THE COUNCIL CHRONICLE

Transcription

1 THE COUNCIL CHRONICLE ST. ANASTASIA COUNCIL #15429 Volume 2, Issue 7 January 2016 Coffee and Donuts: 1/3 Meeting Date: 1/12 7:00pm Parish Breakfast: 1/17 Grand Knight s Report bring the values and principles of the Knights of Columbus to life in our council, parish and community? Worthy Brothers, A new calendar year is upon us and the second half of our fraternal year has begun. We as a Council just celebrated our fourth anniversary on December 13. Four years ago this council started with a vision to be a place where Catholic men could come together to pray, practice their faith, put that faith into action, strengthen their families and build on the bonds of fraternity while strengthening the faith community of St. Anastasia. The Council has Inside this issue 3 Deputy Grand Knight s Report 4 Emblems of the Order and Council Jewels 5 Upcoming events 5 Member Ideas on Council Direction worked hard to fulfill that vision and become the shinning light of Catholicism in Fort Pierce. It is now a time for renewal and for a recommitment to St. Anastasia Council. On December 15, council members met in a meeting devoted to our future. What should we be doing, what should we be looking at as a Council and what can we do to The answers are not easy to come by. Those in attendance offered many different ideas. This was not a meeting to go into finite detail about how to accept or implement each one. Rather it was to gather a number of ideas to review, prioritize and realistically look at in terms of implementation. Elsewhere in the Chronicle is a listing of some of the ideas that came out of that meeting. It is not surprising that all of them build around the Council s motto of Faith, Family, and Fraternity. Bringing more God and Church into our Council (Faith), creating more family orientated activities (Family) and reaching out to new members (Fraternity) are ideas mentioned in the session. Continued on next page - see Grand Knight

2 Upcoming Birthdays Grand Knight, cont. David Woodall 1/6 Richard Symth 1/7 Matthew Noelke 1/10 Tomas T. Assaly 1/10 Donald Willems 1/22 Craig Barbret 1/24 Scott Johnson - 1/30 Jacob Noon- Clayton 2/1 Carson Assaly 2/7 Michael Brennan 2/10 Dr. Michael O Connor 2/10 Robert Collier 2/19 Jose Tenjo 2/20 Robert LaFleur 2/21 SK Thomas G. Assaly 2/22 Thomas Barry 2/23 Benito Lachica 2/23 David DiBattisto 2/25 Alan Shevak 2/28 We have just completed the Christmas season where Christ s birth, the reason for the season, ofttimes is lost in the secular imprint of the holiday season. It is important for us, as Knights, to ensure that Christ remains the central focus of the season. Remember this is a celebration of the birth of Our Lord and of the creation of the First Christian Family. We can do that by becoming knowledgeable in our faith and by practicing our faith. In our families Building the Domestic Church can be used by each brother and his family to strengthen their faith and by extension our faith community. Another way to help us know more about our faith is the educational series offered by the Knights of Columbus to anyone. The Luke Hart series answers three questions of deepest importance to any practicing Catholics or anyone looking for a better understanding of our faith: What does the Catholic believe, How does the Catholic worship and How does the Catholic live. The series consists of a number of lessons completed at home, on line in your spare time and taking about a half hour for each session. It is a great way to increase or just update your faith knowledge. Moreover, it is free. VERITAS is another offering that speaks to a number of topics facing the church today as well as many issues the church encounters. It is also free. Access each by going to and clicking on the Know Your Faith block. Let s not forget that the Council has named the second Sunday of each month as Choose Life Sunday. Those brothers who have purchased a Choose Life tie are encouraged to wear that tie to mass on the weekend of the second Sunday of each month (and at any other time as well). Ties and Scarves with the same logo and message are available for spouses, daughters and any others who wish to promote choosing life. As we start this second half of our fraternal year, I hope and pray that each of you enjoyed a special Christmas season celebrating the birth of Our Savior and had a wonderful new year. Vivat Jesus! SK Bob Cuddy, GK NEWSLETTER EDITOR: SK Jim Podsedly The deadline for submitting information for the newsletter is the 25 th of each month. Let me know if there is something you wish publicized. You can reach me by at jpodsedly@yahoo.com or by phone at

3 Service Hours need to be reported Steve Ring needs to get an accurate account of the service hours that all Knights have been putting in for all the activities in and out of the council that goes toward church and community hours. Please either call him (561) or see him at the next meeting to fill out the form. Steve will submit the total hours from our Council to Supreme. Deputy Grand Knight s Report Worthy Brothers, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May it be a safe and healthy one for all of us. I look forward to the coming year being very productive for the Council. My fondest wish is to bring back the brothers who have been inactive the past few years. I want us to get the families involved and help our parishioners fulfill their needs. Let's be doers in the community and enjoy working together. I saw a lot of positive come out of our last meeting. It was a chance to throw out ideas to meet the needs and wants of the brothers. Let us continue with that attitude as we start a new year. God Bless you and your families, NEWSLETTER INFO SK Bob Corcoran, DGK K of C Council Newsletter Editor: Jim Podsedly Phone: jpodsedly@yahoo.com Every effort is made to ensure the content and information in this newsletter is accurate and informative. Comments welcome. DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE OR WOULD LIKE TO ADVERTISE? Submit it in our monthly newsletter via to jpodsedly@yahoo.com DEADLINE to submit material for newsletters is NO LATER THAN the 25 th of the month 3

4 Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ January 6 th The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the oldest Christian feasts, though, throughout the centuries, it has celebrated a variety of things. Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning, "to reveal," and all of the various events celebrated by the Feast of the Epiphany are revelations of Christ to man. Like many of the most ancient Christian feasts, Epiphany was first celebrated in the East, where it has been held from the beginning almost universally on January 6. Today, among both Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, the feast is known as Theophany the revelation of God to man. Epiphany originally celebrated four different events, in the following order of importance: the Baptism of the Lord; Christ's first miracle, the changing of water into wine at the wedding in Cana; the Nativity of Christ; and the visitation of the Wise Men or Magi. Each of these is a revelation of God to man. In many parts of Europe, the celebration of Epiphany is at least as important as the celebration of Christmas. In Italy and other Mediterranean countries, Christians exchange gifts on Epiphany the day on which the Wise Men brought their gifts to the Christ Child while in Northern Europe, it's not unusual to give gifts on both Christmas and Epiphany (often with smaller gifts on each of the twelve days of Christmas in between). EMBLEMS OF THE ORDER AND COUNCIL JEWELS So far, in this series we have looked at the Emblems of the Order and the Fourth Degree, and the jewels for the Grand Knight and Deputy Grand Knight. This month we look at the jewels for the Chaplin and Chancellor. The Chaplain Jewel The Chaplain Jewel is the Isabella Cross in silver and blue. The Cross- is representative of the Church and the position the Chaplain holds as the priest- chaplain who is called to exercise his apostolic ministry for the Knights and their families, even as he is called to do so for all those to whom he has been assigned. For the council, and in collaboration with his bishop, he is the teacher, the shepherd, and the sanctifier of souls. How would Father McGivney summarize the role of the chaplain? Maybe he would paraphrase the old definition of the priest: To live in the midst of the community and council without wishing to dominate by direction. To be a member of each council and of each member s family but possessed by none, to feel all suffering; to penetrate all secrets; to heal all wounds; to go from Knights and their families to God and offer Him their praise; to return from God to Knights and their families to bring God and hope; to have a heart of fire for charity and a heart of bronze for chastity; to teach, to pardon, console and bless always. My God, what a singular privilege is yours, priest- chaplain of the Knights of Columbus. The Chancellor Jewel The Chancellor Jewel is the Isabella Cross with Skull and Crossbones. The Cross- represents the Church and the Skull and Crossbones represent man s mortality. The Chancellor s role in the Council is to promote vocations and to ensure that each member advances in his degrees. The Chancellor is third in command of the Council and is designated to oversee Council meetings in the absence of the Grand Knight and the Deputy Grand Knight. He is also charged with keeping abreast of the welfare of members and their families. 4

5 Octave of Christmas and Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God January 1 st 1/2 Officer Meeting We celebrate the liturgical feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary on January 1st, which is the Octave of Christmas. Only Christmas and Easter enjoy the privilege of an octave, which is an eight day extension of the feast. The honoring of Mary as the Mother of God can be traced back to the Council of Ephesus in 431. By the 7th century, January 1st was observed as a celebration of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the 13th century, the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ had come to replace the feast honoring Mary; however in 1751, after a push in Portugal for an official feast day celebrating Mary s divine maternity, Pope Benedict XIV allowed Portugal s churches to devote a feast to Mary on the first Sunday in May. Eventually, the feast extended to other countries, and in 1914 began to be observed on October 11. In 1931, Pope Pius XI extended the feast to the entire church, and in 1974, Pope Paul VI removed the feast of the Circumcision of Christ from the liturgical calendar and replaced it with the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, bringing Mary s feast day back to the first day of the year. 1/3 Coffee and Donuts after 7:45 and 9:30 Masses 1/9 Seminarian Dinner Mark Your Calendars! 1/12 Council Business Meeting 7:00 1/17 Parish Breakfast after 7:45 and 9:30 Masses 1/18 Martin Luther King Day 1/23 Knight at the Races MEMBER IDEAS ON COUNCIL DIRECTION At the December 15 meeting, a number of ideas came forth as things to look at for the next six months. Some of those ideas follow: Focus on Youth Reach out to Juan Diego Visit homebound Do something for Veterans Find out the needs of members Build Fraternity Help new members get involved Welcoming group Family Activities Bring God and Church into meetings and activities Roster of member skills All of these are excellent ideas and areas that we should be involved in. If any brother would like to work on any of these please me (robertcuddyjr@comcast.net) or the DGK (rjcorc@aol.com) and let us know. We are looking for ideas and execution of those ideas. There are ongoing activities that can always use help. These are: Coffee and Doughnuts (First Sunday of the Month) Parish Breakfasts (normally the Third Sunday of the month) Lenten Dinners (starting Friday Feb. 12 for six weeks) To help with any of these please (robertcuddyjr@comcast.net) or Bob Corcoran (rjcorc@aol.com). 5

6 Wanted New Members The Grand Knight has asked each member to bring in at least one new member this year! ASK your friends, Why aren t you a member of the St. Anastasia Knights? Share the experience of a lifetime. A new member needs to complete a Form 100. If you need applications or recruiting information, please contact Grand Knight Bob Cuddy at robertcuddyjr@comcast.net. Council #15429 Officers Grand Knight SK Bob Cuddy (845) Deputiy Grand Knight SK Bob Corcoran (772) Chaplain Rev. Richard George II (772) Financial Secretary SK Bob Norton (772) Treasurer Recorder Gerard Langel (772) Chancellor SK Paul Pecor (772) Advocate SK Richard Pederson (631) Lecturer John Weideman (772) Warden Rob Collier (772) Inside Guard Outside Guard Trustees: Fred Fanizzi SK Charles Baji Robert Gehrig SK Julius Dunajewski SK William Stanton (772) (772) (772) # Past Grand Knights Isurance Representative SK Stephen Ring SK Julius Dunajewsk SK Joe DeMarco (772) Brothers, Please Join Us! Please try to attend the monthly meetings. We do need your ideas to help us grow. Please join us at the monthly meeting and share your ideas. The General Meetings are held on the 2 nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in the Parish Center. Mark your calendar! The dates for future St. Anastasia Council meetings are: January 12, 2016 February 9,

7 Degree Teams Brother Tom Assaly is our Degree Team Captain. The First Degree Team is in place, well trained and has performed a number of 1st Degrees over the past year. It has been called upon regularly to bring new members into the Knights of Columbus. We are now in the process of building a 2 nd degree team. The scripts are in house and a number of brothers have expressed interest in becoming members of the 2nd Degree team. Anyone who is interested should contact Brother Thomas Assaly for additional information. Brother Thom can use additional team members for both teams so that there are backups for each part. Degree work is informative, fun filled, interesting and develops great fraternity. Besides what better way to help new members than by giving them their degrees? Dues Paying Time by SK Bob Norton, FS Thank you to all who have already paid their dues. It is truly appreciated. You have saved your council collection costs and me a great deal of extra work. If your dues are not yet in, please send them in as soon as you can, and save your Council the cost of additional notices. Your cooperation is appreciated Coconut Dr Fort Pierce, FL Committees Budget Retention Membership Admissions SK Bob Cuddy - Chair SK Bob Corcoran SK Bob Norton Scott Johnson Church Activites Council Activites Community Activites Youth Activities Family Activities Culture of Life Activites Communications Degree Team Members SK Bob Corcoran Chair SK Bob Cuddy SK Bob Norton Trustees SK Bill Stanton - Chair Activity Directors SK Steve Rexroad - Director SK Dave Suba - Director Bob Gehrig - Director Director needed Director needed SK Richard Pederson - Chair Director needed Currently SK Bob Norton Director needed Memebers needed PUNology For Sale: Parachute. Only used once, never opened. If anything is possible, is it possible for something to be impossible? I'd tell you a chemistry joke but I know I wouldn't get a reaction. Which day do chickens hate the most? Friday. gratfulbob@comcast.net (772)

8 January Insurance Matters Month of the Holy Name January is the month of the Holy Name of Jesus. The feast of the Holy Name originated in the 1500s and was formerly celebrated on the second Sunday of Epiphany. It was removed from the calendar in 1969, "since the imposition of the name of Jesus is already commemorated in the office of the Octave of Christmas." It was restored in 2002 as an optional memorial on the first free day after January 1 st. The name of Jesus is the sweetest of all names, and He who bears it is most worthy of all love. He who calls Jesus his friend can be assured that this friend is the most devoted and unselfish of all friends. Jesus is our all. In His name we may pray to the Father with assurance of being heard. In His name the Church administers all her sacraments. In His name she offers all her prayers and blesses homes, the fields, and the sick. In the name of Jesus she casts out evil spirits, and at the hour of our death bids us, "Go forth, Christian soul." She assures us that whoever shall call upon this name will be saved. When our soul has departed this life to seek its eternal home, the Church asks in the name of Jesus, "Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord." An Ethical Responsibility In 2015, the Knights of Columbus was named one of the World s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute for the second year in a row. This is a tremendous honor and achievement that all Knights should be proud of. You are part of a fraternal benefit society that puts integrity above all else. But tremendous though it is, being one of the world s most ethical companies is not just an achievement; it s our legacy and our responsibility. We won t settle for less. We owe it to our founder, to our Church, and to our members. As a business, the Knights of Columbus holds a unique place in the world. Writing in Columbia, the Supreme Knight reflected on that uniqueness, noting that: Whether we consider the development of our insurance products, the investment strategies that support them, or the outstanding agents who make them available to our Brother Knights, our Catholic fraternal business model is truly unique in today s marketplace. We do not divide the world among consumers and customers, shareholders and stakeholders, union members and management. Instead, our business decisions are measured by a fraternal calculus: What is best for our brother Knights and their families? There s a certain counter- culturalism inherent in this approach, which is part of what makes the label of World s Most Ethical so rare. Some may say that this is a kind of idealism that cannot compete in the real world of business, the Supreme Knight continued. On the contrary, the tremendous success we have achieved in recent years demonstrates that our approach is the height of what I would describe as Catholic realism. We deal with real persons, not with economic abstractions. Our focus is on the person who is always worthy of respect and who always should take precedence over profit. Continued on next page - see Insurance Matters 8

9 Insurance Matters, cont. That focus stems from our roots. It is our responsibility to continue the business in a way that Father McGivney intended. He founded this organization so that a caring community of Catholic families could come together and protect widows and orphans from financial devastation upon the death of the bread winner. Our mission remains the same 133 years later. That s why from our founding to the present day, we are and have been an unapologetically Catholic company. For us, this means that we must conduct our business in accordance with Catholic principles. We have established a strict screening process for our investments, and we refuse to invest in companies that deal in abortions, contraception, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, for- profit health care that pays for any of the aforementioned, and pornography. We are an organization by brother Knights, for brother Knights. That s our commitment to you. And that s our commitment to conducting our business in line with Church teaching, and in line with the vision of our holy founder. We are honored that the Ethisphere Institute has yet again acknowledged that commitment. It is what makes doing business with the Knights of Columbus truly different. Let s talk soon to see how the Knights of Columbus can help protect you and your family. Fraternally, Joe DeMarco, FICF (772) joseph.demarco@kofc.org We don t worry about stock price, shareholders, or corporate takeovers. We don t obsess over profit margins and golden parachutes. We worry about doing what s right for our members and their families. After all, we re brother Knights too. We rigorously train our agents and hold them to the highest ethical standards. Our Agent Code of Ethics is modeled after the Ten Commandments. Among its commandments is Thou shall present, honestly and accurately, all the facts necessary to enable a member to make an informed decision. Our fraternal ties to our members, it goes on to say, make it more incumbent on us, in our dealings with them, to assure that their interests are uppermost in our minds as we provide solutions to their financial needs. It all boils down simply to the golden rule Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. After all, we are our brother s keeper. 9

10 Non- Profit Org. RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED 10