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1 C North Carolina State Council U F A Message from the State Deputy Brothers All, P We are approaching Easter and most of us will be busy with Holy Week on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter services when our Lord ascended into heaven. Easter Monday begins our next step to revitalizing our council membership with the goal of obtaining Star Council. With Lent over, every council should have a blitz during the first three weeks of April. It has been the custom and the records prove that North Carolina adds more membership in the Spring than any other time of the year. Your state council and I are counting on every council to put forth maximum effort to bring in new members between now and June 30th. At this time, I want to send out a big thank you to all of the Grand Knights and their councils for their participation in many, many programs that set North Carolina above all other states. I look forward to seeing all of my brother Knights at the State Convention in May. I know that we will be giving out a record number of awards that you and your councils deserve for your dedication to our order. I look forward to presenting these awards at our State Convention this year. Our State Chaplain, Msgr. Bellow, is now fully recovered and is looking forward to being at the State Convention where he can thank all of his brother Knights for their prayers on his behalf. The Food for Families was a great success in North Carolina as the councils provided a 41% participation in this new program. Our state councils were Number #1 in our District and a special thanks to our new Chairman, Ray Wycoff, PSD. Cheryl and I wish you and your Families, a Blessed and Holy Easter. Vivat Jesus, Dave Jones, State Deputy 1

2 Dear Brother Knights Vivat Jesus Thanks be to God, many prayers, and wonderful doctors I am once again among the living. The past few months have clearly demonstrated to me the loving mercy of our God. His plan for us is certain and loving. I am writing this letter having just returned from the chrism Mass in our cathedral with our bishop and most of the priests of the diocese of Charlotte. Renewing our priestly promises took on a whole new meaning for me. The call to priesthood is not an honor but a grace and a blessing. It is a call to service centered in the Body of Christ. Holy Week reminds us of the absolute love our God has for each one of us. Thursday we celebrate the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the beginning of the sacrament of Holy Orders. Twelve people will have their feet washed as an example of the humility of our Savior and that same humility we are called to as His people. We will process with the Holy Eucharist to a place of reservation and worship----keep vigil---until midnight. Do we realize the example that should give us ----as we have been served we must also serve ---as we have been fed we must also feed. There is so much hunger in this world. As Knights we are called to serve the poor by our prayers and our good works. Friday, the one day in which the Mass is not celebrated, is a day we call Good. Why is it good? Is suffering and death good? It is the day in which our Savior completed His work. He died for us so that we may die to our sins. He suffered for us so that our suffering might be joined to His and be meritorious for us. We come and venerate the cross----the sign of contradiction becomes for us the sign of our salvation. Jesus tells us that in carrying the crosses we are called to bear we are identified with him. In a world that calls for all creature comforts the cross stands out as a sign of self giving love. In our service to our brothers and sisters we are called to be signs that go against the worldly glories and point to the glories of the cross. In the stillness of Saturday night a fire will be lit and from that fire a candle. We will proclaim that Christ is our light. The Easter vigil will begin. We will hear of the movement of God through human history. The Gloria will be sung and we enter into the glory of Easter. Easter, the celebration of life, a life won for us by Jesus' resurrection from the dead. With great joy we celebrate the central feast of our church. We are called to celebrate because our Lord has risen as He said and given each of us a share in His life. May this Easter touch each of us, transform us, and lead us to a greater love and a greater service to all of God's people. A Blessed Easter to each of you. May you and your Councils and all your families be blessed. With praise and thanksgiving. Msgr. Richard M Bellow -- Peace and all good things Monsignor Bellow msgr.bellow@gmail.com I recently changed my address. My new address is: msgr.bellow@gmail.com Please update your records. Monsignor Richard Bellow Stumpton Rd. Huntersville, NC (704)

3 Retention for April Just a reminder, for those of you who are serious about Retention and have not yet begun to collect your members Emergency Numbers, please get started. (A contact number of someone not living with the brother who knows how to make contact with them). The need for this has never been more apparent. During March, I received well over 80 Notices of Intent to suspend. Over 63% of the brothers have been lost. No good phone number and no longer residing at the address on file. Some councils have done a good job of following the process, others are simply marking the form that the Brother has been contacted on a specific date and I find out that all the information is incorrect and the brother was not contacted. In fact he has been lost for years. Save me some time. If a brother is lost say so. It will save me an unnecessary call and many times a letter and stamp. I also have received a number of calls this month from Councils asking how to short cut the Retention process or for me to explain why a member they tried to suspend was not removed from their Council roster. In every case it was because the process was not followed. The process is clearly spelled out in the FS Manual. If it is not followed Supreme will not process the suspension. If you have a question or need clarification on the process, ask your DD or contact me. The idea is not to expedite the suspension but to save the brother by, solving his problem, transferring him to a new council Etc. and only as a last resort, suspending him. Things will tighten up for the remainder of this year and I m sure next year as well. When the State Deputy receives suspension notices with obvious errors that show that the Council did not make the appropriate effort before issuing the Notice, they will come back. We have had councils attempt to suspend brothers who have been deceased for years, are qualified for Honorary or Honorary Life, are disabled, have been unemployed for a long time, are deployed. One of these occurrences can be an error and is the reason we review all of them. But when a number of these conditions exist in a single submission, it becomes obvious that due diligence was not done. If this is not your Council thank you for your efforts. If it is, don t be surprised if you get a call from your DD and a State Officer as well. Sorry for the soap box but it needed to be said. Bob Hack, FDD Retention Chairman Mar 27, 2010 Brothers & friends, What a wonderfully busy evening we had last night at our final Lenten fish fry. We were all honored to have as our guests, Msgr. Jerry and Bishop Gossman. It just so happened to be Bishop Gossman s birthday and we helped him celebrate it with a cake and sang him happy birthday. It is always an honor to have members of the clergy visit our Council especially those who are still very dear to us. SK Rich Ferraro PGK, Council

4 North Carolina Third Degree Schedule For Balance of Year and the start of fraternal year 2010/ /24/10 Clemmons 9499 Bishop Waters Team CO Carney 05/01/2010 Brevard 8886 Bishop Begley Team CO Dangelo 6/26/2010 Fayetteville 9847 Triad Team CO Gouldie 09/25/10 Jacksonville 3574 TBD TBD 10/02/2010 Concord 7450 TBD TBD 10/09/2010 Fuquay Varina TBD CO Rosati Nov 2010 OPEN Dec 2010 OPEN 2/12/2011 Raleigh 2546 TBD TBD Mar 2011 OPEN Apr 2011 OPEN May 2011 OPEN 06/04/11 Garner TBD TBD Any council wishing to host a Third Degree during the next fraternal year should put their bid in to me at donofrio@nc.rr.com as soon as possible but no later than April 1, The months still open are listed in the schedule. It is possible to have more than one degree in a month, but they must be separated geographically (i.e... one in the East and one in the West). Fraternally, PSD Dave Onofrio 4

5 Health Care Legislation - Are We Involved in Politics or Public Policy? Knights in North Carolina have received several communications over the past several months from our Supreme Knight, State Deputy, and our Catholic Bishops requesting us to contact our Senators to urge them to not support the health care bill in its current form and amend the bill so it upholds longstanding policies against the federal funding of abortion. These requests once again raise the question of whether or not what we are being asked to do is politics or public policy. Many in our membership still feel uncomfortable implementing these requests because of the confusion in understanding these two concepts. They often say, What s the difference? or I don t think we are supposed to get involved in government and politics. The purpose of this article is to again clarify the difference between these two concepts and practices so that we can all understand and feel confident in following our leadership s directives. The Knights of Columbus is a 501 (c) 8 non-profit organization, a fraternal beneficiary society. The IRS Tax Law prohibits non-profit organizations from conducting political campaign activities to intervene in elections to public office. An example would be financially contributing to and speaking out in favor or against a candidate running for elective office. That s politics. However, non-profit organizations are permitted to conduct a limited amount of lobbying to influence legislation. This is public policy. This activity is limited to issue specific campaigns that are educational in manner that typically deal with family and life issues. The Knights of Columbus have their own charter and by-laws that reflect the guidelines established by the IRS. Given the differences between engaging in politics versus conducting public policy as defined above, the actions that our Catholic bishops and the Knights of Columbus are requesting us to take on the current health care legislation is entirely appropriate and should be implemented to the best of our ability. I write to ask for your participation in another way to promote Church teaching and support the Catholic bishops of North Carolina. In July 2008, our bishops inaugurated Catholic Voice North Carolina (CVNC) as an internet initiative to provide a voice for Catholics throughout the state on matters of public policy on both the state and national level. Since its inception, CVNC has been effective in promoting Catholic values and beliefs with legislators who are shaping the laws of our state and nation. Many other bishops in the United States have a similar system in place to promote the interaction of Catholic citizens in the development of public policy. Catholic Voice NC also serves as an educational resource to teach Catholics about the truths of Catholicism as they pertain to contemporary issues coming before our governmental leaders. All statements are reviewed by theological and legal experts to insure that they avoid partisanship and speak the authentic teaching of the faith clearly. As Knights, let s join with our bishops in affirming a culture of life by standing in solidarity with them through registering and participating in Catholic Voice North Carolina. You may learn more about CVNC by going to: There is great potential in promoting Catholic values in the development of public policy in North Carolina and in Washington D.C., and, I believe the Knights of Columbus can and should have a significant voice in promoting these values. Bill Dougherty, Advocate, Knights of Columbus Council

6 A simple request from the Chaplain for a crucifix brought forth the Knights who not only filled that request but also a Holy water receptacle. Fr Joseph DiSilva, The VA Catholic Chaplain Fr Joe, John Kotz, Cardinal Gibbons Assy, the VA chaplain assistant, Jack Klemmer, Bob Wright, A member of Good Shepherd Church, who met with Fr Joe and received his requests, Stanley Milewski, FN 2238, and the VA Chief Chaplain, Marvin Mills. Stanley Milewski, Fr Joe, and John Kotz presenting the donated holy water receptacle, and the donated Crucifix on the wall. 6

7 Raleigh Diocese Priest Appreciation Dinner during this Year of the Priest Brothers, Bishop Michael Burbidge is hosting, and the Knights in the Raleigh Diocese are sponsoring, a priest s appreciation dinner on Tuesday, May 4 for all the clergy of the Raleigh Diocese. The events include a social at 5:30pm, dinner at 6:00pm, with the bishop and other dignitaries addressing the group at 7:00pm. This is a golden opportunity for you to join your brother Knights and express our thanks to these men who give so much for us and our faith. As of April 1, 2010 we have 51 priests and 15 Knights and guests attending. You have until April 16 to make your reservation. If you wish to come: Cost is $40 per person Send name (s) and check to: John C. Gouldie Immediate Past State Deputy 2409 Ferguson Rd Raleigh, NC Consider bringing and sponsoring your parish priest. John C. Gouldie, IPSD Speak Lord, I m Listening Ignatian Retreat for Men: June Brothers, particularly during these troubled times, is God giving you a wake up call? Do you hear His voice? Is your prayer a one-way conversation with you doing most of the talking? This silent retreat s theme is how men pray. Fr. Michael Proterra, S.J., drawing on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, will lead us through vocal, contemplative and meditative approaches that focus on listening to God. St. Luke s Knights of Columbus is sponsoring the 2010 Men s Ignatian Retreat for men at Avila Retreat Center, Durham, starting Friday (6/11) with arrival at 3 PM through Saturday evening at about 8:30 PM. Avila Center is a unique retreat environment -- a peaceful and reflective setting for meditation and prayerful walks around the wooded landscape. The $95 cost for the twoday retreat includes overnight room for one night, two dinners, one breakfast and lunch. Contact Jim Haag, PGK #12455 for information, jjmthaag@bellsouth.net or call at

8 Knights of Columbus at St James the Greater Catholic Church host dinner for Habitat for Humanity workers Tuesday Evening, March 23, 2010, the Knights of Columbus, Council 7450 had the privilege of hosting a supper for Habitat for Humanity workers at St James. 25 college Students from Eastern Connecticut State University, spent their spring break in Concord building a Habitat house. The supper, which received a passing grade, was just a small way of saying Thank You to these students. 8

9 STATE DIRECTORY Worthies and Brother Knights All: Vivat Jesus. Continue to be vigilant keep our state directory up-to-date! Should a change be required, whether it be to Grand Knight, Chaplain, Financial Secretary, or your council meeting time and place, please go to our state web site, select FORMS, and then STATE DIREC- TORY. Changes will be published in each TAR HEEL KNIGHT. To date, our biggest shortcoming continues to be not reporting the appointment of a new Financial Secretary. Supreme only provides the name and address of a newly appointed Financial Secretary. We still need the phone number (s), address, and spouse name, if applicable. Changes through March 30th th follow: Page 6 DD 27 John Erickson Change to ncyankee@windstream.net Page 9 Webmaster Tom Riley and Page 17 Council 6700, GK Tom Riley Delete CEL, replace with Add additional - cwo2riley@gmail.com Page 45 Council Delete GK Angelo, replace with Paul R. Cook (Gail) 8807 Castle Cliff Dr Matthews, NC H FAX CEL W prcbowl@aol.com Fraternally, Gene Tortone Administrative Assistant tortones@cox.net Duane Russell Newsletter Contest I have received quite a few newsletters so far for judging and I appreciate all the effort in getting these entries to me and in the proper format. I will tell you that this year will be difficult to judge because of the way some of these entries are presented. So there is a little time left to get your entry to me but time is short. I look forward to seeing everybody at the convention and presenting these awards. Thanks! Greg Ciesielski THK Editor 9

10 Knights of Columbus Score Big at Special Olympics NC Basketball & Cheerleading Tournament It was one shining moment for more than 1,400 Special Olympics North Carolina athletes on March 6 when the state-level SONC Basketball & Cheerleading Tournament was held in Winston-Salem and Jacksonville. The Tournament in both cities was a huge success and many thanks go to the nearly 60 Knights who volunteered at March Madness. Clemmons Council 9499 and Winston-Salem Council joined forces to man the individual skills venue at Glenn High School in Winston Salem. Fifty Knights plus their wives and children volunteered all day, tracking the athletes performances at each of the skills stations, serving as athlete escorts, lunch servers, and any role needed to make the competition roll smoothly. This is the third year in which these Brothers have volunteered at the state-level Tournament and the experience this year was their favorite. Everyone really enjoyed the one-on-one interaction with the athletes, said Knight John Harrison of Council 9499 and former SONC Board member. The skills venue really allows volunteers to meet the athletes and watch them perform. The Knights really enjoyed that aspect. I ve heard lots of requests to do the same role next year. They all had such a good time. District Deputy Pete Devlin brought seven Knights from St. Joseph s Council in Kannapolis and Salisbury Council The Knights traveled to Winston-Salem and ran the awards for the cheerleading venue and a 3-on-3 basketball venue. Fourth degree Knights Jon Jessup along with Devlin and two athletes also handled the opening ceremonies at the 3-on-3 gym. We absolutely have the best job at these events, said Devlin. We get so much more out of it than we put in. Seeing how happy the athletes are when they receive their award is just the best! And they are all so grateful. And the best part is the Knights that help at this level, always get hooked and want to help the local program so it s a win-win. In Jacksonville, the Father William Byrne Council 3574 had a dozen Knights, four Catholic Daughters and family members volunteer to run the awards ceremonies at four different gyms. This was the first time for this Council to participate with Special Olympics in this type of capacity and they loved the experience. This was a new and unique experience for these Knights, said Larry Stewart of Council 3574 and NC Knights of Columbus Special Olympics chairman. They all commented on how impressed they were with the athletes performances and how much fun it was to see them receive their awards. They all thoroughly enjoyed the day. Council 3574 enjoyed their experience so much they have offered to volunteer at the Special Olympics Onslow County Spring Games in April. Thanks to all the Knights who volunteered their time to make Special Olympics North Carolina hoop dreams come true this March! Keep up with Special Olympics on the Web site Megan O'Donnell Vice President of Communications Special Olympics North Carolina 10

11 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS CONVENTION PAY PLAN MAY State Officers, in attendance - shall be paid two (2) days per diem - cost of a couples registration - mileage at $.28 per mile, round trip* Note: Supreme will provide no compensation 2- Regional & District Deputies, State Directors, Chairmen, in attendance: - shall be paid two (2) days per diem - mileage at $.28 per mile, one way* Note: Supreme will provide no compensation 3 - Past State Deputies, in attendance - shall be paid one (1) day per diem - mileage at $.28 per mile, one way* NOTE: Supreme will provide no compensation 4 Approved Council Delegates (No more than 2 per Council), in attendance: - shall be paid a stipend of $25.00 per attending delegate - one (1) payment of $.28 per mile one way.* Anyone traveling more than one hundred (100) miles will be paid the current rate per mile, round trip.** NOTE: Supreme will provide no compensation NOTE: 1 - Per Diem is made up of one (1) nights lodging and $ *Mileage is measured from home city to convention city. 3 - ** Mileage is measured from Council city to convention city Jack Murray, NC State Treasurer 11

12 Ramblings from Jack My Brothers All: The first half of this article is mainly information for the Financial Secretary of every Council. There have been a lot of questions posed my way re: filing of the 990, tax exempt status information, etc. At the recent Mid Year meetings, Former FS Ken Ward did an outstanding presentation re: duties of the FS, etc. He did such a good job that he has spawned lots of questions from you. One disclaimer from me at this point: I am not a tax preparer and do not claim to be one. I have received numerous phone calls regarding required tax preparation and have tried to be as helpful as possible. One of the points that Ken made was that Councils that have to prepare the long form, may need to seek outside professional help. Please continue your questions and we will make every effort to point you in the right direction. Please check the State Website under Administration and then go to the FS section. There you will find various links to the IRS for form 990 instructions. There is also information on a resource at Supreme that may be helpful. Please avail yourself of these valuable resources. Brother Tom Riley has done an excellent job in placing this information on the website for your use. We have also received some questions re: tax exempt status information that banks are now requiring from your Councils. There is also documentation on the FS website relative to information that supports the 501 (8) status. To be exact there are eight (8) pages of supporting documents that date back to To insure that all the FS s get this information, my plan is to forward this same information through the RDD s and DD s to each Council GK in hopes that it will get to the FS. Believe me when I tell you that some of the FS s have been struggling with the new requirements! You will also find in the THK for this month the State Convention Pay Plan. This Pay Plan is in accordance with the NC State Council Operations Manual. Please review it carefully. Also a reminder, if you plan to vote, all Supreme and State Per Capita payments must be up to date. I have received some messages this past week about saying a decade of the rosary on Good Friday. Some reasons reference our Military Personnel and the Health Bill in Congress. As most of us will be off that day, take the time to sit for a few minutes, recite the rosary and dedicate to whatever cause you feel worthy. We must also remember Our Lord, for that day he gave his life so that we may enjoy eternal life with him in heaven. On behalf of my wife Jo and I, our special wishes for all of you and your families: a Happy and Safe Easter Vivat Jesus! Jack Murray, NC State Treasurer 12

13 Recruiting Goals of 100%: The art of Evangelization while meeting our State needs. Vivat Jesus, God is not a remote, distant being. Nor is he a pure philosophical abstraction. As Christians, we believe in a personal God who is love; we believe that God s plan to save humanity is revealed in and through the events of human history. God, out of relentless love, chose to reveal Himself in a series of unfolding historical stages recorded for us in the books of the Bible. We call this biblical and historical record of God s works and actions the History of Salvation. Great opening statement, now what the heck does that have to do with me as the Grand Knight, or any other member of my council, in achieving our established goals, set forth by Supreme? To begin with, in order for each council to be recognized, there are 3 areas that require our immediate attention. By themselves, the areas mean nothing, but together they bring about the achievements of each council s efforts over the past year. Meeting the recruiting goal is one. Attaining the insurance quota is the other. The most important goal is that of reporting all of the activities throughout the year. I have touched on this last one before, so it should not be foreign to any of us. I cannot comment on insurance, because I am not qualified, and so I call upon my expert insurance agent to bridge this gap. All the agents are more than just adequate, so don t be shy when inviting them to any function that involves knights; families and fellowship. So, how do I meet my Supreme recruiting goal? Let s look at the Sacraments for a moment. There are seven sacraments, and they are divided into three distinct categories: The Sacraments of Initiation; The Sacraments of Healing and The Sacraments of Holy Orders. I may have time to do an article on the last two a bit later, but for now, I want to focus on the Sacraments of Initiation. The sacraments of Christian initiation; Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist are the very sacraments that lay the foundation of our Christian life. It is the sharing of this divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ that bears a certain likeness to the origin, development and nourishing of natural life. The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened with the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist, the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, all receive in increasing measure, the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity. Charity is the first and foremost principle of our order, and we should never lose sight of this principle. So, how does Charity enable us to obtain our Supreme goals? Charity means to give of ourselves without reservation or prejudice. So give. Give to the church a portion of your time; RCIA is good place to start, here is where we find the many catechumens who are seeking entry into our Catholic faith. Being on the Parish council is certainly another place to observe those who have not yet been asked to be a knight. Community projects are also another form to talk to others who may not know what it means to be a knight. I often give a few hours of my time in helping father with the arrangement of his schedule which include Baptism of new born; Marriage counseling; and visitations of certain CCD classes. This is where I find many teachers who would do well in our order, as well as many parents who bring their children to these Christian Doctrine classes. Continued on Page 14 13

14 Continued from Page 13 On certain days, I will accompany Father to the correctional facility to engage with prisoners in the rosary and/or discuss what prayers and praying mean; still on other certain days, I make several visits to the local hospitals or go by and visit the home bound. All of this is time consuming, so spread the wealth around. Solicit for volunteers and their wives to help. Wives can play a big part in getting to those few men who are resistant to the order. Exploit a fellowship among the wives to have a get together and invite a few single young women. This is also a charitable affair that can open up many new areas for your parish. I close with this. Do not measure your charitable good works as a stepping stone, but by the amount of love that you are able to give to others. God Bless, Lenny Quemuel NC Church Director Greetings to all. I truly hope this edition of the Tar Heel Knight finds each of you well in your corner of our great state. I know that everyone has had a very penitential season of Lent and are looking forward to a wonderful Easter. I am pleased to have received so many s and phone calls regarding forms reporting and program reporting. That means that many councils are going to receive some well deserved recognition at the State Convention. Thank-you for all the effort that you are putting forth to make sure your reports and nominations are received in a timely manner. I have had to opportunity to travel to several councils over the past month in order to observe some 3rd Degrees and help with the State Free-Throw Tournament. I would just like to express my thanks to some very well run programs. The host councils have done a great job with the degree work. I would like to pass a little bit of a personal note on to you and yours. As I was celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation, after I had said my piece, my confessor looked at me and said that we can t change what happened in the past, but we can certainly affect our actions in the future, and that is where God s concern lies. He cares that we do our best to live our lives the best we can. Have a very Blessed Easter! Colin Jorsch NC State Warden 14

15 Michael J. McGivney Center for Life Fulfilling Our Promise Brother Knights, First and foremost, I would like to thank all of the individual knights that have heard this message and have answered the call. We received $10,000 in pledges from several individuals last month. A very special thanks goes out to Council 9709, All Saints Council in Raleigh. The council has made a council level pledge of $10,000 and several individual knights in the council have pledged, bringing them to 70% of their target!! 9560 and 7343 have voted to support Room At The Inn and will finalize their pledge this month! On behalf of Room at the Inn and the women and children your pledge will save, we thank you! All of you witnessed the Health Care debate and vote in March. In blatant disregard for the guidance given by our Bishops, 87 Catholics and one very prominent Knight of Columbus voted for a law that will provide for the largest increase in access to abortion since Roe vs. Wade. For the first time in our history, the taxes you and I pay will be used to conduct abortions. These mislead men and women have scandalized our Church and our Order. What this tragic outcome highlights is that there is no political solution to this issue. WE CANNOT DEPEND ON ELECTED OFFICICALS OR THE SUPREME COURT TO SAVE THESE CHILDREN. We must take action NOW and throw our support behind Room At The Inn so they can expand and save many more women and children from the abortionist! We must continue this good work, finish this pledge drive, build the Father Michael J. McGivney Center for Life and then challenge the knights across our country to follow our lead! All of that potential. All of that good work STARTS WITH YOU. Please pledge today and be part of the solution. Show our country that the Knights walk the talk in spite of how our brother knight may have voted Councils, all making a pledge, will fulfill our COMMITMENT to that ministry. WE will build the LARGEST and FIRST, Catholic, college-based residential maternity and after-care center in the NATION. We will set an example for the world to follow. We will wade into the abortion fight on the side of LIFE. MEN WILL NOTICE! PLEASE, for the sake of the order For the sake of the 70 children that died in abortion clinics today while you read this MAKE YOUR PLEDGE TODAY! Please contact Tom Mathis, a Knight of Council 770 and a member of the Board of Directors of Room At The Inn, to discuss the best strategy for your council to fulfill our promise. He can be reached at or at tmathis3@carolina.rr.com. Vivat Jesus! 15

16 One Million in May?? for Room At The Inn The State Convention is 6 weeks away. Our State Deputy has challenged all of us to finish this good work so that we can celebrate at that meeting. That means you need to have your pledge finalized and submitted by the middle of May. YOU MUST ACT NOW! Lent is a season of penance and alms-giving in preparation for Easter. Let us make reparation for the sin of abortion in our country by generously supporting a ministry that so effectively cares for those most at risk of being victimized by abortion. God has given us this opportunity, to defend the lives of the children and families in our state, and He will honor our sacrifice and generosity. All we need to do is say yes to his invitation. Please take action in APRIL and bring your councils pledge to the State Convention. Say YES! individually: Complete and mail in the pledge form below. Just 1000 Knights out of our 14,000 members in NC (less than 10%, pledging at $20 per month for 5 years will hit our March goal. Please be one of the few that leads the many Say YES! as a council: Make a council level pledge of $100 per Knight paid over 5 years and then drive to replace that council level commitment with individual pledges from your member knights. Your council will say yes! Please bring it to a vote! If you have questions about Room At The Inn or wish to make a donation on-line please go to or contact Tom Mathis at tmathis3@carolina.rr.com or at

17 Chief Squire Jaime Robles Jr., Circle 4426 Sons of Mother Seton Fayetteville seen here with State Warden Colin Jorsch and State Deputy Dave Jones took his third degree on March 13th Jamie turned 18 on January 19th 2010 and began his journey from Squire to Knight. Congratulations Jamie! Photo by Jamie Robles Sr., Council 9847 Son of Mother Seton, Fayetteville Father William O'Byrne Council 3574, Jacksonville, NC held an Easter Egg Hunt for children of Infant of Prague Parish. More than 85 children participated in the hunt which included a photo opportunity with the Easter Bunny. 17

18 Well the new LAMB year is well underway. I have started receiving copies of tootsie roll and apron orders, so please make sure your council is covered and you have your store solicitation strategy set. If you have Harris Teeter's in your area and have not already experienced it, they have introduced a new on-line method of reserving solicitation days at their store locations. I have used it numerous times already and although I was initially a little skeptical, it does seem to work extremely well. If anyone has any questions please feel free to have them contact me. We can also now accept LAMB donations through the LAMB website, using Pay Pal. If your council has a web site and you would like to have a link to the Pay Pal donation page added to your site, please have whoever maintains it contact me and I can forward the necessary code. Lastly, the list of council LAMB Directors is about 70% complete (and tested for accuracy) but we are still missing a number of contacts, so if you feel your council's LAMB Director information needs to be updated please let me know. God bless, Richard White, State LAMB Director Pictured with SD Dave Jones (back row center) and LAMB Director Brian Sternecker (kneeling front row on left) along with members of the Forsyth County Council's, present LAMB Foundation checks totaling $26,990 to various agencies in their area which serve those with intellectual disabilities. The presentation dinner was attended by over 150 people from 29 agencies. The council's raised the funds not only through the usual tootsie roll campaign, but also held a golf tournament, Valentine dinner dance and an annual charity dinner / auction. 18

19 Worthy Sir Knights and Brother All, Vivat Jesus! Soon we will celebrate our Risen Lord and Savior. It seems that the six weeks of Lenten preparation has gone by so quickly, with never enough time to fulfill our good intentions. With only a few remaining days, let all make that extra effort to renew ourselves for this most holy of holy periods in our faith. With Christ s rising from the dead after the horrific ordeal of His death, once again we have a new beginning. It was for all of us that He submitted to this tragic and painful crucifixion; for the forgiveness of our sins. Two weeks ago I held the mandatory District meeting in Greensboro. I would like to express my sincere than you to all who attended. We did have a quorum and therefore were able to select three names to the Supreme Council for nomination as District Master for a two year term commencing September 1, While there were five names entered, we are only permitted to submit three. Immediate Past State Deputy, Sir Knight John Gouldie had his name removed from the list because I had been nominated. That left four names. At this point, I turned the meeting over to the Vice Supreme Master, Sir Knight Robert J. Singer, PSD, to solve the situation and removed myself from the chamber. After a short time, I was asked to return for the results to be announced. The outcome is as follows: The three names submitted to the Supreme Council for consideration for the position of Master for the North Carolina District are: Sir Knight Robert Grabasky, PSD (North Carolina) Sir Knight David Onofrio, PSD (North Carolina) Sir Knight Raymond Wycoff, PSD (Virginia, now resides in Southport, NC) On behalf of the five men who were nominated, including Sir Knight Alan Grupy, Faithful Navigator, Assembly 2238, Hope Mills, we all extend our humble and grateful thank you for the nominations. The Supreme Council historically announces their selection for District Masters after the Supreme Convention in August. Some may be wondering how I could be nominated for another two year term when I have already served three years. My first year appointment was to fulfill the uncompleted term of our current Vice Supreme Master, Sir Knight Robert J. Singer. Supreme does not count that year as a term, but an interim appointment and therefore, technically, I have only served one term. Sir Knights of the Month At this point I have received nine additional nominations for this honor and I thank the Faithful Navigators who have taken the time to recognize their Assembly Brothers. Unfortunately, these nominations come from only a small number of FN s. Where are the rest of you? I currently have enough to complete my term as DM, but would be overjoyed to receive many, many more nominations. Please look at your members and write up their accomplishments/activities and support which need recognition. I would love to have four or five nominations for each month s issue. I currently have 37 candidates in hand and another 4 or 5 expected for the Regional Exemplification in Waynesville, NC on April 24. Thank you all for your support and dedication to see our Sir Knights in this District grow. The next Exemplification will be held on November 6, There will be more information come in the May issue. Please start recruiting. One final note of thanks to all of the Assembly Officers for a job well done! This is the first year in my tenure that we have had 100% participation, without my intervention, in the filing of the Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity. Although there were a few stragglers, all Assembly s submitted their data. Finally, I extend to all of my Brother Sir Knights and their families my very best wishes for a Happy Easter! May God bless you all. Fraternally, SK Bob Grabasky, DM 19

20 Council 9039 Shallotte receives Star Award Pictured are some of the members of Council 9039, Shallotte with their sixth Star award. Holding the award is GK Norm Melanson, with PSD John Gouldie. Picture By: Kathy Gouldie Washington Council receives a STAR award. Washington Council 9364 proudly shows off their STAR award from Fraternal year. Holding the award is Grand Knight Jerry McGrath. RDD#1 Art Schneider, DD#2 Lud Hartung, and PSD John Gouldie are there celebrating with the council. Missing is PGK Mike Malloy (who lead the council to this award) he is at home recovering from cancer treatments 20

21 2nd Degree at Thomas Price Council 2546 On Thursday, February 25, 11 men took their 2nd Degree. Honoree was deceased Priest, Fr. James Duff of Catherine of Sienna, Pictured is the class and DD#8 Bill Wolf and Host DD Jim Polito DD#28. Picture By: John Gouldie Third Degree Class from the Degree held in Apex on March CONGRATULATIONS! 21

22 THK Editor Greg Ciesielski 333 Miller Blvd Havelock, NC c Address Label Box 22