The Desert Knightline

Transcription

1 ISSUE February 2016 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER The Desert Knightline Schedule and Events This Issue Grand Knight s Corner P.2 Chaplain s Corner P.3 Family of the Month P.3 Lecturer Article P.4 Deacon Ed s Article P.6 Schedule of Events P.11 Knight of the Month P.12 Council has several Venerable Servant of God Father Michael J. McGivney important upcoming events that all members are invited to attend for an evening of fun and fraternity. Please contact the Brother Knight indicated to make your arrangements to attend these events. Please try to attend at least one Council meeting during this KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Deacon Raphael (Ray) Longpre Council Chartered July 3, 1990, Tucson, Arizona fraternal year. If you need a ride to the meeting, call GK Patrick McMahon at Dress is Tucson Casual. See Page 11 for Schedule Grand Knight ~ Patrick McMahon Deputy Grand Knight ~ Allan Reith Chancellor ~ Bill Neer Recorder ~ John Goshy Treasurer ~ Gabe Guerrero Warden ~ PGK Vincent Baiocchetti Inside Guard ~ Bill Lake-Wright Outside Guard ~ Patrick Donahue Financial Secretary ~ Larry Lewis Advocate ~ Ray Bruns Insurance Field Agent - Von Clarke Chaplain ~ Fr. Chris Corbally, SJ Lecturer ~ PGK A. Martin Ronstadt 1 Year Trustee ~ PGK David Orr 2 Year Trustee ~ PGK Tom Metzger 3 Year Trustee ~ PGK Alex Wright Newsletter Editor ~ Tony Kenon Assistant Editor ~ Carolyn Mallonee Meetings Second Thursday of the Month Officers ~ 6:45 p.m. All Knights ~ 7:30 p.m.

2 February ~ Members Birthdays ~ Grand Knight s Corner ~ Patrick McMahon Lawrence A. Brady Von H. Clarke Raymond G. Carey Lawrence A. DeMarino James Hamill Randolph W. Hannon Larry K. Lewis John J. Meurant Rev. Robert A. Rankin Joseph A. Richardson Albert F. Schellenberg Frank Vasquez Guy M. Walsh Lent comes early this year, and our resident chef Vinnie Baioccetti is cooking up something special. No really he is leading off our Lenten Soup and Bread program with some Pasta e Fagioli on February 12 th. There will be five other Fridays where our Brother Knights will also be making a home batch of soup before Stations of the Cross. My thanks to Vinnie and all our Brother Knight volunteers who will be cooking, serving, and setting up. Come enjoy the fraternity and parish spirit, and help if you can. Allan Reith and Bill Neer, our co-chairmen for the annual St. Patrick s Day dinner, are constructing what looks to be a great evening of Irish food and live entertainment. The event will begin after the 5:00 p.m. Mass on Saturday, March 12 th in the Parish Hall. Be sure to mark your calendars. There is some work involved, but if we all participate in some fashion, we can make this an enjoyable evening for all. Please contact Bill Neer at or theneers2@hotmail.com to volunteer. February ~ Wives Birthdays Nancy Clarke Martine Conway Mary Ann Gretka Karen Hannon Nancy Johannesmeyer Mary Liebentritt Elizabeth Garcia Nicoletti Jackie Rylance Anne Sheffer Rochelle Susa Debbie Tholen Thanks to our Membership Chairman, Tom Metzger, we ve been blessed with some new Knights to our Council. Let s make them feel welcome by introducing ourselves at Council meetings and events, and inviting them to participate. We have a great Council, and our newest Knights joined for a reason. Certainly charity, unity, and fraternity should be a central part of why we are involved. For our newest Brother Knights, be advised that we are about to resume a very active part of our fraternal calendar. There are plenty of events planned, and you are not expected to jump in and do everything, but certainly you will find something that serves your interest and the Council s. We suggest that you can be a Knight, even if you only participate 24 hours a year. You can help just by selling raffle tickets for 15 minutes after Mass (a Mass you attend), and you won t have any conflicts in the church parking lot afterwards. Finally, congratulations to Fr. Ken Wolfe, Patrick Donahue, John Goshy, Bob Guth, James Sislo, and Mark Ziska for completing the Patriotic (4 th ) Degree on January 9 th, and certainly to Marty Ronstadt who gave an excellent speech as the Class Honoree for the Exemplification. Vivat Jesus, Patrick Page 2

3 ~ Chaplain s Corner ~ Fr. Chris Corbally That sincere dialogue among men and women of different faiths may produce the fruits of peace and justice. Pope Francis Prayer Network for Here is the Pope s Universal Prayer for January, as promised, offered to you now for February. It is about Interreligious Dialogue, if you prefer the short description. The provocative reading material for this month s Roundtable discussion, Medina The First Muslim Refugee Resettlement Program, at least warns us that such dialogue is not simple. We can t just join together in some chants or hymns of another faith and find that there is, instantly, peace and justice among the participants and their respective churches, mosques, and temples. The only way these can result, and last, is through the Spirit of peace, the Spirit of justice. That is why the earnest prayer of every one of us, Knight, Ladies, People of Every Faith, is needed. A mere month of prayer by the Pope s Network is not enough; but it is at least a start to which we can all contribute. February ~ Wedding Anniversaries Charles and Toni Farnsworth Thomas and Suzanne Malisewski Bart and Lori Pemberton May the fruits of sincere dialogue appear in your own life. Chris Corbally, SJ ~ Family of the Month ~ Randy and Karen Hannon are the Council #10441 Family of the Month for February Randy has been active in all of our Council s activities, especially the Blood Drive, Pancake Breakfast and the State Raffle, and most recently the Council Christmas Dinner Party. Karen is a member of the Marian Club, a wonderful person and quite supportive of Randy s involvement with the Knights. Thank you, Randy and Karen!

4 P ~ Lecturer Article ~ Marty Ronstadt Knights Round Table ~ Our latest discussion group met on January 2 nd with a total of 24 adults participating. Our next gathering will be on Saturday, February 6 th after the 8:00 a.m. Chapel Mass. The discussion will be in the Parish library with coffee and doughnuts. Father Chris will moderate, and hopefully Fathers Gabor and Jacek will also be with us. The topic was suggested by Kamal Dimitri and Father Chris supplied an article from the Crisis magazine of December 1, 2015 that was written by William Kilpatrick titled Medina The First Muslim Refugee Resettlement Program. The author raises a totally different viewpoint to the introduction of Muslims into areas outside of the Middle East. If you did not get a copy at our last gathering call , or Marty.Ronstadt@gmail.com. Wives should attend and bring a woman s viewpoint to our discussions. Guests are most welcome as well! We adjourn at 9:55 a.m. Pancake Breakfast ~ Our Sunday, January 10 th breakfast was a record for total numbers served. The total for both Masses was 135, and $326 was transferred to the Council s general fund. Our faithful workers included Kelly Bequette, Ray Bruns, Charlie Farnsworth, Bob Gonzalez, Ron Gretka, Randy Hannon, Herman Johannesmeyer, Joe Kasper, Jeff Kennedy, Lloyd LaComb, James and Linda McKearny, Patrick McMahon, Tom Metzger, TK Mohr, Allan Reith and Larry Rylance. Our next Pancake Breakfast will be served on Sunday, February 7 th. (Submitted by Chairman Lloyd LaComb.) Red Cross Blood Drive ~ Our most recent bi-monthly blood drive was held on Sunday, January 17 th from 7:30 a.m. to noon. The sign-ups in the Narthex of Church was meager, but was supplemented by the Red Cross phone bank at the last moment bringing our total up to 46 pints. St. Thomas continues its support for this important Tucson Community Program, and our Council continues with its best efforts, likewise. This was demonstrated by the volunteers who donated blood, worked the drive at the registration desk or the canteen, and then came back to support the Mass and Dinner with the Bishop at Skyline Country Club at 4:00 p.m. Our workers were Lou Attinasi, Tom Bohan, Jim Brodecki, Kamal Dimitri, Paul Federico, Randy Hannon, Patrick McMahon, TK Mohr and Allan Reith. Thanks to all! Mass and Dinner with the Bishop ~ Our most recent MDB held on Sunday, January 17 th at Skyline Country Club was a bigger success than had been anticipated. Donations were up considerably, resulting in a preliminary figure of over $35,000.00, with the final figure yet to be determined. This was the 12 th annual event and the first to not only support our retired priests, but also seminarian education. The honorees were Fr. George Holley, just ordained, and a long-time member of our Council and Assembly, and Fr. Allan Valencia ordained this past summer. Our retired honorees were Fr. Gerald Cote who was too ill to attend, and Msgr. Thomas Millane, pastor emeritus from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. Many thanks are due to all, and especially the members of Council #10441 and our own Hughes Assembly. Not to be overlooked are Sister Charlotte Anne Swift, and Sonya Gutierrez, the Bishop s secretaries, Sister Lois Paha, who did the Mass booklet and provided the music, and Steff Koeneman, who did the Save the Date Card and the program video for the banquet. Once again, thanks to everyone and especially Bishop Kicanas, who has made it possible for the Knights of Columbus to be active participants in the Tucson Diocese. Council Shirts ~ Council shirts are now available at council meetings and at some other council gatherings. The shirts are in stock in our closet in sizes M, L, XL and XXL with our Council logo for $20. Individual names can be embroidered at no extra charge by taking the shirt to Skeeter in the bowling alley at Kolb and 22 nd Street. In Memoriam ~ Robert Leach, who was buried from St. Thomas on Saturday January 23 rd, passed away on Christmas Day. His daughter, Mary, said this was Bob s Christmas present to his wife, Kay, who had preceded him by just a few weeks. Bob was a charter member of Council and a Past Grand Knight, as well as a charter member of the Hughes Assembly. Bob was an active member of both groups, as well as an early organizer of the MDB. Please keep Bob, Kay and the family in your prayers. Page 4

5 ~ Events and Awards ~ Samuel Marquez receives his 1 st Degree certificate from Grand Knight Patrick McMahon at the January Council meeting. Sam made his 1 st degree ceremony on December 16 th at Council Marty Ronstadt was the Class Honoree at the 4 th Degree Exemplification on January 9, Council #10441 is thrilled that six of our Brother Knights participated in the Patriotic Degree Exemplification held at the Tucson Doubletree on January 9, Pictured here (from left to right) are Bob Guth, John Goshy, Patrick Donahue, James Sislo and Mark Ziska. Not pictured is Fr. Ken Wolfe who also advanced to the 4 th Degree (somehow we missed him). Congratulations, Sir Knights!

6 . Prayers for the Sick and Distressed ~ Johanna Bovo Rudy Contreras Deb Crawford Ralph DeMarino Luis Nunes Diaz Bernice Donahue Doris Goshy Mary Green Marissa Holmberg Joan Lang Brother Knight Sid Lang Donald Mallonee III Bernard Mohr Brother Knight Richard Newcomb Brother Knight Jim Neihart Jo Neihart Dorothy Pekarcik Annette Perini Josephine Perrelli Brother Knight Mike Quigley Molly Ramsower Babs Ronstadt Brother SK Marty Ronstadt Coleen Sheppard Matthew Skertic Julie Tangeman REV Joseph Terra Brother SK Frank Vasquez Jackie Vasquez Theresa Vassallo Brother Knight Bob Wenzel Mike Whitman Sue Wilson ~ Love & Mercy ~ By Deacon Ed Sheffer What is your image of God? We need to answer this critical question if we are ever going to take our faith journey seriously. A distorted image of God leads to living a misrepresented life. I feel safe to say that most people have trust issues with God, because we hold a distorted image of God in our hearts. Can we honestly say without any reservation that God is our completely merciful Father, that He burns with love for me personally, that He longs for my happiness, and that we have trusted him with every thought, action, desire, need and feeling we have ever had? Have we entirely conformed to God s plan for our life? Do I address all of my words, actions, and life choices only to reveal the glory of God? Am I so in love with God that He is always present in my life? When you re married for thirty years (and your spouse happens to be a therapist), you can t help but begin to learn some things about relationships. One of the things you pick up on is, trust and love require freedom, and if they are forced in any way well that s not really trust and love. The thing about trust and love is that they don t come without a struggle. Many people struggle with being free of self-worth issues. Some need to be set free from vanity. Others have replaced the deepest desires of love and trust with the pursuit of created things. When we spend more than a minute or two hanging out with Jesus in Scripture, we begin to notice that he chooses to spend time with people who can admit they are broken and rejected in some way and in need of him. What is that all about? God doesn t love as we love! We re inclined to love because of what someone possesses. We can be drawn to beauty, humor, talent, wealth, or power. That s not why God loves us. He loves us because we need His love. He loves us because He is filled with merciful love. Pope Francis announced a special Year of Mercy that began on December 8, My guess is most will miss an incredible opportunity to walk through this door into the arms of mercy. I hope and pray that you and I are not one of them. This moment in time contains an incredible powerful force that can alter the course of our life. We are being given an opportunity to encounter the incredible love and mercy of God. Encountering mercy means encountering God! This can transform our life, relationships, work, and the ability to experience life much more fully. It is not by mere chance or by some feel good hunch that Pope Francis announced a Year of Mercy. He has the gift of the Holy Spirit to see with the eyes of a Vicar of Christ. He minds the time, and has marked this time, for a great need for love and mercy; so there can be healing in the world. It is a most needed time for reflecting on our relationship and need for God. It is a time to learn more about the greatest gifts we can ever receive: love and mercy. It is a time to reflect on them, to receive them, and to offer them as the greatest gifts we can give to another. We are made in the image and likeness of God. The joy we long for rests in becoming the best version of ourselves. The mark of our best version is the revealing of the image and likeness of God. Our best version will always be incomplete until we, in our unique Page 6

7 ~ Continued ~ way, take on our God given mission to be His vessels of love and mercy. Merciful love is who our God is. We would need to be pretty blind not to see how divisive this nation and world is becoming, and with it the hardness of heart that is growing. This is a time where we need to go deep inside our hearts and see how we might be buying into the darkness and participating in the dissension. It is all leading to an incredible amount of fear in the world. Fear is the weapon of choice used to divide and conquer. The greater one distances himself from God, the greater the fear. This fear can grow to the point where God Himself is feared. God has been calling us to trust Him ever since the beginning of humanity. God s message remains the same from the beginning of time to the end of times Trust in Me! I am Love and Mercy itself! The fullness of Divine Mercy comes in form of a living breathing God-man Jesus. No one has been filled with more love. So who is your God? Is He Love and Mercy? If ever there was a time, now is the time to encounter the God of love and mercy. For our Pope has deemed it as a time where amazing grace is not only available, but most necessary, a time to encounter the truth of the Gospel the Good News. What will our response be to the invitation to join in this Year of Mercy? Will we ignore the Good News and miss out or will we choose to receive love and mercy and become instruments of them? God does not reject our weakness, brokenness, or how sinful we are. God doesn t love you because you deserve it or earned it in any way. You are not as bad as you might believe. You are not as good and right as you may think either. We are all in need of God s love and mercy. We are not worthy. We are just sinners saved by grace. And the truth is all mercy comes at a price. And recognize this; when you offer your love and mercy it will come at a price to you too. The cross makes that perfectly clear. The journey of faith is about coming to understand everything hangs in the balance of love and mercy. It is about trusting in God to provide His love and mercy to us. You and I will remain clueless to who God is until we come to know the God that Jesus came to reveal, the God who is revealed in the Gospel, a God who loves you beyond your comprehension. God knows you better than you know yourself, because he is closer to you than you are to yourself. When we truly receive God s love and mercy, then and only then are we filled with love and mercy and will be merciful. Trust in this God of love and mercy, repent, receive God s love and mercy and become vessels of it. Your best version, my best version rests in the attainment of this. In this Year of Mercy let us open our hearts and connect to God s love. Pray for the Repose of the Souls of ~ Sister Lupita Barajas Brother Knight Ed Brucker, M.D. Brother Knight Dan Castillo Don Convery Charlene DeMartino Lucielle Diaz Jack Donahue Brian Downes Michelle Habra Patricia Johannesmeyer Kay Leach Brother SK Robert Leach Leo Mohr Steve Newcomb Rita Sarikas Brother Knight Ernest Skinner Hilda Smith Joe Theobald Brother SK Mike Thomas Kent Williams Brother SK Larry Wilson

8 ~ We Stand Strong on Ethical Ground ~ Some people believe that ethics in business is a contradiction in terms. They think that in order to be profitable, a company and its leaders must abandon morality and embrace the dark, greedy side that they see so often in the news and in movies. At the Knights of Columbus, we know this isn t true. A business can be both ethical and successful. We are. As a Catholic organization, we understand the value and importance of our core beliefs and the original mission of Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney. In fact, much of the strength and financial security we provide to members and their families can be attrributed to our ethical, moral standards. More than 96 percent of Knights who buy our life insurance keep it, year in and year out. The Order takes this commitment to our members very seriously. This means carefully planning when it comes time to invest. Our professional staff researches all transactions to insure that they fall in line with Catholic values. If a transaction makes them uncomfortable, they don t make it. We exclude any company engaged in activity that conflicts with Catholic moral teaching: companies directly involved in abortion, contraception, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, for-profit health care that pays for any of these, or pornography, said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. There are many companies in the pharmaceutical and communications industries that would undoubtedly provide excellent returns for us, but which are not in our portfolio because they engage in research and development or programming in ways that violate the sanctity or dignity of human life. In the end, the Knights of Columbus investment strategy is motivated by morality, not money. Yet, each year we remain profitable, increase our assets and stay dedicated to this vision that will keep the Order financially sound for generations to come. But don t just take our word for it. In 2015, the Knights of Columbus was named a World s Most Ethical Company by the Ethisphere Institute. We were one of only two life insurance companies to earn the honor. Faithful Catholics have choices when buying life insurance, said the Supreme Knight. But they know that at the Knights of Columbus their policy is supplied by an insurer that shares their moral and ethical values and is guided in all of its investment and sales practices by those values. Contact me today to learn more about our products! Von Clarke, FICF Field Agent 1503 E. Fort Lowell Road, Apt. F Tucson, Arizona (520) Cell (520) Office von.clarke@kofc.org Page 8

9 ~ Free Throw Championship Event ~ Brother Gabe Guerrero attempts to block out a tough sun for the free-throw competition. On Saturday, January 9 th, our Council held its annual Knights of Columbus Basketball Free Throw Championship Contest for boys and girls ages 9 to 14 at the St. Thomas the Apostle Parking Lot. All participants were awarded a Knights of Columbus Free Throw Competition Patch (see below). Our five Council champions will compete in the district competition on February 21 st in the Salpointe High School gym. Many thanks to Brother Knights Gabriel Guerrero, James McKearney, Patrick McMahon, and co-chairmen Tom Metzger and Steve Villaescusa for their support of this fun event. Brother Jim McKearney chases down a basketball during the free-throw competition. The Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship Patch. 5

10 ~ Upcoming Events ~ State Raffle Ticket Sales ~ State Raffle Ticket Sales begin in earnest on February 1, We will be mailing out three books of tickets for each Knight in Council Please attempt to buy or sell these books and return the stubs and money in accordance with the instructions in the letter that will accompany them. Your support will help us achieve our goal of $10,000. While this may sound ambitious, we almost met this last year, and in fact, finished third in the state in sales. We can make this goal with your help. Our parishioners have always supported this effort, and last year we even had a $500 winner from St. Thomas. We will also be selling tickets in the Courtyard after Mass, at Pancake Breakfasts and at Coffee and Doughnuts. We can always use help at these events and encourage you to help if you can. Our first weekend in the Courtyard is February 13 th and 14 th. We need help at the 5:00 p.m. Mass on Sunday the 14 th. Please contact Bill Neer at , or theneers2@hotmail.com if you can volunteer. Pitch in and make Council the tops in the state for 2016! St. Patrick s Day Fundraiser ~ Our Spring 2016 Fundraiser will be held in the Parish Hall on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. Our annual St. Patrick s Day dinner will consist of Irish Food, adult beverages, live entertainment, raffle prizes and a 50/50 drawing. Tickets will be sold for $30 each. We will need Knights to volunteer for set up and clean up, to bartend at this event, and to help sell tickets in the Courtyard. Those dates will be provided later. Please mark your calendars and participate in this fundraiser for the Benedictine Sisters. Lenten Soup and Bread ~ Our Lenten Soup and Bread supper before the Stations of the Cross will begin on February 12 th and continue through five more Fridays during Lent. We encourage all our Knights and fellow Catholic parishioners to take part. Thanks in advance to PGK Vinnie Baioccetti for organizing this effort and also to our volunteer chefs (James McKearney, Bill Neer, Chris Hann, Herman Johannesmeyer, Richard Villamana, and Vinnie and probably their wives) who are donating their time, expenses, and the proceeds to benefit the Dominican Sisters who live near the Newman Center on the U of A Campus. Meet and Greet ~ There will be a parish-wide Meet and Greet on Sunday, February 21 st after each Mass. Please invite any eligible Catholic men of St. Thomas Church to stop by our table and find out what the Knights of Columbus has to offer them. Page 10

11 ~ Schedule of Events ~ FEBRUARY 2016 Date Day Event 6 Saturday Roundtable Discussion, 8:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m., Parish Library 7 Sunday Pancake Breakfast, 7:30 10:30 a.m. 8 Monday Chief Judge John Roll Chapter Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Holy Family Church 9 Tuesday Mardi Gras 10 Wednesday Ash Wednesday. Lent begins 11 Thursday Council Meeting, 7:30 p.m. (Officers Meet at 6:45 p.m.) 12 Friday Soup and Bread Supper, 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m., Parish Hall 18 Thursday Assembly 2392 Meeting, 7:30 p.m. 19 Friday Soup and Bread Supper, 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m., Parish Hall 21 Sunday K of C Coffee and Doughnuts, 7:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 21 Sunday Meet and Greet in Parish Hall after all Masses 26 Friday Soup and Bread Supper, 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m., Parish Hall Date Day Event MARCH Friday Soup and Bread Supper, 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m., Parish Hall 5 Saturday Roundtable Discussion, 8:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m., Parish Library 6 Sunday Pancake Breakfast, 7:30 10:30 a.m. 10 Thursday Council Meeting, 7:30 p.m. (Officers Meet at 6:45 p.m.) 11 Friday Soup and Bread Supper, 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m., Parish Hall 12 Saturday Spring Fundraiser 6:30 p.m., Parish Hall 13 Sunday Blood Drive, 7:30 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 14 Monday Chief Judge John Roll Chapter Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Holy Family Church 17 Thursday Assembly 2392 Meeting, 7:30 p.m. 18 Friday Soup and Bread Supper, 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m., Parish Hall 20 Sunday Palm Sunday 25 Friday Good Friday 27 Sunday Easter Sunday Check our webpage for future calendar events at:

12 Knight of the Month Herman Johannesmeyer is the council Knight of the Month for February Herman has been Council #10441 s Charter Organization Representative to the Boy Scouts Troop #007 for several years. He s done a great job mentoring scouts, and we certainly appreciate him engaging the scouts to serve at some of our social events. He was also our Council s Chairman for the Arizona Rosary Celebration last October. Thank you Herman! The Desert Knightline ~ February 2016 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Knights of Columbus Deacon Raphael (Ray) Longpre Council # N. Valley View Road Tucson, Arizona 85718