KNIGHTS of COLUMBUS NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 KNIGHTS of COLUMBUS NEWSLETTER TUOLUMNE COUNCIL 2165 Sonora, California Volume VI, Issue 3 March 2017 Knight s Table St. Patrick and St. Patrick s Day (La Fhelle Padraig) St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, was a complex figure whose deeds are surrounded by folklore and legend. He was born into a high ranking Roman family in Roman Britain in 387 and died on March 17th at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland in 460 or 461. There is a scarcity of facts regarding Patrick and most of what is known is from his two major publications: Confessio and Epiatolo ad Caroticum. By Patrick s account, he was kidnapped at age sixteen by Irish pirates and sold as a slave in Gaelic Ireland where he attended a master s flocks for six years. He acquired knowledge of the Celtic language, their customs, worship and the details of Druism, which would serve him in later years. He prayed many times a day for guidance. He began to dream of converting the pagans to Christianity. In a dream, an angel admonished him to flee Ireland and return home. He fled to the west coast of Ireland and boarded a ship for Britain. It was at this time that he realized that he must spend years of study in the priesthood before he could return to Ireland as a missionary. He spent four years at Marmoutier studying under St. Martin and became a monk. He spent about 22 years, at different intervals, at Marmoutier. After numerous hardships, he placed himself under St. Germain as a missionary. Throughout his many years as a missionary, he never lost sight of his dream for Ireland. In time, Pope St. Celestine I entrusted Patrick with the mission of gathering the Irish people into the one fold of Christ. Patrick had been in pilgrimage some forty years before his dream came to reality. It was probably in the summer of 433 that Patrick and 24 of his entourage arrived back in Ireland to fulfill his mission. The stories of Patrick s accomplishments and how he converted the kings and peasants of Ireland are many. Several writers claim he converted some 135,000 persons, established more than 300 churches, consecrated 300 bishops, and ordained 5,000 priests. His mission lasted 30 years and it would continue for centuries by his many disciples. Patrick was never canonized a Saint by the Church. During the first 1,000 years of Church history there was no formal canonization process. The title of Saint was bestowed on martyrs and persons recognized as being exceptionally holy during their lifetimes. Patrick was proclaimed St. Patrick by popular acclaim, with approval from a bishop. St. Patrick s Day was made a Church feast day in the early 17 th century. (please continue on page 3) Announcements Our next meeting will be on Thursday, March 9, at 7:00 p.m. in room 1 of the Hall. Happy Birthday to: Ernie Cuzzocreo March 11 Ray Maechler March 14 Joseph Dugan March 15

2 Featured Knight Spotlight Dan Hevron was born October 29, 1968 in Hayward, California a sister and brother arrived later. His dad was a Captain in the Petaluma Fire Department, as well as an Arson Investigator and Fire Marshall. His mom was a selfemployed seamstress, and later became a psychiatric technical nurse at Napa State Hospital. He attended school in the North Bay area, earning an AS degree in Administration of Justice, as well becoming an EMT. However, he pursued neither vocation. Dan is approaching 30 years as a Master Automotive and Diesel Technician. His wife, Tammy, is a Project Manager for Siomile Construction and has worked in the construction industry for over 20 years, Dan and his wife were married on September 21, They are looking forward to a Nuptial Mass in April for the blessing of their marriage after she completes RCIA and comes into full communion with the Church. She has two boys, both of whom are prison guards. He has a son and a daughter, both adults who live elsewhere. In the coming months, Tammy s youngest son will make them grandparents of a baby girl. Dan says he led a lifestyle far from sainthood, and found God the hard way but he feels it was God s plan. In 1999, I had a God moment of spiritual awakening that I like to describe as a combination of Saul on the road to Damascus and Scott Hahn s moment of comprehending the book of Revelation! I myself was humbled, put down the whip, joined RCIA, and became a real practicing Roman Catholic in the Jubilee Year He is a 4 th degree Sir Knight and has been Outside and Inside Guard, Warden, Deputy Grand Knight, Grand Knight, and District Warden. He is a 1 st degree team participant, RCIA instructor, Catholic apologetics instructor, choir member and cantor, commentator, lector, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion (taking Communion to the sick and homebound), Altar server, sacristan, and Right-to-Life activist. He also had the pleasure of chaperoning for World Youth Day in 2016! Dan is also a member of the Knights Paladin motorcycle club, which is a law enforcement and military support group. They work closely with Patriot Guard and Gold Star Families to do all they can for our fallen and their families and those who have and still serve this great country of ours. He is currently the Sergeant at Arms of the local chapter, and past vice president and president. Hobbies include motorcycle riding and competition shooting sports. Thank you, Dan, for all you are doing in our Church and our community. A Prayer for the Faithful May the Strength of God guide us. May the power of God preserve us. May the wisdom of God instruct us. May the Hand of God protect us. May the Way of God direct us. May the Shield of God defend us. May the Angels of God guard us against the snares of the evil one. May Christ be with us! May Christ be before us! May Christ be in us. Christ be over all! May Thy Grace, Lord, always be ours This day, O Lord, and forevermore. Amen. (St. Patrick) Page 2 of 5

3 Prayers for the Sick and Infirm St. Francis de Salles wrote The prayer of the sick person is his patience and his acceptance of his sickness for the love of Jesus Christ. Make sickness itself a prayer, for there is none more powerful, save martyrdom! Amen Just like a Knight One of our retired Knights began to have problems with his hearing. Over several years the situation became worse and it also concerned his family and friends. He went to an audiologist and found he required hearing aids. A new type of hearing aid was available that fit completely into the ear with no protrusions showing. After several adjustments his hearing was greatly improved. After a onemonth trial, he returned to his audiologist for a follow up examination. The doctor told him his hearing was great and that his family must also be pleased that you can hear again. Our Knight smiled and replied, Oh, I haven t told them yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I ve changed my will three times! By the Way Live each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance toward the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. So climb slowly, enjoying each passing moment; and then the view from the summit will serve a more rewarding climax for your journey. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen A Few Historical Dates The month of March (Martius) is named after Mars the Roman god of war and agriculture. It is the beginning of the season for both war and agriculture. The March equinox marks the beginning of spring. March is the Catholic tradition month of St. Joseph. March 01, 1781 The Articles of Confederation were established. March 01, 1790 Congress authorized the first United States census. March 01, 1872 Yellowstone becomes USA s first national park. March 03, 1931 The Star Spangled Banner adopted as USA s national anthem. March 04, 1789 The Constitution of USA goes into effect. March 07, 1876 Bell patents his telephone. March 09, 1074 Pope Gregory VII excommunicated, married priests. March 12, 1912 Girl Scouts of America founded. March 14, 1879 Einstein born in Ulm, Germany. March 17, 1845 Rubber band invented. March 17, 1912 Camp Fire Girls created. March 19, 1918 Congress approves daylight savings time. March 27, 1964 Biggest earthquake recorded strikes Anchorage, Alaska; measured 8.3 on the Richter scale. March 30, th Amendment gives black men the right to vote. One is never defeated, and I could add, the history of Ireland proves it. Pope John Paul II Page 3 of 5

4 Knight s Table (continued from page 1) St. Patrick makes no reference in his writings to some of our favorite stories. The practice of utilizing the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity is a beautiful analogy, but most probably was not practiced by Patrick. In pagan Ireland, the number three was a significant number. The Celtics had many triple deities which may have aided Patrick s evangelistic efforts. The shamrock was revered as a sacred plant by the Celtic people. There were no snakes indigenous to Ireland. The story about Patrick driving out the snakes is believed to be a metaphor applied to the conversion of the pagans to Christianity. The initial color representing St. Patrick was not green but blue. Green became the color associated with St. Patrick when the green harp flag was used by the Irish Catholic Confederation in The Friendly Brothers of St. Patrick (1750) adopted green as its official color. Today it is customary to wear some item of green clothing along with some form of shamrock on St. Patrick s Day. St. Patrick has also been the patron saint of engineers for over 100 years. It is claimed that St. Patrick was instrumental in the construction of clay churches and arches from lime mortar. What began as a religious feast for the patron saint of Ireland became an international celebration of Irish culture. It has become synonymous with Irish traditional folklore. In Ireland, St. Patrick s Day was a religious holiday until the 20 th century. St. Patrick s Day is a public holiday in Ireland, Newfoundland and British Monserrat. The first statesponsored parade took place in Dublin in Christians attend religious services. Dietary and drinking restrictions are lifted for the day. The U.S.A. is largely responsible for the way the world celebrates St. Patrick s Day today. The first St. Patrick s Day was celebrated in America in Boston in A group of British Army Irish soldiers marched down Broadway in New York City in1762 to celebrate the day. The first official St. Patrick s Day parade in New York City took place in1766. Following the Civil War, the increased number of Irish immigrants in the U.S.A. were looking for ways to express their identity, civil pride, and Catholicism. By the beginning of the 20 th century, St. Patrick s Day was being celebrated in most American cities in the form of various services, parades, parties, special foods and an abundance of drinking. Some place along the line, corned beef and cabbage became the preferred dish for St. Patrick s Day. The traditional Irish dish was cabbage and bacon. It did not take long for the merchants and manufacturers to realize the marketing potential of St. Patrick s Day. Greeting cards, shamrock decorations, printed tee shirts, anything green and, of course, corned beef, green beer and green milk shakes and candies. Non-Irish descendants soon joined in the fun. Nothing can compare to the green dyeing of the Chicago River here in the U.S.A. The idea stemmed from when green dye was used in 1962 to trace illegal sewage discharges into the river. Dyeing the river green each St. Patrick s Day has become a tradition. Ireland has joined the St. Patrick s Day mania. In 1990 the Republic of Ireland initiated a campaign to showcase Irish culture and Ireland. The Irish Volunteers sponsor tens of parades across Ireland. The first official festival was held March 17, By the year 2000 it became a three-day festival and by 2009 it became a five-day festival. May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go. References Cited: (time.com; gotquestions.net/st-patrick s-day; stpatricksday.com; wilstar.com/holidays; churchhistory.com/st-patricks; irishcentral.com/st-patricks; confession.ie; ehow.com/history-st-patricks; st- Page 4 of 5

5 patricksday.com/churchhistorycatholic Encyclopedia) Chaplain s Message Brother Knights, do you know the only two humans who were free from all sin? Of course, that would be Jesus, the Christ, and his Blessed Mother, Mary. Does that mean they were also free from temptation? We find the answer to that for Jesus in the Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent. After 40 days of fasting, Satan tempts Jesus three times. These three temptations of Christ are similar to the times we are tempted to seek either our own personal goals without taking into consideration the common good or the harm done by our own acts of selfishness. Jesus answered Satan with Scripture. We can answer Satan s temptations through Scripture and Prayer. In the first reading for the First Sunday of Lent, Adam and Eve play the blame game for disobeying God s warning to not eat or touch the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. How many times do we find ourselves doing the same? As we enter another Season of Lent, I d like to ask you to seriously consider these words of Pope Francis that my niece posted on Facebook. How can we incorporate prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as we think about these recommendations from Pope Francis? This comes from the Catholic website pietrafitness.com. Do you want to Fast this Lent? Fast from hurting words and say kind words. Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude. Fast from anger and be filled with patience. Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope. Fast from worries and have trust in God. Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity. Fast from pressures and be prayerful. Fast from bitterness and fill your hearts with joy. Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others. Fast from grudges and be reconciled. Fast from words and be silent so you can listen. St. Augustine invited the faithful to return to their heart during Lent. St. Paul writes that our hearts are restless, and they find true peace in God s grace and love. We can then share God s love and grace by loving one another, even those who despise us in return. Let this be our prayer during this Season of Lent. God Bless, Deacon Mike Page 5 of 5