Brothers – while I realize that this newsletter is to present the council events from the recent past and short term future, it is hard to not mention what is happening today. As I am completing my final draft, the news of the shooting in Newtown, CT is all around. It is in these times that we must ask God for strength. We must pray for the souls of the children, teachers, and the families that have lost loved ones. How do we make sense of this? We put our faith and trust in God!

Closer to home Hurricane Sandy “was” the big news. The much hyped “it can’t happen here” storm really came to New Jersey. While we did not get the storm surge that hit those at the coast, we did experience unprecedented damage. Through what was up to two weeks without power, many helping hands and hearts in the greater Long Valley and Hackettstown communities came together to support all in need. And this need will not go away anytime soon. So we pray and look to provide support to those people impacted by Sandy for the foreseeable future.

Now down to the business of “Knights Business”… It has been a busy three months: Rose for Life, St. Mark’s Picnic, Sock Drive, Eyeglass Collection, support for Chillout, Food Drive, Auction, partnereing with the Columbiettes, Deacon John’s Christmas message, and more… All of this in the midst of taking care of our families, the birth of our children, the loss of loved ones, running our businesses, our going to work, our looking for work. As a Catholic gentleman I say to you “thank you”. Thank you for being there for others and each other. I look forward to continued momentum and support in 2013.