Religiously Devoted, Patriotically Proud

Transcription

1 October 2018 Vol. I Religiously Devoted, Patriotically Proud OCTOBER THE PATRIOT - 3

2 EDITORIAL CONTENTS JMJ Fall has arrived and with it, the month of October brings cooler temperatures, changing colors in our surrounding landscape and fresh, crisp air. Also fresh comes your new newsletter, The Patriot! Fellow Sir Knights, it is my sincere privilege and hope to provide this Assembly with all the news, upcoming events and happenings in an eye catching, pleasing manner that you will enjoy. The fore coming holidays will bring much activity for the Assembly, especially the Color Corps. Along with these events, I look forward to reading and adding each fellow brother s highlights to this publishing. In addition, it is important as Catholic men to know and have some understanding on events throughout the Liturgical year. Prayers, saintly thoughts and Holy events for each month will be presented. So, without further delay, enjoy! God bless you NAVIGATOR S NOTE FIELD AGENT S LETTER COLORS OUT IN FRONT THE CATHOLIC VENTURE EVENTS CALENDAR PRAYER REQUESTS FY Officers Christopher T. Fairman Editor The Patriot Faithful Navigator SK Walter H. Carroll fn@kofcassembly2184.org Faithful Captain SK James E. Gierlak fcapt@kofcassembly2184.org Faithful Comptroller SK Robert Garcia fcomp@kofcassembly2184.org Faithful Spiritual Advisor SK Deacon Sandy Mattson, FDD, PGK, PFN Faithful Purser SK Randal S. Vis Faithful Scribe SK Trey Hart Faithful Admiral SK Jimmy K. Trentham Faithful Inner Sentinel SK William G. O Dell Faithful Outer Sentinel SK Nathaniel D. Wharton, Jr. Faithful Trustees One Year Trustee SK William J. Garber, Jr. Two Year Trustee SK Larry L. Espiritu Three Year Trustee SK Stephen B. Benson ON THE COVER: Inspiracion de Cristobal Colon by Jose Maria Obregon, THE PATRIOT - OCTOBER

3 NAVIGATOR S N O T E ctober is a BUSY month for Fr. Washington Assembly On Saturday, October 6th, the Color Corps posted the colors at the State meeting at Walsingham Academy, Williamsburg. That same afternoon, the Color Corp participated in the West Point Crab Festival Parade. Both events had great attendance and the Color Corp performed to very large crowds, applause and many salutes. The annual PFN dinner will be held on Friday, October 19th to welcome (maybe) SK Jimmy Trentham into the exalted rank of PFN by his predecessors. The event will begin at 6:30 PM in the St. Joan of Arc Social Hall. SK/PFN Bill Garber has planned a delicious dinner; wine and beer will be available for donations. The dinner is only $20.00 per person. VIPs include SK Jimmy Trentham the intended honoree, FM Tom Trudeau, Master Steve Rashke, SD Ed Polich and many PFNs. SK Bill Garber is still in need of kitchen help for October 18th and 19th. We still need additional PFNs to sign up to make this the best event for all. Especially for the nervous honoree who is anticipating PFN status but is not assured of that honor. On October 23rd, many SKs will attend the annual VA volunteer training at the VA Medical Center in Hampton. Recertification and new volunteers must attend this training or do the training on their own to be a volunteer. Carpooling will be from the Food Lion parking lot across from Taco Bell in George Washington Square in Grafton at 7:30 AM. The Fourth Degree Exemplification is October 27th in Herndon, VA. Details were sent to all Assembly members and associated Councils. Please review the official s as soon as possible if you still plan to attend. Hotel reservations must be made by October 11th. The October Assembly meeting is 17th and the monthly VA Birthday Party is on October 25th. God Bless, Walter H.(Tom)Carrol Faithful Navigator Fr.John P. Washington Assembly OCTOBER THE PATRIOT - 3

4 Worthies, New information on ordering the new 4th degree uniform. The Fourth Degree Uniform website is officially live and functional and ready to accept orders! It can be found at There is also a slider on Knightsgear.com that will lead you to the website to place an order. This will also allow you to order your colored patch for your beret. Steve Stephen Paul Raschke Sr., PSD Master, Virginia District 6 - THE PATRIOT - OCTOBER

5 Special Offer to all Knights and Families Sir Knight and family, I wanted to take this opportunity to share this special invitation with you and your family! The Knights of Columbus Survivorship Universal Life Product (SUL) is designed to pass tax free money to your estate, family members, church, trust etc. By converting taxable dollars to tax free dollars. The Knights of Columbus (KofC) has been the industry leader in providing a product like this for the past two years. There is not an insurance company in North America that can provide this level of tax free benefits for such a small investment. Imagine turning $269,710 of taxable money to your family and converting it to $1,000,000 of tax free money to your family. Guaranteed! ** Or turning $142,290 of taxable money to your family and converting it to $500,000 of tax free money to your family. Guaranteed! ** Both insureds must be under 75 years of age. One of the two people can be uninsurable, but the other would need to be in decent, but not perfect health. As you can imagine, this product has been extremely popular with our agency clients. Each month we are selling more and more of this product. The size of these cases are ranging from $250,000 to $2,000,000 with many more cases pending. Like all good deals, this one is not going to be around very long. So, if this sounds like something you would want to explore, I suggest you call your agent today! Some of our offices have a wait time of 3 weeks before there is an opening for a consultation. This is not a gimmick or a sales pitch, this product is changing and will no longer offer this kind of return after the close of Take this seriously as there will not be another time that you can literally have a guaranteed return of this magnitude. Max Abbate, Field Agent for the Historic Triangle Max Abbate Field Agent Knights of Columbus Max.Abbate@KofC.org 350 McLaws Cr., Ste 1 Williamsburg VA OCTOBER THE PATRIOT - 7

6 OLORS OUT IN FRONT BY SIR KNIGHT CHRISTOPHER FAIRMAN The Color Corps exemplifies all the principles of our Order; Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. Through Charity, members give their gift of time and energy towards practice and performance at many ceremonial events throughout the year. An Esprit de Corps could not be found in a better place than in sharing a common desire for drill excellence and that all starts with training. Leading the charge for Assembly 2184, Color Corps Commander, Terry Fairman, PGK, gathered the troops for necessary training in preparation for many upcoming events. Fall always brings with it many parades, ceremonies and events and the Color Corps must always be ready to answer the call. It is important to remember that when individual members of the Color Corps appear at public functions they are not only representing themselves, but also their assembly and the entire Order of the Knights of Columbus. Their conduct and appearance should reflect this at all times. Ironing out the details, members work on proper carrying, 6 - THE PATRIOT - OCTOBER

7 displaying and presenting the colors. Details are honed down to placement of staffs and timing with the entire team, spacing and angle of swords when saluting and understanding commands when given. Perhaps the most difficult task is dressing the flags. Standing side by side and properly fixing the flag so it not only displays properly but every movement is in unison with every other member posting a flag would seem fairly easy. Make no mistake, it takes practice, especially when members are spaced out just far enough that they cannot see each other. Nevertheless, with excellent practice and training, every performance becomes an outstanding display of effortless perfection. TP OCTOBER THE PATRIOT - 7

8 THE CATHOLIC VENTURE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS A deeply devout man, COLUMBUS was always grateful to God and dedicated his mission to the New World to the conversion of pagan peoples; like the apostles, he hoped to bring the Gospel to those who had never heard of Christ. BY THE SLAVES OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

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10 When writing to the people of the United States in 1895, Pope Leo XIII observed: The names newly given to so many of your towns and rivers and lakes teach and clearly witness how deeply your beginnings were marked with the footprints of the Catholic Church. How true it is! For there are countless hundreds of cities, towns, and other landmarks bearing the names of great saints of the Church that testify to the inestimable apostolic labors of her sons and daughters in America. Although his footprint was not the first, of a mission-minded Catholic on these shores, the first lasting impress made on our soil was by the much-maligned and under-appreciated Christopher Columbus. We present here a brief rundown of the Catholic venture of this noble Genoan. Pre-Columbian Ventures First, we confront the uncertainty and confusion surrounding the discovery of America. For the very name America credits Amerigo Vespucci with the discovery of the continent. This was an error, of course, as the historians later realized. (But by the queer chance of their mistake it also happens that the entire Western Hemisphere, as a result, was inadvertently given the name of the great Saint Emeric of Hungary, who was Vespucci s patron saint.) Later historians, eager perhaps to shadow the apostolic motives of Catholic explorers, insisted that the Vikings were the first to sail to our shores. Yet, they ignore the fact that when the pagan Norsemen discovered Iceland in the Eighth Century, there they found crosses, bells, sacred vessels, and other Catholic artifacts of Irish craftsmanship. Upon returning to Norway from their long voyages, these hardy sailors found that the idols of Scandinavia had been hurled to the dust. The king had embraced the true Faith and the whole people had renounced paganism. When the Nordics, therefore, set out again for their newfound lands, they brought Catholicism with them this time, Hence we learn that the Viking explorers Bjorn and Leif were Catholics, not pagans, and that after their discovery of the American shores, missionaries immediately offered to come here to preach the Gospel to the savage inhabitants. But having mentioned that the Catholic Irish had preceded the Norsemen to Iceland, we must also note that likewise they were the earliest explorers of our Atlantic coast. In fact, it is recorded that Saint Brendan the Navigator, the patron saint of seamen, had sailed to the American continent in the sixth century, some two hundred years before the Vikings and All That Columbus before the Queen, by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, 1843, Brooklyn Museum Now we come to the part with which more of us are familiar THE PATRIOT - OCTOBER

11 Previous Spread: Portrait of a Man, Said to be Christopher Columbus, 1519 On the second of August in the year 1492 three ships, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria (Holy Mary 1 ), carrying one hundred and twenty men set sail from the shores of Spain. Their objective was twofold: to find a westerly route to the Far East, where they hoped to obtain a source of revenue to rebuild their poor country so long ravaged by Moslem invaders; and most importantly to bring the true Faith of Christ to pagans of those distant lands. The leader of this brave band, of course, was Christopher Columbus, a native of Genoa, and the only Italian among this crew of Spaniards and Portuguese. "Columbus taking possession of the new country" Columbus had begun sailing the seas as a boy of fourteen and over the years had acquired a notable skill in navigation and astronomy. He is said to have sailed as far as Guinea when he was sixteen years of age. For some time he and his brother had pondered the idea of reaching the East Indies by sailing westward, and it was the hope of executing this idea that brought Christopher to Portugal in He presented his plan to the King of Portugal, but meeting with no success he set off for Spain in Twice he petitioned King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella Los Reyes Católicos 2 to support his venture, but due to the influence of royal advisers who thought his plan absurd, he was politely dismissed. Enter the Franciscans Dejected and practically reduced to begging, Columbus accepted the hospitality of a Franciscan monastery. 3 The Prior, Father Juan Perez, happened to be the Queen s confessor and he took a strong interest in the extraordinarily zealous seafarer. (It was Father Perez who later was to celebrate the first Mass in America on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.) This good priest had a friend at the King s court, Louis de Santangel (who would be put in charge of all Church revenues for Columbus design) and the two men were able to convince the Queen of the project s merit, particularly since the Church was prepared to help in financing the first expedition. We can clearly understand the Church s interest in the venture when we see the compelling argument that Columbus offered to explain its purpose:... To carry the Name and doctrine of Jesus Christ into regions so distant. Permission was obtained from the Catholic Kings and preparations were soon under way. Christopher also presented his plan to Pope Alexander VI in letter, hoping to secure missionaries accompany him on the journey. He wrote: I trust that by God s help, I may spread the Holy Name and Gospel of Jesus Christ as widely as possible. The Pope granted his request on the second and other subsequent expeditions. A Rough Voyage Knowing that a plenary indulgence would be gained by all who received Holy Communion on the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels, August second, the courageous explorer-missioner chose that date for his departure. Every one of the crew approached the Communion rail that morning and, after invoking the protection I trust that by God s help, I may spread the Holy Name and Gospel of Jesus Christ as widely as possible. of the Queen of Heaven, they set out for a historic destiny. The men suffered considerably from the grueling experience of being many weeks at sea in the turbulence of unknown waters. Fear and uncertainty began to take hold of them. Two months passed and still there was no land to be seen. The crew grew all the more restless and insisted that their captain return back. Still confident, however, Columbus countered OCTOBER THE PATRIOT - 11

12 Christopher Columbus on The Santa Maria in 1492 their fears with a proposition: If no land were sighted by the Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, October twelfth, he would reverse their course. This was a persuasive appeal even to these much frightened Iberian sailors, because the Feast commemorated the day on which the Blessed Virgin appeared to Saint James the Greater, Apostle of Spain, and reassured him that, in spite of his apparent failure in that country, his work eventually would bring forth tremendous fruits for the Church. The men agreed to this offer, and as a reward for their faith, land was sighted on the very day of the great Feast. Their total number of days at sea had been seventy-two precisely the number of years that the Mother of God spent on earth. The first act of Columbus upon setting foot on this new land was to set up the standard of the Cross and claim it in the Name of Jesus Christ. He gratefully named the first island he arrived at San Salvador (Holy Savior), by which it is still known today, despite the fact that the Masons succeeded for a time in having its name changed to Watling s Island. After a brief rest he set sail again, and on Christmas Day he disembarked on the northern coast of what is now Haiti, establishing the first European settlement in the New World, which he called La Navidad (The Nativity). Columbus, by securing the friendship of the natives, was able to learn from them that a large island lay not far away, and that beyond it was a huge body of land. And so, leaving sixty of his men there, he started out on his return course to Spain, bringing with him the news of the existence of the American continent. The Spreading of Catholicism The apostolic navigator was welcomed back to Spain with jubilation. His news was received enthusiastically by the Catholic Kings, not merely because it promised economic relief for their suffering country, but primarily because they had learned that the natives of the new land were well disposed to receive Immortal thanks should be rendered to God, Who had brought His labors such prosperous issues; the gift of Faith. The pious queen addressed Christopher with these words: The expenses we have incurred, and are about to incur for the Indian expeditions, have been well bestowed; for these will ensure a spreading of Catholicism. How well Queen Isabella had described the holy explorer when she had said that he 12 - THE PATRIOT - OCTOBER

13 would have boldly thrust himself upon a vast ocean to achieve a most signal thing for the sake of the Divine Glory. Surely he was worthy of such praise, as is confirmed by his words to a friend upon his return: Immortal thanks should be rendered to God, Who had brought His labors such prosperous issues; that Jesus Christ rejoices and triumphs on earth no less than in heaven, at the approaching salvation of nations innumerable that were before hastening to destruction. There were those who were unimpressed with the prospects of further voyages and who tried to dissuade the fatigued Columbus from undertaking further expeditions. Were they right, he wondered? How could he know what to do? The seafarer decided to make a spiritual retreat at the Franciscan The Columbus Monument in Columbus Circle was designed by Syracuse-born architect Dwight James Baum in Monastery. After imploring the help of the Blessed Mother, he emerged fortified with grace and determined to continue his apostolic explorations. And so in September of 1493, Christopher set sail again, this time in a vessel called The Gracious Mary, accompanied by thirteen ships and fifteen hundred men. And again, the Blessed Trinity was invoked for the protection of the journey, during which the Angelus faithfully was recited three times every day. A new settlement was established on this expedition, and the first fortress in the New World was erected and named in honor of Saint Thomas the Apostle. It was also on this voyage that Columbus discovered a group of small islands south of San Salvador, which he called the Virgin Islands, in honor of the 11,010 virgins who martyred with Saint Ursula at Cologne in 383. The venerable missionary of the seas returned to Spain in 1496, but promptly launched out again in May of that year to explore the Canary Islands and others in that area. In July he came upon of South America. In all, Christopher Columbus led four excursions from the shores of Spain to America. It was on his fourth expedition that his great apostolic career finally ended. After suffering tempests, shipwreck, grave illness and exhaustion, as will as mutiny from his own settlers, he was put on board a ship heading back to Spain, and there in his adopted homeland he died. This courageous explorer deserves our highest admiration and praise not only for his discovery of our American continents, but for his unquenchable zeal in bringing the Catholic Faith to distant corners of the globe, that men might know the way to salvation. Pope Leo XIII wrote in praise of Christopher Columbus: By his toil... hundreds of thousands of mortals have, from a state of blindness, been raised to the common level of the human race, reclaimed from savagery to gentleness and humanity, and, greatest of all, by the acquisition of those blessings of which Jesus Christ is the Author, they have been recalled from destruction to eternal life. 1 The full name of this flagship was Holy Mary of the Immaculate Conception, a most fitting name not only because Mary is the Star of the Sea (Stella Maris ), but more significantly because it was to the Immaculate Conception that the United States was to be consecrated in the year The Catholic Monarchs (or Catholic Kings ), as the two were known. 3 It should be recalled that Columbus was a Third Order Franciscan, as were many other notables in history, including Dante and Saint Louis IX, of France. a very large body of land, which he named Trinidad (Trinity), and sailing westward from thence he at last landed on the mainland OCTOBER THE PATRIOT - 13 TP

14 Fr. James Lee Rizer #6828 Williamsburg, VA Yorktown #7469 Yorktown, VA Fr. Edmond P. McCarthy #9428 Gloucester, VA William & Mary College #11501 Williamsburg, VA St. Olaf #12589 Norge, VA Event Calendar October 7, 2018, 5:00 PM Bingo Chestnut Hall Bingo October 8, 2018 Columbus Day October 17, 2018, 7:30 PM Assembly Business Meeting St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church October 19, 2018, 7:00 PM PFN/Candidate Dinner St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church October 25, 2018, 11:00 AM VA Birthday Party Hampton VA Medical Center October 27, 2018, 11:00 AM Exemplification of The Patriotic Degree November 1, 2018 All Saints Day November 2, 2018 All Souls Day November 11, 2018 Veterans Day November 21, 2018 Assembly Business Meeting St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church November 22, 2018 Thanksgiving Day December 2, st Sunday of Advent December 8, 2018 Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception December 19, 2018 Assembly Business Meeting St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church 14 - THE PATRIOT - OCTOBER

15 Prayer Requests Dixie & Frank Nowak Linda O Dell Bill & Mary Betts Al Jury Mrs. Hinger Randy Vis Joan Progar Frank Komornik OCTOBER THE PATRIOT - 15

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