The Knights Line. 'We Dare Not Forget' THE HOLY FAMILY

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1 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS The Holy Family Council 9236 Blessed Theodore G. Romzha Assembly 2279 P.O. Box 1391 Windermere, FL The Knights Line MAIL TO: DATED MATERIAL PLEASE DO NOT DELAY Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit No Orlando, Florida RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED THE HOLY FAMILY WEB SITE - VOLUME 17, No. 2 February /1/2010 'We Dare Not Forget' Kennedy's historic speech urged us to remember the divine source of our rights and civic responsibilities Fifty years ago this month, John F. Kennedy was sworn in as president of the United States. His inaugural address inspired a generation of Americans, and his words "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" became the byword of a generation. Those words, coming toward the end of the address, were its rhetorical Carl A. Anderson highpoint. But the speech's intellectual foundation came at the beginning, when Kennedy asserted that "the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God." He concluded his speech this way: "[L]et us go forth to lead the land we love, asking his blessing and his help, but knowing that here on earth, God's work must truly be our own." Kennedy had just won one of the closest and most controversial elections in American history. Much of the opposition centered upon the prejudice that a Catholic could not serve as president. In this regard, some might have expected Kennedy to downplay the theme of religion in his speech. But he did not. If it were to have taken place amid the political landscape of today, Kennedy's election would have been less controversial than his words. Given the ongoing debate over religion in American life, his inaugural address would have generated enormous disagreement. Though some today might be shocked by the presence of religious ideals in a speech of this importance, such sentiments have been prominent throughout American history. Kennedy's predecessor, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, began his first inaugural address with a prayer he had composed. Eisenhower said, "At such a time in history, we who are free must proclaim anew our faith. This faith is the abiding creed of our fathers. It is our faith in the deathless dignity of man, governed by eternal moral and natural laws." Both Kennedy and Eisenhower understood that the "abiding creed of our fathers," and those "revolutionary beliefs" for which they fought, had been summarized by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence when he wrote that each of us has been endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights. We might well say that the 20th century was defined by the struggle between those committed to the proposition that our rights "come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God" and those who seek to replace those "eternal moral and natural laws" with the unlimited power of the state. Both Kennedy and Eisenhower understood this, and it was one of the reasons they supported the initiative in the 1950s to add the words "under God" to the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance a cause that was championed by the Knights of Columbus. In my recent book Beyond a House Divided: The Moral Consensus Ignored by Washington, Wall Street and the Media, I have put forward statistical evidence showing that the American people by a large majority remain committed to the moral foundations of our country. These findings should give us confidence as we continue to promote the traditional moral values that offer the best hope for the future of our nation and the world. (Continued on Page 2) Council - council9236@me.com Assembly - romzha@me.com

2 District Deputy s Report No Report available for this newsletter 4th Degree Assembly 2279 Faithful Navigator s Report No Report available for this newsletter Grand Knight s Report No Report available for this newsletter Christmas Pageant Report We have completed another successful Christmas Pageant season. We would like to thank everyone that participated in this year pageant. A list of all participants is below. DVD s of this years pageants and previous years pageants will be available. For a list and order form go to our web site - or request form and list via at council9236@me.com. CHRISTMAS PAGEANT CAST AND CREW Narrator: Mary: Joseph: Melchior: Balthazar: Gaspar: Shepherds: Angels: Pages: Producer/Director: Assistant Producer Assistant Director/Casting: Executive Producer: Make-up: Wardrobe: Cast Support: Photography: Jeffrey Jones Candice Brookfirld Alan Spears Corey Brookfield Michael Horvath Joseph E. Chenette John Gabele Pat & Joseph E. Chenette Joseph A. Chenette Carol Ann Haar Joshua Haar Naan Oliver Courtnie Haar Ellory Jones Corene Brookfield Vernessa John Sierra Jones Michael P. Krochmalni Peter Krochmalni Michael MacMenamin Eugene Hawk Pat Chenette Carol Ann Haar Jane Jones Peter Krochmalni This years pageant and next years pageants will be in memory of Marika (Mary) Anstasia Krochmalni Fraternally, Michael Krochmalni Pageant producer 2 Worthy Sirs By this time all Faithful Navigators should have received the new flag pin with the emblem of the forth degree. Please make sure that all color guard members participating in any color guard activities have this pin as this will be the only pin allowed to be worn while in color guard regalia. Here are a few important dates that are coming up. January 30th Holy Family Dr. Phillips, 10:30 mass 10am report time. February 20th Basilica of Mary Queen of the Universe, 10:30 Mass, 10am report time. April 1-3 Forth Degree Exemplification Coral Springs, See Florida State Web site for more details. Rob Urrutia Vice Marshall 4th Degree Vice Marshall Report (Continued from Page 1) Some may say that these "revolutionary beliefs" should be a thing of the past. But in his inaugural address, Kennedy himself made the best response to this contention: "We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution" and that we are "unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed." May the Knights of Columbus remain steadfast in the defense of those "revolutionary beliefs" about which our brother Knight and first Catholic president spoke so eloquently. Vivat Jesus! BLESSED BISHOP ROMZHA ASSEMBLY OFFICERS Faithful Navigator Henry Abbott Faithful Captain Joseph Chenette Faithful Admiral Don Kahrer Faithful Pilot John Adams Faithful Comptroller Michael Krochmalni Faithful Purser Eugene Hawk Faithful Scribe Peter Shine Faithful Friar Fr. Sal Pignato Yr Trustee Michael Crawford Yr Trustee Donald Abate Yr Trustee John Long To request Honor Guard please contact the Faithful Navigator THE HOLY FAMILY COUNCIL OFFICERS Grand Knight Jeffrey Jones Deputy Grand Knight Joseph Chenette Warden Tommy Tate Chancellor Allison Anthony Financial Secretary Michael Krochmalni Treasurer Eugene Hawk Recorder Michael MacMenamin Advocate John Conley Chaplain Fr. Sal Pignato Yr Trustee Donald Abate Yr Trustee Alan Spears Yr Trustee Dan Buckley Insurance Agent Alvin T. Smith, Sr District Deputy John Forster

3 God's Story of Creation by Fr. Bruce Vawter, C.M PART 3 What Genesis Teaches And that is the important point to bear in mind. The author of Genesis does not teach any of these scientific errors and consequently the Bible does not teach them for the makeup of the universe was the thing in which he had the least interest in his writing. He was bound by the limitation of his own knowledge of these matters, to be sure, but he wrote of these things at all only to tell us that God had created them. We can be fairly sure, knowing as we do the character of the Old Testament Jews, that he would probably not have bothered to write any differently even if he had been told that his notion of nature was erroneous. He was interested in religious truths, not natural history. Hence we should acknowledge that there is no conflict between Genesis and science in these matters, because they are concerned with wholly different fields. Genesis teaches what science can neither prove nor disprove that God is one, that He is the creator of all things, that He made the world for our use, and the like. What Genesis does not teach, what it has no interest in whatever, is the province of science the origin of rain, for example, or the sphericity of the earth. In part, at least, the author of Genesis knew that his account was not precisely the way things had occurred. In part, he used symbolic and figurative language, and consciously so. He could not do otherwise. Nobody saw the act of creation, nor could anyone describe it in human language if he had. If the author had had a special revelation to enable him to explain things scientifically, as they precisely occurred, his contemporaries surely would not have understood him, nor would we. God Simplified Thus, for example, he arbitrarily divided the story of creation into six days work. Why did he do this? For several reasons. First of all, he wished to insist on the holiness of the seventh day of rest then observed by the Jews as the Sabbath. So he pictured God as resting on the seventh day, to give an example to his people. He knew that God did not really rest, just as he knew that God did not talk and take counsel with Himself, that He did not walk in a garden in the cool of the day (3:8), and so forth. But this was a homely, earthy way of speaking of God which would appeal to a simple people. We use the same principle when we speak of God s anger or wounding God through sin. We call it anthropomorphism, i.e. manlikeism. Speaking of God in human terms sometimes makes Him easier for us to understand. Again, take a close took at the six-day arrangement of Genesis 1. It is divided into two parts of three days each, and while one work of God is assigned to the first and second, and the fourth and fifth days, the third of each section, i.e., days three and six, each have two works. Further, the works of the second section correspond to those of the first. The fourth day corresponds to the first: in the first is the work of the separation of light and darkness, while in the fourth is the creation of the celestial bodies which regulate light and darkness. The fifth day corresponds to the second: in the second is the separation of the waters, and in the fifth is the creation of the denizens of the waters and of the air that separates them. The sixth day corresponds to the third: in the third the earth is created, and then plant life; in the sixth, the denizens of the earth are created, and then man who is to feed upon the plant life of the earth (1:29). This is obviously an artistic and an artificial arrangement. Its chief function, aside from its poetic symmetry, was undoubtedly to serve as a memory device. The creation story in Genesis had a long history of oral transmission before it was ever put down in writing. And during this time it depended on the memory of man for its preservation. Even after it was written, it existed in a world that knew few books, all of which had to be laboriously copied by hand. It was, consequently, the practice of ancient writers to supply their compositions with memory outlines so that the content that they had written would be accessible to a greater number of people who might never actually read their book. Another possible reason for the six-day scheme of Genesis 1:1-2:3 is that the Babylonian creation epic previously mentioned consisted of six tablets or divisions. The Biblical author who opposed his story to the polytheistic myth of the Gentiles may have had this scheme in mind in substituting the far more elevated, true account of Genesis. From this it is apparent that we should beware of the tendency of some commentators of the past, who thought that the six days of creation in Genesis could or should be harmonized with our new-found scientific knowledge concerning the geological ages of the world. In the first place, such a harmonization simply cannot be made. The scientific ages do not correspond with the Genesis account at all, as can be verified from any elementary textbook in natural history. Neither is the Biblical author speaking of any such thing. He speaks clearly of evening and morning, one day (1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). Furthermore, there is no possible way that he should know of any such thing as geological ages, short of a special revelation from God and that is not the way the book of Genesis was written. No Six-Day Task His six-day scheme disregards the scientifically known origin of the universe entirely. It is simply an outline, nothing more. Having first presented God as Creator, he arbitrarily selects the various elements of creation and pictures God as creating them on separate days, without any consideration of a real order of time or precedence. Thus the scientifically known connection between the sun and the light of the sun is passed over. The light is separated from darkness on the first day, note, yet the sun is pictured as being created only on the fourth day. In a somewhat similar way, the creation of the beasts of the sea and the birds are mentioned in a single breath, as though they were somehow connected. And so they were, in the minds of the ancients. The birds, denizens of the air, were thought to live in the sea because they flew out to sea and disappeared at the horizon, where the water was conceived as joining the solid firmament. (Incidentally, as late as the 18th century, the great Linnaeus, one of the fathers of modern science, thought that birds hibernated in the water.) There is, consequently, no connection between the Genesis view of the universe a religious view taking it simply as an object of creation and the scientific view which goes into its intimate makeup. (Continued on Page 4) 3

4 (Continued from Page 3) The two do not conflict because they do not come together at all, and were never intended to do so. How little the author of Genesis regarded the account in 1:1-2:3 as anything more than a symbolic account of the actual process through which God created the world can be seen from the second account of creation which begins in 2:4. Here he used another source entirely, a parallel story taken from the same traditional material he had at his disposal. In the original text, the style of the two accounts differs in several ways. Even in translation the difference can be seen in that in the first account God is referred to simply as God, while in the second he is consistently called the Lord God. In the second account the whole story of creation is retold in a different way. Here there is question of only one day (2:4). There is no primordial chaos of water which is separated, but rather the earth is pictured as entirely without rain and plantlife. Then a mist appears to water the face of the earth (2:6), and without further ado the story tells of the creation of man. The reason the author of Genesis added this second story of creation is the conclusion which follows, the account of the temptation and fall, an item of revelation which was the all-important aspect of this creation story which is wholly concerned with man. Both these creation accounts contained important religious teachings, and thus both were included. But they conflict in nonessential, symbolic details. The fact that the author left the conflicts as they were shows us how little account he took of them, and how little was his intention to teach anything one way or the other concerning them. Genesis is speaking of things entirely different. That God is the origin of all that we see in the world, that He brought all things about by the act of His will whether in an instant, or through a process of millions of years, is immaterial cannot be known through natural science. It is God s revelation, enshrined in His word made known to men that must tell us this. The man who knows, as he thinks, all about the workings of nature, but who knows not of the working of nature s Author, has really a very superficial notion of the universe. No Contradictions Religion and science thus complement each other. Without one or the other man is somehow incomplete. One does not substitute for the other. Together they give us a knowledge that is complete, each in its own field. How incomplete is this knowledge we have, and how dangerous, without the guidance of religion, we are beginning to suspect today, when man has the greatest control in his history of the forces of nature, without a reasoned knowledge of their purpose. The man who wrote the first chapters of Genesis did not know very much about the workings of these forces, but he expressed wisdom unknown to many of those today who have this knowledge, when he voiced a truth which has never before or after been put so eloquently or so completely. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Next Month - God's Story of Creation- Part 4 Living Among Us Details Unimportant Often you hear this story of a monastery that had fallen on hard Thus while in the first account the creation of both men and times. Formerly its many buildings were filled with monks and women had already been described as occurring on the sixth day, its big church resounded with chanting, but now it was nearly in the second,after a very anthropomorphic description of the deserted. People no longer came there to be nourished by prayer. creation of the first man,pictured as first being modeled out of A handful of old monks shuffled through the cloisters and praised clay and then infused with breath from God s nostrils (2:7) only God with heavy hearts. much later on occurs an equally anthropomorphic description of On the edge of the monastery woods, a holy hermit had built a the creation of woman (2:21 ff.). little hut where he would come from time to time to fast and pray. The teachings which the author intends to transmit in these No one ever spoke with him, but whenever he appeared, the word symbolisms we shall examine in the next article. The position of would be passed from monk to monk: "The hermit walks in the woods." And the monks would feel comforted by his prayerful man in the religious thought of Genesis is so important, this will presence. be considered in a chapter by itself. We mention these facts at the One day the abbot of the monastery decided to visit the hermit present simply to show that the two creation stories in Genesis 1-2 and to open his heart to him. So after the morning Divine Liturgy, are considerably different in their outlook, when it is a question he set out through the woods. As he approached the hut, the abbot of precisely those matters which are of no interest to the author, saw the hermit standing in the doorway, his arms outstretched in namely the material makeup of the elements of nature. That he welcome. It was as though he had been waiting there for some time. could combine sources which resulted in such a conflict of details The two embraced like long-lost brothers. Then they stepped back of which he was quite as conscious as we is one way he had of and just stood there, beaming at one another with smiles their faces telling us how little these details meant to him. could hardly contain. We can conclude, therefore, firm in the conviction that the presentation in Genesis of God the Creator, should cause no diffi- After a while the hermit motioned for the abbot to enter. In the middle of the room was a wooden table with the Holy Scriptures culty for either a believer or a non-believer in the Bible as God s open on it. They sat there for a moment in the presence of the book. word. The valid scientific conclusions concerning the process by Then the hermit began to cry. The abbot could not contain himself. which the world was gradually educed into its present existence, He covered his face with his hands and began to cry too. For the the many modifications that took place in the workings of nature, first time in his life, he cried his heart out. The two men sat there the composition of matter and its relation to energy all these and like lost children, filling the hut with their sobs and wetting the countless other questions like them, such as the age of the visible wood of the table with their tears. world, may be readily accepted by the person who accepts Genesis After the tears had ceased to flow and all was quiet again, the 1-2. There is no conflict between them. Neither should there be hermit lifted his head. "You and your brothers are serving God with any valid reason, on the basis of any scientifically known fact, for heavy hearts," he said. "You have come to ask a teaching of me. I will anyone to dismiss the story in Genesis as beneath his notice. For (Continued on Page 6) 4

5 1/24/2011 Mass on the Morning of the March for Life Mass on the Morning of the March for Life Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Living Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus On Pilgrimage with Mary You and I are here on pilgrimage. And like pilgrims the world over, this journey is not an easy one. Many of you got up earlier than you ever dreamed possible to catch a plane so that you could be here. Many more rode sleeplessly for hours on busses or in vans. All of us left behind the comfort of our own homes to be here, many to keep vigil throughout the night. This morning we are joined by another pilgrim, the Blessed Virgin Mary. From the very first moment Mary learned her Bishop William E. Lori cousin Elizabeth was with child Mary hastened through the hill country to be there for her, to be with her. Mary s pilgrimage was not easy. There were no planes, busses, or vans, or fast food outlets only hilly mountain paths, along which the young Virgin Mary walked. And when she reached her destination, Elizabeth addressed Mary as the Mother of my Lord before she had given birth. Thus Elizabeth recognized the humanity of the child in Mary s womb. And the child in Elizabeth s womb, namely, John the Baptist, leaped for joy, for in the power of the Holy Spirit he recognized in Mary s womb the One who came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). There, at the threshold of Elizabeth s house, the Gospel of Life was anticipated, and in response, Mary s song of praise still echoes across the centuries: The Lord has done great things for me, and holy is His Name! Now she joins us now on this pilgrimage dedicated to the Gospel of Life, this pilgrimage dedicated to the sanctity of every human life from the moment of conception until natural death. Mary the Pilgrim Listening to God s Word in the reading from the Book of Revelation, we recognize Mary as the great sign in the heavens, the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars (Revelation 12:1). We recognize her because, in her radiance, she has drawn so near to us.just as she visited her cousin Elizabeth, so too through the centuries, she has visited the Church in her pilgrimage through time and history. We think of Mary s great apparitions at Lourdes and Fatima but today we are drawn to Tepeyac Hill in Mexico, where, in the 16th century, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared not to a governor or a bishop but to a humble native American, St. Juan Diego. Just as Mary s original journey through the hill country was arduous, so too her journey to the hill of Tepeyac took her into the heart of a culture of death, to a culture where the sacrifice of infants to appease angry idols was common, to a culture where conquistadores plundered and killed the native peoples. 5 And just as Mary arrived at Elizabeth s house carrying her Son, Jesus, so too Mary arrived at Tepeyac Hill wearing a dark, purplish ribbon, which indicated to Juan Diego and his entire culture that she was with child. Mary miraculously depicted herself on Juan Diego s cloak, his tilma, as a mother with child as the Mother of God and the mother of all the living. She came as a messenger of hope and reconciliation. She embodied the very Gospel of Life which we are here to proclaim. We rejoice that Pope Benedict will soon beatify Pope John Paul II what a joy it will be to call him Blessed John Paul the Great even as we ardently pray for the day when he will be canonized. United with Pope Benedict XVI, we recall what Pope John Paul II said when he visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on January 23, 1999: May the Continent of Hope also be the Continent of Life! This is our cry: life with dignity for all! Dear brothers and sisters, the time has come to banish once for all from the Continent every attack against life! The Continent to which the Pope referred is America North, Central, South America the land where we live, the land we call our own. Encouraged by the hope Our Lady of Guadalupe embodies, strengthened by the prayers of Pope John Paul II and the leadership of Pope Benedict, we make our own the cry, Life for all with dignity! We make this cry because we recognize that far too many children die because of abortion, because we recognize that our tax dollars now can be used to procure abortions, because we recognize that the freedom of Catholic hospitals and health care workers not to cooperate in abortion and other proscribed procedures is now threatened. We make this cry, because we recognize that marriage & family are being undermined by same sex marriage; by divorce; by cohabitation; by contraception. We raise our voices because we recognize that the frail elderly are at risk from legislation that would make euthanasia an acceptable part of our culture. Just as Our Lady of Guadalupe stepped into a culture of death in 16th century Mexico, so now she guides our steps as we confront a culture of death in 21st century America. A culture of death is a culture that has lost its hope, its vision for the future. The pro-life movement, by contrast, is young, alive, forward-looking. Ever the Mother of Christ who is our Hope, Mary helps us not only to engage in the necessary political action that is our right as citizens but also to bear witness by word and deed to a message of hope, the message that no human being is an accident, for as Pope Benedict proclaimed, no one of us some casual and meaningless product of evolution each of us is the result of a thought of God each of us is willed, each of is loved, each of us is necessary (Benedict XVI, Inaugural Homily). This is a message of love that we humbly offer to women considering an abortion, to those in need of healing in the aftermath of an abortion, to those who find themselves deeply unhappy because they were deceived by a culture that relentlessly tells us that we are happy only when we live for ourselves and not for others, and that we are free only when our autonomy is absolute. God made us in his own image and likeness and this means we are made to be with others and for others. Mary s Powerful Intercession Some may think that efforts such as we making today are useless. After all, since 1973, we ve been struggling to overturn Roe vs. Wade yet abortion remains the law of the land and there are new threats on the horizon. Are we not like the Spanish missionaries in 16th century Mexico who almost despaired that the Gospel could ever be preached in a land of such cruelty? After Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared, within a few generations, some nine million people in the New World (Continued on Page 6)

6 (Continued from Page 5) opened their hearts to Christ because they were led to the Church by the Virgin with Child, Our Lady of Guadalupe. You will not hear this on the news but poll after poll shows that for the first time since Roe vs. Wade in 1973, a solid majority of Americans are now pro-life. When we hear that the majority of Americans are pro-life, it can hide the reality of what that really means. It doesn t simply mean that our numbers are greater by a percentage point or two. When you get beyond the labels you see that Americans are now moving in huge numbers away from Roe and toward the pro-life position. Polling in the last year by the Knights of Columbus shows that about 8 in 10 Americans would restrict abortion far more than is currently the case. And this includes more than two-thirds of those who call themselves pro-choice. In addition, nearly 6 in 10 young people say abortion is morally wrong. People your age, young people, understand this! Our message, our presence here, demonstrates that the truth is having an effect. So much hard work, so much sacrifice, so much courage has gone into this but it could not be done without the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe! Mary is with us today, she is with us in this Eucharist and in every Eucharist. Walking with Mary we bear witness to the Gospel of Life not only by what we say but also by the love we show for unborn children and their expectant mothers, for the poor, the needy, the stranger and the outcast, for the frail elderly and the handicapped all whose lives are threatened. Joined to Mary, the Mother of the Living, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and sustained by the prayers of Pope John Paul the Great, and united to Pope Benedict XVI, may we indeed be messengers of love and builders of a culture of life! (Continued from Page 4) give you this teaching, but you can repeat it only once. After that, no one must say it aloud again." The hermit looked straight at the abbot and said, "Christ is living among you." For a while all was silent. Then the hermit said, "Now you must go." The abbot left without a word and without ever looking back. The next morning, the abbot called his monks together in the community room. He told them he had received a teaching from "the hermit who walks in the woods" and this teaching was never again to be spoken aloud. Then he looked at each of his brothers and said: "The hermit said that Christ is living here." The monks were startled by this. "What could this mean?" they asked themselves. "Is Brother John really Christ? Or Father Michael? or Brother James? Am I Christ? What could this mean?" They were all deeply puzzled by the hermit's teaching. But no one ever mentioned it again. As time went by, the monks began to treat one another with a very special reverence. There was a gentle, whole-hearted, human quality about them now which was hard to describe but easy to notice. They lived with one another as men who had finally found something. Occasional visitors found themselves deeply moved by the life of the monks. Before long, people were coming from far and wide to be nourished by the prayer life of the monks. Young men were asking, once again, to be part of the community. In these days the hermit no longer walks in the woods. His hut has fallen into ruin. But somehow or other, the old monks who had taken his teaching to heart still feel sustained by his prayerful presence. When we receive the holy anointing with blessed oil after a festal Divine Liturgy, the priest greets us saying: "Christ Is Among Us!" We respond: "He Is and Will Be!" reminding ourselves of the reality of this story. 6 The "Will to Live" Fr. Frank Pavone National Director, Priests for Life One of the best things we can do in reference to protecting our own lives from the culture of death is to fill out the Will to Live document. These documents have been prepared by our friends at National Right to Life, in conjunction with legal experts, to conform to the laws in each of the 50 states. I would like to send one to you, and you can order it at aspx There is no charge. This document is meant to protect you. The danger in our day is not that we will have treatments we don t want; the danger, instead, is that we will not have treatments that we do want. The Will to Live lets you indicate in advance that you want the care that is morally obligatory, that you do not want your life to be taken, and that if you cannot speak for yourself, a person you appoint and who shares your values and understands your desires will speak for you. This arrangement can not only spare your life, but can preserve your loved ones from the confusion and anguish that can happen if they don t know your wishes. The case of Terri Schiavo, in which I was deeply involved, is an example, click here for an eyewitness account of that case. Because illness or tragedy can strike at any time, the Will to Live is for adults of all ages. The "Will to Live" is important, because we cannot predict the future, or know in advance what form of sickness or disease we may be afflicted with in the years ahead. We do not know what treatments we will need or what will be available. We do not ever want to pretend, therefore, that we know what kind of medical treatments we will want to use or avoid in the future. It makes no sense to decide on treatments before we even know the disease. Not every medical treatment is always obligatory. But to figure out which treatments are obligatory, morally speaking, and which are only optional, one must know the medical facts of the case. These facts are then examined in the light of the moral principles involved. But to try to make that decision in advance is to act without all the necessary information. People already have the right to make informed consent decisions telling their family and physicians how they want to be treated if and when they can no longer make decisions for themselves. Doctors are already free to withhold or withdraw useless procedures in terminal cases that provide no benefit to the patient. Some people fear that medical technology will be used to torture them in their final days. But it is more likely that the 'medical heroics' people fear are the very treatments that will make possible a more comfortable, less painful death. A safe route is to appoint a health care proxy who can speak for you in those cases where you may not be able to speak for yourself. This should be a person who knows your beliefs and values, and with whom you discuss these matters in detail. In case you cannot speak for yourself, your proxy can ask all the necessary questions of your doctors and clergy, and make an assessment when all the details of your condition and medical needs are actually known. That's much safer than predicting the future. Appointing a health care proxy in a way that safeguards your right to life is easy.

7 REPORT FROM OUR INSUR ANCE AGENT THE SPOUSE S RIGHT TO APPLY FOR INSURANCE UPON THE KNIGHT S DEATH The laws and rules of our Order, as well as state (provincial) laws, specify that the Knights of Columbus may accept insurance applications from members only. As a member, you may apply for insurance on yourself, your wife and your minor children. The Order s Board of Directors has taken action, though, to assure that a Knight s widow maintains the right to purchase additional insurance for a limited time. This can be of great benefit and comfort to those we leave behind. This right to apply is available only to the widows of insured members. If a member has not availed himself of our highly rated life insurance program, or purchased an annuity or long-term care policy, this benefit is not available to his widow. But if the member was an insured member, his widow has the right to apply for additional insurance on her life and on the life of the member s minor children. This right must be exercised within one year following the Order s receipt of proof of the insured s death. Know two things. First, I ll assist your widow and children in any way possible if you should die, both with your Knights of Columbus insurance and any other life insurance you may have. Second, I ll provide them my best professional advice and service, to assure that they have adequate insurance protection. I have no greater responsibility. Call Alvin T. Smith at for his assistance in setting up a plan that will protect your wife and family. ( alvin.smith@ kofc.org) CONGRATULATIONS! KNIGHT of the MONTH for january Fr. Salvatore Pignato FAMILY of the MONTH for january Family of Jeff Jones SPONSORS CORNER George Fencik Nancy & Robert Robitaille John Cheney, Sr. Henry & Sherry Abbott Donald & Bobbie Abate Peter Shine William Busk John & Marlene Conley Michael & Karen MacMenamin John & Marie Long Donald T. Kahrer, Jr. Florida State Council Knights Of Columbus State Warden Ron & Ellie Indelicato Daniel Buckley John Robertson Sam V. Dilello Edward & Joan Fitzgerald Jane & Jeffrey Jones Robert & Lucille Urrutia Tommy Tate John Miles Phone: (407) cmkdtk1@embarqmail.com 829 Grovesmere Loop Ocoee, FL happy birthday! To all brother Knights who were born during the month of February some years ago: Clifton E. Brooks Joseph E. Chenette Joseph J. D'Ambro, Sr. Orlando J. Fret Dn. Thomas A. Hook John J. Long Dn. Robert Pleus John Robertson John W. Sapp John J. Stine For all your religious supplies and icons - Come visit our council website at and follow the link shown below 7

8 Dates to Remember FEBRUARY 2011 Saturday 12 LINCOLN S BIRTHDAY Sunday 13 4:00 P.M. Special Assembly meeting (Renewal of Pledges) Monday 14 VALENTINE S DAY Monday 21 PRESIDENT S DAY Monday 21 All articles and reports due for next month s newsletter Tuesday 22 WASHINGTON S BIRTHDAY Monday 28 7:30 P.M. Council business meeting MARCH 2011 Wednesday 9 ASH WEDNESDAY Monday 14 7:30 P.M. Assembly business meeting Thursday 17 ST. PATRICK'S DAY Friday 25 FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION Monday 28 7:30 P.M. Council business meeting Tuesday 29 FOUNDER'S DAY APRIL 2011 Monday 11 7:30 P.M. Assembly business meeting Sunday 17 PALM SUNDAY Monday 19 All articles and reports due for next month s newsletter Friday 22 GOOD FRIDAY Sunday 24 EASTER Monday 25 7:30 P.M. Council business meeting The February assembly business meeting has been move to Sunday February 13th at 4:00 PM at St. Nicholas Church. At that time the renewal of pledges will take place. Family members are invited to attend. For more information contact the Faithful Navigator, Henry Abbott. THE ANNUNCIATION PALM SUNDAY If anyone knows of a member or family member that should be listed in our Pray For column please contact Michael P. Krochmalni at so that we can add their names. You can send this information by mail to: Michael P. Krochmalni 2207 Viento St. Orlando, FL or to: council9236@me.com Pray For Jeanne Zens John Wisdo Mary Krochmalni Helen Obuch Henry Dugan Minnie Gates Lois Swirderski Luis & Juanita Ortega Bob & Mary Jane Spencer Thomas Prebee Vincent Samosky Josie Johnson Anna Kocur Eugene & Shirley Hawk George Chandler Dennis Forza SK Donald Whiting Lynne Kuzma Leo Chenette Jerry Chenette Donald Abate Bobbie Abate Chris Nolan Fr. Peter Boutros 8