Maryland State Council

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1 O rgan i zation N am e March 2016 Volume, Issue State Deputy s Report Archbishop Lori for spending the day with us and for celebrating our Mass. Thanks also to all who attended. Hopefully next year we will double the size of our group. Inside this issue: Chaplain s Message 2 Program Reports 3 MD Fourth Degree 4 K of C Insurance 5 Supreme Convention Details 6 State Events 8 Convention Details 11 Reflections 13 State Calendar 14 Stephen M. Cohen State Deputy Maryland Knights of Columbus Well, hopefully spring is not far away. However, I did hear a number of people say that they were pushing for the groundhog to be arrested for lying on the stand. Pray for warmer weather. With warmer weather we should have better recruiting and with better weather will allow us to hold good Admission degrees. Remember One new Member per Council per Month and One Admission Degree per District per Month. In terms of membership keep up the good work, you have already started. It will pay off. The Death with Dignity or Physician Assisted Suicide Bill is in committee. Please contact your legislators and let them know you are against this horrendous bill. Please go to the Maryland Catholic Conference web site and educate yourself on this bill. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chris Powers, our State Warden for heading up our Lenten Pilgrimage. What a great day. My thanks also to our Supreme Chaplain, There are many important dates in March. Please mark your calendars. Church Drives March 5&6 or 12& 13 Admission Degree Week March Charitable Outreach Week March 28 April 3 So, Grand Knights have you met with your Pastors? What are we doing for the Parish Community that we haven t done before? What are we doing to attract younger members and their families? These are all part of the New Initiative. Take time to read the Supreme Knight s message in each Columbia Magazine. Incorporate the new programs Supreme is sending to you. Remember Always, We are the Knights of Columbus, We are a people of Life, for Life, Building a Civilization of Love. Vivat Jesus

2 Page 2 State Chaplain s Message Reverend Milton E. Jordan Brother Knights, During the next few weeks most of us will be more active with more than a few religion functions. It s that time of the year! As faithful followers of the Venerable Michael J. McGivney, each of us is called along with our baptismal and confirmation experiences to be models of a strong spirituality to our families, our parishes and our Councils. I guess that question that I have been asking myself each morning and evening for the last two weeks is simple but like a hairshirt: what is it that the season of Lent is speaking to me this particular year? As we grow older, it seems, making a sacrifice during Lent is not necessarily difficult because my heart and mind tell me that I have been there before. Perhaps I also hear it saying to me that I should ease up because I really did not put too much into Lent last year. Maybe I tried too hard and thereby lost interest and determination. In the weeks ahead we have so many opportunities to take time to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ. Especially during the Holy Year of Mercy, we have been offered so many practices and insights as to our relationships with Jesus as well as our sisters and brothers we encounter each day. As we have noted in Council meetings, I hope, our Church is challenging us because we need to be challenged. Look at our American culture and its impact upon each one of us as well as all those we work with, live with and share time with. One of the Lenten activities we might direct our attention to is this: have I been living the life of a Knight of Columbus? Am I faithful to my Council and my brother Knights of the Council? Have I made any efforts to assist the Pastor of the parish where I attend Mass and, hopefully, support the financial needs of that parish? Am I helping my Council in accepting the change of direction suggested to us by the Supreme Knight in his recent presentation to us about a definite change in direction? Have I encouraged others to discuss this new perspective with the local pastor? Have I volunteered some of my time or am I leaving all that stuff up to other brother Knights and other people in the parish? I suspect that offering up an hour of time to the parish activities each week during the remainder of Lent is much more testing of my life than giving up a daily drink, a pack of cigarettes, etc.? You know what I mean: the usual things that really don t make an impact upon my, your life. Now is the time to examine especially how you and your Council can help the parish Youth Ministry program. Often times I hear adults with critical observations about how our teens, especially, are acting. Our teens are so much in need of fraternity from men like the Knights of Columbus. Examine honestly where God is calling you during this Lent.

3 Volume, Issue Page 3 State Program Report Jack Giacalone State Program Director March Programs Update I wish to remind current Grand Knights and District Deputies to begin to gather information and files you have collected and created during your terms and pass them on to the incoming GK s and DD s. This is an opportunity to have a one on one with them and take them thru the information you have that they might need to help them be more effective and efficient as they begin their terms. Remember the program team remains ready and willing to help with any program needs. CHURCH - Fifth Sunday Rosary Program: Councils are encouraged to come together and promote devotion to Mary by leading a community rosary on every fifth Sunday that falls within a month. The next fifth Sunday is May 29th. By conducting this program on each of the fifth Sundays during the fraternal year, your council will qualify as fulfilling all four Church Activity requirements of the Columbian Award. Rosary program kits (#SR- KIT) can be ordered from the Supreme Council. These kits contain a supply of rosary rings, promotional materials and prayer cards on how to pray the rosary. - The Usher ministry at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington staffs all the National Shrine's Sunday, Holy Day, and pilgrimage Masses as well as concerts and other special events. The usher program is seeking brother Knights who can pledge three hours of service a month to Our Lady's National Shrine. For more information please contact Chairman Pat McAleer at patrick.mcaleer@kofc.org or COMMUNITY - We are accepting donations to the State Wheelchair Fund. We are hoping to collect $16,500 for a container of wheelchairs, 110, to be distributed to those in need in Md. and beyond. All this thru the American/Global Wheelchair Mission that has partnered with KoC for this program. Please contact Chairman Bernie Classon for additional information. - Coats for Kids It s not too late if your council is interested in participating in this great program you should contact Coats for Kids Chairman Yen Lee. Additional information can be found on the State web site under Community Activities - Food for Families is a non-stop program working to feed the hungry in our local pantries throughout the year. By splitting the chairmanship of the Food for Families program by Archdiocese, we feel that we can develop a better sense of urgency to the needs of the hungry and better serve the community at large. This past year we donated 100,158 pounds of food. This is an increase of 56,047 from last year. Additionally, we increased the dollar amount to a total to $22,704. This is an increase of 10, from last year. These are impressive numbers and everyone who helped in anyway no matter how big or small should be congratulated. COUNCIL - Our License Plate program is an ongoing program, please consider getting your Knights of Columbus plates to display how proud you are being a member of our order. These plates are great if you get lost. If you see a K of C plate and you are on your way to an event and get lost. Follow it. Most likely they are going the same place you are. CULTURE OF LIFE - We are working with the Maryland Catholic Conference to defeat the End of Life Options Act formerly known as the Death with Dignity Act. In laymen s terms physicianassisted (or, prescribed) suicide. What the MCC has asked the Knights to do is to hold or support drives in our parishes to get as many Catholics as possible registered for the Catholic Advocacy Network. Once the MCC has their contact information, they will receive s when it becomes important for us to tell our State Senators and Delegates the Catholic viewpoint on the issues. Options for how to do this as well as plenty of helpful tools are on the MCC website. I have asked Larry Grayson to lead this effort. The DDs have already received from Larry explaining what is needed. The initial push is to work on parishes that haven t had a drive and/or have no parish pro-life leader designated. Our Archbishops have given your pastors the green light to conduct these drives. Some parishes have already done it. Some of those did it a few years back, and may need to do it again. This effort has the full support of our worthy State Deputy. This is important; Let s get it done! FAMILY - We have about 15+ brother knights that have asked us to help them look for work. A brief profile for each have been posted to the web site and additional information will be provides to potential employers. Go to the state website select Help a Brother Knight then see Brothers in Need. If you or if you know of anyone looking to hire, please look at those profiles for a skills match and contact Chairman Joe Feakes. YOUTH - Consider running a Catholic Bee at your council, Parish or make it a district event. Contact Chairman Mike Jacobs. For more information, see the State Web Site, Youth Activities. - The State Wide Catholic Bee will be held at Prince Georges Council on April 9. Flyer and registration forms have been mailed to Grand Knights and can also be found on the state web site, Program Activities, Youth Programs. If you have any questions you can contact our State Catholic Bee Chairman Mile Jacobs at Basketball Free Throw, councils and districts should be scheduling their free throw competition. The State Free Throw Competition will be held on Saturday, March 19 from 12 to 3:30 PM at School of the Incarnation, 2601 Symphony Lane, Gambrills, MD Flyer has been mailed to Grand Knights and can also be found on the state web site, Program Activities, Youth Programs. If you have any questions you can contact our State Basketball Free Throw Chairman John Vassallo at (Continued on page 4)

4 Page 4 State Program Report (cont.) March Events - Third Period Surge with Service reports are due to the Program Team or State Officers no later than Saturday, March 5 th. These reports cover the period December 1, 2015 thru February 28, On March 7 th please plan to participate in the Maryland March for Life in Annapolis, and again tell our legislators we want them to bring an end to the taking of innocent lives. Here's the schedule: 4:30 Youth Rally with Kristan Hawkins, Students for Life 5:15 Catholic Mass (and Nondenominational Worship Service) 6:15 Assemble in St. Mary's parking lot for March 6:30 March through Annapolis (shuttle available for those unable to walk) 7:00 Rally at Lawyer's Mall (no signs with poles or sticks) 8:00 Chick-fil-A and fellowship back at St. Mary's - On March 13, we will celebrate Founders Day. We will begin with Mass at St John the Evangelist in Severna Park and the Awards Dinner will be held at Holy Trinity Council. Columbian Center, also in Severna Park. Flyers have been mailed to Grand Knights and are available on the state web site, Program Activities, Church Programs. If you have any questions you can contact Church Activities Director Michael Forehand at or Alex Simpson at for dinner reservation questions. - Please submit your FOM application for February 2016 by March 15th. In addition to your local recognition each month, on the 15 th of every month Supreme randomly selects 100 Family of the Month reporting forms and the families chosen receive a Holy Family Plaque. This is a great way to recognize those families that are work hard to make your council successful. Remember the Family of the Month does not have to be a knight family it can be a family in your church that you or your pastor/chaplain want to recognize, they just will not be entered for the plaque drawing. If you need additional information, please contact Mike Clemens - Registration forms for the Maryland State wide Catholic Bee must be completed and received by Mike Jacobs, Catholic Bee Chairman, no later than March 17. The flyer and application form can be found at the web site, Program Activities, Youth Programs. See looking ahead below. - If your council will be participating in the Basketball Free Throw Competition this fraternal year, consider ordering your Free Throw Championship Kit - NOW! Form #FT- KIT. Additional information for the State Free Throw Competition will held on Saturday, March 19, at the School of the Incarnation, 2601 Symphony Lane, Gambrills MD, from 12 3PM. The Flyer has been posted to the State web site, Youth Programs. Medals for the district competition were distributed to DD s at the Mid Term Meeting. If you did not get your medals, please see me at at any chapter meeting in February LOOKING AHEAD 30 Days - State Wide Catholic Bee to be held at Prince Georges Council on Saturday, April 9 th at 10am. The Catholic Bee is open to and 3 rd thru 8 graders in two divisions, 3 thru 5 and 6 thru 8. Registration for must be completed and received by Mike Jacobs no later than March 17. The flyer and application form can be found at the state web site, Program Activities, Youth Programs INFORMATION - Consider placing your council s or district upcoming events on the Regional Calendar on the State web site. It s a great way to publicize your event for all to see and possibly increase participation. Double click on Regional Calendars Online and follow the directions. - Remember, the program team is available to assist you in any way we can to help make your programs a success. - Visit us and like us on Facebook Maryland State Council Knights of Columbus it is a public group. You will have to request to join the group. Then you can view event, pictures, notices and you will also be able to post KoC related events, pictures and notices. - Please contact me or any of the Activity Directors if you have any questions or need any additional information on any of the above. Vivat Jesus! Maryland Fourth Degree God Bless America, By the time this hits the press we will have had our 116th Exemplification in Frederick Md. I hope that many of you were able to attend the exemplification and had a great time. While I am talking about the exemplification, I need to talk about membership. The past two years we have done so many patriotic events. As I visit the assemblies I notice that just like councils it s the same group of guys. We need to help our councils move their members up through the degrees so that we can bring them into the Patriotic Degree. With more members we can do more things to help our service men and women and to help our vets who need us to take care for them now. Lets work with our councils to work on retention, get guys active again and get them through the degrees. If you know a man that is not a Knight, bring him in and walk with him through the degrees. We have several new ideas that I think are really going to make the Fourth degree jump. We will be announcing them at the bi-annual meeting on April 16th. It will be at St Michaels in Poplar Springs. The meeting will start at 10 am and we hope to have everyone out by 2 pm. During this meeting we will be voting on resolutions that we want to send up to Supreme to make changes. We will also send up three names for Master. If more than three people place their name in the hunt we will have to vote to narrow the list to just three names. My team and I want to wish everyone a Blessed Easter and hope that you get to spend time with family and reflect on what Easter means to us. Happy Easter, God Bless America, and God Bless our great order Thomas Greul FDD PGK PFN Knights of Columbus Master, Md. District

5 Page 5 Many companies claim that their founder was a saint. THE CATHOLIC DIFFERENCE As brother Knights, our claim is not simply hyperbole: We know that our beloved founder lived a virtuous and holy life. We hope and pray that he will be raised to the dignity of the altar. In fact, by proclaiming Father McGivney venerable in 2008, the Catholic Church has declared that Father McGivney exercised Christian virtue above and beyond the call of duty. As members of his brotherhood, it is incumbent upon all brother Knights to act in a way that pays homage to Father McGivney, carries on his mission and works with the same virtuous spirit that animated his life. That duty applies to all aspects of Columbianism, whether it be our charitable work, our fraternal work or our business endeavors. Those two concepts Catholic virtue and profitable business may seem incompatible, but the Knights of Columbus has long been a shining example of how businesses can succeed by placing faith and values before financial gain. Our Catholic heritage permeates our business. It s part of what makes us so unique. We call it our Catholic difference. Asked recently about the Knights of Columbus and its Catholicism, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson replied: It means that we are different. We talk a lot about the Catholic difference of doing business with the Knights of Columbus. We present our members with a clear choice between doing business with us and doing business with a secular insurer. We are proud of our identity as a Catholic company. Our ethical practices, in fact, received international recognition in 2014 and 2015, when the Ethisphere Institute designated the Knights of Columbus as a World s Most Ethical Company. We stayed true to our principles and knew that if we did the right thing for the right reasons, we would get the results that we wanted and we have. Last year marked our 15th consecutive year of insurance sales growth. The signature way in which our Catholic identity impacts our business is in our investment strategy. We put our money where our faith is. We have established a strict screening process that prevents us from investing in companies that participate in any of the following lines of business: > abortions and abortifacients; contraception > human cloning; embryonic stem cell research; for-profit health care that pays for any of the aforementioned > pornography We also do not invest in junk bonds or in risky investment instruments. We do not believe that the potential for profit is worth jeopardizing our Catholic faith or our solemn promise to our members and their families. It is a principled approach to investing, the supreme knight said, that highlights the depth of our commitment to our faith. And while following these principles, our investment team has consistently achieved positive and competitive financial returns. That s integrity. Not all insurance companies are fraternal benefit societies. Not all fraternal benefit societies are Catholic. Not all Catholic insurers are like the Knights of Columbus we are different. We are different because of who we are. We are different because of what we believe. And we are different because of the way we act on those beliefs. It s a difference that traces its way back to Father McGivney, and that ought to be a point of pride for all brother Knights and their families. Contact your Council Field Agent today to find out more about how you and your family can benefit from our Catholic difference.

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8 Volume, Issue Page 8 Contact the State Catholic Bee Chairman Mike Jacobs before March 17th / bsketlady@comcast.net

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12 Volume, Issue Page th ANNUAL CONVENTION - MARYLAND STATE COUNCIL BANQUET MENU - MAY 14, 2016 First Course Homemade Cream of Tomato Soup with Basil Rolls and Butter Second Course House Garden Salad Choice of Italian or Ranch Dressing Third Course (Chose one of the following entrées) 1 - Beef Bourguignonne Classic hearty French dish of Beef cooked with Red Wine, Mushrooms, Onions and Carrots, Served with Mashed Potatoes 2 - Seafood Newburg Scallops, Crab and Shrimp in a Delicious Cream Sauce with Sherry served over Jasmine Rice and Seasonal Vegetables 3 - Roasted Vegetable Napoleon with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce (All vegetarian and gluten free) Fourth Course Chocolate Mousse Pie Coffee, Tea, Decaf Coffee and Iced Tea with Lemon Cost - $42 per person

13 Volume, Issue Page 13 The Doctor Will Kill You Now. This chapter heading in Ramesh Ponnuru s book, The Party of Death, reflects the chilling view of a detached, business-like, dystopian society. It also is a prescient and ominous description of an expanding culture of death. Reflections Procured human extermination, whether at the beginning of life or at its end, is becoming socially acceptable and more commonplace. A clinic in Maryland is attempting to make abortion chic. Its facility resembles a high-end salon with wood floors, plush upholstery and attractive pictures on the walls; its clients are offered hot tea and soft robes as they wait to have their children killed. The now-defunct Dalton Books chain once categorized a book on how to commit suicide under the heading: Self- Improvement. In the Netherlands, there now are traveling teams of euthanizers to dispatch the elderly, the feeble, the lonely and the terminally ill. Proponents of a culture of death try to blur the knowledge of when life begins and when it ends so that they can more readily justify abortion and euthanasia. Through philosophic arguments and euphemistic terms, they salve their consciences as they legally rid themselves of the disruption of an unwanted pregnancy or the hardship of caring for the terminally ill, the severely disabled, the permanently comatose, and those with extreme cognitive impairment. A convenient approach to confound the issue is to separate the notion of person from that of human life by conferring personhood only if an individual possesses certain functional capabilities. If those capabilities are missing or do not meet a given norm, the individual is considered a non-person and not entitled to rights granted to others. Specifically, the right to life, guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, does not apply to them. This attempt to depersonalize classes of individuals runs counter to the religious beliefs that humans have spiritual souls, as well as physical bodies, and that their souls are created in the image and likeness of God. All human life, from conception until natural death, has a worth and dignity simply by being human. As God-given, the right to life is intrinsic and inalienable, and does not depend on the quality of that life being up to a certain functional norm. No one has the authority to take the life of another or to discard his own. When life begins is a biological fact. It is indisputably at conception, when the male and female components unite to create a new living organism with a complete genetic identity of a human being that is distinct from either parent. The point at which that life is considered to be a person, in contrast, is a social and philosophical construct. The separation of the two is nothing more than a sophistic attempt to justify the taking of innocent life. If the organism in the womb is not a person, then abortion -- even to the point of partial birth -- is not recognized as the killing of a child, but only as the medical excision of a growth, tissues or cells within a woman. In the United States, this jesuitic distinction has allowed over 58 million children never-to-be-born since Roe v. Wade was decreed in The separation of personhood from life is fraught with danger for everyone at every stage of life. The point of partition becomes a Lawrence P. Grayson To Be or Not To Be a Person decision of those in power, whether a dictator, autocrat or a democratic majority. When a human is declared a non-person because of his or her inability to sustain life independently of others or is not able to perform at a certain level of mental, physical or social ability, the individual is considered to be a thing without the dignity, worth or rights of a person. This can lead, and has led, to great atrocities. At various times, in many countries, in differing circumstances, slaves, Blacks, gypsies, Jews, non-believers, and other inconvenient groups have been declared non-persons or at least treated as such -- thus justifying lynching, slavery, ethnic cleansing, genocide, gulags, jihad, and the Holocaust. The issue of personhood was central to the decision to withhold nutrition and hydration from Terri Schiavo and starve her to death. Since she was in a prolonged vegetative state and could not perform as a human being, she was considered dead as a person and her life functions ended. Would American society allow a mass-killer on death row to be starved to death? Do we as a nation truly believe that a life is not valuable nor worth living if the individual is in a persistent vegetative state? If so, do we hold the same for a person who is in a long-term coma, is severely handicapped, has advanced dementia, is extremely autistic, cannot live without constant pain, or has a genetic defect? The life of a human being follows a continuous evolution: from a fertilized egg or zygote to blastocyst to embryo to fetus to newborn, and then through childhood, young adulthood, middle age, and finally elderliness. Similarly, at each of those stages, the physical and mental capacities of an individual can vary along a continuum. Where along these unbroken chains are the lines to be drawn separating persons from non-persons, segregating lives worth living from those that are not? Who is to draw them? And once drawn, can they not be moved in the future to define new groups of non-people? If we accept a functional view of a person, what will be the next steps partial-birth abortion, infanticide, mercy killing, genetic cleansing? What will be the future of this nation, as it moves farther away from an absolute morality with regard to life to one that is relative? This nation would do well to remember the words of Pope John Paul II as he concluded his visit to the United States in 1987: Every human person - no matter how vulnerable or helpless, no matter how young or how old, no matter how healthy, handicapped or sick, no matter how useful or productive for society -- is a being of inestimable worth created in the image and likeness of God. This is the dignity of America, the reason she exists, the condition for her survival -- yes, the ultimate test of her greatness: to respect every human person, especially the weakest and most defenseless ones, those as yet unborn. Let us strive to create a public consciousness that every life has value and worth. Let us demonstrate to our political leaders and the nation-atlarge that abortion and euthanasia are heinous acts and that human life at all stages, from conception to natural death, must be respected. Let us develop a societal acknowledgement that ours is a nation under God.

14 Page 14 March 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS STATE BULLETIN Official Publication of the Published Monthly 906 Washington Road Westminster, MD MAILING address P.O. Box 165, Westminster MD State Deputy Stephen M. Cohen cohensmc42@aol.com (443) State Secretary.Anthony Salvemini a.ns@comcast.net (410) State Treasurer..Dale W. Trott dnltrott@verizon.net (301) State Advocate Vince Grauso vgrauso@yahoo.com (410) State Warden Christopher L. Powers CPowersR2@MD.metrocast.net (301) March 2016 Mar 5 MD Exemplification, Frederick Holiday Inn Mar 12 State Spring Meeting at Annapolis Council Mar 13 Founder s Day Mass Mar 27 Easter Executive Secretary..Romeo Gauthier kofc-md@hotmail.com; (410) STATE BULLETIN Editor.Thomas Stevenson SR Northwind Rd Parkville, MD tnpstevenson@verizon.net Maryland State Yahoo Group : MDstatecouncil/info?yguid= (410)