By James Davisson

Captain John’s first week of lent was a success! John would like to thank all that came and supported both his restaurant and the Paul J. Trageser Council 10910. He was able to bring in the first week $700.00 in profit and the council will receive $70.00 for our shared success. John said this was the busiest week he has had in months and he wanted to say thank you for the support.

Please remember that the next week will start next Tuesday March 9, 2021 and go till Sunday March 14, 2021.

Check the fundraiser page for Captain John’s for more details.

By James Davisson

Thank you for a success at Jersey Mike’s! Brandon was happy with the increased business. The Paul J. Trageser Council 10910 was able to get $200.31 in total from the event. We look forward to possibly working with Brandon again in the future and possibly other stores within the Chapel Hill, NC area as a way to support other fundraising opportunities.

March 31, 2021

By: James Davisson and Bill Jackson

July 21st, 2021 – Paul J. Trageser Council 10910 welcomed its new officers for the fraternal year. The ceremony was held in the main sanctuary of Saint Thomas More.

In his opening statement, Retired Grand Knight Bill Jackson extended his “warmest congratulations, assurance of continued cooperation, and prayerful wishes for a most successful administration” to the incoming Officers.

Fr. Scott opened up the ceremony in a prayer to imbue the Officers with wisdom to exercise their authority with justice and charity, humility to acknowledge the possibility of error, and dedication to the practice of Christian principles, just as Blessed Fr. Michael J. McGivney was.

The Pledge of Allegiance was then recited, calling to mind the Order’s tenet of Patriotism.

State Warden Joseph McCarthy (filling in for District Deputy Chris Kremer, who is serving in the National Guard) congratulated the retiring Officers for their job well done, and expressed his confidence in the incoming Officers to enhance the Order’s proud name.

Fr. Scott then blessed the ceremonial medals which would be bestowed on the officers.

Under direction from State Warden McCarthy, the Officers raised their right hands. They promised to uphold their honor as Knights, specifically to obey the laws and rules of the Order, to be good Catholic gentlemen, to protect the sanctity of the family, to continue to faithfully serve the Church, and to uplift those in need, among other such deeds.

The officers were then invested with their medal of office by either their wives or by District Warden Eric Garrison.

When all had received their medals, State Warden McCarthy reminded the new Officers that they stood in the shape of a cross; this, in turn, should remind them to live out the tenets of the faith and put them into action.

Grand Knight Kleiman thanked the outgoing officers for their hard work. “Our focus is on our community,” he said. “We’re going to do everything in our power to be good men and to lead by example.”

Fr. Scott closed out the ceremony in prayer, invoking God’s help to fulfill the mission of the Knights of Columbus.

Chris Kremer received the Fraternity Award, State Officers Award, and the Columbian Award. Bill Jackson accepted them on his behalf. 

The officers for the Council’s fraternal year are as follows: 

Grand Knight – Greg Kleiman

Deputy Grand Knight – Michael Orezechechowski

Financial Secretary – James Davisson

Warden – Jim Ferris

Recorder – Colin McNeil

Treasurer – Steve Travers

Advocate – Bryan Feger

Trustee – Jim Boyd

Trustee – Gil Montoya

Trustee – Bill Jackson

Inside Guard – Lee Hevlin

Outside Guard – Michael Pacilio

The Paul J. Trageser Council 10910 will be working in conjunction with the Home and School Association at STM to put on our first Festival in 2 years. Please use the link to see more about our exciting Raffle’s and other information.

There are well over 100 members in our Council and each one of us is unique. Our family is unique, our history (life’s journey) is unique, and our faith is worth sharing. Yes, there is a story there.

One of the things that we seem to have lost during the last century is storytelling. Our local newspapers had a lot of reporters walking their beat looking for a story. Large cities like Philadelphia had four or more newspapers and some had two or more editions each day. Where did it all go?

We seem to have segregated our news to just a few friends on FaceBook or through email. Yet, there is still a bigger story out there.

Our Council gives us the opportunity to reach out to others. First, through our close friends….like the person who recruited us. That opportunity led to a few more friends and maybe their family. Our community service projects (pancake breakfast, fish fry, auctions, raffle, LAMB, etc.) puts our faces before even more people and their stories. It’s like Mass. We gather individually with others of common beliefs to celebrate the Eucharist…and there is always a story there, too.

On a recent excursion, this writer was asked about storytelling, being a storyteller, and how it happened. Why? Well there are stories to be told, to share, and to help us grow. Your story is there also.

If you are working with this writer, your story may end up in a Council or Assembly news story like the one on the right. It is over 15 years old, but Gil Montoya still has it and shared it just yesterday. It is part of his legacy of memories of Dad captured by a fellow knight. Stories are everywhere.

Did you know that if you open the Assembly website you will find in the header NEWS. If you visit that section you will find a treasure trove of memories of our members who made a difference here at St. Thomas More. It covers 15 years (see archive list) Take a look.

The local VA Medical Center has a huge display…(maybe twenty feet or more of glass wall display case over two panels, waist to ceiling). All of it is dedicated to healing. The current topic is, wait for it…. Healing through writing.

There were samples of veteran stories and their journeys through life. I highly recommend you take a look at this project. It has a list of many illnesses that may benefit from Healing through writing.

My Mother used to say, “It’s all in your head.” Now that statement finally makes sense. How we feel mentally impacts our health! Your health! So, I shared the “Why” of my writing. It is truly therapeutic.

The “How” in writing is sharing stories through conversation. Put a pen to paper and say (tell or say) your story through ink. Maybe even joining or leading a group discussion. Our church has over 120 unique groups/ministries that do the “How” in their ministry. In the Knights, we have the St. Joseph Men’s Spirituality Group led by Sir Knight Marc LaClair. They meet each Thursday at 7 p.m. One man, one vision, one group, making a difference through an extension of storytelling. Give it a try. All are welcome.

It is no real secret to storytelling. You just share your time by caring, participating, listening, lifting a burden, or smiling. Hopefully, you will write about life and your part in it. Remember the Knights’ motto, “Tempus Fugit, Memento Mori.” Time Flies, Remember Death.

Lee Heavlin, July 5, 2022

Most of our members have not read our actual Council Charter. Your local Historian has located an image of the much larger original and has added to our About Us section. Take a look at it and you will see the names of current members who played an important part it the formation of the Council. Link to Charter

We have thirty years of history of our members “doing small things with great love.”

We’ll be adding back to our website some of our history that includes many “first’s” in Chapel Hill. Our parish men originally were part of Council 3390 in Durham-Chapel Hill. As our then council grew, we gathered to charter Council 10910, and as we continued to grow many of our members gathered to form other parish new councils in Hillsborough and Durham.

Our historical section also include some biographical sketches of current and past members to include member eulogies, where found. Look for an historical list of Grand Knights, too.