Greetings and well met, once again! As we once again find ourselves in the throes of the holiday season it is very obvious that time does fly. We are doing many things this Christmas season, so, a brief summing up may be in order. First off, the Advent Wreath has been constructed and once again graces the front of our church. Thanks go to Paul Patak, Peter Sukanek, Dennis Ott, Mark Shows, David DiCarlo, Jeya Suppiah and Duane Andrews for their effort and time on making this happen.

During our November business meeting we allocated $750 to help provide a merrier Christmas for those less fortunate. With the assistance of Sr. Mary and Catherine Durst, we have done just that. Sister identified a family in need and we will provide food and presents for the mother and three children for Christmas. Catherine works with one of the Head Start programs here in Oxford and came to us with a request to help 14 children with clothing and a present if possible and they will each receive a new outfit as well as a small toy.

Our plans for the Christmas gathering are coming along nicely. Joe Tull has reserved the Azalea Room at Azalea Gardens for our gathering. This room is designed for just such occasions and is provided at no cost to non-profit organizations. The gathering will take place on Saturday December 28, 2002. We will begin with a Corporate Communion at the 5:00 PM mass and will proceed to Azalea Gardens after mass. The menu has not been set as yet but should be quite good and we will once again enjoy a round of "Dirty Santa" after our meal. If you are planning to attend please contact Joe or myself by December 21, 2002 so that we may plan accordingly.

As we are approaching the end of the year there are reports that have to be completed and filed with Supreme. One of these reports is the Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity. This report will detail all the activities of Brother Knights for the past calendar year. The activities are:

1. Number of visits made during 2002 to:

Sick — caring for the sick/nursing homes/hospitals

Bereaved — visits of condolence

2. Number of times you donated blood
3. Estimated hours of community service

Church activities — service in all church related activities

Community activities — service in all community related activities

Youth activities — service in all youth related activities

Miscellaneous activities — service in areas not outlined above

4. Number of hours of fraternal service during 2002

I need for each Brother Knight to let me know the number of hours they spent in each of the above activities by January 15, 2003 so that this report can be completed and submitted by January 31, 2003. Those of you who are "wired" can e-mail this to me at mmitch56@bellsouth.net.

That is pretty much a wrap for this edition. If I have omitted anyone for anything it is purely by accident and I do apologize.

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It seems that all too quickly we find ourselves in this special season of the year, the time that should filled with joy and peace. Unfortunately, for many, it’s not at all like that. I find I get caught up in many different, distracting, anxiety-producing events: the end of the year activities with my job, holiday gatherings (usually more than one on the same day), shopping (though not as much as I probably should), doing things around the house to "get it ready," and trying to do the myriad honey-dos that appear all at once. Unfortunately, all these outside activities will not disappear. Nonetheless, I hope that all of us can take just a little time this season to look for the peace of Christ in our hearts and share it with others.

What’s been going on with the Knights? The state officers, directors and district deputies met in Vicksburg last weekend to discuss the "state of the state" and plans for the remainder of the state program year, which ends in March (just 4 months from now!). You will be hearing more about some of the items that came out of this meeting at the mid-winter meeting scheduled for the northern part of the state on January 4 in Tupelo. One of the items I found worthwhile was that last year, the Knights as a whole donated some 58.9 million man-hours and $125 million dollars to charitable works. Congratulations. There was, of course, some distressing news as well. In that category, I would place the fact that out of the 6,000 or so knights in the state, very few have ordered the K of C car tags; we are still far short of the 200 minimum. The added cost of these tags is $30, almost all of which goes to the state’s priest education fund. If you have thought about doing this, but put it off until later, "later" has arrived. Do it now. The form is on state’s web page, http://www.ms-kofc.org/, or you can get it from me. If the opportunity vanishes, it may not return for several years.

One final item: This year’s annual state convention will be held in Vicksburg on April 25-27. Let me know if you are interested in attending.

  Merry Christmas, to all brother knights.  I just want to give a reminder of two events.  The first is on December 15th, yours truly will revive his "Jake the Fake" moniker and play Santa Claus at the PSR Christmas Party.  Come and enjoy this fun.  On December 28th, the K of C will be having a corporate communion at the 5:00 P.M. Mass followed by a Christmas dinner after mass.  Corporate communion is a good way for our council to pray together.

Christmas is almost upon us and it won’t be long until we will all be extending the blessings of the Christmas season to our friends and family. Gifts will be exchanged between you and many of your friends and family. Each gift handpicked to share your friendship and love for each other.

Consider the gift of the Knights of Columbus to a fellow parishioner at St. John’s. The perfect Christmas gift would be to "Ask a man to become a Knight before Christmas." This is a great theme for any council to bring in new members before Christmas.

As we approach the Christmas Season we also come to the end of the first six months of our Fraternal Year. Our membership goal of seven new Knights is at zero. So our "Knight before Christmas" fits perfectly into our Membership Drive. Please do your best to give the gift of the Knights of Columbus this Christmas season.

As we do every month, a First Degree is planned for our next monthly meeting, on Thursday, December 12^th at 7:00 pm at St. John’s Parish Center. Come join your Brother Knights that evening. This is the perfect chance to have your new "Knight before Christmas" join our Order.

To you and yours, a personal "Merry Christmas!"

Vivat Jesus,

The New Year is almost here! So it is time to start asking everyone to pay your 2003 dues. Let’s try to get them paid as soon as possible. Please don’t do like the last couple of years, and have brothers hound you for you dues.