Communion
December 2024
Monthly periodical of Fr. Ernie Deslippe Council 1467 (est. 1935)
GRAND KNIGHT’S MESSAGE
- December
- 2024
Every Who Down in Whoville Liked Christmas a lot … / But the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, Did NOT! / The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! / Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason. / It could be his head wasn’t screwed on just right. / It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. / But I think that the most likely reason of all, / May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
Every year at about this time (after ‘Black Friday’ & pre-Advent) I recall those opening lines to Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas and am haunted by the thought: Am I a Grinch? Truth be told: Maybe. Any why? Well, probably because I find myself increasingly distracted from the reason for the season by the effects of the hyper-commercialization that we’re subjected to each year and that kicks off with incessant Black Friday ‘sales’ adverts.
Honestly, it’s as if the stress of juggling family members’ schedules and commitments to other families to arrange ‘Christmas dinner’, which may occur once or several times over the last week or so of December, wasn’t enough to deflate the joy we should be experiencing. We’re mindful too that the Christmas season can be an especially sad time for those ‘survivors’ of families broken by irreconcilable disputes or alone and isolated as friends, family and extended relatives have already passed away. Please pray for them (better yet, call or visit). I am indeed blessed that I can give thanks each year as I anticipate Midnight Mass and getting my annual fix of Bro.
Jerry Collins’ O, Holy Night … which re-inflates my heart and allows me to enjoy and appreciate the reactions of my loved ones upon opening their gifts (regardless of how soon they may appear as a Marketplace listing). The early morning silence following mass also allows me to reflect on the best gift you and I ever got: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Amen to that. I will try and pay that gift forward, so to speak, by reaching out to a few brothers and to others I know may need to hear a fraternal voice that assures them that someone else remembers the reason for the season. If the phone is busy when I call, I pray that it might be you on the line to them instead. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Fraternally,
Harald Schraeder, GK, PGK
Father Ernie Deslippe (1929 – 2011) served as Council chaplain for over 46 years. He was born in Harrow Ontario on March 20, 1929 and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop John C. Cody on May 27, 1961 at St. Peter’s Basilica, London Ontario. He celebrated his first Mass at St. Anthony of Padua parish in Harrow. Through his 50 years of ordained ministry, he served as associate pastor, Holy Angels’ Parish, St. Thomas; and Administrator, St. Joseph Mission, Port Stanley. He was an inspiring priest, a leader with fortitude. Throughout his life he was a comforting power for disadvantaged people helping them to find a clear path to follow. He was a dedicated member of the Knights of Columbus who stressed that prayer is a vital tool. It helps to become confident, to see things in proper perspective, to give us vision, courage, strength and endurance, and to erode our impure motives.
He said holiness is not something we do for ourselves and instead something that God does in us. He invited us to open our hands to allow what we have to be shared, to flow out of us and we watch it multiplied. He understood that giving, not getting, is the generosity begets generosity. He pointed out that paying attention is one of the greatest compliments we can pay to another human being. Father Deslippe exemplified the mission of the Church to guide its followers to a fulfilling life. He was a great spiritual leader dedicated to prayer and always striving for virtue. Fr. Ernie was a strong advocate of learning and so Council awards a $1000 scholarship in his name each year to a student that demonstrates the values and principles of the Gospel and is pursuing post-secondary education.
The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a fraternal benefit society that was established in 1882 thanks to the efforts of Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney, assistant pastor of St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut. The K of C has grown from several members in one council to more than 14,000 councils and approaching 2 million members world-wide. The Order holds true to its founding principles of Charity, Unity and Fraternity.