Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Trieste Lodge,
Firstly, I would like to wish all members a Happy New Year and wish everyone a very healthy and happy 2019. I also hope that everyone’s Christmas was enjoyable and filled with fun, laughter and of course plenty of good food.
We had a very entertaining and busy Christmas season within the Order starting off with a sold-out Sons of Italy Choir Christmas Dinner and Concert. I would like to congratulate Brother Angelo Venditti for the choir’s continued success, and I would like to also congratulate the choir for their active work in our community, performing at many events throughout November and December. I received a letter from brother Bob Savelli that the choir will continue with its financial support of the St Patrick’s School music program, and I will put forward a motion in January’s meeting to match the donation dollar for dollar from the Trieste Lodge general fund. I am hoping for everyone’s support.
On Sunday December 9th Santa Claus visited our lodge to hand out Christmas gifts and spread cheer to approximately 60 children along with their parents and grandparents. It was a fun filled day and I wish to congratulate Lori Balogh and her committee for their work on the event. Also, a special mention to Brother Loris Pilot for his culinary skills that day.
To cap off the Christmas season we had our member’s Christmas dinner with over 200 members and guest in attendance, as well as a dinner dance on December 14th with many of our bowling team members in attendance. A special thank you to Joe Mongiardi and the staff for preparing and serving 2 delicious meals!
The Order Sons of Italy Canada will be holding our annual convention at the end of May. This year’s host is our brothers and sisters in Kelowna, BC. The Trieste Lodge is entitled to send 5 delegates plus the lodge president to the convention. We will be requesting nominations for delegates at the January meeting, with a formal vote if more than 5 delegates are nominated.
A couple of other upcoming events are worth mention: On Friday February 1st we are holding our annual Briscola tournament. This event is one of our oldest traditions that I think is very important to support. I am calling on all members to attend, even if just for the dinner. Tickets are $20 for dinner, and $5/person in the 2-person team entry into the tournament. Please contact or see Brother Frank Merolli for information and tickets. Also, in the spirit of February being the month to celebrate time with Family (Family Day being a provincial holiday), we at the lodge will follow suit by having our February meeting become Family Night. We encourage all members to invite a member of their family to join us at the meeting (child, grandchild, parent, uncle, aunt, cousin, etc.) Cost is $20 per guest, with children under 18 free.
Please note the change of date of January’s meeting. We will be meeting on the 3rd Tuesday, which is January 15th. Hoping the weather cooperates and we see many of you there!
Fraternally yours,
Lewis Merolli
President, Trieste Lodge #4
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