Knights of Columbus

Jonathan T. Bickham was elected in June 2022 as the 7th Grand Knight of the council. Jonathan has been a member of St. Michael the Archangel Parish since 1984 except during an 8-year period from 1995 to 2002 when he was at Prince of Peace Parish in Houston. He has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for approximately seven years during most of which he served as the Council’s Advocate.

Our former Council Chaplain and dedicated Lenten Fish Fry volunteer will visit the parish on the week end of August 27 and 28 to speak at each of the Masses on mission throughout the Spiritan world. This is a designated activity of the archdiocese. Stop by after the Mass and say hello!

The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade in a historic 6—3 decision released Friday that brings a sudden and dramatic end to nearly a half-century of nationwide legalized abortion in the U.S. The opinion, in the Mississippi abortion case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, is widely seen as the Supreme Court’s most highly anticipated and consequential ruling since Roe. It not only overturns Roe, the landmark 1973 abortion case, but also Casey v. Planned Parenthood, a 1992 decision that affirmed Roe. "Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority," the opinion states. "We now overrule these decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives."

Worthy Brothers, This will be my last official email/newsletter to you as your Grand Knight. You have honored me by allowing me to serve with you. The past three years presented challenges to us that we could have never imagined in our wildest dreams. Our parish, city, state and country shut down due to the Corona virus. We didn't know when or if things would ever get back to what we took for granted as normal. BUT, In spite of it all, our council never stopped what we are called to do. You continued to exemplify what it means to be a Knight by your acts of charity, unity and fraternity. We never missed a meeting, albeit virtually, when I could get my computer to cooperate. And, we never stopped moving forward. Whenever someone asks, "what exactly do the knights do?", You can tell them that we: Use our time, talent and treasure for: new parishioner dinners, parish ice cream socials, the parish Easter egg hunts, ushers at various masses, keep the Narthex filled with holy cards and rosaries for parishioners. We cook and serve an annual Thanksgiving feast for the parish staff. We provide financial support for our priests and seminarians, as well as our church. Our council donated money for the roof repair. In addition, thanks to the generosity of our brothers, a matching gift generated an additional $20,000 for the roof. We provide spiritual programs, like The Silver Rose, hold a monthly rosary, attend Tuesday Adoration. Place rosaries, with thanks to the Rosary Guild, in the Narthex for parishioners. Your council participates in the Adopt a Family program with not only funds, but delivery as well. We work with Deacon Lu by holding Food Drives each quarter, resulting in over 3,000 pounds of food sent the food bank so far this year. We have helped with Toy Drives. For the community, we provided wheelchairs through the KofC Global Wheelchair Mission. Our Drive-By Fish Fry's, brings the parishioners out and continues to support the parish community. Our Helping Hands Program helps many of the elderly with small chores. We are prolific in our support of Life. We attend the annual March for Life in Austin and have handed out over 1,000 rosaries,. thanks to the efforts of the Rosary Guild. We pray the Novena for Life We have attended Rosaries at Planned Parenthood. We host the Silver Rose. Several brothers are actively involved with multiple pro-life functions. Our biggest Pro-Life event will kick off shortly as we raise funds for an Ultrasound machine for Loving Choice Pregnancy Center in Spring. Loving Choice is one of only two Catholic pregnancy centers in Texas. You will hear more about this in the coming weeks. We provide scholarships for 4 graduating eighth grade boys at St. Michael School, as well as contribute to the Annual Fund. We also provide an end of year appreciation BBQ for the teachers and staff as a small thank you for their support of our council efforts. And of course, we do a little cooking and fund raising each year. Our annual Lenten Fish Fry, our Thanksgiving Turkeys, Super Bowl Meat Platters and our Annual Poinsettia sales help us raise money so that we are able to fulfill our charitable goals. We attended baseball games, visited Painted Churches,had socials with the Catholic Daughters, hold a Vow Renewal Mass and dinner, and our end of Fish Fry celebration party. From working on the parish blood drives, to serving on parish committees, serving the parish as an Acolytes, ushers, Eucharistic Ministers, or just being vigilant at mass, the men in the Red Shirts are always ready to step up when needed for the good of parish community. This is what the knights do. We serve the parish, we bring men of Christ together for a common cause, and we share our time, talent and treasures with those that need it most. Again, I thank you for the privilege of being your Grand Knight and look forward to our continued good works and friendships. With eternal gratitude, Vivat Jesus! John