January marks the 4th anniversary of the Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary. When the Ladies Auxiliary first came to be in 2020, there were only 4 members, but by the end of the year, there were 15 members. The Ladies Auxiliary now stands at 28 members.
When the Ladies Auxiliary first began, their mission was to support the Knights of Columbus. While they still assist the Knights in their endeavors such as the breakfasts, Fish Fry’s, and yard sales, the Ladies also have several endeavors of their own.
Every year the Ladies have given gifts to mothers and fathers on Mother’s Day and/or Father’s Day. They have given Valentine’s Day cards to local nursing homes for the residents and in 2023 they also sent Thank You cards to the veterans at the Vet ‘s home.
The Ladies have held baby showers for both the Alpha Family Center in Cedar Springs and for the Layette Ministry, plus they donate their own money monthly for the Knights Baby Bottle Drive. At Christmas the Ladies have adopted families to give gifts to as well.
The Ladies have also assisted in the Pumpkin Giveaways in Cedar Springs, the Egg Hunts in Cedar Springs, and the Best Prom Ever in Sparta. They are also the ones who began praying the Rosary before the Masses.
One of the Ladies’ biggest endeavors is helping those in the Heartside Community. The Ladies have brought meals, hot chocolate, and clothing to those living in the Heartside Community. The Ladies have also distributed Blessing Bags that they have assembled, which are bags filled with items such as socks, hand warmers, hand sanitizer, and snacks to individuals in need.
The Ladies Auxiliary is open to all Catholic females ages 18 and older. You do not have to have a Knight in the family to join. The Ladies meet on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 7:00pm in the Elizabeth Seton Room. All are welcome to attend a meeting and see what the Ladies Auxiliary is about.

The Respect Life Ministry is featured in January because of the Roe v Wade Decision of January 22, 1973. Abortion thru 9 months of a pregnancy has been legal in the United States now for 51 years. Although Roe v Wade was struck down this past year, individual states still have the right to allow or not allow abortion according to their own standards.
The result is that all people, regardless of race or religion, have the right to demand a Human Right Amendment to give status to the pre-born human child. It is something we need to continue to pray for, work for, and become vigilant about.
Our Lady of Consolation Respect Life is involved in many prolife resources to protect life. We first and foremost use resources from the USCCB, (United States Council of Catholic Bishops), Right to Life of Michigan, and Grand Rapids Right to Life. The USCCB gives the Catholic view on prolife issues, while Grand Rapids Right to Life provides educational resources, and Right to Life of Michi-gan provides legislative resources.
OLC is also a part of North Kent Right to Life, an affiliate that encompasses Kent County north of, and including Rockford. NKRTL ser-vices the cities of Rockford, Cedar Springs, Sand Lake, Kent City, Grattan, and Sparta. Each affiliate of Right to Life has a Focus on Life Dinner at some time during the year, and North Kent Right to Life has many parishioners that attend the affiliate dinner in the Fall.
We also partner with North Kent Connect to provide infant layettes to mothers of poverty level who need a startup for their new baby, and we have been doing this for about 4 years now. All items are provided by parishioners,
especially the Friday Women’s Bible Study, and others who like to buy baby essentials or make something special.
This past year Respect Life has furnished hundreds of baby items to North Kent Connect thru the Layette Ministry. We prayed down at the abortion facility thru 40 Days for Life, which is sponsored by Grand Rapids Right to Life. The Heritage Clinic, which was privately owned, is now closed due to the death of the abortionist. So praying has continued at Planned Parenthood. We also started honoring our local seniors by starting to play bingo with them, first at St. Ann’s Home, and now at Bishop Hills on a weekly basis.
We as Catholic Christians value human life from conception thru natural death, and we live what we believe in and believe in what we live. We hope all Christians, Catholic and Protestant alike, join in the fight to protect life in all its stages. That is what we do, and will do until Christ comes again.

Susan Misner-Palazzolo
Respect Life Coordinator
President, North Kent RTL