Division:
  • 1st Place – Claire Farwick
  • 2nd Place – Beatrice Sharpshair
  • 3rd Place – Max Farwick

Thank you to our esteemed judges, Fr. John Paul, Fr. Darren, and Br. Ambrose Marie, whose distinguished palates facilitated judging some mighty fine-tasting chili. And to everyone who made chili to feed the masses. The food was delicious and plentiful.

Thank you to Worthy Brother Jim Pappalardo for his vision and leadership. Thank you also to the Sharpshair family, Worthy Brothers Craig Babcock, Jim Hook, and John Leventis, for helping set up the Parish Center, and Worthy Brother Mike Ries for helping procure the refreshments.

Thanks to everyone for helping to clean up when the event was over.

And finally, thank you to Worthy Brother George, our resident photographer, for capturing the day’s excitement. You can go to the link to see the pictures:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UskEjBybC4VrXina7

Worthy Brothers, family members, and friends,

What a spectacular Christmas party. We had 69 attendees, including 32 family members and four friends. This was the largest party since I began attending these festivities in 2016.

We were honored to have our Pastor and Worthy Chaplain of the Council, Fr. John Paul Walker, O. P., our Faithful Friar of the Precious Blood Assembly, Fr. Joachim Kenney, O.P. and our Prior, Fr. John Langlois, O.P.

In tribute to the strength of our Council, Brother Knights ranged from one of our senior Knights, Brother John Holden, to our youngest member, Brother Joseph Brecount, to two of our newest members, Brothers Bill Laverty and Jim Swift.

The food was delicious and plentiful, and Patti and her team did a marvelous job providing excellent service.

Our revered auctioneer, Brother Jonathan Pearson, did his usual conjuring at the White Elephant Auction, pitting brother against brother, against priests, against family members.

Worthy Brother Fred Bowling recognized the current inflation rate and finally raised his usual minuscule bid from $1.00 to $1.25.

After Jonathan, the auction’s three most popular ‘individuals’ were ‘Mr. Stein’, ‘Mr. Craig’, and former ‘President Trump.’

Finally, thank you to each of you for the gift of your presence. You made this evening one that will be long remembered.

Thank you to Brother George Kimura, who captured many of the party’s highlights. See the pictures below.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/XaGnzxELg7XnGpBa8