Knights of Columbus. George and Vicki. Patriots for God and Country. Volume 1, Issue 10 December Next Meeting

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1 Knights of Columbus Patriots for God and Country Next Meeting Saturday, Jan 18th, :00 am Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Michigan Center 913 Napoleon Rd Michigan Center, MI Inside Masters Rpt Friar Report Contacts 8 Newsletter Editor: SK Ken Watterson aarrdy@sbcglobal.net Volume 1, Issue 10 December 2013 Christmas Greetings and Good Cheer to all our Brother Sir Knights and their Lovely Ladies What a grand time of year, Jack Frost has been busy and old man winter has once again made his way into mid-michigan signaling the beginning of the Christmas Season. A season that begins with a reflection of how thankful we all are that we live in the land of the free and the home of the brave, and quickly moves into a period of anticipation. As children we were filled with the anticipation and hopes of the gifts that would be stuffed under our Christmas Tree and the cookies that Grandma would make, as adults now we are filled with the anticipation and hope that a new year brings. Yes Advent that special time of the year when we haul out the Christmas decorations, gather with friends and family to celebrate the good times of year gone past and await the Birthday Celebration of our Lord and Savior that will mark the fresh beginning of a new year. A time when we not only are busy checking those Christmas Lists twice for the physical gifts that will go under the Christmas Tree, but also checking our spiritual list to see if we have been naughty or nice and are of pure heart as we await the birth of Mary s Son on Christmas morning. In the hustle and bustle that is this Thanksgiving- Advent-Christmas-New Year Season, we cannot lose sight that it is all about giving thanks to our God and preparing to celebrate the Birth of His Son, the greatest gift, and doing Him homage throughout the coming year. As the last of the leftovers from thanksgiving are in the refrigerator, we now find ourselves in the season of Advent, a time of preparation and reflection. Yes, Advent is truly a time for reflection, as we look back over 2013 we find much to praise our Lord for and to be thankful for. As a District we accomplished much, we won the first ever Hennepin Province Operation Patriotism Award; 19 out of 21 Assemblies completed projects that showed our Patriotism to God and Country and thus earned their Supreme Civic Award; our Ladies collected hundreds of items from socks to crossword puzzle books and donated them to the heroes at the Battle Creek and Ann Arbor Veterans Hospital; we brought into the Fourth Degree over 200 new Sir Knights with their Ladies, growing our District ever Stronger; and most important we made new friends and together grew stronger as Patriots for God and Country. In addition one Assembly put Flags in a School, where now the students recite the Pledge of Allegiance to our Country, One Nation under GOD. Another Assembly spearheaded the effort to place a memorial at a National Cemetery that was dedicated just before Veterans Day stating To those who have served may they find peace with God, and to those who are serving or will serve may God go with them. Other Assemblies provided for the needs of local Children and food pantries, held a Special Prom for those who have special needs, assisted our Seminarians, Postulates, Sisters, Deacons, Priests and Bishops; many continued to support religious Education at Holy Cross; and many more great projects all of which we were able to accomplish through the efforts of our Brothers and Ladies of Michigan District II. As an exclamation point we purchased and dedicated a life sized Nativity for the Battle Creek Veterans Medical Center as our Operation Patriotism Project. Advent is also a time for personal reflection, a time when we can prepare to celebrate the Birth of our Lord. A time to ask ourselves did we as Mary taught us say let it be done unto me and allow our God to use our talents to do his will on this Earth? Did we go that extra mile to insure a project was done or a Brother in need was given the helping hand needed, did we turn our other cheek, did we love our enemy and our neighbor? Were we truly Practical Catholics? Did we put into practice daily our Principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and as a Sir Knight and Lady, Patriotism? Maybe in these reflections we can all find some New Year s Resolutions. On a very personal note, as we completed our first year serving you as the Master and First Lady of Michigan District II; Lady Vicki and I are extremely thankful for all the support and love we have received from the Sir Knights and Ladies of our District. We are excited about 2014 and look forward to having the opportunity to continue to be of service to you, the Brother Sir Knights and Ladies of Michigan District II, quite simply the best District period. May our Great God Bless each of you and the United States of America, and with His assistance may your Advent preparations make this your best Christmas ever and may the Spirit of Christmas stay in your hearts throughout 2014.Merry Christmas to all! George and Vicki

2 2 31 Keep Christ in Christmas Billboards have been posted in the center of Mid-Michigan this December and Members of District II have once again participated in this Most Worthy Program. We stand in solidarity with the message that Christmas is First and Foremost a Celebration of the Birth of Jesus. This simple truth has been under a lot of pressure lately, but with the combined efforts of our Order, we are able to push back and take a stand for Christ.. As true Christian Warriors, we draw our line and stake our position on the Message that Jesus Christ is the REASON for the Season.. Thank You and God Bless.. kdw.

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4 4 Worthy Knights and Ladies of Michigan District II Vivat Jesus! To add something to your observance of Jesus' birth, I thought I might enlighten you with some historical facts and history. It is interesting to note that while Easter has been celebrated since the Resurrection first occurred, there is no official documentation of a Christmas feast on the Church's calendar before 354 A.D. Until the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, Christmas would have been observed on January 6th instead of December 25th, explaining why many Orthodox Christians who do not observe papal obedience or the papal calendar, still exchange gifts and celebrate Christmas on that date. By the way, in the old Julian calendar established by Julius Caesar himself, New Year's Day was thrown off also, having been observed on March 25th. In this day and age when the Knights work so diligently to "Keep the Christ in Christmas," we should consider ourselves fortunate that we didn't live in Scotland where, between the years of 1640 and 1958, Christmas was officially banned for being too Catholic and having all the 'trappings of popery.' Christmas received new interest in 1822 with the publication of Clement Clarke Moore's "Twas the Night before Christmas." Charles Dicken's classic "A Christmas Carol" was published 11 years later. Dickens became the first to use the term "Merry Christmas." Now, the 'PCP," Political Correctness Police tell us its offensive to say such things, encouraging us to say 'Happy Holidays' instead. Thanksgiving is an older American holiday than Christmas! Thanksgiving was made a national observance by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 while his successor Ulysses Grant did not make Christmas a national holiday until 1870, and that begrudgingly, because he found out how many government employees planed on calling in sick in order to participate in the festivities. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, there's a lot about Christmas we think we know because its so familiar to us, but as we have seen here, there's plenty more about this wonderful holiday than meets the eye. Wherever and however you spend your Christmas, remember it is a season, not a day. Fight the urge to put the tree out to the curb or the decorations away too quickly. I'm sure we all would agree - the world needs to keep the spirit of Christmas around a little longer this year. On behalf of all the Faithful Friars of our various assemblies, I wish all of you a Blessed Christmas in 2013 and great prosperity, health and happiness for the New Year Fr. Tim MacDonald

5 5 Christmas Greetings! During the hustle and bustle of this Christmas Season, please take time to enjoy family and friends and celebrate the Reason for the Season, the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It s been a very busy year for Michigan District II. Thanks to the efforts of all you Sir Knights and Ladies, it was a very successful 2013 for the Exemplification Souvenir Books. Enjoy the Christmas break and recharge your batteries, for there will be more to come after the New Year about the 2014 Spring Exemplification Souvenir Book. January is when many businesses have new advertising budgets, so it should be a good month for us to kick off the 2014 Spring Exemplification Souvenir Book. Wishing you a safe and love filled Christmas Season, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! SK David Buick We sincerely wish each and every one of you a most Blessed, Love Filled, Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year! This is the Day the Lord Has Made, Let us Rejoice and Be Glad! My Brother Sir Knights & Lovely Ladies of Michigan District II: Lady Maxine and I bring you warm Fraternal greetings from sunny Naples, Florida where it is presently 84 degrees. We try not to rub it in too much with our family and friends however when the sun shines almost every single day, we have to sing God s praises for this little piece of paradise which he created. It is hard to believe but we have been retired now for almost a year. We have found that relaxing is really quite enjoyable. We hope to see you all at Easter at the spring exemplification in Jackson. Our plans are to be home with our family at that time. Dennis Henderson Former Master Michigan District II

6 6 Color Corps Lady Cindi and I would like to wish everyone a blessed Christmas and prosperous New Year. Be safe, enjoy friends and family, and Keep Christ in Christmas. SK Bill Currie Hats, Sweat s, Golf Shirts, Jacket s, etc.. "we also sell women's blouses" SK Paul and Lady Sharon Dorland dorland.paul@gmail.com We sell several styles and colors of golf shirts plus the light blue cotton shirts.. In addition we carry sweaters in various colors. They all have the double emblem on the front. We sell them at various functions and the proceeds go to District 2. Sweatshirts in many sizes and colors.. TUX PLUS INC.. Traditional Tuxedo & Accessories See us for a Tuxedo, Shirts, Bow Tie, Links & Studs, Cummerbunds, Suspenders, White Gloves and White Dinner Jackets. Perfect gifts for Birthday, Anniversary or Christmas! SK Dave Gibson & Lady Cheryl 4431 Cedar Lane Muskegon, Mi cell wdgibson2@comcast.net

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8 Michigan District II 7045 Country View Jackson, Mi Knights of Columbus Hennepin Province This Newsletter is published to our Website at by the 1st week of every odd Month. Please contact SK Ken Watterson at if you have any problems. Contact Information Membership: Souvenir Books: VAVS Program : Color Corps: Newsletter & Website: Sir Knight Gayland Meeks at or meeksgm@acd.net Sir Knight David Buick at or dabuick45@gmail.com Sir Knight Gus Groat at or jngroat@gmail.com Sir Knight Bill Currie at or curriewmm@aol.com Sir Knight Ken Watterson at aarrdy@sbcglobal.net For all other questions: > after addressing them with your Faithful Navigator < Master, Sir Knight George Walrath or george.walrath@saint-gobain.com (Please remember the Chain of Command and check with your Assembly contacts first.) Our NEXT District Meeting will be on January 18th at 10:00 am. Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Michigan Center