Greetings Brothers! Spring has sprung and if you live anywhere in the Midwest, I am sure that your sinuses have let you know. I am anxiously awaiting the Kentucky Derby in My Old Kentucky Home on the first Saturday of May. This is always an exciting time and is considered the fastest two minutes in all of sports.

                The reason I bring this up is that our Irish ancestors built the horse racing industry here in the U.S. and continue to lead the way in breeding, training and management of these beautiful horses. I like to think that we continue celebrating our Catholic and Irish heritage from all the festivities of March and St. Patrick’s Day all the way to May with the Derby, Preakness and Belmont especially knowing that there is an Irish connection at every turn.

                When we think of spring, we often see the blooming of flowers on the trees and bushes and the beauty and renewal that it brings. This year I was able to be in our capital on the peak bloom day for the famed cherry trees at the Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial. It was absolutely amazing to see and experience. Pictures do not do it justice. But what I got from this experience is thinking how trees grow from the branches and not at the trunk. How they reach for the sun and bring life to the rest of the tree. This is very much like our Order – we grow at the Division level, our branches. Your state and national boards are here to help guide these branches to grow straight, true and strong. It is Brothers like you at the Division level that make the whole tree strong. Our Catholic faith and Irish roots keep us planted and able to survive the strong winds and storms that we go through occasionally. We have put a lot of effort with our recent push to go through open membership applications and new recruitment using social media and I ask you to help spread the word about our Order and all the great things that we do.

                One of the great things I do within my area is to hold a Midwest States Town Hall where we go over information of the day and then host a guest to speak. We have had the honor of having our National President Sean Pender as our first guest and that was a great meeting. You Brothers really had great questions and it was good to see the open and honest dialogue between all of us. We had Chad Ghastin talk about social media and how to use it, and I think we can see the results. Our latest guest was National Director and Organizer Ryan Curry who gave us a wonderful presentation on what organizing really means and the best practices doing it. I have some other fabulous guests lined up to talk with us. These meetings are Midwest centric but if you wish to see what we are doing and want to participate please reach out to me and I will share the link. I look forward to seeing you all online and hopefully at your state conventions.

You should have received the annual Charity Appeal in the mail. This year we went back to the mailing return labels since we have been asked for several years about this. I encourage you to participate in this appeal as it is the only major source of revenue for Hibernian Charity. Your gift to Hibernian Charity supports the St. Patrick Centre Ambassador Program, Hibernian Hunger, St. Patrick Seminary Maynooth, Irish Way & Study Abroad, Disaster Relief and Project St. Patrick. Last year we had less than 5 per cent of our Brothers give to this appeal — we need to do better. I know that times are tough but think about that extra cup of coffee and how just that amount might help a Brother’s family. I have included a QR code for you to scan if you cannot find your letter.

A major emphasis for the National Board is responding to the numerous on-line applications for potential Brothers and creating a national marketing campaign for new members. We are working in conjunction with State Boards to get the message out that we are Catholic and Irish either by birth or decent and that being a Hibernian is one of the best things that a Catholic man can do. Going hand-in-hand with this is working with State, County and Division leaders on leadership and honing these skills to make us a more proactive and engaging organization. Leadership isn’t always about how many hours you put in but involves the strategic planning of your local Division’s business, events and actively engaging with your Brothers. 

I hold monthly on-line meetings with the leaders of the states that I am responsible for, and this is a great opportunity to hear great ideas and pass down information. Communication is the key for any organization, and I know that we have lots of room for improvement but I want you to know that we are taking an active role in reaching out. But this is a two-way street, and we want you to have a say and to contact your National Director with any questions and concerns you may have. I look forward to meeting you in my travels and pray that this year is beautiful and blessed.