Grand Knight's Message. Star Council Award. New Officers Elected. Grand Knight John O Donnell Worthy Brothers All:

Transcription

1 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL NEWS Monsignor Thomas M. Wells Council Volume 7, Issue 1 #13008 Silver Spring, MD July 2008 Grand Knight's Message Grand Knight John O Donnell Worthy Brothers All: As we bid goodbye and thanks to Dave and I take over the Grand Knight position; I do so with both concern and excitement. Can I lead the Knights successfully? How can I measure up to the Past Great Grand Knights? The answer is I am only a conduit it is up to you to help me. I ask that each Brother Knight try to achieve a goal of committing 24 hours for the Knights in the coming year. In those 24 hours I am counting all activities: attendance at a couple of meetings, attend social events and helping after Mass with our programs, (raffle tickets, flowers, membership drives etc.) And finally a few hours with the tootsie roll drive. This means every brother can find some time in his schedule to support the Knights. I have listed opportunities for you to pick from at the end of this message. Please me at odonnelljohnh@hotmail.com with your choices. If we do not hear from you I will have officers call you to follow up. Star Council Award The State Deputy, Edgar D. Haynes was present at the June 11 business meeting, to award the Council s 2007 Star Council Award to PGK Bill Bolin. * I would like to present a few changes for my term. One, I am asking the brothers to join me one Friday a quarter for Adoration 7-8 PM. As I hear from everyone how busy life is I am calling on Catholic Men to set an example and bring the family to spend one hour with our Lord and reset our lives. I promise you it will be the best hour of your week. Give it a couple of tries. It may not happen on the first time but OUR Lord will reach out to you in a very special way. Second, I will be establishing a Bulletin Board in the church to get out the message of what the Knights are doing and encourage others to join. This leads into my third point - I want the social meeting to be social meetings, some open to everyone, some to men of the parish. I want to have presentations that spark discussion and make us contemplate our role in life as Catholics. Social meetings will also have time for fellowship, with the exception of first degrees no formal business will happen at these events. Our first social meeting will be themed youth mentorship and will open with short Grand Knight Message continued to page 2 New Officers Elected Congratulations to the slate of officers elected at the June 11th business meeting. Grand Knight, Deputy Grand Knight, Chancellor, Warden, Secretary, Treasurer, Advocate, Inside Guard, Outside Guard, Trustee(1), Trustee(2), Trustee(3), John O Donnell, Prosper Youm, William Taylor, Harold Tarver, Werner Moeller, David Keefe, Thomas Murphy, Sean Hardman, Thomas Devlin, William Bolin* Wayne Miller, Dave Czarnecki, Knights Of Columbus 1

2 Grand Knight Message continued from page 1 video by Guy Dodd and a short discussion on mentoring youth. I NEED INPUT AS TO TOPICS AND SPEAKERS WE CAN USE TO ATTRACT PEOPLE TO THE SOCIAL MEETINGS. Dare we try the religious perspectives to Global Warming? Finally, business meetings will be one hour long with an additional time for the good of the order and networking and informal opportunity for suggestions for officers to program into our next meeting under new business. Please be on time so that we can start without delay. I want to be sure that our Chaplains help us to be stronger Catholics and have answers for the challenges of today s life. Like you, I have a full life beyond the Knights; as Scout leader, Venture Crew Leader, and working 10 to 12 hours a day with USMC in the War on Terrorisms and helping my kids prepare to head off to college. Ada, my wife, has already declared war on the little time she sees me, much less the time we get to spend together. So I am sincere in begging for a commitment of your time. In conclusion I am not asking for a whole lot from each of you. I am not asking members to attend every meeting just 2 or 3 per year. I am not asking you to attend or support every event but pick some that resonate with you and step up. Many entail 15 to 30 minutes after Mass. With over 60 Knights in the Council, a commitment of just 12 hours over the year, the program would be easy for all. I want to meet all the members and I do need all your talents. I also want to make the Knight meaningful for you and your families. Let me hear your ideas. Have a Safe and relaxing Summer Vivat Jesus.* Council Provides New Cinctures Thanks to the effort of Deacon Mike Bond, the Council was able to provide the altar servers with new cinctures for their robes. Thank you, Deacon Bond see July Knight of the Month article, page 3. * Baby Bottle Campaign Update The Baby Bottle Campaign will resume at St. Andrew s Parish starting on September 21. The Council collected over $2,000 in the spring campaign, thanks to the generous contributions of parishioners. Bottles will be available in the back of the Church after all Masses* Chaplain's Message Assoc Chaplain Rev. Mr. Kevin Mukri St. Paul - A Model Knight Pope Benedict XVI officially opened the Pauline year on June 28 urging all to draw inspiration from the life of St. Paul and to imitate the apostle s courageous missionary effort. St. Paul was born in Tarsus, in what is now Turkey, around 10 A.D. The Pauline year continues until June 29, 2009 in celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the apostle s birth. On most Sundays during the year, the readings include either one of his letters to the new Catholic communities or hear an account of his spreading of the Gospel in the Acts of the Apostles. We will hear a great deal about the life of St. Paul and his writings, but we can miss that St. Paul s life was not a bed of roses. Despite his many hardships, St. Paul never forgot his important mission to spread the faith to all and focused all his efforts no matter what the costs. St. Paul had to travel by foot or animal to places he had never been. He had no special account to pay for his travels, and there is much speculation that he had to spend time in the towns he visited to practice his trade as a tent maker to earn funds to continue his travels. Unlike the Twelve Apostles, he probably never met Our Lord, his conversion happened while traveling on the road to Damascus where he experienced a vision of our resurrected Lord. St. Paul writes that he received the Gospel not from man, but by revelation of Jesus Christ. St. Paul s first efforts of preaching in the local synagogues of Damascus got him into trouble there. The Jews were so upset that they conspired to kill him, and he was forced to escape Damascus by being let down over the wall in a basket. St. Paul went to Jerusalem to join the Apostles, but no one would believe that he was a disciple of Our Lord because of his earlier persecution of the Church. St. Barnabas had to speak up for him and tell of his preaching in Damascus for the Apostles to finally trust him. St. Paul made three journeys to spread the faith. He was not always successful. During his second missionary, he went to Athens to proclaim the Good News. However, many rudely rejected him. They told him, We should like to hear you on this some other time. Chaplain s Message continued to page 4 Knights Of Columbus 2

3 C O U N C I L #13008 OFFICERS: Chaplain Chaplain Emeritus Associate Chaplain Grand Knight Deputy Grand Knight Chancellor Warden Recorder Financial Secretary Treasurer Advocate Lecturer Inside Guard Outside Guard Trustee(3) Trustee(2) Trustee(1) CHAIRMAN: Program Director Church Activities Dir. Community Activity Dir Council Activities Dir Family Activities Dir Youth Activities Dir Membership Director Vocations Chairman Recruitment Chairman Retention Chairman Tootsie Roll Chairman Pro-Life Couple Health Services Columbian Squires Public Relations Chairman Newsletter Editor Webmaster Msgr. Michael Mellone Rev. Joseph Kennedy Deacon Kevin Mukri John O Donnell Prosper Youm William Taylor Harold Tarver Werner Moeller Paul Sanneman David Keefe Thomas Murphy Sean Hardman Thomas Devlin III David Czarnecki, PGK Wayne Miller, PGK William Bolin, PGK Prosper Youm Wayne Miller Dave Czarnecki David Keefe M E M B E R S H I P M E E T I N G S All council meetings are held in the Teachers' Lounge of the school. Officer s meetings are held at 7:30 on the first Wednesday of the month. Business meetings are held at 7:45 on the second Wednesday of the month. Social meetings are held at 7:45 on the fourth Wednesday of the month. July Meetings July 02 Officer s meeting 7:30 PM July 09 Business meeting 7:45 PM July 23 Social meeting 7:45 PM Rosary (7:30PM) July Knight of the Month This month s Knight of the Month Deacon Michael Bond has provided the altar servers with new cinctures. He made eight of them, all of white nylon cord in various lengths. They made their inaugural debut at the 6:00 pm Mass in June. I don't think anyone noticed but the altar servers...and they were thrilled! He still plans to make them sets in liturgical colors. If anyone is interested in assisting him with the project, please contact him (no previous knot-tying skills required!) Way to go Mike!!!* July Family of the Month Congratulations to Mary Crowley and Chris Farrell - Family of the Month. The council owes our gratitude to the whole family for their regular support at Council events especially the Altar Server program and the Adopt a Road Program. Mary and Chris are invaluable with their support of the annual Altar Server Swim Party. And Chris is a driving force in the Arcola road pickups. Chris just recently joined our Council but has already left his mark.* July Birthdays Brother Deacon Mike Bond on the 10th; Brother Michael Felde on the 12th; Brother Jay Dhanaraj on the 17th; Brother Nick Luketic on the 23rd; Brother Deacon Harry Davis on the 24th; Brother Robert Cowley on the 27th; and, Assoc. chaplain Deacon Kevin Mukri on the 30th. Also, Hema, wife of Brother Norman Marshall on the 6th; Isabel, wife of Brother Dennis Gorres on the 7th; Jean, wife of Brother Bernie Hillig on the 13th; and, Anne, wife of PGK Bill bolin on the 22nd.* July Anniversaries Brother George Hardman and his wife Karen celebrate their thirty-seventh on the 17th; Brother Michael Caruso and his wife Cathy celebrate their sixteenth on the 18th; and, Brother Jay Dhanaraj and his wife Christina celebrate their twenty-third on the 28th.* Change of Address Chaplain Emeritus Father Joe Kennedy has moved from his condo in Ocean City to Ocean Pines. He is assisting with the local parish in Ocean City, so you may see him celebrating Mass there if you go to the beach. His new address is: Rev. Joseph Kennedy, 5 Brush Island Court, Ocean Pines, MD His new phone number is: Knights Of Columbus 3

4 Chaplain s Message continued from page 2 We may never be called to make three missionary journeys on foot like St. Paul was, but we are called to spread the Gospel to the people we encounter in our lives. Like St. Paul, we still have to practice our tread to earn a living. Like St. Paul, we may be rejected by the people we encounter. The living and practice of our Catholic faith can at times cause rejection of our efforts by our family and friends. Like St. Paul, we can suffer hurt from this rejection. Our Holy Father tells us that we can learn from St. Paul that we need not fear anything because we are in the hands of Almighty God. He encourages us to draw renewed strength from St. Paul as Christ s missionary mandate is more pressing than ever. As Knights, we can know that we are on the right path if we emulate the courage and focus of St. Paul as we spread our faith to all we encounter knowing that now is not the time to rest; our rest and eternal happiness will be in heaven.* District Deputy's Message District Deputy Dr. Celso Barrientos, PGK. PFN My Brothers and Sisters all: I thank State Deputy Richard V. Siejack for giving me the opportunity to serve as your District Deputy. It is indeed an honor and a pleasure. However, I am truly aware that it comes with responsibilities. The first order of business in every council is membership. Strong membership programs assure success. We should all be recruiters. We all know why we are strong supporters of the Knights of Columbus. Each of us has a good reason why we are involved. Hence, we should be ready to share our excitement and joy for being members of the Order. Let us offer the same opportunity of membership to every eligible man in our parish and community. Your Grand Knight has had his training by the State Council at Mount St. Mary s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md, last month. All officers and program chairmen will have their chance to learn all about the activities at the Membership and Program Seminar at the Good Counsel High School on July 30, 2008 starting at 7:30 PM. The Seminar is open to all members and not limited to officers and chairmen only. I am looking forward to working with all of you this coming Columbian Year. I wish you and your family a good and safe summer. Vivat Jesus! * Adoration from Father Greg s Homily Feast of Corpus Christi - homily Last year during one of our Youth Group meetings, one of our teens said to me, I just felt God s presence. At another meeting, another teen said that she just felt the hand of God on her head. We do a lot of fun stuff at Youth Group and we have a good time. But, once a month we do Eucharistic Adoration; these were two of our teens experiences with Adoration. One of our adults who comes to Adoration regularly said that she didn t think true peace was attainable in this life before she started going to Adoration; she has since found true peace. Adoration is one of the greatest ways for us to honor this glorious feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. So what is Adoration? Adoration is when the Eucharist is exposed for us to adore and worship. At St. Andrew s, we have Adoration every Friday from 7-8 pm. At the beginning of the hour, we bring the Eucharist out of the tabernacle and place it on the altar in a vessel called a monstrance. We have silent prayer for a while and then music for meditation and reflection. Then, at the end of the hour, we have the rite of Benediction. When I celebrate Benediction, I bring the monstrance out to the congregation. I place a veil over my hands and give sections of the congregation the solemn blessing with the monstrance. Now, if we are saying that this Eucharist is the Body of Christ, then it is really the hand of Jesus giving the blessing to his people. We have had kids from our school, teens, and adults all experience this powerful moment with the Eucharist so close during Benediction. It is really Jesus walking through the Church, giving his blessing just like 2000 years ago. Powerful, radical stuff! Our kids and teens love Adoration! It might be intimidating, though. It s not just coming to Church on a Friday night; it s not just praying for an hour (although you don t have to come for the whole hour; you can just come for a few minutes). What can be most intimidating is coming face-to-face with God. This is what happens with Adoration. And yet, Jesus says, come to me. Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened all you who drive by here every day going to all of your Adoration Homily continued to page 5 Knights Of Columbus 4

5 Adoration Homily continued from page 4 activities to and from work bring me all of your worries, your problems, your fears, anxiety, hopes, dreams, joys, sadness bring them all to me and I will give you rest. I will give you peace that you can t find anywhere else. This is really what we do when we come to Adoration we dump all of our stuff on Jesus. We say, Lord, take all of this. Help me. He wants us to bring Him everything we are going through. It is like coming to see a good friend. We come to His house to spend time with Him. This is one of the biggest reasons He has given us the Eucharist, I think; it is so he can be close to us and we can be close to Him. I have told you the statistic that 70% of Catholics don t believe that the Eucharist is for real. They believe that the Eucharist is just a symbol; that it s just bread. This is what Protestants believe! I think the reason the 70% and Protestants don t believe in the Eucharist is because they really haven t heard the teaching, especially from the Gospel we just heard (John 6). Jesus is saying over and over again that the Eucharist is for real. He uses the words flesh 5 times and blood 4 times in relation to the Eucharist. The people heard him speaking literally and they took him literally. They questioned him about it and then left him, saying, who are you to give us your flesh to eat? What are you talking about? We re outta here. The Apostles were confused, too, but stayed with Jesus. The early Christians took this teaching literally and passed it down to us. For 2000 years, we have believed that the Eucharist is truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Finally, whenever we come to Mass, we are saying that the Eucharist is for real. When the minister says to us at Holy Communion, the Body of Christ, and we say, Amen (I Believe), we are saying that the Eucharist is for real. Whenever we genuflect in Church, we are saying that Jesus is really present in the tabernacle. Whenever we drive by a Catholic Church and bless ourselves, we are saying that the Eucharist is for real. Whenever we come to Adoration, we are saying the Eucharist is for real. At a youth conference recently with 300 teens adoring Christ, I said to them, we look like we re crazy! We look nuts - on our knees worshiping what looks like a piece of bread! What is the basis for all of this? The basis for this feast, for 2000 years of belief, for Adoration, for all of this it is four words: THIS IS MY BODY.* Open Council Positions, Opportunities to Help Her are some of our programs and activities that need support Church Activities Chairman Right to Life Program Director Community Activities Chair Youth Activities Chair Soccer Shootout Membership Chairman Blitz Lead fall Recruitment Chair Ceremonies Chair Health Service Swim Party Church Pew Kneeler project Divine Mercy Sunday Coord Raffle Mothers Day Flower Christmas Card Prolife Couple Family Activities Chair Catholic Bee leader Free-throw leader Blitz Lead Spring Retention Chair Vocations Adopt a Road Christmas Pot Luck Retreat Co-Captain Tootsie Roll Chairman Scout Sunday Photographer Take Ye Out to the Ballgame! On August 10, the Bowie Baysox will be holding a Faith Night. There will be a pre-game concert featuring Christian Group New Method starting at 4 PM. Check with Deacon Mike Bond for more details. Last month, a few members of the Council attended the Orioles/Pirates game with Father Manyanet Council. The trip was a lot of fun. Knights Of Columbus 5

6 Monsignor Wells Message [From the Pastor s Desk, Spiritual Reflections by Monsignor, Thomas M. Wells] Commitment in Vocations July 6, 1997 Sometimes we should get credit for just getting up in the morning. Today, when I should have been setting goals for the new day, the radio alarm clock instead informed me that fewer households than ever are headed by married couples in the nineties. Tragic as is this statistic, it only serves to illustrate something I have felt for a long time. So often, in a discussion about vocations, people will speculate that if the Church would relax the requirements of celibacy, the problem of vocations would be solved. To be certain, I have known many men over the years who would have loved to be priests, but who felt that they could not live as celibates. So often, when these men would leave the seminary, it would seem that the best were leaving. Now of course, most of these men are husbands and fathers; though interestingly, some do later return to accept the call to priesthood. Yes, superficially, the relaxation of celibacy might seem to be the answer. But, this morning's A.M. jolt on married households points, I think, to something more profound. We are increasingly a society that shuns commitment. People are reluctant to join organizations that formerly had millions of members; parishioners do not want to make commitments to chair activities; couples live in sin for years rather than commit to marriage; and even in sports, free agency means that contracts are signed that allow athletes to move from team to team after short numbers of years. These examples vary in importance, of course; they all point to a common fear of saying, "Yes" in a way that commits one in an open-ended way. I believe that we are experiencing the fruits of either a massive loss of faith in God or of radical self-centeredness, really two sides of the same worthless coin. My parents got married in the Depression; many in the parish have grandparents who came to America in diseased boats; seminaries as recently as thirty years ago were filled with men who longed to give their lives for God's people. None of these people were perfect; many of them had colossal errors in their lives. But at least they believed that life is about commitment and about making things grow for the good of others. The reality of times being tough is never going to change; though from a purely economic point of view, we can ask if things have ever been better. Times tough or times easy, however, God is still God and He is still powerful in the lives of those who place their trust in Him. Let us beg Him to increase our own faith and the gift of faith in the lives of those whom we love.* Altar Servers 50/50 Raffle Members of the Council wish to congratulate Al Tagliaferro, as the winner of the 2008 St Andrew the Apostle Church, Altar Server Appreciation, 50/50 Raffle. Father Greg drew the winning ticket after the June 8th 10:00 Mass. Thanks to your generous support and Al s donation back into the fund, $1,020 was raised to help defray the cost of the bus trip to King s Dominion carried out in appreciation for the service by the Altar Servers.* Altar Servers Recognized The Council s annual Altar Server Recognition Pool Party was held on June 12 at the Kemp Mill Swim Club. Twenty eight altar servers signed up to attend the event and were treated to an afternoon of swimming, food, and fun. The Council awarded certificates of appreciation to each server. Thank you to Chris Farrell and Mary Crowley for organizing this successful event. * Knights Of Columbus 6

7 Membership Committee Report As co-chair of the membership committee and retention committee. I urge all of you to attend at least 1 meeting and volunteer for at least one activity this year. I will be keeping a list and checking it twice throughout the year to see who is doing their part for the mission of Father Michael J McGivney and the oath you took when you became a 1st degree Knight. I will accept s, phone calls, notes, and even money (ha ha). So there should be no excuse that you didn't know or were not made aware. Prosper Youm is the program director and is responsible for making this year s activities run smoothly. Please - GET INVOLVED. For those of you who have not advanced your degrees to a higher level. I will take you or have someone take you to the next higher degree. Also, for all of you 3rd Degree gentlemen, please plan to be at the University of Maryland on March 22, for the next 4th Degree exemplification. My goal is to have every 3rd Degree Knight become a Sir Knight. I will have more details at a later date. Also I "DARE", no I double "DARE" you to invite a prospective practicing Catholic male over 18 years old and his family to one of our social meetings held every 4th Wednesday at 7:45 PM. If you can make it at 7:30 PM for the Rosary, that would be even better. Don't be the Knight who did not do his part for the Council. Take care, good luck, have fun, be involved and GOD BLESS you ad GOD BLESS America. Our Church, School, Community, Youth, Families, and Most of all Msgr. Thomas M. Wells Council #13008 NEEDS YOU. Thank you in advance for your quick reply. Wayne Miller PGK Msgr. Thomas M. Wells Council #13008 Welcome Aboard! Two new brothers were welcomed into Monsignor Wells Council last month. Lou August and Jaromir Sedlar took their First Degree at Fr. Rosensteel Council on June 17. Welcome Lou and Jaromir! Past Grand Knights Bill Bolin and Dave Czarnecki provided moral support.* District 11 Degree Schedule First Degree Tues, Sept 16, 08 Father Rosensteel Council 2169 Sun, Oct 12, 08 Our Lady of Vietnam Council Thurs, Oct 23, 08 St. John the Baptist Council Tues, Nov 18, 08 Father Rosensteel Council 2169 Wed, Dec 10, 08 Monsg Thomas Wells Council Thurs, Feb 26, 09 St. John the Baptist Council Sun, Mar 8, 09 Our Lady of Vietnam Council Tues, Mar 17, 09 Father Rosensteel Council 2169 Wed, Mar 25, 09 Monsg Thomas Wells Council Thurs, Apr 23, 09 St. John the Baptist Council Tues, Jun 16, 09 Father Rosensteel Council 2169 Second Degree Thurs, Dec 11, 08 St. John the Baptist Council Tues, Jan 20, 09 Father Rosensteel Council 2169 Sun, Apr 12, 09 Our Lady of Vietnam Council Fourth Degree Exemplification Are you a Third Degree Knight? It s advanced notice, but the date has been set for this fraternal year s Fourth Degree Exemplification. The Degree will be held on March 22 at the University of Maryland in College Park. For more information and a Form 400 application, please see DGK Prosper Youm* Eucharistic Adoration this Summer In case you have not received a postcard from the parish, Eucharistic Adoration will be held at St. Andrew s every Friday at 7 PM beginning on July 11. Each Adoration will feature a talk about an aspect of Catholicism. Our Grand Knight, John O Donnell, asks that all members make an effort to attend Eucharistic Adoration this summer.* Holy Land Child Sponsored The Council once again was able to pay for the education of a Christian child in the Holy Land. This program requires a $300 annual sponsorship. The money for this sponsorship was raised by contributions from the students of St. Andrew s School. Thank you to the students and Ms. Kathy Kilty for her support of this initiative. Look for a card from the sponsored child on the Knights bulletin board.* Knights Of Columbus 7

8 Reflections Lawrence P. Grayson America s Cultural Relativism It has been a fundamental belief of mankind throughout history that religion is essential not only to the lives of individuals, but to the life of the community and the nation as well. Plato discussed its importance in The Republic, five centuries before the birth of our Lord. As the Supreme Being, God has been viewed as the creator of man, the endower of unalienable human rights, the establisher of norms for man s conduct, and the ultimate guarantor of political life. This was the commonly-held belief in America when this nation was established, although the people practiced this belief through many religious persuasions. In order to accommodate the diversity of denominations, America s Founding Fathers created a Bill of Rights, which mandated that the state could not establish a religion nor interfere with the free practice thereof. This principle has served the nation well for almost two centuries, allowing religious organizations to enter into the public discourse without the government coercing or showing favoritism among creeds. The interpretation of this Right, however, has changed over the past five decades to remove any expression of religion from the public life of the nation. Faith has been rendered a purely private affair, and replaced in public matters with solely secular principles. When God is not considered relevant to public life, the foundation of the state is based on reason alone. There no longer are any absolutes. Disconnected from immutable standards, democracy becomes the consensus of the current voters or their representatives. It essentially is an oligarchy of the majority, that is, an unrestrained rule of the many in their own interests. When the will of the people becomes the ultimate source of law and there are no inviolable norms, anything is possible. A condition of moral or ethical relativism develops in support of man s ego and craving for temporal pleasure. The state can declare anything it desires to be law; the only limit to its authority is its power to enforce it. Today, this condition largely exists in America. The result is a society that is spiritually empty. Abominations abound sexuality is separated from marriage; human life, especially at the prenatal and final stages, is held in low regard; abortion is rampant; embryo experimentation, cloning and euthanasia are lobbied for acceptance; marriage is redefined to include people of the same gender; the procreation of children is separated from marriage so that single women conceive without men; the concept of family is disconnected from having a father and mother, with homosexual partners adopting children; the personal selection of one s gender is beginning to be treated as a civil right; and pornography, adultery, cohabitation, and immorality in various forms are commonplace. The tone of American life has been so focused on money, success, power, and the acquisition of material things, with religion often just a comfortable, private, cultural matter, that we have become cowered by social pressure and desensitized to the path we tread to societal perdition. It is well to recall an inscription inside the Jefferson Memorial: Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever. If Thomas Jefferson could quiver at the consequence of ignoring God in the more religious 18th century, how greater should be our fear in the 21st? Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae, discussed the ethical relativism of our present-day democratic culture and its tendency to make legal what the majority of people practice and consider moral. He stated: Fundamentally, democracy is a system and as such is a means and not an end. Its moral value is not automatic, but depends on conformity to the moral law to which it, like every other form of human behavior, must be subject: in other words, its morality depends on the morality of the ends which it pursues and of the means which it employs The basis of these values cannot be provisional and changeable majority opinions, but only the acknowledgment of an objective moral law which, as the natural law written in the human heart, is the obligatory point of reference for civil law itself. This point was expanded upon by Pope Benedict XVI in an address to the European People s Party, when he stated that the Catholic Church s concern in the public arena is for the protection and promotion of the dignity of the person. In that regard, the Pope set forth three non-negotiable principles for the revitalization and reformation of Western society: Reflections continued to page 9 Knights Of Columbus 8

9 Reflections continued from page 8 Protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death; Recognition, promotion and defense of the natural structure of the family, as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage; and Protection of the right of parents to educate their children. These principles are common to all humanity, as they are imbedded in human nature itself. Although they are not religious truths, they receive confirmation and further enhancement from faith. What can we, as individual members of the Knights of Columbus, do to promote these principles in our daily lives? An answer has been provided by our Supreme Knight, Carl Anderson, in his book, A Civilization of Love, in which he sets forth a program of simple actions that every person can undertake to affect the world. If you haven t read the book, do so. Then help transform our civilization by making faith an active part of your life. Vivat Jesus! Pope John Paul II with then- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger Monsignor Wells Council Event Calendar July-Dec, 2008 tentative 9 Council Business Mtg 13 Semi-Annual Financial Audit 19 3:30 Council Installation Practice 19 Council Officer Installation, Pot Luck Dinner (after 5:00 Mass) 23 Social Mtg; Theme Mentor of Youth 30 State Programs Seminar, Good Counsel August, Council Officers Mtg 13 Council Business Mtg Raffle Tickets sales after Mass 27 Social Mtg; Theme TBD Raffle Tickets sales after Mass 31 State Picnic, Patapsako Park September, Labor Day 3 Council Officers Mtg 10 Council Business Mtg 11 9/11 Mass with Cardinal O Boyle Assembly Color Corps 13 9:30 Adopt-A-Road Pickup 13,14 Tootsie Roll after Mass 17 Shepherd s Table 21 Baby Bottle campaign kickoff 27,28 Tootsie Roll Campaign, Giants 24 Council Social Mtg 26 7:00 Eucharistic Adoration?? Tentative Soccer Shoot out October, Council Officers Mtg 11? Columbus Day Ball 8 Council Business Mtg 11,12? Tootsie Roll Campaign, Giants 11,12 Membership Blitz 13? Columbus Day Parade 14 Tentative Community Sunday, Quilt raffle 15 Shepherd s Table 22 Council Social Mtg 28 Kick-off of Christmas Card Sales November, Council Officers Mtg 14 Council Business Mtg, 1 st Degree 22 9:30 Adopt-A-Road Pickup 19 Shepherd s Table 19 Council Social Mtg. 27 Thanksgiving 29,30 Christmas Card Sales December, Council Officers Mtg 6,7 Christmas Card Sales 10 Council Business Mtg Christmas Card Sales Last Sunday 17 Christmas Party Pot Luck 19 7:00 Eucharistic Adoration 24 No Social meeting 25 Christmas Day Knights Of Columbus 9

10 July 2008 Monsignor Thomas M. Wells Council #13008 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 Officers Meeting 7:30PM Business Meeting 7:45PM Shepherd s Table Social Meeting Mentor of Youth John O;Donnell State Programs Seminar, Good Counsel Installation & Dinner after 5:00PM Mass If you have and address, please send it to the editor at: david@czarnecki.com Council Newsletter Msgr. Thomas M. Wells Council # Claybrook Drive Silver Spring, MD Change Service Requested ««AddressBlock»» Zip code not valid! Knights Of Columbus 10