KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 1 KNIGHTLY NOTES

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1 KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 1 ddd KNIGHTLY NOTES Y2K PLUS XV EDITION, ISSUE XII DECEMBER 2015 NOTE FROM THE GRAND KNIGHT Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, In less than a month we lost three of our beloved brothers, Fred Sullivan on October 13, SK JJ Quinn on October 26 and SK Bob Pinzl on November 9. It seems in my experience, that as we close in on Thanksgiving and the Christmas holiday time I seem to lose friends and relatives. We also have to be very objective in our thinking as to our lost love ones. They are at peace and in very good hands with our Lord. Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for everything we have in our life and that includes the memories of the ones we love, alive and departed. Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the time of good will, a time for peace. It is also a time to think about friends or relatives we haven t spoken to in some time. It is very easy to pick up the phone and call to let them know you are thinking about them. Sometimes a little thing like a phone call will bring great joy to someone s life. With all my heart I wish all of you and your immediate and extended families a very Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year. Mike LaRiccia Grand Knight Council Fs10442@gmail.com ST JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL NO WEST SAHARA AVENUE LAS VEGAS, NV 89117

2 KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 2 ***************************************** COUNCIL CALENDAR AT A GLANCE December 2015 Dec 3 rd Business Meeting (730pm to 9pm Hall) Ladies Auxiliary Business Meeting (730-9pm St Francis Room) Dec 5-6 th - Hand out KCIC Buttons (Plaza after all masses) Dec 10 th Ladies Auxiliary Christmas Party Sienna Bistro Dec 12th Set up for Breakfast with St Nick (10 to 12 pm Hall) Dec 13 th Breakfast with St Nick (6am to 1pm in the Hall) Dec 14 th Assembly 2820 Officer Planning Meeting (630 to 8 pm Emmaus Room) Dec 16 th Fourth Degree Assembly 2820 Business Meeting (730 to 9pm Bread of Life room) Dec 17 th Council Officers Planning Meeting (730 to 9pm St Francis Room) Dec 25 th Christmas Day January 2016 Jan 7 th Business Meeting (730 pm to 9pm Hall) Ladies Auxiliary Business Meeting (730-9pm St Francis/Clair Room) Jan 11 th 2820 Officers Planning Meeting (630pm-8pm Emmaus Room) Jan 20 th 4 th Degree Assembly 2820 Meeting (730-9pm Bread of Life Room) Jan 28 th Council Officer s Planning Meeting 730 to 9 pm (St Francis Room) Jan 30/31 Spring Dinner/Sock Hop Dinner Ticket Sales (Plaza after all Masses) Jan 30 th 1 st Degree Exemplification (7am to 9 am) St Francis /Clair Room 31 st Pancake Breakfast (6am to 1pm Hall) Let Me Not Keep Christmas Linda Felver, A Book of Christmas, Nashville: Upper Rooms, 1988, p. 48 "Let me not wrap, stack, box, bag, tie, tag, bundle, seal, keep Christmas. Christmas kept is liable to mold. Let me give Christmas away, unwrapped, by exuberant armfuls. Let me share, dance, live Christmas unpretentiously, merrily, responsibly with overflowing hands, tireless steps and sparkling eyes. Christmas given away will stay fresh even until it comes again

3 KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 3 PRAYER FOR THE CANONIZATION OF FATHER MCGIVNEY Founder of the Knights of Columbus in 1882 God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest Father Michael J. McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and the lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue may we follow your Son Jesus Christ more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify your venerable servant Father Michael J McGivney on earth according to the design of Your Holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (make your request) Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Please report all favors received to: The Fr McGivney Guild 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven CT *************************************************************************************** Prayers for SEMINARIANS Miguel Corral 1 st year theology Mauricio Espino Luke Burgis 2 nd year Theology Mundelein Seminary Neil Guan - 4 th College Pontifical North American College 1000 E Maple Avenue Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon Vatican City State Mundelein, IL One Abbey Drive EUROPE St Benedict Oregon, 9 Mauricio Espino 7373 *Felipe Jimenez is doing his Pastoral year here in Vegas. He is at St Christopher Catholic Church, 1840 N Bruce St, North Las Vegas, NV Please keep him in your prayers as well. ****************************************************************************************************************************************** In Memoriam Please remember in your prayers Brothers Fred Sullivan, JJ Quinn, and Robert Pinzl, who went to the Lord this month. Please keep their souls and their families in your prayers. ***************************************************************************************************************** Message from Mike LaRiccia, Grand Knight Brothers, I want to get your input on what you want to get out of our meetings. Please offer any suggestion you may have to gain your interest by making Our Council the Center of your Social Life. You can contact me by at fs10442@gmail.com or my cell phone, Also, Our Financial Secretary, Tony Donofrio, will come to the end of his one year term the end of June Our Council will need a Financial Secretary to replace Tony. Anyone interested please me or call. Someone needs to step up to the position. Some of the requirements; computer literate, and some accounting back ground, if you volunteer now, Tony will train you in all aspects of the job. Mike LaRiccia, GK Council *******************************************************************************************

4 KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 4 Council News from the Financial Secretary ******DUES************ ***** DUES****** DUES ********* DUES ********* It will soon be that time of year again when I will be sending out the billing for the yearly membership dues. Last year it cost the council in excess of $ to get all of the dues collected, as procedure was not followed in a timely manner. Below I will outline the proper procedure that Supreme has set forth for proper billing. Supremes Billing Cycle: 1st Billing Notice sent to each member on December 15th Payment to be made before January 1st 2nd Billing Notice sent to each member on january 15th If I have to send out a second notice there is a cost of 55cents for each notice sent when you consider postage etc., not including my time. KNIGHT ALERT LETTER sent on February 15th Dues are considered delinquent and past due as of February 1st. In addition to having another council expense to send out this 3rd reminder, the retention committee has the duty to call each of these late individuals and remind them of their promise to keep their dues current. NOTICE OF INTENT TO RETAIN sent on March 1st This is another cost to the council if it is necessary. Form 100 filed with Supreme for suspension May 1st We hope it never comes to that. As you can see this is a schedule we must follow. I ask each and every member to pay their dues upon receipt of the billing and before January 15th. That will save the council the extra expense and labor if it is necessary to follow up with the additional three steps. If any of you have a real financial problem with paying your dues please let either me or Grand Knight Michael LaRiccia know and we will privately assist you with your dues payment. Tony Donofrio Financial Secretary ******************************************ATTENTION ALL*********************************************** Next page you will find THE 2015 ANNUAL SURVEY OF FRATERNAL ACTIVITY WORKSHEET. I ask each of you to please fill this sheet out and turn it in to me at the next meeting. Read it carefully, follow the instructions, some figures, items 1 & 2 requires number of times and some items, 3 & 4 require number of hours. It is important to our status as a CHARITY ORGANIZATION to fulfill this requirement of the Federal Government. I need to compile all of this information and send my report to Supreme by January 31, Thanks for your cooperation! Tony Donofrio Financial Secretary ****************************************************************************************** There has only been one Christmas the rest are anniversaries. - WJ Cameron

5 KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 5 SURVEY OF FRATERNAL ACTIVITY INDIVIDUAL MEMBER WORKSHEET INSTRUCTIONS TO FINANCIAL SECRETARIES/FAITHFUL COMPTROLLERS/BURSARS Note: Knights should separate reported assembly activities from their reported council activities. Located on the lower portion of this page are individual Member Worksheets to assist you in determining the number of hours of volunteer service expended by members during 20. This worksheet is printed on clip-art ready, reproducible paper. Simply photocopy as many forms as you need, cut along the dotted line and distribute the form at the November meeting. Forward a worksheet to every member on your current roster or include a copy in your next bulletin. Each member can individually identify the number of volunteer hours he expended in community service projects. You only need to collect and tabulate the council/assembly/circle results for completion of the 20 Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity Report due at the Supreme Council office by January 31, ANNUAL SURVEY OF FRATERNAL ACTIVITY INDIVIDUAL MEMBER WORKSHEET Last year, the Knights of Columbus donated more than $154 million to charitable and benevolent causes and more than 70 million hours of volunteer community service to aid the less fortunate. To help prepare our Fraternal Survey for the Supreme Council office, please complete the information requested below and return it at our next meeting. This information will assist us in determining the total number of hours of community service volunteered by our members during Number of visits you made during 20 to: Sick caring for the sick/nursing homes/hospitals Bereaved visits of condolence Number of times you served as a blood donor during Estimated hours of community volunteer service during 20 : Church Activities service in all Church related activities Community Activities service in all community related activities Youth Activities service in all youth related activities Habitat for Humanity service in all related projects Culture of Life Activities service in all related projects Miscellaneous Activities service in areas not outlined above Number of hours of fraternal service during 20 : Sick/disabled members and their families household chores, transportation, tutoring, counselling, etc. 1728A 11/11

6 KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 6 Council Recognition NOVEMBER 2015 HonoreeS COUNCIL is proud to honor: Knight of the Month ROBERT PINZL Family of the Month TOM AND MARY ANN O REILLY This Month s Knight of the Month is Robert Pinzl. The Council wanted to honor him as he went to our Lord in November but this beloved Brother helped as much as he Could whenever his long term Health issues would permit. He will be missed. Our Family of the Month is Tom and Mary Ann O Reilly. Tom has done great work, especially on the KCIC button and poster program. Mary Ann As part of the Auxiliary has done a lot of thorough work to prepare a major fundraiser expected to raise a lot of money for the Parish and Charity. ************************************************************************************* December Birthdays Happy Birthday to All Edward Keller Dec 1 Matt Wiegand Dec 6 Reynaldo Cadiz Dec 17 Vincent Eckelcamp Dec 1 Stephen Trenshaw Dec 8 Carmine DiFazio Dec 20 Paul Adams Dec 2 Francis Montesano Dec 9 Elliot Lisk Dec 21 Thomas O Reilly Dec 3 Thomas Zytko Dec 9 Anthony Sciaretta Dec 23 Javier Acosta Dec 3 Leon Fuselier Dec 12 James Palmiere Dec 25 Ariel Perez Dec 3 Sebastian Daurio Dec 13 Joseph Fritz Dec 25 Albert Curnan Dec 4 Gerald Barrett Dec 14 Kenneth Sawyer Dec 26 Arthur Pradell Dec 4 Charles Vincent Dec 16 Timothy Russo Dec 26 John Unick Dec 4 Lorenzo Limgenco Dec 16 Kenneth Richko Dec 29 Juan Padron Dec 5 James Miller Dec 16 Joseph Micatrotto Dec 30 David Hansen Dec 30 ********************************************************************************************** WELCOME NEW BROTHERS The Council is Proud to Welcome Two New Brothers who made their First Degree this Month Frank Keane and Peter Russo-- Welcome!! **************************************************************************************

7 KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 7 PEOPLE IN NEED OF PRAYERS Please continue to help our brothers, families, and friends that are in need of our prayers. Prayers are our way of asking Jesus to help! Please remember the following in your prayers : JJ Quinn, longtime friend and Brother, went to our Lord last month. Please pray for his soul. Fred Sullivan also went to our Lord last month. Please pray for his soul and his family. Bob Pinzl after much suffering, went to our Lord Nov 9 th, Who will take away his pain. Please keep him in your prayers. Jeanne Kurvers, wife of Theo, who is a PGK and was a very active member, is very ill and needs our prayers for recovery.. Chuck McCloskey s father, Ronald McCloskey, is in need of prayers. Please pray for recovery and relief of pain. SK John Falzarano, our Brother Knight and an active member of the Council and the Assembly is now recovering from major surgery and can use our prayers. Ralph Vitello is in need of our prayers to stay well. Please pray for this friend. Tony Donofrio needs our prayers for his health and eyesight issues. Please add Bill Allen to your prayers. Bill has been an active member of our Council and is hurting, Fran Kenny, wife of PGK Matt, has been suffering with pain and is in need of our prayers. Dorthy Mae Castronova, wife of Mike, has some recurring illness and needs prayers, please pray for her and Mike! Also Gerri Symanski, wife of deceased member Walter, passed on to the Lord September 12 th, Please remember her in your prayers. Tony Ruivivar, our Society of Seven Star, is in need of prayers. He is undergoing chemotherapy. Please pray for him and his wife Karen. Also Jennifer Zagby, daughter of Bob and Dee, has breast cancer and is in need or prayers for a full recovery. Also continue to pray for Sylvester Smith III, and his wife Marsha, as he continues to recover from illness. Prayers are also needed for the following Brothers and Sisters: Louis Lanza, Mrs Peries, Leon Fuselier, Kathy Fuselier, Ed Keller, Kay DeNeal, Bill Allen, Bill Gorman, Terri Gorman, Reynaldo Cadiz, Vince Garth, John Labradlo, Joe Karkalla, and Bill Luthy, (PGK of our Council who has had heart surgery and can use our prayers.) Remember our Blessed Mother has a direct line and it works! Please continue to help our brothers & families with prayers. I know they will be answered! Call or visit the sick. IF YOU AREN T PRAYING THE ROSARY OFTEN YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON HER HELP! We should be thankful for the responses we have received from Above. He certainly supports our prayers to His Mother Mary through the rosary. KEEP THEM COMING!!!!!!! Important notice: Please!!! When talking to your family members advise them that if any member of your family is a member of the Knights of Columbus Council or Assembly be sure and advise the Church Representative in case of death or serious illness. They cannot advise us if they are not aware. We do not want any funerals that go unattended or forget people in the hospital. Online Rosary: comepraytherosary.org Please let me know if we should add or remove any names from the list. All Members be a part of one of the best brotherhoods and add new life-long friends. Become committee chairman, call the new members and friends for help. Do not do it alone!! Be sure and say hello and visit with all your Brothers at the meetings, and introduce yourselves to new members. We are all the same, part of the Brotherhood and trying to do some good. NEW MEMBERS: We have many activities coming up, we know you and your families cannot participate in everything. But please participate in as much as you can!!! God Bless, Nick Ciccone, Fraternal Chairman (leave message) or luckynik@cox.net

8 KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 8 St Joseph Husband of Mary Roman Catholic Church Knights of Columbus Council West Sahara Avenue Las Vegas, NV Phone: Or Contact: Grand Knight: Mike LaRiccia, Deputy Grand Knight: Bill Koss, Fraternal Chairman: Nick Ciccone, Financial Secretary, Tony Donofrio, Newsletter Associate Editor -Jolyn Pinzl, Membership Director: Bob Zagby,, communications: Frank Davis, SUPREME WEBSITE: Nevada State Website Council Website: ************************************************************************************* SJHOM IS IN GREAT NEED OF USHERS! If you are interested in becoming an Usher, please contact the Head Usher: Lino Loyola at or lino.loyola@yahoo.com Responsibilities of Ushers: Hospitality - Meet, greet and seat Parishioners before the mass. Collection - each usher will be assigned to their respective sections to pass the collection baskets before the Homily. Communion - each usher will be standing by next to a Eucharistic Minister, Priest, or Deacon to make sure that Parishioners will consume the Host - and NOT walk away with it. Please consider helping and contact Brother Lino Loyola if you can help. *************************************************************************************************** Last Days of Advent Pope John Paul II in his address on Dec. 18, 2002 said, "The liturgy of Advent helps us to understand fully the value and meaning of the mystery of Christmas. It is not just about commemorating the historical event, which occurred some 2,000 years ago in a little village of Judea. Instead, it is necessary to understand that the whole of our life must be an advent, a vigilant awaiting of the final coming of Christ. To predispose our mind to welcome the Lord who, as we say in the Creed, one day will come to judge the living and the dead, we must learn to recognize him as present in the events of daily life. Therefore, Advent is, so to speak, an intense training that directs us decisively toward him who already came, who will come, and who comes continuously."

9 KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 9 Here is something to ask yourself: Why am I not taking advantage of our Insurance fraternal benefit? Even a small $10,000 Final Expense Policy will help you, your family and the council. The cost is minimal and will help your family when money will be needed We are sending Millions of Dollars to our fellow Christians in the Middle East. This money comes from The Insurance Division. Yes, as was stated in our first degree "Charity should come from both a rich man as well as poor man." The articles below explains why this is a UNIQUE opportunity for you and your fellow brothers. No one outside of the Knights of Columbus can take advantage of our Insurance programs. You can see the strength of the Knights of Columbus Insurance. We even have guaranteed Insurance policies for those with health issues Long Term Insurance, Annuities (great product with zero fees) and disability are also available. Call me and let me help you protect your family Cornelius (Neil) Peters Knights of Columbus Earns Top Rating from A.M. Best for 39th Consecutive Year Financial Strength Rated A++ (Superior) Citing the Knights of Columbus' strong presence in Catholic communities and its members' loyalty, ratings agency A.M. Best reaffirmed the K of C s rating of A++ (Superior) for financial strength. The rating announcement marks the 39th consecutive year that the Knights of Columbus earned A.M. Best's top marks. The Order has $94 billion of life insurance in force and $21 billion in assets under management. No insurer in North America is more highly rated than the Knights of Columbus. "Our top rating from A.M Best underscores our commitment to our members and their families," said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. "We were founded to protect the financial futures of Catholic families, and we take that obligation seriously. In our sales, operations and investments, we keep in mind that Knights and their families are more than customers, they are members of our fraternal family. Supreme Knight Anderson added: We credit our commitment to our members, our excellent sales force of agents who are all Knights of Columbus, and our commitment to our Catholic values, which are the keys to the work we do. Earlier this year, the Knights of Columbus was named a 2014 "World's Most Ethical Company" by the Ethisphere Institute an independent center for research promoting best practices in corporate ethics and governance. It was one of two companies named in the life insurance category, and one of fewer than 150 total companies worldwide. ************************************************************************************** "It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!... Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!" ~Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! ************************************************************************************************************

10 KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 10 Ladies Auxiliary Dear Sisters, First I wanted to thank all of you so much for your thoughts and prayers and love and support during the past few weeks. I comfort myself that my Bob is Heaven and no more dialysis and no more pain. I have so much support here from my Church Family and I will be eternally grateful for that. Wanted to let you know that Mary Ann, Ann and I met with Father Marc and got the Final approval to go ahead with the Cash Raffle. Many thanks to Mary Ann for all her homework on this. We will start selling tickets in early February and have the drawing at our Silent Auction on May 19. Reminder of our visit to Fawn House II on Dec 1 st at 730 pm. Thanks to all for the generous donations to the girls. I am putting the baskets together and we have a lot of goodies for them. The ladies of Fawn House are most appreciative. Some of them have never had a little basket like this. However, they need our physical and spiritual support as well. So if any of you can make it, I encourage you to come meet us at Fawn House II and visit with the girls as we give them their gifts. They love to share and feel like someone cares about them. Our Next meeting is Dec 3 rd, at 730 pm in the St Francis/Clair Room. Updates on the Raffle and Silent Auction and also voting upon our Christmas donations will be happening at the meeting. Our Christmas Party is at the Sienna Bistro on Dec 10 th at 530 pm. They have a nice menu planned for us. There will be an optional gift exchange for those who wish to participate. Our next Religious goods in December will be during Breakfast with St Nick weekend, which is Dec We will be able to set up and sell at the 430 mass on Saturday the 12 th and will sell on Sunday during the breakfast and until after the 2pm mass. Any help you can give will be appreciated. Also some good news the amendment to the bylaws we have been working on has finally passed and been signed by the State Deputy. This is one about mothers and daughters of Knights being allowed to become members. This means we can FINALLY install Juliette as a member. I am so pleased that this was during my term as President and will be so happy to do this at our next meeting. Just a thought about Advent and Christmas Wouldn't life be worth the living Wouldn't dreams be coming true If we kept the Christmas spirit All the whole year through? ~Author Unknown Wishing all my sisters and safe and health and grateful Christmas Season! Love Jolyn Pinzl President Ladies Auxiliary Council *********************************************************************************************************

11 KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 11 REFLECTIONS for ADVENT From Pope Francis 2013 Papal Address: Dear brothers and sisters, hello! Today, the first Sunday of Advent, we begin a new liturgical year, that is, a new journey of the People of God with Jesus, our Shepherd, who guides us through history toward the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God. Thus, this day has a special appeal. Through it we experience a profound sense of the meaning of history. We rediscover the beauty of all being on a journey: the Church, with her vocation and mission, and the whole of humanity, nations, civilizations, cultures, all on a journey along the paths of time. But where is this journey headed? Is there a common goal? And what is this goal? The Lord answers us through the prophet Isaiah and says: At the end of days the mountain of the Lord s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: Come, let us climb the Lord s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths (Isaiah 2:2-3). This is what Isaiah says about where we are going. It is a universal pilgrimage toward a common goal, which in the Old Testament is Jerusalem, where the Lord s temple stands, because from there, from Jerusalem, comes the revelation of the face of God and his law. Revelation found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, and he himself is the Lord s temple, the Word made flesh: he is both the leader and the goal of our pilgrimage, of the pilgrimage of the whole People of God; and in its light other peoples too can journey toward the Kingdom of justice, toward the Kingdom of peace. The prophet says further: They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again (2:4). Let me repeat what the prophet says. Listen well: They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. But when will this happen? What a beautiful day it will be when weapons are destroyed to be transformed into tools for work! What a beautiful day that will be! And this is possible! Let us bet on hope, on the hope of peace, and it will be possible! Prayer for Advent: Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever Faithful to your promises and ever close to your church: the earth rejoices in hope of the Savior's coming and looks forward with longing to his return at the end of time. Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope which His presence will bestow, for he is Lord for ever and ever. -Roman Rite Some Memorable Christmas Quotes: The TV News keeps saying that this will be the best Christmas we ever had. I don't know - I kind of think the first one was. --Milton Berle I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar every month. Harland Miller He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. ~Roy L. Smith

12 KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 12 CONNECTIONS, ADVENT REFLECTIONS CONTINUED Life Is an Advent Season "Life is a constant Advent season: we are continually waiting to become, to discover, to complete, to fulfill. Hope, struggle, fear, expectation and fulfillment are all part of our Advent experience. "The world is not as just, not as loving, not as whole as we know it can and should be. But the coming of Christ and his presence among us as one of us give us reason to live in hope: that light will shatter the darkness, that we can be liberated from our fears and prejudices, that we are never alone or abandoned. "May this Advent season be a time for bringing hope, transformation and fulfillment into the Advent of our lives." An Advent Examination Edward Hays, A Pilgrim s Almanac, p. 196 "Advent is the perfect time to clear and prepare the Way. Advent is a winter training camp for those who desire peace. By reflection and prayer, by reading and meditation, we can make our hearts a place where a blessing of peace would desire to abide and where the birth of the Prince of Peace might take place. "Daily we can make an Advent examination. Are there any feelings of discrimination toward race, sex, or religion? Is there a lingering resentment, an unforgiven injury living in our hearts? Do we look down upon others of lesser social standing or educational achievement? Are we generous with the gifts that have been given to us, seeing ourselves as their stewards and not their owners? Are we reverent of others, their ideas and needs, and of creation? These and other questions become Advent lights by which we may search the deep, dark corners of our hearts. ************************************************************************************************************** Wreaths across America Project Wreaths across America is a national movement to honor deceased Veterans. The group is most recognized for their efforts to decorate Arlington National Cemetery. This is a Christmas project designed to remember those who have served our country through their military service. Members of the Father Joseph O Callahan KOC Assembly 2820 are coordinating the drive to purchase the wreaths for the Boulder City Veterans Ceremony on behalf of all Southern Nevada Knights. This is a great opportunity to be visible within the community while remembering those who have served. We are asking you to consider purchasing one or more, for just $15 each, but for every two that are purchased they will add a third at no cost. To participate, please contact FN Ken Sawyer at kenjsawyer@cox.net or Checks should be made payable to KOC Assembly The laying of the Wreaths will take place on December 12 th, should you wish to participate in the ceremony. **********************************************************************************************

13 KNIGHTLY NOTES PAGE 13 In founding the Knights of Columbus Father Michael J. McGivney sought to respond to the crisis in family life affecting Catholics in 19th century America. As a young man he witnessed firsthand the challenges his widowed mother faced with seven children at home. Later, as a priest he confronted on a daily basis the problems affecting the families of his parish community due to poverty, violence, alcoholism, immigration, anti- Catholic prejudice and discrimination. Father McGivney s vision for family life was not simply that each family might find financial and material aid. He understood that holiness is the calling of all baptized Christians. And, seeing as his two brothers followed him into the priesthood, we can understand how truly important the "sanctuary of the home" was to the McGivney family. His family was a living example of what the Second Vatican Council later taught, that each man, woman and child is called to holiness through proclaiming the Gospel and communicating the divine gift of love through the activities of their daily lives. When Christian families respond in this way to the design of the Creator, they become a "domestic Church" that, as Pope Paul VI explained, mirrors "the various aspects of the entire Church." (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 71) Since the Second Vatican Council, and especially during the pontificate of St. John Paul II, it has become clear that the family is "the way of the Church." (Instrumentum Laboris, 49) In one sense this obviously means that the family is the object of the Church s evangelization efforts. But the Christian family too has its own indispensible mission. As St. John Paul II wrote in Familiaris Consortio, "The family has the mission to guard, reveal and communicate love." (Familiaris Consortio, 17) This mission is at the heart of the "community of life and love" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1603) that begins with the married couple in the sacrament of matrimony. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, "Conjugal love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the person enter It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union in one flesh leads to forming one heart and soul." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1643) In other words, sacramental marriage involves not just an agreement between the spouses but a radical transformation of the spouses. As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in Deus Caritas Est, "marriage based on an exclusive and definitive love becomes the icon of the relationship between God and his people and vice versa. God s way of loving becomes the measure of human love." (Deus Caritas Est, 11) In this way the witness of husband and wife within the daily life of the family can guard, reveal and communicate love as they make their own the gifts of marriage unity, indissolubility, faithfulness and openness to new life. A recent Vatican document on the role and mission of the family has stated, "the family needs to be re-discovered as the essential agent in the work of evangelization." (Instrumentum Laboris, 103) It also pointed to the necessity to better understand the "missionary dimension of the family as a domestic church." (Instrumentum Laboris, 48) These observations echo those of St. John Paul II who said in 1979 during his meeting with the Latin American bishops that "in the future, evangelization will depend largely on the domestic church." (Pope John Paul II, Address to the Third General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate) Clearly, the role of the family in the work of evangelization is not primarily a matter of programs, projects or strategies. These all have their place, but they are secondary. Their place is to be at the service of what is essential the love between a husband and wife which, sanctified through the love of Christ, radiates to each member of their family. The family as "domestic church" as a place of encounter with Christ within the community of a particular Christian family a place where each member of the family has an important role. In other words, the "mission" of the family in the task of evangelization is to be what it is called to be - that is, to live its daily life as a Christian family or as St. John Paul II said so often, "Families become what you are!" (Familiaris Consortio, 17) The family s mission to "guard, reveal and communicate love" - like the parish community - does not exist in an ideal place. The truth and beauty of the family remains to be communicated to every Christian family, even those that are fragile, wounded or broken. These families too may read the words of St. Paul with confidence: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Rom 8:35) And they may find in that confidence a path of hope and healing. During his visit to the Philippines, Pope Francis cited the need for "holy and loving families to protect the beauty and truth of the family in God s plan and to be an example for other families." (Pope Francis, Address to Families at the Mall of Asia Arena) Building the Domestic Church is one concrete way that the Knights of Columbus, in solidarity with Pope Francis, can offer "holy and loving families" for the Church s mission of evangelization in our time. Supreme Knight Carl Anderson