Let Love Always Triumph!

Dear Brother Knights,

Who’s ready for Thanksgiving? I’m really enjoying the weather these days. I’m back to bike-riding on the infamous Brushy Creek Trail—please send your prayers! We’re also well into football season. Pretty crazy how the early season polls have completely changed: Penn State and Texas are down, while Indiana and Vanderbilt are up. I guess this is what happens when you can buy a team.

I hope that you and your families are doing well.

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Reflections on Faith and Public Witness

A topic that’s been on my mind lately is how more people seem to be praying and displaying their faith publicly. Last month, I wrote about the passing of Charlie Kirk. What brought it up again was seeing his widow, Erika Kirk, speak last night at a Turning Point USA conference.

Fox News even stopped its regular programming to air her full speech and a following Q&A by JD Vance. The takeaway was clear—this prayer-based conference mattered enough to preempt normal broadcasts. Erika spoke about her husband’s mission to reach youth and share the message of faith.

Another powerful moment occurred at a Detroit Lions / Atlanta Falcons pre-season game. Morice Norris, a defensive back, suffered a severe head and neck injury after a hard impact. Players from both teams stopped the game, formed a prayer circle, and refused to play another down until their teammate received care.

Hours later, the Lions announced that Morice was in stable condition with feeling in his extremities. One teammate said, “All glory to God.” Norris confirmed on Instagram that he was “all good,” sharing the verse 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Just amazing. Public acts of faith like these seem more visible than ever. I don’t recall seeing this kind of openness over the past few decades. I pray it continues and grows. My hope is that, if I ever face such a moment, I too can stand up proudly for what I believe.

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October Highlights

First Friday Adoration (Oct. 4)
We had another strong turnout with 13 brother Knights coming together to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. Let’s keep it up.

Burgers & Bourbon with Fr. Enrique (Oct. 5)
Several brother Knights prepared a meal that included burgers and bourbon. The gathering, hosted by Fr. Enrique at the rectory, was a prize from the Casino Night live auction.

Fall Food Drive (Oct. 2025)
Our Chisholm Trail Council helped St. Vincent de Paul by sorting donated food on Tuesday afternoons. We exceeded our goal of 10,000 pounds—an outstanding effort!

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Vivat Jesus!
Rick Mara
Grand Knight – Chisholm Trail Council #9368
Saint William Catholic Church, Round Rock, TX
(512) 626-3899 | rickkc9368@gmail.com

Brother Knights,
I hope everyone is doing well. It appears that we have jumped straight from Summer to Winter! Maybe Fall will sneak its head in this month. I’ve been really busy with replacing both cars and getting a new roof as a result of the September hailstorm. Rebecca & I are both enjoying our new vehicles. I was lucky enough to have spent some relaxing time out at a lake house this past month. I don’t remember the last time I did it, however, it was really cool watching the eclipse. We had a perfect day and a good time socializing. Last week I had an enjoyable time watching the RR Dragons and the Texas Longhorns win their football games. Last week I attended a fundraising banquet in support of Central Texas Fellowship of Catholic Men (CTFCM). The keynote speaker, David Bereit, was really good. Among other activities, David is a mentor for young ministry leaders and is the founder and former CEO of 40 Days for Life. He told his story of how he waited for ever to convert to Catholicism, down to Holy Saturday before he took his vows. He was a dynamic speaker on the topic of pro-life. You could feel his energy. He was doing what we are all called to do: Evangelize. Brothers, I suggest that all of us find the virtue that we are passionate about and pursue it. Put your trust in Jesus and he will give you the words needed.

Thank you to those that have supported the Food Drive on Monday afternoons. We have processed just shy of 8K lbs of food. Also, thank you to those that have been attending the 1st Friday Adoration, followed by the fellowship. We our entering our end of year activities. Please step up when called for the following:

75th Anniversary Mass – Sat. Nov. 18th
The Church has asked for Knights to support Ushering.

Annie’s Way – Wed. Nov. 22nd
Come out for the fellowship with your brother knights as we prepare food for Annie’s Way and enjoy some beverages and grilled food.

Breakfast w/St. Nick – Sat. Dec. 2nd
Come join us at the Parish Hall as we cook pancakes and sausages and serve breakfast to the parish community.

Christmas Party – Wed. Dec. 20th
Join us we celebrate Christmas with our brother Knights.

Thanks and God Bless,
Rick Mara, Grand Knight Council 9368
Saint William Catholic Church, Round Rock Tx
512-626-3899
rickkc9368@gmail.com
kofc9368.org

Brother Knights,
Welcome to October, my favorite month of the year temperature wise. We finally got a break from the 100-degree days.
College football is in full swing. With Michigan and Texas being undefeated, there is a chance that they could meet in the college football playoffs, which would be awesome!
My daughter was in town last week. We had a wonderful week catching up with her. She is a very busy person, trying to get her break in the LA dance business. The week ended with us taking her to a RR football game. I’m not sure if she missed us or the cats more!
The hailstorm brought lots of destruction. Both of our cars have been totaled and we’ll need a new roof on our house. I’m thinking that I’ve gathered enough material for a country song. It would go something like this: Both of my cars were trashed by the hailstorm. I need a new roof to stop the leaks. Etc., etc. I pray that everyone recovers their possessions and offers any suffering to God.
Well, we pulled off another wonderful Casino Night. Thank you to everyone that worked on this event. It is truly awesome seeing this huge event come together after several months of planning. It was a bit more stressful than usual, especially with making the tough decision to postpone the event. As it was the past few years, I most enjoy going around the room and meeting and talking to people. We don’t have the final numbers, but it should have
Knights of Columbus Chisholm Trail Council #9368 Round Rock Texas
Saint William Catholic Church October 2023

been a successful night. Next year I would like to have things organized much earlier. It will take support from the whole council.
To report on some recent activities, several Brother Knights helped serve at the Blue Mass this past Friday at 6:30am. It was wonderful to mingle with the first responders.
The Food Drive continues moving forward on Mondays from 4-6pm. We have had great collaboration with the SVDP folks, and the work is completed quickly.

Thanks and God Bless,
Rick Mara, Grand Knight Council 9368
Saint William Catholic Church, Round Rock Tx 512-626-3899
rickkc9368@gmail.com
kofc9368.org

Brother Knights,
Well, we have entered the month of September and there is no end in sight to this unbelievable heat wave. I cannot remember a summer like this in the 30 years that Rebecca & I have lived in Texas. I’m looking forward to those cooler days so that I can spend more time outside and get my yard in shape.
We have entered my favorite time of year. We attended a Round Rock football game, which was great, even though the score didn’t work out. College football has arrived like gangbusters! The Wolverines & Longhorns looked very good in their wins. TCU doesn’t know what hit them, which brings me to the point that I wanted to make.
Colorado rolled into Fort Worth and overcame tremendous obstacles by upsetting the no. 17 Horned Frogs. What makes it really surprising is that the coach overhauled the entire Colorado roster and removed 80% of the existing team. The 1st year coach of Colorado, Deion Sanders, a.k.a. Coach “Prime”, pulled off the impossible. Nobody gave Colorado a chance as they were 21-point underdogs. But what really caught me was his post-game interview. It was all God-focused. In the midst of all the craziness that just occurred, Deion made statements that included, “God is Good”, “Thank you Jesus” and “God Bless America”. Almost every response included either praise or thanks to our Creator and his Son. This was a great reminder and example to us all. We are told to thank God & Jesus all day long for everything that we receive, both the good things and the personal sacrifices. My hope is that all Brother Knights follow the example of Coach “Prime”.
Knights of Columbus Chisholm Trail Council #9368 Round Rock Texas
Saint William Catholic Church September 2023

Next up, Casino Night. The event takes place Sept. 23rd. My request is for all Brother Knights to step up and participate one way or another. If you choose not to volunteer for the event, please buy tickets and attend. Bring your friends. Bring your family. Bring your employees. We need most volunteers to work the games, no experience required (except for Hold’em. I hear Hold‘em players are very demanding). If you can count to 22, you can deal Blackjack. We can use help with setting up and decorating the room on Friday the 22nd. On Saturday the 23rd, we need help at check-in, meal service, bartending, cashiers, and gaming. If we all participate, we can make this the most successful Casino fundraiser ever.
To report on some recent activities, 13 Brother Knights convened at 4am this past Saturday morning to participate in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Afterwards we enjoyed breakfast and fellowship at Taco-Donut.
I am looking for a volunteer to lead the “Silver Rose” procession. This was presented by Blake Krass at last month’s meeting. Please see me if interested.

Thanks and God Bless,
Rick Mara, Grand Knight Council 9368
Saint William Catholic Church, Round Rock Tx 512-626-3899
rickkc9368@gmail.com
kofc9368.org