Brother Knights...

Every season of Lent we are given the challenge – and opportunity – to change our lives and bring them more in line with the teaching of Christ. Our Lenten practices of prayer and penance are not done for their own sakes. We choose them and do them as a means of making us more aware of our failings and more faithful to the Gospel we profess. Penance done for its own sake has no value – it only makes sense if we use it to deepen our appreciation of our need for the grace to change. If we use our Lent well, we will be different people when it comes to an end – more aware of the call of the Gospel, more aware of God’s love for us, and, most of all, more aware of the great gift of salvation we have received by the death and resurrection of Christ.

Fr. Bob Grosch
Council Chaplain

Worthy Brother Knights...
The Lenten Season is fast approaching, and we began the council Lenten Fish Fry’s on Feb. 19th. Try to make yourselves available to help out. Lots of fun will be had by all.

In January, we hosted the state officers for their winter meeting. State Deputy Bill Burke seemed pleased with the Knights all working together to prepare the meals. The Montana Charities Inc. approved $1500.00 for the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.

The State Convention is coming up April 15-17 in Great Falls. If you are interested in attending, please let your Grand Knight know so I can get you a registration form.

The area Knights hosted the clergy in the Eastern Diocese for their annual meeting. It is always great to see the local councils working together to get things accomplished. The Bishop seemed excited about the Culture of Life Conference coming in March. If you do not have your tickets yet, you can still purchase them by calling 294-3557, or you can register online at www.dioceseofgfb.org.

Remember to attend your council meetings, the second Thursday of each month.

Vivat Jesus
Karl Boltz, Grand Knight

Culture of Life Conference
Your council donated $1000 to the Culture of Life Conference scheduled for March 19th and 20th, 2010, to be held in Billings. Cost for this conference is $30 for adults and $15 for students and tickets are going fast. To register, go online to www.dioceseofgfb.org or send your check to the Diocese of Great Falls/Billings, P.O. Box 20842, Billings, MT, 59104. If you would like to order lunch (Subway 6” sub, turkey or ham, cookie and drink), tickets are an additional $5. Your check for registration and lunch should be made payable to Diocese of Great Falls/Billings. We also encourage you to buy a “scholarship” ticket ($20) for a student to attend the conference. Simply identify when registering that you are purchasing a scholarship ticket (which includes lunch). Your contribution will help educate young people on Culture of Life issues.

Special Olympics Raffle
Five-dollar raffle tickets in books of 5 tickets have been mailed. This worthwhile fund-raiser helps generate funds for the Special Olympics. Please return your stubs and funds collected to Wayne Beaner, 2009 Patricia Lane, Billings, MT 59102.

Billings Area Councils K of C Free Throw Competition
Boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 14 participated in the 2010 Billings Area Knights of Columbus Free Throw Competition in January at the Billings Central Catholic High School gym. The competition was sponsored by the four Billings K of C Councils and Pizza Hut. Winners in each of the 10 age/gender categories received a gold medallion, a K of C regulation basketball and were invited to participate in the District 5 and 6 K of C Competition. Members of the Free Throw Competition Committee were John Dahl, Andy Mikes, John Opitz and Tim Ley. They extend their appreciation for support by all four Billings councils. Western Awards provided the awards, and Dahl Chapels is chauffering the winners to the regional competition.

Clergy Appreciation Dinner
The Clergy Appreciation Dinner was a great success, with approximately 100 clergy and religious leaders attending. This is a cooperative program shared by St. Patrick's and St. Pius councils of Billings. This annual dinner, which began in 1998, has been well received by the clergy of the Eastern Diocese.

A Big Thank You!
Lou Adler, manager of the Columbia Club, would like to thank all council members who helped on council hall projects last year. There have been many improvements made to the council hall over the last few years. So come visit if you haven’t recently. If you want to volunteer your time on ongoing projects, call Lou at 670-3689.

Divine Mercy Sunday Mass
St. Thomas Council 13050 will sponsor a Divine Mercy Sunday Mass and Devotions at 3:00 pm, Sunday, April 11th at St. Thomas. Father Charles Robinson will preside. A reception will follow in the multipurpose room after Mass. A plenary indulgence is available to those who attend (under the usual conditions of confession and Communion). Supreme is a strong backer of Divine Mercy devotions.