News & Announcements

PARISHIONERS, SFX SCHOOL, CATHOLIC CHARITIES, SUPPORT THE KNIGHTS AS THEY CLOSE OUT THE YEAR STRONG WITH TWO GREAT PROJECTS.

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Food For Families

Prior to Thanksgiving, the annual Food Drive to support the Society of St. Vincent DePaul’s pantry was conducted, with the Knights collecting donations from both parishioners at St. Francis and from students at the school.  We recently received the “weigh-in” results from SVDP, and this year’s effort was a resounding success, with over 5,000 pounds (2 ½ TONS) collected during the several weeks of activity. 

COATS FOR KIDS

In December, the Knights council here at St. Francis once again held the “Coats for Kids” effort, which is part of a project of the national Knights organization. Needs are addressed by the local councils regarding the type of outerwear to be obtained. The funding for the clothing acquired by our council comes from the generosity of parishioners and others who participate in our “Calendar Raffle”, which will be coming up soon.   

Once again this year, our Coats for Kids outreach was facilitated by Father Anthony and the great people from Catholic Charities. We were invited to set up shop at the Catholic Charities Bonita Springs Center on the day that they ran their food pantry.  

With the Knight’s shopping team of Ed Peres and Kim Austin, the council had purchased 80 hoodies and jackets appropriate for the cool winter weather here in SW Florida. These were given to local children of migrant farm labor families as they came into the Bonita Springs Center. 

Able assistance for this task was provided by Knights Norm Cormier, Ed Peres, Terry Austin, Jameson Depaola, Ephraim and Xavier Caangay and (Knight in training) Cameron Caangay. 

The Council would also like to acknowledge the hard work of Paulina Matias and her colleagues from Catholic Charities. They put in untold hours to help those in need every day. 

KNIGHTS PARTNER WITH SFX SCHOOL FOR ST. VINCENT dePAUL FOOD DRIVE.

Just prior to Thanksgiving last month, Council 2596 held its annual Food for Families drive, once again partnering with St. Francis Xavier School. Between the collection point at the church overseen by the Knights, and the effort at the school, we once again had a very successful food drive which resulted in dozens and dozens of well stocked grocery bags given away at the food pantry.  Mr. John Pelusi from the SVdP on Lafayette Street has contacted the Council to express their gratitude for what he termed as an abundance of very much needed supplies.  As you are aware, all of the local efforts to help feed those in an unfortunate circumstance are under significant pressure with this year’s increased demand.

Thanks to all our Knights who helped collect and move all these non-perishables for the distribution.

Knights of Columbus Annual Calendar Raffle: Now on Sale

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It’s once again time for the annual “Calendar Raffle” from the Knights Council here at St. Francis Xavier.
This year’s effort is more important than ever, as with the situation of the past year, there have not
been any events sponsored by the Knights, leaving this as the sole fundraising opportunity for our
Council.
Most importantly, please know that the Pandemic did not stop the good work being done by our
Council, with our focus on having a local impact. During the past year, thousands of dollars raised have
gone to support these needs:
 Sanitation supplies and other needs for St. Francis Xavier Church and School
 Increased security at the church during the recent period of civil unrest
 Catholic education scholarship
 Lifeline Family Center
 Catholic Charities
 Homeless Veteran assistance through St. Vincent DePaul CARES
 An amazingly big “Coats for Kids” effort conducted with the Parish, the School and Catholic
Charities

This year’s ticket is our best yet, with many local businesses donating towards it, along with Council members making personal donations themselves. For a Ten Dollar donation, you have 31 chances to win cash or other items valued from $50 to $100, with a name drawn for each day of the month of March.
Tickets are on sale after every weekend Mass outside the main entry to the church. Sales will be conducted in a safe and sanitary manner, and starting this year, in addition to cash transactions, you will be able to pay using a debit or charge card. We will gladly help with these sales if you contact us first. You will never receive an unsolicited request for anything by phone, email or text message from the Knights of Columbus.

Click on the Pay Now button to buy a ticket!

COUNCIL OFFICERS FOR 2020-21 FRATERNAL YEAR

The results of the Council’s recent approval of the slate of officers has been submitted, and the chart below shows the changes.  Thanks to all who have taken the responsibility to help guide the Council in the upcoming year. We anticipate holding an Installation event, probably later in July as circumstances permit. 

2021 - 2022 UPDATED ELECTION SLATE

Here is the updated proposed slate of Officers for the upcoming Fraternal Year as discussed at our recent meeting. We will be voting on this at the June meeting. Any changes or corrections, let me know prior to.

Services for SK Ed Baran

All members are encouraged to attend either or both. Ed was a truly stalwart Knight who served his Councils, the Assembly, our Faith and his community.

Calling Hours from:

6-8 pm on Thursday, June 17, 2021Fort Myers Memorial Gardens, 1589 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers 33907.

Mass to be celebrated:

1 pm on Friday, June 18, 2021
St. John XXIII Catholic Church, 13060 Palomino Ln., Fort Myers 33912 .

Volunteer Hours

https://uknight.org/CouncilSite/CouncilMembers2019VolunteerEntry.asp

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER PARISH CHRISTMAS PARTY

Some of our Council members are volunteering with parishioners to put on a Christmas celebration on Saturday, December 14th, 2019, from 5pm to 8pm. The details are below. Proceeds benefit the Catholic Faith Appeal, which supports a lot of good work in Lee County and in the Diocese.

Plan to attend and support your Parish, but if you can give some of your time to help make this a successful evening, all the better, please drop me a note. If you can’t attend, and would like to make a donation to help defray our costs, by all means, drop me a check. - Terry

• Social hour from 5pm to 6pm with a visit from St. Nick
• Dinner at 6pm, with your choice of roast beef or turkey, a full meal with dessert
• Music during the evening (dancing and singing encouraged!) Live entertainment provided by Richie C.
• Door prizes and special raffles !
• Tickets for the evening’s events are $20 per person, $35 per couple and $10 for kids 12 and under.
• Beer and wine available during the social hour for $2.
• Tickets can be purchased in advance, as a limited number will be available.
  Tickets may be obtained at the Parish Office during business hours, or see Terry Austin after any weekend Mass.

COATS FOR KIDS ….. JUST GOT BIGGER

At the December meeting, the Council discussed and approved an expanded participation as part of the annual “Coats for Kids” effort.  Father Anthony had made us aware of a particular need at two migrant camps supported by Catholic Charities.  In addition to coats, the families of the children at SFX school donated footwear, and Father obtained a significant donation of food and groceries. The Council purchased over 150 jackets and hoodies in specific sizes provided by Catholic Charities, our largest “Coats” program to date.

The Knights, the school principal and three Verot HS kids (we gave ball caps to as a bribe) spent a recent Saturday doing the distribution of the coats, shoes and groceries at the two camps which house agricultural workers. Needless to say, there were some very happy kids, some of whom couldn’t wait to try on their new coats.  Some of the moms who came for groceries also got the opportunity to have their icons of Our Lady of Guadelupe blessed by Father Anthony. The Catholic Charities CEO from Venice was on hand with some staff, and wanted to pass along her gratitude to the Council for making the day such a resounding success.

• Thanks to those Knights, officers all, who helped out sorting, loading and/or distributing: Father Anthony Hewitt, Eugene Santillan, Ed Peres, John Tierney, Pat Himschoot and Jameson Depaola, who in addition rented a van to help transport.  
• Principal John Gulley from St. Francis Xavier School.
• Future Knights from Bishop Verot HS: Xavier and Cameron Caangay and Dylan Lavis.

And a special thanks to Kim Austin, my professional Internet shopper, who made the online purchases, helped go out at the eleventh hour the night before to fill in the holes for the merchandise that did not arrive on time, and spent hours helping to sort and label the coats by name and size.

“Keep Christ in Christmas,” Poster Contest Winner

St. Francis Xavier Catholic School’s Abigail Krejci, 3rd Grade, created the winning artwork for the 2019 Knights of Columbus “Keep Christ in Christmas,” Poster Contest. The KoC Council 2596 awarded a $25 gift certificate and Abigail’s poster will be entered in the State competition.

The 2020 Calendar Raffle!

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The Knights Council based at St. Francis Xavier has kicked off their annual “Calendar Raffle”, with tickets available all this month.  This raffle will once again offer prizes for a winner each day in the month of March, along with some bonus drawings, providing 31 chances to win for a $10 donation.  This year we have ten cash prizes up to $100, and a great variety gift cards (many up to $50). Tickets can be obtained after every Mass, at Friday Bingo and at the Parish Office all month.  

The Knights support many projects here in the Parish and at the school, along with a myriad of other charitable endeavors. Recent past proceeds from this raffle, our major fundraising event, were used to provide new speakers in the church and to landscape the Marian garden area behind it.  Should you need further information, please contact Terry Austin at (239) 673-8350.  As always, we are grateful for your participation!

ST. FRANCIS YOUTH GROUP RECEIVES GOLF RAFFLE PROCEEDS

ST. FRANCIS YOUTH GROUP RECEIVES GOLF RAFFLE PROCEEDS

The Knights of Columbus at our neighboring parish of St. Vincent DePaul, recently concluded their “Five Star” Golf Raffle, which benefited the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort Myers, Children’s Cancer Cure, and the St. Francis Xavier Youth Group. Brother Knight Michael Reardon, Director of Religious Education for the parish, accepted a check from their Council for one third of the proceeds, in the amount of $ 1,170. Our Council pitched in and helped sell a pretty decent share of the tickets.

Two of the six stunning prize packages were won by SFX parishioners.

SUNDAY BREAKFAST WITH THE KNIGHTS

The next Breakfast is scheduled for Sunday, February 23rd, from 7AM until 11AM at Xavier Hall. The menu this time will include pancakes, ham and eggs, juice, coffee and maybe some extras if the cook is in a good mood…

Adults: $7.00, Children under 12: $5.00, and we’ll feed any little ones under 5 for free!

Proceeds will benefit the Knights annual support to young men in the seminary. We hope to provide another seminarian with the same level of support as last year’s recipient, Daniel Scanlan, who is continuing his studies in Rome.