"It is better to be a child of God than king of the whole world!" St. Aloysius Gonzaga

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1 FATHER EDWARD FOX COUNCIL 6747 & FATHER JAMES BURGE ASSEMBLY 2707 NEWS Fraternal Year, Issue 8 February 2018 Faithful Navigators Message My Brother Sir Knights, Beginning on Ash Wednesday and concluding on Holy Saturday, Lent is a time when we prepare for the coming of Easter through prayer, penance, almsgiving, self-denial, and repentance of our sins. This is a time of selfexamination and reflection. In anticipation of the Resurrection, utilize the 40 days of Lent as an opportunity to intentionally grow in your faith. At our February 28, 2018 meeting, our Assembly will be participating in our annual Ceremonial for Renewal of Obligations. All Assembly Officers are expected to attend, and all members are invited. The appropriate attire for all Sir Knights is a dark suit with white shirt and neck tie, social baldric with the PG-113 pin of the 4th Degree. The Ceremonial will be under the direction of our new Associate District Marshall, Sir Knight Kevin Parry. A lite meal will be provided at 6:30 pm by our Faithful Navigator Claude Steele. As a reminder, for all Color Corps events, the new Uniform with service baldric, sword, and white gloves, is the preferred dress. Service Regalia may be worn until June 30, For other events, officers and members may wear the Uniform without service baldric and sword. When wearing the Uniform without service baldric and sword, the social baldric is NOT worn. For social events, the correct dress is a dark suit with white shirt and neck tie, with social baldric. The PG-113 pin of the 4th Degree is the only pin authorized for wear. Although wear of service regalia has been extended to June 30, 2019, use of the social regalia with formal tuxedo has not. Members should no longer be wearing the tuxedo with bow tie and social baldric to official events.. "It is better to be a child of God than king of the whole world!" St. Aloysius Gonzaga In This Issue Faithful Navigators Message Bishop Knestout Save the Date Prayer for our Nation I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalms 16:8 Claude Steele, Ed. S To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man. William Shakespeare Patriotism! Lent 2018: Raise Up. Sacrifice. Offer. St. Josephine Bakhita Photos Father McGivney Guild Prayer Intentions Knights Helping Knights SK Edward Pivirotto, Sr. State Quarterly Meeting

2 Father James Burge Assembly Officers Navigator SK Claude Steele Friar SK Rev. Fr. Charles Ssebalamu Comptroller SK Adam Cassol Captain Admiral Purser Pilot Rodriguez Scribe SK Nelson Carey SK Clarence Rose SK Donald Melia SK Humberto SK Arnold Bohanan Inner Sentinel SK Frank Gwazdauskas Outer Sentinel SK Mark Hawley 1 Year Trustee SK Arnold Bohannan 2 Year Trustee SK Frank Gwazdauskas 3 Year Trustee SK Nelson Carey Commander SK Donald Melia

3 Father Fox Council Officers Chaplain: Fr. Anthony Senyah Grand Knight: SK William Murray Deputy Grand Knight: John Mukuni Chancellor: Joseph Mukuni Recorder: Samuel Swindell Treasurer: Save the Date February 7, 2018 February 10, 2018 February 14, 2018 February 28, 2018 March 3, 2018 March 10, 2018 March 14, 2018 March 18, 2018 March 28, 2018 Rosary and Council Business Meeting 7:00 pm 40 cans or $40 for Lent St. Mary s begin Ash Wednesday Assembly Renewal of Obligations 6:30 pm March State Quarterly Meeting (Richmond) Fourth Degree Biennial Meeting (Woodbridge) SNJA Casino Knight (VT German Club) Rosary and Council Business Meeting 7:00 pm Appointment of Nominating Committee 40 cans or $40 for Lent ends St. Patrick s Day/Priest Appreciation Day Dinner Assembly Business Meeting 6:30 pm SK Claude Steele Financial Secretary: SK Nelson Carey Advocate: Clay Woody Warden: Emigdio Penaloza Inside Guard: Appointment of Nominating Committee March 29, 2018 Founders Day March 30, 2018 Good Friday Knights of Columbus 2018 Virginia Annual Meeting May 4-May 6 Sheraton Roanoke Hotel & Conference Center 2801 Hershberger Road, N.W. Roanoke, Virginia SK Peter Gwazdauskas Outside Guard: SK Humberto Rodriguez Trustee 3rd Year: SK Frank Gwazdauskas Trustee 2nd Year: Timothy Leake Trustee 1st Year: SK Tommy Susano Prayer For Our Nation (U.S.A.) God our Father, Giver of life, we entrust the United States of America to Your loving care. You are the rock on which this nation was founded. You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Reclaim this land for Your glory and dwell among Your people. Send Your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation s leaders. Open their minds to the great worth of human life and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Remind Your people that true happiness is rooted in seeking and doing Your will. Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, Patroness of our land, grant us the courage to reject the "culture of death." Lead us into a new millennium of life. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen

4 St. Josephine Bakhita A Model of Faith By Christopher Heffron Her kidnappers gave her the name Bakhita, meaning fortunate. Her life in captivity wasn t quite so. Born in Darfur in 1869, Josephine Bakhita was taken by Arab slave traders when she was 9. Forced to walk 600 miles to southern Sudan, she was bought and sold before arriving in El Obeid. But of all the indignities Josephine faced as a slave far too many to mention here one in particular stands out. Through a combination of branding and tattooing, Josephine suffered the traditional Sudanese practice where a pattern was cut into her skin with a razor. To ensure scarification, salt was poured into the open wounds. When it was finished, 140 intricate patterns were carved into her breast, torso, and arm. She also faced countless beatings and lashings from a revolving door of owners as well as a forced conversion to Islam. Left by her owner in the custody of the Daughters of Charity in Venice in 1888, Josephine finally found refuge. Baptized in 1890, she took her final vows in 1896, and spent the rest of her life in Vicenza as a doorkeeper and cook. She died in Beatified in 1992, she was canonized by Pope John Paul II eight years later. Lessons from St. Josephine Josephine did not live to see the second half of the 20th century, but many of the social ills she endured outlived her. In a month where we recognize and celebrate not only African Americans in our country, but the feast day of St. Josephine, we as Catholics can learn quite a bit from the Sudanese saint. Forgiveness. Josephine endured unimaginable hardships in her life, but she showed mercy. If I were to meet the slave traders who kidnapped me and even those who tortured me, she once said, I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that did not happen, I would not be a Christian and religious today.

5 The Lord has loved me so much. We must love everyone. In the face of inhuman trials, she only saw the face of Christ. Identity. Josephine s abduction was so singularly traumatic, she later recounted, that she forgot her birthname. Saddled with the ironic Bakhita, she nonetheless grew into her new moniker, and found spiritual fortune in her true identity as a child of God. Diversity. According to a 2017 study by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, there are 3 million black Catholics in the United States. By 2050, the African American population is expected to double and parishes across the country will surely reflect that diversity. Josephine, a model for Catholics of any color, proved that diverse faith communities are the strongest. Freedom. In 2016, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children found that one in six endangered run-aways has likely been trafficked. Globally, the statistics are worse. The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 4.5 million exploited sexually and those numbers are rising. Taken from her family and trafficked, Josephine found physical freedom in an Italian convent and spiritual freedom in God. Today, she is considered a kindred spirit to those who are trafficked worldwide. Learn more about the Church s ongoing anti-trafficking efforts at usccb.org. Faith. In her years as a doorkeeper, Josephine exuded unshakable grace. The people of Vicenza warmed to her quickly, calling her black mother. Though she carried the physical and psychological scarring of her years as a Sudanese slave, she never lost her faith. O Lord, she once said, if I could fly to my people and tell them of your goodness at the top of my voice, oh how many souls would be won! After she died, it was written that her mind was always fixed on God, while her heart was still in Africa. Josephine showed what can be overcome when we hold to our faith. Only One Master During Josephine s years as doorkeeper, Italians were taken by her cheerful demeanor. But the horrors of slavery troubled her the rest of her life. Her final years were marred by sickness. In a fevered state, she once pleaded with a nurse to loosen the chains that bound her wrists. But she never lost her belief in God. When visitors asked how she was feeling, Josephine s token response to them was, As the Master desires. That total abandonment to God would be Josephine s legacy and it is one we can work toward as 21stcentury Catholics. In this season of Lent, in this month of recognizing our African American brothers and sisters, these words from Pope John Paul II, who beatified her, ring true: God used [Josephine] to teach us all the meaning of Jesus words: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. (Courtesy: St. Anthony Messenger: January 22, 2018) The Best thing for us is not what we consider best, but what the Lord wants of us! St. Josephine Bakhita Feast Day February 8

6 Pictured: Honor Guard for Sir Knight Edward Pivirotto St. Jude Catholic Church Radford, Virginia January 20, 2018 Pictured: Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest - Age 8-10 Division Winner: Omar Lopez

7 Pictured: Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest Kindergarten Special Recognition Winner: Eliza Hollis Perez

8 Pictured: Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest - Age 5-7 Division Winner: Ashley Symanoskie

9 Pictured: Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest - Age Division Winner: Sophia Mishoe

10 Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney: The Father McGivney Guild promotes the cause for canonization of our founder: Father Michael J. McGivney. The goal of the Guild is to spread the good word about his holiness of life, to encourage devotion to his memory, and to seek his intercession before the throne of God. The Guild serves as a clearinghouse for information about Father McGivney, his life and works, and any favors attributed to his intercession. Father McGivney is a unique model for today s Catholic and today s Catholic priest because of his attention to the social ills and injustices of his day and his collaboration with the laity. He was zealous for the life of union with God through prayer and the sacraments, and he would have been right at home in today s world. He was then and would be today an eager apostle for the Gospel of life, and a determined foe of the culture of death. There is no cost to join the Guild, but donations are welcome. For more information about the Guild or to donate go to: Prayer for the Canonization of Father Michael J. McGivney: God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify your venerable servant Father Michael J. McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request). Through Christ our Lord. Amen PRAYER INTENTIONS PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP Oh, Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke your powerful name, the protection of the living and the salvation of the dying. Purest Mary, let your name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, Blessed Lady, to rescue me whenever I call on you. In my temptations, in my needs, I will never cease to call on you, ever repeating your sacred name, Mary, Mary. What a consolation, what sweetness, what confidence fills my soul when I utter your sacred name or even only think of you! I thank the Lord for having given you so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely uttering your name. Let my love for you, prompt me ever to hail you Mother of Perpetual Help. Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for me and grant me the favor I confidently ask of you. (Then say three Hail Mary s). When we pray for others, we lift them up to God, seeking God s grace and blessing in their individual situations. When we ask others to pray for us, we honor them with our trust. Please keep the following in Prayer: Holy Father Pope Francis, Bishop Barry C. Knestout, Grand Knight Bill Murray, Ryan (AKA Little Man) Linkous, Father Charles Breindel, Sir Knight Claude Steele, Sir Knight Dennis Jones, Sir Knight Pete Gwazdauskas, Sir Knight Ray & Martha Hoyt, Evelyn Melia, Cheryl Knost, Judith Araman, Sir Knight Jim & Marie Armstrong, Brother Frank Baker, Seminarian David Arellano, Veterans, Service Men & Women, Persecuted Christians, Brother Carl Howell, Sir Knight PSD William DeBerry, Refugees, Provencher Family, Bob Gribben Sr., Sir Knight Joe Nieves, Carl and Cecile Dietrich, Jose Ortiz, Wilma Cassol, Brother Jim Gaines, District Master Thomas Trudeau, and Sir Knight Arnie Bohanan. In case of illness, need, or death please notify one of the following: Grand Knight Financial Secretary SK William Murray SK Nelson Carey Fraternal Benefits Clyde Moak Faithful Navigator Faithful Comptroller SK Claude Steele SK Adam Cassol

11 Knights Helping Knights National Catholic Schools Week 2018 (CSW) is being celebrated from January 28 February 3. This year's theme, "Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.," focuses on the important spiritual, academic and societal contributions provided by a Catholic education. The U.S. Catholic Bishops (USCCB) give three reasons why Catholic Schools Matter as: (1) Catholic schools focus on forming the whole person; (2) Catholic schools have rich tradition of serving all young people; and (3) Catholic schools form disciples for Jesus Christ. On Tuesday, January 30 th, at St. John Neumann Academy (Blacksburg) the student winners of the Knights of Columbus Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest and Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest were recognized at their Celebrating Our Students morning assembly. Father Fox Council 6747 PGK and Council Youth Director Claude Steele and Grand Knight Bill Murray were on hand to honor and celebrate the students. Student Winners of the Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest included: Ashley Symanoskie, Age 5-7 Division; Omar Lopez, Age 8-10 Division; and Sophia Mishoe, Age Division. A Special Recognition was given to Eliza Hollis Perez from Kindergarten. This year s theme for the Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest was Going to the Peripheries. Our First-Place winner is Christopher Kaatz; Catherine Shewchuk placed second; and Eden Braak, placed third. Congratulations to our Neuman Knights for all their hard work, efforts, and participation in Knights Helping Knights Activities. Remembering Sir Knight Edward William Pivirotto, Sr. Edward Pivirotto, Sr. passed away on January 14, 2018 at the age of 93. He was born on August 1, 1926 in Bridgeport, Conn. A mass of the Resurrection was held on Saturday, January 20 th at St. Jude Catholic Church, Christiansburg, Virginia. Edward was a Fourth Degree Knight and member of St. Jude Council He is survived by three sons and one daughter, James and Faith Pivirotto of Shelburne, VT; Edward Pivirotto, Jr of South Windsor, Conn.; Mary and Arnold Bohanan Sr. of Radford, VA.; and Michael and Judy Pivirotto of Bluffton, S.C.; and eleven grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. He had three nieces, and one nephew. Edward was preceded in death by his wife Marie; his brother Arthur; and son Robert John Pivirotto. Interment with full military honors was held at the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery. Virginia State Council March Meeting The Virginia State Council Quarterly Meeting will be held on Saturday, March 3, 2018 at St. Mary s Parish School, 9505, Gayton Road, Richmond, VA The State Council Quarterly Meeting, the KOVAR Annual Meeting, and the Nominating Committee Meeting will be held. There will be a Training Seminar for Deputy Grand Knights and other future Council Leadership positions. By popular demand, there will also be Financial Secretary/Comptroller Training. Recommended attire for District Deputies and Dais speakers is jacket and tie. Recommended attire for all others is casual/knights shirts, no jeans. For more information, contact Grand Knight Bill Murray or District Deputy Claude Steele.

12 THE PASSION OF OUR LORD The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Passion of Our Lord in anticipation of the liturgical season of Lent. In this month, we begin to meditate on the mystery of Jesus' sufferings which culminated in his death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind. Saints who had a special devotion to Christ's passion include St. Francis of Assisi, who was the first known saint to receive the stigmata; St. John of the Cross; St. Bridget of Sweden; and St. Catherine of Siena. Pictured: National Black History Month February 1 28, 2018 Black History is American History

13 Contact Us Would You Like More Information? If you have any questions, please contact: Grand Knight SK William Murray Financial Secretary SK Nelson Carey: Faithful Navigator SK Claude Steele Faithful Comptroller SK Adam Cassol Like us on Facebook: VAKofC6747 Pictured: Knights of Columbus Council 6747 Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest and Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest Winners: (L-R) Grand Knight Bill Murray; Catherine Shewchuk; Omar Lopez; Christopher Kaatz; (back) Eliza Hollis Perez; Ashley Symanoskie; Sophia Mishoe; Eden Braak; and PGK Claude Steele, Council Youth Director. St. John Neumann Academy, Celebrating Our Students Catholic Schools Week January 30, 2018