GRAND KNIGHT S REPORT

Transcription

1 CARROLLIAN NEWS February 2018 GRAND KNIGHT S REPORT Happy Lent and Valentine s Day! Please mark your calendars to attend the next regular council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13th at 7 p.m. We will be having a First Degree Exemplification. A lot of activities are planned in the next month or so. Sunday, Feb. 4th, we will begin helping Special Olympics as their basketball team prepares for their season. If you have time please join us to referee, keep score or run the clock. We will meet at the old Ritchie School in South Wheeling at 2 p.m. More to follow. The February Officers meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 27th at 7 p.m., all are welcome. We will again be distributing Baby Bottles soon. Again, more to follow. 40 Cans for Lent will begin the first weekend of Lent. We will place our large blue bins in the back of our churches. All Knights are needed to make this program a success. If at any time during Lent you see food in the bins please bring the food to the council home. For every 1000# we collect we will receive $100 from Supreme, sounds like a win-win!! Thanks for all your help. If you have yet to pay your dues, please expect a phone call from a council officer. God Bless, Ray Ray Blust, Grand Knight Due to the bad weather January's meeting was canceled. FOURTH DEGREE 2018 Dues and 50/50 raffle money for seminarian support is now due. You do not have to be a 4th Degree member to get into the 50/50. If you would like a ticket please see any of the Assembly officers. We will pull Jan, Feb and March at the March meeting when all the money is in. There will be a 4th Degree Exemplification with banquet on March 20th in Beckley WV. If you would like info on this please let me know. Assembly 1185 will be hosting a shortened 4th Degree Exemplification with lunch on April 21 at St. Vincent's in Wheeling. If you are a 3rd Degree member, in good standing, and would like to become a member of the Patriotic Order of the Knights please let me know. We will need help with set up, lunch and clean up. If you can help please let me know. Next meeting will be February 20th at 7:30. Matt Koval, Faithful Navigator 1

2 MEMBERSHIP MATTERS The incredible incentive from Supreme, which will award an all-expense-paid trip to 10 couples to attend the World Meeting of Families in Dublin, Ireland, is still going on. Every time that you recruit a member through June 30th, 2018, your name will go into a drawing and on July 1st, 2018, ten names will be drawn at random. If you are a winner, you will be notified immediately so you can plan this once in a lifetime opportunity to interact with families from all over the world. The more you recruit, the greater the probability you will have to win. Another incentive that is going on is that Councils that earn the Star Council Award will receive a $4.50 credit ($3.50 per capita and $1 Catholic Advertising) for each billable member on its roster. Remember, to earn the Star Council award we have to meet our membership goal for the year. This is a great way to help our council increase its charitable outreach by keeping more money in our account that can be given to local charities. Recruiting Tip of the Month: Approach recruiting in a different way. Ask a prospective member, "Would you be interested in learning more about membership in our local Knights of Columbus council?" Remember, it s not about the numbers, but membership matters because God wants us to take care of our families and live out our faith in love. TRAINING OPPORTUNITY Brian Gordon, Membership Director The next Supreme Training Webinar, entitled Building Mission Through Your Parish, will be presented on January 3rd at 8 p.m. Don't just sit around and say, "We don't know how to build a stronger council!" Join your brother Knights from across the Order and attend the Building Mission through your Parish Webinar. To register go to and click on the For Members button in the upper right corner. Then go to the Resources tab and click on Fraternal Training Webinar. You will also find all of the Webinars on Demand section there as well. Even if you can t attend live, registering will allow you to be able to access this presentation on demand at a future date. Brian Gordon, Membership Director KNIGHTS ARE PRO-LIFE The latest official estimate puts the U.S. fertility rate at 1.84, meaning that the average American woman will have just under two children in her lifetime. This is well below the number of children necessary to keep the country s population from declining. Mark Basich, Pro-Life Director OFFICERS FOR FRATERNAL YEAR 2017/18 Grand Knight: Ray Blust Inside Guard: Patrick Baltzell Chaplain: Fr. Bill Matheny Deputy Grand Knight: Art Bertol Outside Guard: Joe Markovich District Deputy: Brian Gordon Chancellor: Matt Koval Trustee 1 Year: Bernie Grubler Recorder: Bill Buchanan Trustee 2 Year: Chuck Wagner Field Agent/ Treasurer: Ed Novotney Trustee 3 Year: Brian Gordon Fraternal Benefits: Eric Mowry Advocate: Steve Borkoski Financial Secretary: Ken Staley Warden: Pat Plunkett Newsletter Editor: Matt Mandarino 2

3 Knights of Columbus Insurance Plan for This Tax Day and Into the Future April 15 (Tax Day) is right around the corner. It s become popular this time of year to encourage the opening of an IRA or similar retirement annuity, or the depositing of additional funds into an existing account, as a tax-savings vehicle. Or perhaps someone has tried to convince you to open an account, touting the rate of interest that money in one of these accounts can earn. Let me join the chorus of folks encouraging you to open or add funds to an annuity, but for a different reason. Certainly, contributing money to a Knights of Columbus annuity can save some money on your income tax return. And, our annuities do pay a very competitive interest rate, consistent with our primary goal of absolute safety of principal. Opening or adding to an annuity for these reasons, however, strikes me as taking a short-term view of a product that is designed to provide long-term security. How much security? How does retirement income that you cannot outlive guaranteed sound to you? Here at the Knights of Columbus, you can open a retirement annuity for as little as $300. Consistent and disciplined savings placed into that annuity over time can guarantee you an income at retirement that you cannot outlive. That guarantee along with the fact that no one has ever lost money left in a Knights of Columbus annuity (remember absolute safety of principal) really will provide you with peace of mind. I am happy to meet with you at your convenience and in your home to explain the benefits of opening a Knights of Columbus annuity, along with the benefits of our top-rated life, disability income and long-term care insurance plans. I can help you with all of these, guided by our complimentary Forecaster Analysis and Social Security Maximizer programs. God Bless. 3

4 Candles at the Blessed Mother s Shrine FEBRUARY 2018 WK 4 TH CEIL & DUTCH FROHNAPFEL DEC. JIM POWELL AND RV BURKE FAM WK 11 TH JEAN AND CHUCK GRIFFITH DEC. JACK AND KATIE FAHEY WK 18 TH BETTY AND LEW NEWMAN III DEC. WK 25 TH DOT SCHMITT DEC. PLEASE CONTACT PHIL EMMERTH AT FOR CANDLES AT THE BLESSED MOTHER S SHRINE. MARK YOUR CALENDAR! - UPCOMING EVENTS Saturday, February 3, Supreme Training Webinar, 8 p.m. Sunday, February 4, Special Olympics Basketball, 2 Ritchie School Tuesday, February 13, First Degree Exemplification, 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 13, Carroll Council Regular Meeting, 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 27, Carroll Council Officers Meeting, 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 20, Fourth Degree Meeting, 7:30 p.m. The Memorare Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen. 4

5 What Is Prayer? Excerpt from Prayer: A Gift from God by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus Prayer is defined as raising one s mind and heart to God, or the petition of good things from him in accord with His will (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 534). In prayer, we turn our whole attention to God, offer him praise and, seeking only his will, ask for what we need. We are obliged to pray, but prayer is also God s gift to us. It is how we grow in our friendship with Christ, who, in the power of the Holy Spirit, leads us to the Father of mercies. In a sense, prayer is something natural. Each human being is created in God s image and, in spite of original sin, every person retains a desire for God. Yet, it is God who seeks our friendship and draws us to Himself. Prayer in the Bible The old Testament presents Abraham our father in faith as a model of prayer because he walked in God s presence, listened to Him and obeyed His will. Like Abraham, Moses frequently interceded before God on behalf of the chosen people. Moses strength as a leader, however, came from his uniquely intimate relationship with God. God called Moses from the burning bush and spoke to him in a remarkably direct manner, especially during the encounter on Mt. Sinai (cf. ex 3:1-15, 19:1-25). Because of his constant, intimate communication with God, Moses is seen as a model of contemplative prayer (Compendium, 537). Those who shepherded the people of Israel helped them see that God dwelled in their midst. Foremost among these leaders is David, the shepherd and king after God s own heart (Acts 13:22). Sacred tradition holds that David s faith was the inspiration for the Psalms, the greatest prayers in the Old Testament. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Psalms are the Word of God given to us as our own prayer. They sing of God s goodness in creating the world and His promise of redemption. They were prayed by Jesus and are at the heart of the Church s prayer (Compendium, 540). The old Testament also shows us how the prophets prayed. Like Moses, they entered deeply into prayer before the living God. Overshadowed by the spirit of the Lord, they received the Word of the Lord so that they could speak to the people on God s behalf. 5

6 It was in Jesus Christ most of all that God our Father taught us what prayer is and how to pray. Both son of God and son of Mary, Jesus lived in obedience with Mary and Joseph in their home in Nazareth. There, in his human nature, he learned from his mother how to pray. But as the eternal son of God, his prayer had an even deeper source (Compendium, 541; Jn 1:14). In the New Testament, we frequently find Jesus absorbed in prayer. He fasted and prayed for 40 days and nights before he began his public ministry (Mt 4:2) and prayed before choosing his apostles (Lk 6:12). He often withdrew from the crowds to pray and taught his disciples the importance of doing so (Mk 6:31). Jesus, who taught us to pray constantly, made his whole life a prayer to his Father in heaven (1 Thes 5:17; Compendium, 542). Lord, Teach Us to Pray Jesus prayer reached its pinnacle in his passion and death. During the agony in the garden, Jesus suffered intensely as he took upon himself the sins of the world and the anguish of a suffering humanity. In obedience to the Father s will, he laid down his life to save us. There [on the cross], he experienced for us the full weight of our sinful alienation from his father and from one another. In this moment of supreme suffering on the Cross, Jesus interceded for us, and the father heard his prayer and answered it beyond all hope by raising his son from the dead (Compendium, 543). Jesus gave us the Our Father as the perfect pattern of prayer. At the same time, he showed us the interior attitudes we should have when we pray, most especially purity of heart, openness to God s will, love even for one s enemies, and an intrepid faith and vigilance against temptation (Compendium, 544). The interior dispositions needed for prayer are beautifully summarized in the beatitudes. This leads us back to the truth that prayer is God s gift to us. Our prayer is pleasing to the Father when, in the power of the Holy Spirit, it is united to the prayer of Jesus. In this way, prayer deepens our communion with the Holy Trinity. Finally, just as Mary taught Jesus to pray, so also, she helps us pray. Before she conceived the Son of God in her womb, she prayed in complete openness to the living Word of God. Thus, she was prepared to share fully in the mission of Christ. Each day, the Church repeats Mary s beautiful prayer of thanksgiving, the Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55). Mary prayed with the Apostles at Pentecost and was present at the first eucharistic celebrations (acts 2:42). Her prayers for us and for all our needs are loving and powerful (Compendium, ). she always leads us to Jesus. 6

7 Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen. Interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith? Visit the Knights of Columbus on-line Catechism at: Nuptial Blessing Holy Father, who formed man in your image, male and female you created them, so that as husband and wife, united in body and heart, they might fulfill their calling in the world; O God, who, to reveal the great design you formed in your love, willed that the love of spouses for each other should foreshadow the covenant you graciously made with your people, so that, by fulfillment of the sacramental sign, the mystical marriage of Christ with his Church might become manifest in the union of husband and wife among your faithful. May they also sustain, O Lord, by their deeds the home they are forming and prepare their children to become members of your heavenly household by raising them in the way of the Gospel. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 7