The Explorer The Monthly Newsletter of Fr.A. Leo Abendschoen Council Overlea/Rosedale, MD Knights of Columbus December 2012

Transcription

1 The Explorer The Monthly Newsletter of Fr.A. Leo Abendschoen Council Overlea/Rosedale, MD Knights of Columbus December 2012 Jesus Is The Reason For The Season Grand Knight s Message Brothers, The Christmas season is upon us. Our busy lives just got busier. There is so much shopping to do, whether it is on gifts for our loved ones or the Christmas feast. There are decorations to hang inside and out. And of course do not forget the Christmas cards for everyone. On top of all that we still have our regular obligations to take care of. This month our Council is especially busy. We begin the first Saturday in December with a great family program, Breakfast with St. Nicholas. In conjunction, that is also the last day for the Keep Christ in Christmas poster contest. I want to thank Jason Karolkowski for chairing both events. Also, this is the last weekend we are running the tootsie roll drive. I want to thank all those who participated in this year s collection. Immediately, following on the 4 th and 5 th, we are having another couple of Knights out at Bob Evans to benefit the Father Tom Walsh Memorial Scholarship. Last time we had a wonderful turn out, let s keep it going. Finally, on December 15 th our council Christmas party takes place at Carson s Creek in Middle River. Remember the council pays for you and your significant other. See the article inside for more details. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Kolb family to yours. TwtÅ ^ÉÄu Chaplain s Message Babies at Christmastime! I recently became an great-uncle to a little baby boy named Halan Dormer. What a difference a baby makes in family s lives. We usually regard a new-born child not just as a helpless tiny person, depending on us for everything, cute and cuddly, but after all, just a baby. But rather to revere this newcomer for whom he truly is a spiritual being on a human journey whose life has some unique gift to bring to the whole human family. A baby leads us in the future. In another sense he follows where we lead, and our own experience and convictions will help to guide his steps. He leads. He follows. Each life, including yours and mine, is a space for God s dream to unfold in a unique way. This life is a gift even before he was conceived. Even before our universe flared forth from its first beginnings, the core of our being was held in God s heart. Christmas is a time to revere all life, but especially the gift of the One Life in Jesus Christ. As we enter into this great season of Joy, let each brother Knight reflect on his own children, his own family that brings all of us a sense of wonder and amusement. Like the Kings of old we wonder what will be the course of this child s star- glazed life. Christmas is not just a holiday, it is a HOLY DAY celebrating God the Father s gift to us, his only begotten Son, born in time to a woman, named Mary and given to Joseph to guide, protect and love. Brother Knights I want to thank you for this year As always, you have contributed much to the Church of the Annunciation by your example, your (Continued on page 2)

2 Chaplain s Message (Continued from page 1) brotherly love for each other and your ministries to those in need of your care. You have been a brother to me, helping me in building up and strengthening the house of God. May this Christmas give us the grace to become people whose own footsteps lead in the direction of peace, hope and new beginnings, and may we have the courage to set Christ free to surprise and challenge us around every turn of the coming year Friar Carl Assistant Chaplain s Message Dear Brothers in Christ, Jesus Christ is the radiant light of God s glory. God took our flesh and blood, has become one of us, and shares our lot entirely. God has, by grace and love, taken the nature of the creature that he has made and deeply loves. The Christmas crib is to our everlasting comfort and consolation. The figures in the straw, the animals, the lantern light and the twinkling stars are all signs to us of human warmth and wonder, of tenderness and compassion in a cold lonely world. Read these signs. Look long and longingly upon this scene, this place of comfort, and hear the voice of God from Hebrews, You are my son, today I have become your father. The Christmas story is a wonderful story and its wonder will not wane. It speaks to children first of all, and tells them how lovely life can be. It speaks to the child in every one of us and calls us back to childhood s dreams and joys. It speaks to growing teenagers and tells them not to forget the wonder to be found in simple things. It speaks to adults and softens hearts that the world has hardened. It speaks to the elderly and to the infirm and reminds them that our native weakness and frailty is surrounded by the certain love of God. Yes, God certainly does love us and has spoken to us in Jesus. Saint John says Jesus is a light that shines in the dark. He was not accepted or heard by so many people. But those who listened, heard. They were given power. The power to become children: children of God. May the Christ Child grant you and your family a blessed and happy Christmas, Deacon Frank Upcoming Meetings Officers Meeting Monday, December 3 rd at 6:30 pm in the Annunciation parish hall. General Meetings Only one General Business Meeting will take place on Monday, December 10 th at 7:00 pm in the Annunciation parish hall. Upcoming Ceremonials There is no 3 rd Degree Exemplification scheduled for December, there are no 2 nd Degree Exemplifications nearby, and if we recruit any candidates and would like to bring them aboard in December, we will schedule our own 1 st Degree Exemplification. Sick & Shut-In Please remember Brothers John Baranowski, Jerry Dolivka, Henry Gurski, Charles Pepersack, Robert Priller, Bob Rogers, Franklin Vanik, William Wyatt, and sisters Jane Charvat and Margaret Wyatt in your prayers. If you know of any other brother or sister who is sick or a shut-in, please notify Walt Wankowski at or wwanko@comcast.net The Explorer Published monthly by the Fr. A. Leo Abendschoen Council # of the Knights Of Columbus Meeting on the 2 nd and 4 th Monday at 7:00 pm at the Church of the Annunciation 5212 McCormick Road Baltimore, Maryland Grand Knight: Adam Kolb Editor: Walt Wankowski wwanko@comcast.net Chaplain: Fr. Carl Zdancewicz, OFM Conv Assistant Chaplain: Rev. Mr. Frank Zeiler 2

3 Free Money - Wish You Were Here! Did you know that we have an attendance prize at almost every meeting? That s right, you could go home with extra cash in your pocket just for showing up. Our attendance winner at the November 12th meeting would have been Harold Payne. There was no General Meeting on November 26 th due to the Memorial Mass. Why not try to make every meeting you can? It could prove profitable one day. Happy Times Council Programs The following members of our Council family are celebrating Birthdays in December: 6 - Barbara Single 9 - Robert Gresdo 11 - Joseph M. Bachike & John J. Vaeth 12 - Alidia Irene Yeager 13 - Cathy Schleupner 18 - Rosanne Houck 19 - Rev. Salvatore J. Livigni & Andrea Spacek 20 - Michael O. Cierny 21 - Thomas Freed 23 - John P. Moran ANNIVERSARIES 6 - Harold & Carole Payne Have Happy Times you would like to see published? Weddings, Baptisms, Births, Graduations, etc? Send them to Walt at wwanko@comcast.net 1 st Degree Team We are always looking for alternate team members for our 1 st Degree team. People who can fill in for someone when they are ill or cannot attend because of other commitments. These include speaking parts and non-speaking parts. Few activities can be more rewarding than being a part of the team that makes new members official. If you would like to be part of our 1 st Degree team, contact Walt Wankowski at BINGO Our next Monthly Cash Bingo will be held on Saturday, December 1st at 6:00 pm in the Annunciation parish hall. The $500 Jackpot will be played for 59 numbers or less. The Bingo is our major source of income and we need any of you who could make the time to help. There are always plenty of opportunities. Everyone working inside the kitchen should try to report by 4:30 pm. Everyone else needs to report by 5:00 pm or as close to it as possible. The BINGO starts promptly at 6:00 pm and is usually finished by 9:00 pm. You can also help the cause by bringing family and friends along as paying customers. Council Christmas Party Reminder that our annual Council Christmas Party will be held on Saturday, December 15 th from 1:00 pm to 4 pm at Carson s Creekside Inn, 1110 Beach Drive, in Middle River. All of our Council members and their wives are invited to attend at no charge. Single members may bring a guest at no charge. Additional guests are welcome to join us for a nominal charge. Reservations are required and must be made by Dec. 8th. For more information and to make reservations, call Shawn Ruby at Membership A Knight Before Christmas Think we can do it? Come up with just one new Knight before Christmas? Think of it as a Christmas present that you want to get for the Council. Talk to every Catholic male that you know of who is not already a Knight and ask them if they d like to join. Someone just might say yes, or at least be willing to talk to you about it. We need to keep growing this council. Now is the time to go for broke and approach them directly. 3

4 Shining Armor Award This is a reminder to our newest members that there is an award program available to those who bring in new members. The Shining Armor Award is available for you if you can 1) attend three business meetings, 2) participate in three of our activities, 3) meet with your Benefits Advisor, 4) attain your 3 rd Degree, and 5) recruit one new member all within one year of the date that you took your 1 st Degree. If you accomplish all five of these goals in the required time period, contact Grand Knight Adam Kolb at Pro-Life Programs Pro-Life Rosary All members are invited to join in on the monthly Rosary for Life which is held on the 3 rd Saturday of the month at 9:00 am at the Beltway Plaza Shopping Center, 7702 Belair Road in Fullerton. This shopping center houses an abortion clinic. The next date for this activity will be Saturday, December 15 th. We hope that more of you will consider joining in and praying in the future. If we get enough people praying hard enough and often enough, maybe we can get this abortion clinic to leave our community. Another Shield You Can Win The Silver Knight Award is available to any 3 rd Degree Knight who 1) attends three business meetings, 2) participates in three activities, and 3) recruits two new members during the Fraternal Year. For more information, contact GK Adam Kolb at Church Programs Vocation Support Program Keep in mind that our Council is continuously collecting money for the education of Seminarians and women studying for the religious life. We need to show these young people that we will support them financially as they make their final decisions about whether or not to pursue a life of service to God. You can place your donations into the large plastic jars that sit near the doors of Annunciation Church, or contributions can also be sent directly to Financial Secretary Joseph D. Schaum, Jr., 6152 Radecke Avenue, Baltimore, MD Make the check payable to K of C and put RSVP Donation on the Memo line. 4 Community Programs Box Tops For Education A reminder that we are collecting Box Tops for Education. Designated box tops may be place in the envelope attached to the council display in the back of Annunciation Church or you may mail them to Jason Karolkowski, 1322 Chapel Hill Drive, Baltimore, MD All box tops collected by our council are donated to St. Clement s School. Community Clean-Up Our council would like to thank District Deputy Jason McGinley, Michael A. Schleupner, Shawn Ruby, Joe Single, Harold Payne, and Jason Karolkowski for volunteering time to clear brush from around the parking lot at St. Clement Mary Hofbauer School on Saturday, November 17th. As a result of the cleanup, the area is now much safer for use by students for recess time. The council would also like to thank the owners of Clark Refuse Service Inc., 6 Riverside Drive in Middle River (21221) for donating the use of a dumpster for the cleanup. If you are ever in need of a dumpster for a major cleanup effort, consider using Clark. You can reach them at or clarkrefuse@verizon.net.

5 Polar Bear Plunge The Knights of Columbus invite you to volunteer for the 2013 Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Maryland Special Olympics! The Plunge will take place on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at Sandy Point State Park in Anne Arundel County. This is a day-long event that many Knights across Maryland and their families and friends have been involved with for several years now. But you do NOT have to have any affiliation with the Knights to participate. Once again Maryland Special Olympics will need volunteers to assist with directing parking, food preparation, food and drink distribution, memorabilia sales, arcade game operation, etc. No one is asking you to jump into the icy Chesapeake Bay. However, yes, some of the volunteers, especially the ones who volunteer to help with the parking, may get cold. But it s for a good cause. If you are at least 16 years old, can stand being outside in the cold for several hours and can stay on your feet for that amount of time, you are eligible to be a volunteer. It will cost you nothing to get in, you will witness one of the greatest party atmospheres of the year, and lunch will be provided. If you would like more information on how to volunteer for this wonderful event, contact Walt Wankowski at Bowling for a Playground It s still early, but you can already mark your calendar for our next Bowling for a Playground event. It will take place on Saturday, February 9, 2013 at Brunswick Perry Hall Lanes from 2:15 p.m. -4:45 p.m. The cost will be $13 per person or to collect at least $13 in pledges. Price included 2 1/2 hours of bowling, shoe rental, and a door prize ticket. Prizes will be awarded for highest child and adult averages and pledge earners. The flyer will be forthcoming. 5 Youth Programs Breakfast with St. Nicholas A reminder that Annunciation s annual Breakfast with St. Nicholas will be held on Saturday, December 1 st from 9:30 am to approximately 12 Noon in the Annunciation parish hall. We will cook and serve a hot breakfast, which will be followed by a visit from jolly old St. Nick. Anyone who wants to help set up and cook should show up by 8:00 a.m. Fr. Thomas Walsh Memorial Scholarship Program Our next fundraising effort will take place on Tuesday, December 4 th & Wednesday, December 5 th as we Dine Out anytime from 12 Noon to 10:00 pm at Bob Evans Restaurant on Belair Road in Fullerton, right at the entrance to BJs Wholesale Club. Bob Evans will donate 15% of your total bill to our council for use in the scholarship fund. You WILL need a flyer to present to the cashier when you check out. A copy of the flyer is attached to this newsletter. Flyers can also be downloaded from our website at Hope to see you there! James E. Pierce, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Program Applications for the school year scholarship are now available. Remember that these scholarships are meant to encourage Annunciation parishioners to send their children to St. Clement Mary Hofbauer School. One or more scholarships totaling $3,000 will be awarded. The deadline for submittal of applications is midnight March 1, Both the application form and the tri-fold of information are available for taking from the K of C display in the back of the church If you do not attend Annunciation church and would like to receive a copy of the trifold and/or application, contact Grand Knight Adam Kolb at

6 Family Programs Insurance News Family of the Month/Year Anyone who has a family in mind that you think would be deserving, please submit them for nomination. And keep in mind that a single person can still be a family; and a childless couple can also be a family. The following factors should be considered: Has the family made significant contributions to the Church, community and/or council? Does the family enjoy one another? Does the family share experiences? Does the family communicate openly and honestly? Does the family pray and attend Mass together? We will need the names of the family members, and if there are children, the ages of the children. Please forward all nominations to Walt Wankowski, PGK, 5211 McFaul Road, Baltimore, MD or via phone at or at wwanko@comcast.net District Deputy s Message I hope the holiday season is treating everyone well. Its always fun to be around family and friends celebrating them. While the State does not have alot coming up in the near future except the Mid-Term meeting in January I would like to emphasize membership. This is a great opportunity to talk your friends and members of the church about our great organization. Remember everyone is worth asking. The worst they can say is no. On behalf of myself and Jess I would like to wish everyone a safe rest of the Holiday Season. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES. Fraternally yours, Jason P. McGinley PGK District Deputy 6 A major financial services company has been running call for a quote television advertisements lately that seem to emphasize the opportunity to get a life insurance policy without personally visiting with an agent. The impression you get is that the thought of actually sitting down with a professionally trained agent is so distasteful that this simple, quick and easy method is highly preferred. Not too smart. In the for a quote world, you have to have knowledge and insight that you aren t expected to have. What type of insurance would be best for you and your family at this time in your life? Have much can you afford? What kind of features and benefits are you looking to add to the policy you buy? Will it fit in with the current portfolio of insurance products you own? Contrast that with our system a system that has worked for us for decades. You have a Knights of Columbus agent. He s been trained both in the field by his general agent and here in New Haven at our home office by our staff of insurance professionals. He follows a very clear series of steps, using a professionally designed process, to help paint you a picture of where you stand today. Once you and he have that picture, the next steps are to determine what actions, if any, you need to take to better insure yourself and your family against any current problems, or future problems. Imbedded in these discussions are agreement on your budget, and what you can afford. It may be that you and your agent come to some agreement during this appointment, or it may be that the agent needs to go back to his office, digest the information, and come back to see you a second time with specific recommendations. Either way, it will be a plan tailor made for you and your family, delivered personally by a brother Knight. Oh, and he will prepare and deliver this plan free of charge.

7 4 th Degree News The next meeting of the Archbishop Francis P. Keough Assembly will be the annual Christmas Social on Tuesday, December 11 th at 8:00 pm at Columbus Gardens. This will be an open meeting and ladies are invited. The Assembly is always looking for Color Corps and Flag Team members to participate in the many church and community events that we are invited to. If you are a 4 th Degree Knight and would like to be a member of the Color Corps, contact Walt Wankowski. State Council News Yahoo! The Maryland State Council sponsors a communication vehicle at Yahoo.com. Any Knight who has a computer, can sign up for it and it costs you nothing. At the same time, it can provide you with valuable information concerning the activities and members of the Knights families in Maryland. The State Council would like to get as many Knights as possible to sign up for this valuable electronic media instrument, so that more of you will be able to receive important information in a real-time manner. To sign up, simply go to Click on the Blue button that says Join this Group, and then click the link that says Sign Up. Supreme Council News Knights of Columbus Celebrate Thanksgiving by Serving People in Need This year s Thanksgiving holiday was a joyful celebration for blessings received thanks to efforts by the Knights of Columbus throughout the United States. K of C members held several events to help those in need enjoy this Thanksgiving, and the Knights ran a commercial in several markets around the country inviting the public to help support efforts to feed the hungry especially at this time of year. In New Haven, Conn. members of Holy Family Council 8882, located at the Knights of Columbus headquarters, delivered a truckload of clothing donated by K of C employees to Christopher Martin s Restaurant in New Haven, which annually provides a three course Thanksgiving meal to some 500 working poor and homeless individuals. The donated clothing was distributed to the people attending the event. For the 22nd consecutive year, Knights of Columbus Fairview Council 4044 in Chicopee, Mass., conducted a community Thanksgiving dinner. Expected to feed more than 3,500 people, the event gathered and fed to those in need - either of a holiday meal or the company of friends and family with which to share it. Meals are given to area facilities that serve the needy, and delivered to the homebound. Volunteers begin food preparation on Monday of Thanksgiving week, providing meals to the Chicopee Boys and Girls Club dinner that evening. By Thanksgiving day the Knights are ready for their feast, which includes nearly 2,000 meals delivered to the elderly and disabled, along with a sit down meal from for people in need or alone. On Friday, Nov. 23, Knights in the Bridgeport, Conn., area distributed 500 coats to children in need in the greater Bridgeport area as part of the Order s Coats for Kids program. Last year, through the coats distribution program, more than 725 K of C councils donated 32,508 coats to children in need throughout the United States and Canada. And these are just some of the many programs that our councils participated in. Articles and photographs for the January edition of The Explorer must be received by Sunday, December 23rd. Send all inputs to: Walt Wankowski 5211 McFaul Road Baltimore, MD Or by to: wwanko@comcast.net 7

8 Fr. A. Leo Abendschoen Council Knights of Columbus 5212 McCormick Avenue Baltimore, Maryland What s Inside A Safer Place Get Cold for a Good Cause Time to Eat Again And Much more. Calendar Reminders Merry Christmas! December 1 Breakfast with St. Nicholas 9:30 am Annunciation Parish Hall Monthly Cash Bingo 6:00 pm Annunciation Parish Hall December 3 Officer s Meeting 6:30 pm Annunciation Parish Hall December 4 & 5 - Fr. Thomas Walsh Memorial Scholarship Fundraising Bob Evans in Fullerton December 10 - General Business Meeting 7:00 pm Annunciation Parish Hall December 11 4 th Degree Assembly Christmas Social - 8:00 pm Columbus Gardens December 15 - Pro-Life Rosary 9:00 am Beltway Plaza Shopping Center, Fullerton December 25 - Christmas Day 8