CARROLLIAN NEWS JULY 2017 GRAND KNIGHT S REPORT FOURTH DEGREE

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Evangeline Welch
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1 My Brother Knights, IAN NEWS JULY 2017 GRAND KNIGHT S REPORT Our council elections were held last month and all offices have been filled. I would like to thank all of the men who have agreed to serve the Council as Officers. They had the courage to Step Into the Breach and be leaders. I would like to offer a special word of appreciation to Past Grand Knight Ray Blust who has graciously agreed to serve as Grand Knight again. Hopefully by this time next year our plan of succession can be fully implemented. For this to happen, we will have to find someone willing to take Brother Ken Staley s place as Financial Secretary so that Ken can step in as Grand Knight for the Fraternal Year. Please consider this opportunity to help our Council continue to succeed. Ken has everything in order and working smoothly, so it should be an easy transition. He will also be around to provide guidance and training. For those of you who are considering becoming an Officer in the future, please take advantage of the 2 nd and 3 rd Degree Exemplifications that will take place on August 6 th at the Our Lady of Peace parish center in Mt. Olivet. It starts at 1:00 pm and the candidates are asked to be there by 12:30 pm. You have to be a 3 rd Degree member to run for office. Please let me know if you are interested in attending (bgordon229@comcast.net or ). I thank all of you for your support over the past two years and look forward to continuing to serve the Council as a Trustee and as a District Deputy. Vivat Jesus! FOURTH DEGREE Grand Knight Brian Gordon Congratulations to those who were elected to office in the Charles Carroll Assembly. We will be having installation of officers at our July 18th meeting. The assembly will have a meat and cheese tray and provide drinks. Feel free to bring any "finger food" you like. Families are welcome and encouraged to attend also. Remember the assembly meetings are still at 7:30. We cleaned up the roster of unpaid members. If you did not pay dues for the 2017 Fraternal Year (or years previous) you will need to be reinstated. We need to recruit new members for the 4th Degree and for the Honor Guard. If you know any 3rd Degree member in good standing who would like to join the Patriotic Order have them let me know. The Honor Guard has been asked for a couple guys in regalia for a Rosary Rally at Our Lady of Seven Dolors on July 13th at 6 p.m. We also should be notified of the Italian Festival Mass on July 23rd. Thanks to PGK, DD, and Faithful Scribe Sir Knight Brian Gordon for all his great work on the newsletter over the years and including the 4th Degree in them. Also, welcome to Matt Mandarino as the new editor of the "Carrollian News." The winner of the June 50/50 was Sir Knight Curtis Oliver. The winner of the attendance bowl would have been George Bosold. Since he was not there, the bowl will be $30 this month. 1 Faithful Navigator Matt Koval

2 MEMBERSHIP MATTERS Our next Admission Degree Exemplification is tentatively planned for August. It would be great if we could round up ten candidates over the course of the summer. There will be 2 nd /3 rd Degree Exemplifications on August 6 th at 1:00 pm at Our Lady of Peace parish hall. It would be good to take advantage of this opportunity to obtain the higher degrees since these Exemplifications are held very infrequently these days. Candidates need to be there by 12:30 pm. Please let me know if you plan to attend (bgordon229@comcast.net or ). Remember, it s not about the numbers, but membership matters because God wants us to take care of our families and live out our faith in love. Brian Gordon, Membership Director KNIGHTS ARE PRO-LIFE Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia is supposedly a pro-life Democrat. But which side is it really on? Manchin was recently seen posing with activists on both sides of the abortion debate. He took a picture with a pro-abortion activist holding a sign saying he stands with Planned Parenthood, the nation s biggest abortion company. Later Senator Manchin stood with a pro-life advocate holding a sign saying she opposed to Planned Parenthood. Mark Basich, Pro-Life Director June 1st Close to pin Winning team June 8th Close to pin Winning team June 15 Close to pin Winning team June 22nd Close to pin Winning team GOLF NEWS John Fahey minus 3 Rex Leasure - Bob Morgan - Paul Tepe Chuck Wagner minus 7 Rex Leasure - Chuck Wagner - Ex Novotney Shawn Fahey minus 9 Rex Leasure - Vince Griffith - Frank Pramesa Vince Griffith minus 6 Pat Fahey - Bob Morgan - Ron Vogler June 29th Close to Pin Chuck Wagner Winning team minus 5 BJ Widmer - Ron Vogler - Paul Tepe - Tom Conti Chuck Wagner, Golf Captain 2

3 WK 2 ND CANDLES AT THE BLESSED MOTHER S SHRINE JIM POWELL & RV BURKE FAM. JEAN AND CHUCK GRIFFITH DEC WK 9 TH KATIE AND JACK FAHEY DOT SCHMITT DEC. DAD GRUBLER DEC. WK 16 TH WK 23 RD WK 30 TH JOANNE AND KEN BURKHART CEIL & DUTCH FROHNAPFEL DEC. JEAN AND CHUCK GRIFFITH DEC. BETTY AND LEW NEWMAN III DEC. PLEASE CONTACT PHIL EMMERTH AT FOR CANDLES AT THE BLESSED MOTHER S SHRINE. MARK YOUR CALENDAR! - UPCOMING EVENTS The regular meeting will be on July 11 th at 7:00 pm. We will have a cook-out starting at 6 p.m. and the meeting at 7 p.m. with installation of new officers. Wives and families are invited to attend both the cook-out and the installation. The next Fourth Degree meeting will be held on July 18 th at 7:30 p.m. The Officers meeting will be held on July 25 th at 7:30 pm. The regular meeting for next month will be on August 8 th. OFFICERS FOR FRATERNAL YEAR 2017/18 Grand Knight: Ray Blust Inside Guard: Patrick Baltzell Chaplain: Fr. Bill Matheny Deputy Grand Knight: Art Bertol Outside Guard: Joe Markovich District Deputy: Brian Gordon Chancellor: Matt Koval Trustee 1 Year: Bernie Grubler Recorder: Bill Buchanan Trustee 2 Year: Chuck Wagner Field Agent/ Treasurer: Ed Novotney Trustee 3 Year: Brian Gordon Fraternal Benefits: Mike Bush Advocate: Steve Borkoski Financial Secretary: Ken Staley Warden: Pat Plunkett 3

4 CATECHETICAL CORNER INTO THE BREACH AN APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION TO CATHOLIC MEN by Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmstead, Bishop of Phoenix (Continued from last month) The Practices of a Committed Catholic Man Given these reflections on Catholic manhood, we move to the practical, that is, how to live like a Catholic man. What practices can help us to take up our cross and follow our King? If we think of soldiers who do not remain in strong physical and mental shape and who fail to practice the essential combat arts, we know they will not be ready for battle and will be a danger to themselves and their comrades in arms. The same is true for Catholic men; those who do not prepare and strengthen themselves for spiritual combat are incapable of filling the breach for Christ. While there are many habits and devotions that a Catholic man can form, I charge you with keeping these seven basic practices on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. If these practices are not (yet) part of your life, start now! DAILY 1. Pray every day. Each Catholic man must start his day with prayer. It is said, Until you realize that prayer is the most important thing in life, you will never have time for prayer. Without prayer, a man is like a soldier who lacks food, water, and ammunition. Set aside some time to speak with God first thing each morning. Pray the three prayers essential to the Catholic faith: the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be. Pray also at every meal. Before food or drink touches your lips, make the Sign of the Cross, say the Bless us, O Lord prayer, and end with the Sign of the Cross. Do this no matter where you are, with whom or how much you are eating. Never be shy or ashamed about praying over meals. Never deny Christ the gratitude that is due to Him. Praying as a Catholic man before every meal is a simple but powerful way to keep strong and fill the breach. 2. Examine your conscience before going to sleep. Take a few moments to review the day, including both your blessings and sins. Give God thanks for blessings and ask forgiveness for sins. Say an Act of Contrition. 3. Go to Mass. Despite the fact that attending weekly Mass is a Precept of the Church, only about one in three Catholic men attend Sunday Mass. For large numbers of Catholic men, their neglect to attend Mass is a grave sin, a sin that puts them in mortal danger. The Mass is a refuge in the Spiritual Battle, where Catholic men meet their King, hear His commands, and become strengthened with the Bread of Life. Every Mass is a miracle where Jesus Christ is fully present, a miracle that is the high point not only of the week, but of our entire lives on Earth. In the Mass, 4

5 MONTHLY a man gives thanks to God for his many blessings and hears Christ send him again into the world to build the Kingdom of God. Fathers who lead their children to Mass are helping in a very real way to ensure their eternal salvation. 4. Read the Bible. As St. Jerome so clearly tells us, Ignorance of the Sacred Scriptures is ignorance of Christ. When we read God s word, Jesus is present. Married men, read with your wife and your children. If a man s children see him read the Scriptures, they are more likely to remain in the Faith. My brothers in Christ, this I can assure you: men who read the Bible grow in grace, wisdom, and peace. 5. Keep the Sabbath. From the creation of Adam and Eve, God the Father established a weekly cycle ending with the Sabbath. He gave us the Sabbath to ensure that one day out of seven we will give thanks to God, rest, and be refreshed. In the Ten Commandments, God asserts anew the importance of keeping the Sabbath. With today s constant barrage of buying and selling and the cacophony of noisy media, the Sabbath is God s respite from the storm. As Catholic men, you must begin, or deepen, keeping the holiness of the Sabbath. If you are married, you must lead your wives and children to do the same. Dedicate the day to rest and true recreation, and avoid work that is not necessary. Spend time with family, attend Mass, and enjoy the gift of the day. 6. Go to Confession. At the very start of Christ s public ministry, Jesus calls on all men to repent. Without repentance from sin, there can be no healing or forgiveness, and there will be no Heaven. My brothers, get to Confession now! Our Lord Jesus Christ is a merciful King who will forgive those who humbly confess their sins. He will not forgive those who refuse. Open your soul to the gift of our Lord s mercy! 7. Build fraternity with other Catholic men. Catholic friendship among men has a dramatic impact on their faith lives. Men who have bonds of brotherhood with other Catholic men pray more, go to Mass and Confession more frequently, read the Scriptures more often, and are more active in the Faith. Proverbs tells us: As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (27:17). I call on each of our priests and deacons to draw men together in their parishes and to begin to rebuild a vibrant and transforming Catholic fraternity. I call on laymen to form small fellowship groups for mutual support and growth in the faith. There is no friendship like having a friend in Christ. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS Matt Mandarino has accepted the position of Newsletter Editor beginning this month. Please send your articles to him at matt.mandarino@mac.com for future editions. Diocesan Pilgrimage: On Saturday, September 16, join Bishop Michael J. Bransfield on a pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. This year s pilgrimage will be dedicated to Holy Mary, Mother of Unity. Bus transportation available from various points around the diocese. Call St. James the Greater Parish in Charles Town at or go to Must pre-register for this event. Bus seats are $30 per person. 5

6 Saint Camillus de Lellis Saint of the Day for July 18 (1550 July 14, 1614) Humanly speaking, Camillus was not a likely candidate for sainthood. His mother died when he was a child, his father neglected him, and he grew up with an excessive love for gambling. At 17, he was afflicted with a disease of his leg that remained with him for life. In Rome he entered the San Giacomo Hospital for Incurables as both patient and servant, but was dismissed for quarrelsomeness after nine months. He served in the Venetian army for three years. Then in the winter of 1574, when he was 24, Camillus gambled away everything he had savings, weapons, literally down to his shirt. He accepted work at the Capuchin friary at Manfredonia, and was one day so moved by a sermon of the superior that he began a conversion that changed his life. He entered the Capuchin novitiate, but was dismissed because of the apparently incurable sore on his leg. After another stint of service at San Giacomo, he came back to the Capuchins, only to be dismissed again, for the same reason. Again, back at San Giacomo, his dedication was rewarded by his being made superintendent. Camillus devoted the rest of his life to the care of the sick. Along with Saint John of God he has been named patron of hospitals, nurses, and the sick. With the advice of his friend Saint Philip Neri, he studied for the priesthood and was ordained at the age of 34. Contrary to the advice of his friend, Camillus left San Giacomo and founded a congregation of his own. As superior, he devoted much of his own time to the care of the sick. Charity was his first concern, but the physical aspects of the hospital also received his diligent attention. Camillus insisted on cleanliness and the technical competence of those who served the sick. The members of his community bound themselves to serve prisoners and persons infected by the plague as well as those dying in private homes. Some of his men were with troops fighting in Hungary and Croatia in 1595, forming the first recorded military field ambulance. In Naples, he and his men went onto the galleys that had plague and were not allowed to land. He discovered that there were people being buried alive, and ordered his brothers to continue the prayers for the dying 15 minutes after apparent death. Camillus himself suffered the disease of his leg through his life. In his last illness, he left his own bed to see if other patients in the hospital needed help. 6

July Witnessing to the Faith Because families play an indispensable role in the new evangelization, we want to share our faith with other families and those who are far away from God.

7 July Witnessing to the Faith Because families play an indispensable role in the new evangelization, we want to share our faith with other families and those who are far away from God. Breaking Open the Theme Everyone no matter their role or station in life is called to holiness. Holiness in the family is a response of love to the graces God lavishes upon them every day through the sacrament of marriage. A love that fails to grow is at risk. Growth can only occur if we respond to God s grace through constant acts of love, acts of kindness that become ever more frequent, intense, generous, tender and cheerful.... The gift of God s love poured out upon the spouses is also a summons to constant growth in grace. 66 As the saints have shown so well throughout history, this constant growth in grace leads inevitably to witness in our daily lives. This witness is the primary way to evangelize in our time. It is through living our lives as Catholic families, devoted to our faith, to each other and to helping those in need, that we best evangelize in a world that so often seems reluctant to hear this good news. The family must put comfort and convenience aside to risk sharing in the suffering of others who are on the margins. 67 Who are those on the margins? They may be people we never met, the poor, the immigrant and the unborn. They may be people who we know that are lonely and feel isolated. They may be our own family members who are difficult to love because of their personalities. Paradoxically, the margins are not very far from us, but all around us and sometimes even within us. Those who are on the margins are those wounded and far off from God s love and his Church. 68 The family must encounter these margins and mend them with its witness to God s love. To vary slightly a famous phrase of St. John Paul II, we could say, Do not be afraid! open wide the doors of the domestic church for Christ! 69 Meditation From Pope Benedict XVI s Address to the Pontifical Council for the Family The new evangelization depends largely on the Domestic Church. In our time, as in times past, the eclipse of God, the spread of ideologies contrary to the family and the degradation of sexual ethics are connected. and just as the eclipse of God and the crisis of the family are linked, so the new evangelization is inseparable from the Christian family. The family is indeed the way of the Church because it is the human space of our encounter with Christ. Spouses not only receive the love of 7

8 Christ and become a saved community, but they are also called upon to communicate Christ s love to their brethren, thus becoming a saving community. The family founded on the sacrament of Marriage is a particular realization of the Church, saved and saving, evangelized and evangelizing community. Just like the Church, it is called to welcome, radiate and show the world the love and presence of Christ. The reception and transmission of divine love are realized in the mutual commitment of the spouses, in generous and responsible procreation, in the care and education of children, work and social relationships, with attention to the needy, in participation in church activities, in commitment to civil society. The Christian family to the extent it succeeds in living love as communion and service as a reciprocal gift open to all, as a journey of permanent conversion supported by the grace of God, reflects the splendor of Christ in the world and the beauty of the divine Trinity. 70 Scripture Readings Psalm 148:1-6, Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights. Praise him, all you his angels; give praise, all you his hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all shining stars. Praise him, highest heavens, you waters above the heavens. Let them all praise the Lord s name; for he commanded and they were created, Assigned them their station forever, set an order that will never change. Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all who govern on earth; Young men and women too, old and young alike. let them all praise the Lord s name, for his name alone is exalted, His majesty above earth and heaven. Family Project Invite a family member, friend or acquaintance to Mass, adoration or a faith-forming event with you. also, write down ideas for small sacrifices and offerings on individual pieces of paper. Place these in a small bowl. every day, have each member of the family randomly select one piece of paper to offer the sacrifice listed for the intentions of a relative or friend. at the end of the month, each family member might send a note to the person for whom they made the offering, telling him or her about their prayers and sacrifices. 8

Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

Interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith? Visit the Knights of Columbus on-line Catechism at: http://www.kofc.org/un/en/catechism/index.html.

9 Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen. Interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith? Visit the Knights of Columbus on-line Catechism at: Nuptial Blessing Holy Father, who formed man in your image, male and female you created them, so that as husband and wife, united in body and heart, they might fulfill their calling in the world; O God, who, to reveal the great design you formed in your love, willed that the love of spouses for each other should foreshadow the covenant you graciously made with your people, so that, by fulfillment of the sacramental sign, the mystical marriage of Christ with his Church might become manifest in the union of husband and wife among your faithful. May they also sustain, O Lord, by their deeds the home they are forming and prepare their children to become members of your heavenly household by raising them in the way of the Gospel. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 9

CARROLLIAN NEWS. January 2018 GRAND KNIGHT S REPORT FOURTH DEGREE

CARROLLIAN NEWS. January 2018 GRAND KNIGHT S REPORT FOURTH DEGREE CARROLLIAN NEWS January 2018 GRAND KNIGHT S REPORT Happy New Year gentlemen. I look forward to another great year with the Knights. A huge Thanks goes out to John Dudzik for spending a majority of his