Council Activities – Council 10910 Knights of Columbus

Gene Drogos – The Passing of an Era

Today the Council, Assembly, and local veterans from the American Legion gathered at Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery to say goodbye to a dear friend–Eugene Chester Drogos. It was a blustery day, but the sun was out and the large crowd huddled closer to block the wind that was testing the tiedown of the casket flag. […]

Today the Council, Assembly, and local veterans from the American Legion gathered at Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery to say goodbye to a dear friend–Eugene Chester Drogos.

It was a blustery day, but the sun was out and the large crowd huddled closer to block the wind that was testing the tiedown of the casket flag. Solemn prayers, committal words, and words of condolences were followed by a family friend playing Taps.

The trumpeter gave a beautiful rendition and the notes wafted across the cemetery as the Assembly Honor Guard and veterans stood smartly at attention.

Several Chief Petty Officers were provided by the United States Navy to fold the National Ensign, crease the corners smartly, and pass the flag from the folder to the presenter for solemn delivery to Louise Drogos, Gene’s wife of 74 years.

Then, as the gathering was about to depart, the family nurse of 15 plus years stood up and moved forward to personally honor Gene. She wanted to honor the Drogos family in a special, personal way. She sang AMAZING GRACE a cappella. It was beyond expectation as we “held church” at the gravesite. The moving words captivated the gathered crowd. Gene Drogos was going home to be with his Lord.

The local veterans of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Chapel Hill Post No. 6, American Legion, presented Louise with a special Bible in a cedar chest. It was a special remembrance and new family treasure from the area veterans.

Gene is gone, but his 67 years of community service to Chapel Hill and local veterans is full of special deeds, special moments, and personal example.

–^{– Chapel Hill, NC Feb. 3, 2021, by Lee Heavlin}

Passing of an Era – Our Jerry

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jerome “Jerry” Pilarski on Friday, December 4, 2020. A Council 10910 Charter Member, Jerry has been a driving force and great motivator for the Council and Assembly. No matter what the council was promoting, Jerry was first to step forward to say, “We can […]

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jerome “Jerry” Pilarski on Friday, December 4, 2020.

A Council 10910 Charter Member, Jerry has been a driving force and great motivator for the Council and Assembly. No matter what the council was promoting, Jerry was first to step forward to say, “We can do that.” Actually, sometimes it ended up “I did that.” No job was to hard, too long, or too dirty. He exemplified the servant

Our catalog of council photos includes many, many events over the past 25 years. Jerry’s face or apron is sure to be in each file of photos.

We’ll provide a page of photos for the website, but for most of us, his face and voice are ever present as we think about the Catholic Community of St. Thomas More.

Details on a memorial service are pending. We will provide as we can obtain.

Psalm 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. A faithful Christian servant is patient to serve everyone, even when they are not ready to be served. Sometimes we need to wait for the perfect time to be a servant to a fellow brother or sister in Christ.

Memorial Mass Set for October 3rd

Brothers…please note that we have our annual Council’s Memorial Mass is scheduled for Saturday October 3 at the 5:15 pm Mass.

There’s Work To Be Done

It’s July and we have already passed the July 4th Holiday and all of the family excitement. However, our Catholic Family needs our attention. The new “council year” starts with our July 17th meeting. You are encouraged to attend,

It’s July and we have already passed the July 4th Holiday and all of the family excitement. However, our Catholic Family needs our attention.

The new “council year” starts with our July 17th meeting. You are encouraged to attend, especially if you do not attend on a regular basis. We often talk about “the ten percent.” That’s the ten percent of any group that can be counted on to make the group work. But, just imagine if we could get 25% or 50% of our members to step up and make things possible for members of our parish.

What’s needed? Well there are over 100 ministries in our parish. There are also outside services agencies (non-Catholic community groups that we support) depended upon their Catholic neighbors. This includes Porch and the IFC…among others.

Why not attend our council meeting tonight and see your friends and neighbors at work. They will be happy to see you and look forward to working with you on a parish or Knights of Columbus program or project.

Oh, I forgot… We have new officers. They are the core of our Council. Many have served before and some have served as a Grand Knight or Faithful Navigator. You might think that they would take a break. Nope. Most will keep on giving because it is what needs to be done. But, I digress. I promised a list of Council Officers. Just click on this link or select “Officers” in the banner above: https://kofc10910.org/officers/

See you tonight.

Joe Acciarito

p.s. If you are looking for information about the Knights of Columbus, you are welcome to call one of us. In fact, why not give a call to Joe Acciarito at 919-428-3620. Joe is quite active in our Council and has served in our Membership Committee. He’s one of the smiling faces that are our “greeters” at the 9:15 Sunday mass.

Bishop Burbidge Tries Hand at Bocce

Brother John Aluise, Council 10910, St. Thomas More Parish, Chapel Hill, provides instruction on the game of Bocce to Bishop Burbidge, formerly the Bishop of the Raleigh Diocese, who was attending the St. Thomas More Church’s 75th anniversary at the annual parish festival.

Bishop Burbidge Bocce Brother John Aluise, Council 10910, St. Thomas More Parish, Chapel Hill, provides instruction on the game of Bocce to Bishop Burbidge, formerly the Bishop of the Raleigh Diocese, who was attending the St. Thomas More Church’s 75^th anniversary at the annual parish festival.

Council 10910 conducts a Bocce game, including participants from the Special Olympics, to raise funds during the festival to add to its Operation LAMB Tootsie Roll campaign.

Oktoberfest Was Fun For All

How do you know when an event is a resounding success? From what you see, hear, and enjoy. There was laughter everywhere, a little singing, more laughing, joking, sharing, and lots more laughing. New friends were made, stories shared and our church family was bonding.

oktoberfest-crowd Tom Stoffel said, “Congratulations Gene and Lisa for taking this event from zero to success in a mere 45 days! And for winning the “best German attire” award. And for

Bob Patterson greeted our guests and served as cashier.

pulling it off with Gene stranded in Dallas overnight Friday night.

For those that did not attend Oktoberfest on Saturday, you missed a great event. We sold about 60 tickets in advance, so we planned for 100. We lost count at 120! In fact, we turned some people away because we ran out of food.

A special thanks goes to the Catholic Daughters and all of the knights that served food, beverages, and helped with our Oktoberfest.

Supporting the Special Olympics

John Aluise was hard at work last month chairing the Bocce Tournament and arranging for teams/players for our tournament. There were ten Special Olympics athletes participating and they were joined by Bishop Burbidge.

John Aluise coaches Bishop Burbidge

This was the same day as our annual Parish Festival on June 20th, The council also assisted with food serving following the 5:15 mass.

The council Bocce Tournament is one of the Knights of Columbus’ fund raising projects for Operation LAMB, which donates all proceeds to local agencies who serve those with intellectual disabilities.

St. Thomas More School Honors Veterans

The St. Thomas More School is having a Veterans Day event on Tuesday. Here is what is going on…

Armed Forces personnel are invited to participate in and be honored at a ceremony at the school on Veteran’s Day,Tuesday, November 11th.

Veterans, servicemen, servicewomen, active duty personnel, ROTC students, current and former National Guard personnel are invited.

Guests are asked to arrive at the school between 7:15 and 7:30 a.m. on the 11th. There will be a brief ceremony indoors followed by a flag raising ceremony outside (weather permitting), then coffee and light refreshments. It should be over by 8:30 a.m., although a few teachers may be requesting some participants to visit their classrooms.

St. Thomas More School is located on Fordham Boulevard (NC 15-501) in Chapel Hill. The school address is 920 Carmichael St, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Map

Let’s give the children our support! Wear your service identification, military cap or jacket, or anything else you may have to show you served. Maybe you will be invited to “show and tell” in a classroom. It is our opportunity to show who we are as Knights of Columbus.

Oktoberfest Fun

Our 2014 Oktoberfest was fun for all. Great music from the Little German Band and lots of dancing.

We watched German folk dancing and listened to many a tune, then it was audience participation time. Everyone seemed to enjoy the chance to get up and dance or join in a procession around the room and dance floor. Were you there?

A special thanks to the many hands that joined in to decorate, prepare the food, and serve. Have ideas to make next year’s event even better? Share your ideas and volunteer to be part of the organizational team for Oktoberfest 2015.

Pancake Breakfast Back on Target

Tom Stoffel reported that our pancake breakfast today was a great success. Lots to do, many joined in.

Tom said, “Sincere thanks to the Knights who stepped up to help us pull off a successful Pancake Breakfast today! PGK Bill Jackson, newer Knight Ed Van Duinen and Knight-in-transfer Matt Miller were there at 7 am and took it the distance today, racking up about 6 hours of heaven credits apiece! They all helped out with a number of different tasks, from kitchen to serving to mess hall to cleaning. Brother Matt also proved his prowess on the griddle, serving up some of the softest, no-knife-required pancakes we’ve had. Brother William Boyd helped with a lot of the dirty work, coming all the way from Pittsboro to keep clean plates, forks, and cups ready for use. And Brother Newton Grant cooked up a storm to cover for the big hole left by Matt Raynor’s absence.”

Tom was also very complimentary with others, too. “Much thanks as well to Lisa and Ariana Keeling, who helped with kitchen setup, cooking, and cleanup. And thank God for that, because our regular helper Peggy was missing today too.” and

“Thanks to the usual Knights, Men’s Club and CDA regulars too – Brendan, Dario, Gene K, Gene H, Gene D, David D, Charlotte, Bob, Chuck, Will, Margaret, Seth, Terry, O’Neil, and whomever I may have missed (it’s always dangerous to try to name everyone). We were missing a lot of regulars today, but a lot of people stepped up to help us pull it off.

Special thanks as well to Elizabeth Fixler, who helped us clean up and tear down the hall, and set up for a very large TYM evening session, as we often do. If you see her, please thank her. Even better, visit her religious items store in downtown Chapel Hill – 108 W Rosemary St, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 (919) 918-4090. She could use our support too.” Tom wrote.

It takes a lot of people to make a breakfast, dinner, or Oktoberfest possible. These events are “bonding” events in that new long-lasting friendships are forged. How about you? Are you ready to jump in and make our next breakfast an even better success?