Author: Greg Searle

Passing of Dr. Juan Jose Alva, MD

The Council has lost a founding member and our Founding Grand Knight, Dr. Juan Jose Alva. Juan was a devout Catholic, and his faith was central to his life. He was ordained as a Carmelite of the Third Order and was devoted to the Virgin Mary. His funeral mass is at St. Thomas More Catholic Church […]

The Council has lost a founding member and our Founding Grand Knight, Dr. Juan Jose Alva. Juan was a devout Catholic, and his faith was central to his life. He was ordained as a Carmelite of the Third Order and was devoted to the Virgin Mary. His funeral mass is at St. Thomas More Catholic Church on Monday, 26 August 2024, at 1 p.m. Interment follows at Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery on Legion Road, Chapel Hill.

We were blessed to have Dr. Alva in our parish and community. He was a quiet, but determined man on a mission to share his life and medical skills with others, especially the immigrants among us and in Argentina. His biography is but a condensed view of his life, mission, and service. His journey was not easy, but his determination to succeed and to make the United States his home is remarkable. It is full of “firsts” as a youth, a student, a medical doctor, an Army Doctor and military conflict doctor, and local family doctor practitioner. But, it is so much more. Here is a link to his story.

We shall miss Juan, but his wonderful wife, Elsa, and family are with us. They invite the parish to join them on Sunday night, August 25th, for the viewing at Hall-Wynne Funeral Home, Durham, from 6-8 p.m. The Holy Rosary will be said at 7 p.m.

The funeral mass is on Monday, August 26th, at Saint Thomas More Catholic Church, 940 Carmichael Street, Chapel Hill. Time for the mass is 1 p.m. Saint Matthews Parish will join us for the funeral mass.

For the honors, the Knights of the Fourth Degree of Durham and Chapel Hill will serve. Members will wear regalia without sword or Baldric. The honor guard teams are requested to arrive at 12:15 p.m. to participate in casket honors.

Read published biography

First Lenten Fish Fry for 2024

The first Knights of Columbus Parish Lenten Fish Fry is Friday, February 16th. That’s right. It is almost Lent with Ash Wednesday coming up fast this month on February 14th.  Once again, we will start the season by having our first annual fish fry!  The first event will be on Friday, February 16th.  Although most join […]

The first Knights of Columbus Parish Lenten Fish Fry is Friday, February 16th.

That’s right. It is almost Lent with Ash Wednesday coming up fast this month on February 14th.  Once again, we will start the season by having our first annual fish fry!  The first event will be on Friday, February 16th.  Although most join us for dinner after the 5:15 p.m. mass, we do start serving at 5 p.m.  Dinner is open to parish members and our Chapel Hill community.  Takeout is also available.  Can we look forward to seeing you? Mark your calendars now!  Share the news with your friends, too.

We are having three events this year.

For those of you who are new to the council or our community, our Knights have held fish fries since about Easter 2000 and we have continued to host them as a parish community and family event.  Like our pancake breakfasts, our goal was to “build church” by giving our parish member families a communal place to gather with family and friends and get to know other parish families.

We have tried different sources over the years for our tasty fish and continue to work to provide the best food and service to our families.  We think we have a winning menu for you and it is affordable, with children’s meals discounted.

Want to get involved?  Our events allow us to demonstrate fatherhood,  brotherhood, and camaraderie as Knights of Columbus.  Talk to one of the Knights.  Ask how you can join.

For more information on joining the Knights, click here.

Council Charter Now Online

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 […]

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.

There is a Story There

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 […]

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

Festival in May 6, 2022

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.

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.

Best-Fest-of-All

Installation of Officers

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 […]

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

Play Ground Work Day July 24, 2021

July 24th, 2021 – The playground at Saint Thomas More Elementary School saw a major renovation. The Knights of Councils 10910, 3390, and 17125, as well as some wives and friends, worked hard to render the area as safe and clean as possible for the returning students. Some Knights shoveled the sand out of the […]

July 24th, 2021 – The playground at Saint Thomas More Elementary School saw a major renovation. The Knights of Councils 10910, 3390, and 17125, as well as some wives and friends, worked hard to render the area as safe and clean as possible for the returning students.

Some Knights shoveled the sand out of the old sandbox and spread it throughout the playground, while the wooden frame was demolished. Others removed some old metal play structures and the old astroturf around the rock-climbing wall. Still others installed poles for shade canopies and the rest built a pit for Gaga ball, a variant of dodgeball.

Braving the late July heat for eight and a half hours, the Knights relied on each other to get the job done. The professional result is a testimony to charity, unity, and fraternity.