Patuxent Council No. 2203 is pleased to recognize the Doscher family Brother Chris, Laura, and their children Catherine, Audrey, & Luke – as its Family of the Month for July 2019. During July, Laura served as the Director of the very successful parish Vacation Bible Camp, while Catherine volunteered as a helper. The Doschers are active in numerous parish ministries. Chris coaches CYO soccer and basketball for pre-K, kindergarten, & primary school age children. Laura serves in the Parish Religious Education Program as a leader of the Children’s Liturgy of the Word. Catherine & Audrey sing in the parish Children’s Choir, which rehearses weekly & ministers at Mass every Sunday during the school year, and also serve as cantors & psalmists. Laura is a long-time leader in the parish American Heritage Girls (AHG) Troop #1208; Catherine & Audrey are active members of the troop. Finally, Laura & their children clean the church every six weeks with the parish Sanctuary Society. Patuxent Council & Saint Mary of the Mills Parish are grateful for the Doscher family’s dedication & service to our parish & the greater Laurel community.

Patuxent Council recognizes Brother Chris Erdle as Knight of the Month for May 2019. Chris continues to increase his valued service as a faithful Knight and has been a Knight for 21 years. Recently, Chris volunteered as a server for the first annual St. Mary’s Bull Roast, an important fund raiser for Catholic education at St. Mary of the Mills School. Chris also participated with the Council in the Laurel Main Street Parade, helping to increase our Council’s visibility in the community at large. Thank you, Chris, for your hard work and dedication to the parish, community, and the Knights of Columbus.

Patuxent Council No. 2203 recognizes Brother Jim Penrose, Lady Suma Penrose, and children as its Family of the Month for May 2019. The Penroses are regular participants at our Council’s monthly SHARE food distribution, as well as at UMD Concessions fundraising events. Jim is the chairman of the Parish’s Haitian Twinning Committee, which organizes fundraisers for St. Mary of the Mills’ sister parish in Haiti. We thank Jim for all his efforts in this capacity, in particular his many hours leading the efforts for the 2019 Parish Block Party. Patuxent Council and St. Mary of the Mills are thankful for the Penroses’ dedication and commitment to their community.

Patuxent Council #2203 honors Brother Richard Morel as Knight of the Month for April 2019. For the third year in a row, Richard has led our highly successful Lenten Fish Fry Fridays. Not only did Richard apply his tremendous talents as an accomplished chef to every meal, he also procured the food and supplies necessary to make them successful. He accomplished this while working two jobs, finding time to direct, lead, prepare, and serve the meals, a very demanding job. This year’s Fish Fries netted about $1,500 for Patuxent Council’s charitable endeavors, including support of St. Mary’s and of a fledging Catholic community in Tanzania. Our sincere thanks, Rich, for your leadership and service!

Patuxent Council No. 2203 recognizes Anna and Reinhard Borchardt as its Family of the Month for April 2019. Reinhard and Anna are incredibly active volunteers within our parish community, working to support both St. Mary of the Mills Church and School. Anna currently serves as President of the St. Mary’s Home and School Association, and both Anna and Reinhard recently volunteered many hours to ensure the success of the inaugural St. Mary’s Bull Roast. Thank you, Anna and Reinhard, for your devotion and service to our parish community.

Patuxent Council recognizes Brother Brian Switalski as our Knight of the Month for March 2019. Brian has been a Knight for nearly 24 years and does a lot of work behind the scenes supporting the parish as building manager for the Keesler Center. He also serves as Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 1250, and volunteers for UMD Concessions to support both Patuxent Council and the Scouts. Brian just recently moved two new desks, new chairs, and a conference table into our Keesler Center office for Council use, which was very much appreciated. Thank you, Brian, for your hard work and dedication to God, parish, community, and the Knights

Knights of Columbus Patuxent Council No. 2203 honors Brother Knights Rick and Adam Novak as Family of the Month for March 2019. Rick and Adam participated in several Council events this month, including the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, our monthly SHARE food distribution, and all four Fish Fry Fridays held during the month of March. Rick and Adam also recently conducted the Council’s annual Basketball Free Throw Championship for more than 40 youth on St. Mary’s CYO basketball teams. Thank you, Rick and Adam, for your devotion and service to the Church, the Knights, and our community.

Patuxent Council #2203 honors Andrew and Hayley Browne and family as Family of the Month for February 2019. The Brownes joined St. Mary of the Mills parish this past spring. Recently, the Brownes held a financial assistance seminar in their home and about five parish families joined them. The seminar helps families improve their financial situation through a faith-filled perspective. They reaffirm that all blessings come from God, that they have an obligation to tithe and that they can take several steps to come to financial peace (paying off debt, setting aside emergency savings, saving for college tuition, retirement, etc.) Thank you, Andrew and Hayley, for becoming involved in your parish and using your talents to provide financial guidance to those in need.

Patuxent Council #2203 recognizes Brother Richard McLaughlin as Knight of the Month for January 2019. Brother Rich has served the local community since 1985 as a member of the LVRS and Laurel Police Dept. Brother Rich was the Laurel Chief of Police from 2010 to his retirement on 31 Jan. Rich dedicated 33 years of his life to serving the citizens of Laurel, serving in almost every major unit within the department. His fundamental approach was to do something because it was “the right thing to do.” Brother Rich, led by his Catholic faith and the support of a faith based family, approached his career in the same manner, do the right thing. As Chief, Rich oversaw police involvement in activities such as Special Olympics, Coats for Kids, Back to School Summer Camp, and Winter Kids Camps, just to name a few. Thank you, Richard, for being a dedicated Knight and a positive force for good in the community.

Patuxent Council #2203 recognizes Mark and Lady Susan Alvarez as Family of the Month for January 2019. Brother Marc has always served for the common good, serving in the U.S. Navy and retiring with the rank of Commander. Lady Susan has supported Marc throughout his life and in his Knights activities. Marc is a PGK, PFN, and is the current Treasurer of council, a position he has held for years. Lady Susan is at Marc’s side, attending Masses, prayer services, and other functions. Marc has also been our chief chef at the annual Installation of Officers, as well as the Winterhaven dinners. Other community activities include time spent at Elizabeth House serving meals. The Alvarezes are the epitome of what it means to serve. Thank you, Marc and Susan. The Church and community would be less served without your dedication and commitment.

Patuxent Council No. 2203 honors Brother Dominic Prunesti Brother Dominic Prunesti as Knight of the Month for December 2018. Dominic has been a Knight for over 26 years and has worked very hard to support our Council’s major fundraising effort, University of Maryland concessions. In the past year, Dominic has worked more than eight games. Dominic is also very devoted to caring for his family, including taking his father-in-law to church and back on Sundays. Thank you, Dominic, for being a dedicated and effective Knight. Both the Council and the charities our concession earnings support are very appreciative of your service.

Patuxent Council No. 2203 honors Dick Stevick, Lady Doris, Brother Ben, and the entire Stevick family as Family of the Month for December 2018. All have and continue to serve both our country and the Church. Dick, Doris, and Ben are among the hardest workers supporting the Council’s University of Maryland concessions program, working at least 14 games over the past year, a true commitment to this major fundraiser in support of the Council and its community partners. Outside of the Knights, Dick and Ben are very active with the Boy Scouts and Special Olympics, and Doris helps lead the American Heritage Girls. Dick and Doris obtain and set the beautiful Christmas altar flowers. Ben is a regular altar server, while Dick plays the piano and Doris cantors at Mass. Thank you Stevicks, the Church and community would be less served without your dedication and commitment.