The Desert Knightline

Transcription

1 ISSUE August 2014 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER The Desert Knightline Schedule and Events This Issue Grand Knight s Corner P.2 Chaplain s Corner P.3 Lecturer Article P.4 Deacon Article P.6 Upcoming Events P.10 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 Alex Wright at Dress is Tucson Casual. See Page 11 for Schedule Grand Knight ~ Alex Wright Deputy Grand Knight ~ Pat McMahon Chancellor ~ Gabe Guerrero Recorder ~ Bill Neer Treasurer ~ Allan Reith Warden ~ Bart Pemberton Inside Guard ~ Jeff Kennedy Outside Guard ~ Bill Lake-Wright Financial Secretary ~ Larry Lewis Insurance Field Agent - Von Clarke Chaplain ~ Fr. Chris Corbally, SJ Lecturer ~ Marty Ronstadt 1 Year Trustee ~ PGK T K Mohr 2 Year Trustee ~ PGK David Orr 3 Year Trustee ~ PGK Tom Metzger Newsletter Editor ~ Tony Kenon Meetings Second Thursday of the Month Officers ~ 6:45 p.m. All Knights ~ 7:30 p.m.

2 August ~ Member s Birthdays Thomas M. Bohan Mike Candrea John T. Claffey C. Forrest Fleming John A. Habra, M.D. John Hippensteel Charles W. Komadina Kevin J. Liebentritt Ronald R. Plocki A. Martin Ronstadt Paul L. Ruble David L. Shirey Samuel R. Thompson Charles A. Wright Thomas D. Yearout August ~ Wife s Birthdays Diane Bohan Tina Candrea Pina Colosino Brenda Duff Maria Garcia Carol Habra Jamie Harvey Venetia Hayden Karen Jonaitis Caroline King Virginia Matl Jacqueline Mello Jeanne Perry Clarice Werner Gail Wood Wedding Anniversaries Linda & Dane P. Armijo Diane & Thomas M. Bohan Pina & Fedele Colosino Mary Ann and Ronald Gretka Kathleen & Christopher C. Hann Carol & Dr. John A. Habra Jessica & Robert F. Huber Caroline & Christopher R. King Mary & Kevin J. Liebentritt Jacqueline & Ricardo M. Mello Anne & Deacon Edward P. Sheffer Karen & James W. Sislo Kathy & Ray Szpakowski Roberta & Mike Thomas Grand Knight s Corner ~ Alex Knight ~ but there is also another meaning of the word charity, most often associated with the biblical definition of charity, the love of one s fellow man, and more importantly, God s love to man. I had the privilege of experiencing both of these definitions this past month as I distributed the fruits of all your hard work over the past year. I visited the various charities we support and presented them with checks totaling thousands of dollars. Doing that was both uplifting and humbling. I never expected it to impact me like it did. On the one hand I got to participate in the dictionary definition of charity, generous giving to organizations which look after the sick, the poor, and the helpless. That in itself was a very powerful experience for me. Just knowing that the money we raise and give to various charities gets multiplied many times to help and assist others less fortunate than we are was a huge emotional lift for me. On the other hand the biblical definition of charity revealed itself in a way I did not expect as I felt the love and appreciation from the recipients of our efforts to help others. That love was probably most evident in the soft and gentle hug Sister Dorothy of the Villa Maria Chapel fund gave me as I was leaving. Now that was true love let me assure you. And I have to say one more thing about all this, I could not have experienced any of this without the support and efforts all of you put forth for the Knights of Columbus and Council You all make this happen. You are the drivers behind our successes and our ability to assist others. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your tireless efforts and for giving me the honor and privilege in representing you and the Council as we give to others. I consider each and every one of you true Brothers. I want to remind you all of three upcoming events in the next two months. The first event is the Officer s Installation Mass, Ceremony, and Dinner on Saturday, August 23 rd. Come out and enjoy one of Brother Vinnie s finest Italian lasagna dinners you have ever had. More details to come via soon. The next event is the Knights at the Ballpark event on Saturday, August30th. This is a great time and a great event. The bus ride up makes it easy and the fraternity with your Brother Knights makes it a great time. Look for details in the next week about tickets. The last near term event is our annual All Knighter on Friday, September 19 th. I promise you a great time and a great meal to boot. Plan on attending to be with your Brother Knights. Remember, helping others is what we Knights do best. Vivat Jesus, Alex Charity, the first pillar of the Knights of Columbus. Depending on who you talk to and when you talk to them, charity can mean different things. According to the dictionary charity is generous giving to the poor or organizations which look after the sick, the poor, and the helpless. That is one meaning Page 2

3 Chaplain s Corner ~ Chris Corbally ~ That refugees, forced by violence to abandon their homes, may find a generous welcome and the protection of their rights. Intention of Pope Francis for August. Some at least of the children from Honduras who turn up at the US Border are true refugees from violence. To these the words of Jesus certainly apply: I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matthew 25:35). But Pope Francis knows that they won t welcome from everyone, so he asks us to pray for a change of heart in those who are unwelcoming. It is a prayer for all times since there is always violence in the world, with the resulting refugees, but this month of August includes a Family Week for Knights of Columbus, August 10 to 17. It is a week when we think about our interdependence (no independence!), on sharing, and on showing respect for each other, as modeled by the Holy Family. Some families find that, with the help of God s love, they are able to extend their boundaries to include refugees. This is not possible for every family, but to pray for them is possible for all. As we pray for the generous welcome and protection of refugees, let us also give thanks to God for the service and example shown by our Council s Family of the Month when they are recognized one by one throughout the fraternal year. May God bless you and your family. Chris Corbally, SJ ~ Family of the Month ~ PGK Brother Tom and Maritza Metzger are the August Family of the Month for Council Brother Tom and Maritza are tireless in their support for the Knights of Columbus and for Council They work as a team in their efforts on behalf of the Council. Special thanks go out to Brother Tom for his outstanding efforts as Membership Chairman. Special thanks to Maritza for her excellent calligraphy work on the new First Degree Member certificates presented during the latter part of the past fraternal year. Thank you Brother Tom and Maritza for all you do for the Knights!

4 Lecturer Article ~ Marty Ronstadt ~ Red Cross Blood Drive ~ Our July 13th Blood Drive was a success not only because we attained our goal of 46 pints, but because it was achieved in the middle of a hot Tucson summer with many away on vacation and our snow birds long-gone. Actually, the month of July is no harder to make goal than any other month. With the support from the Parish Bulletin, the announcements from the pulpit at our Masses, and the most important pleas by Father John and our celebrants at the 9:00 and 10:30 Masses on Drive Sunday for walk-ins, our parishioners did it once again. 45 signed up and though a few did not show, 15 walked in to make up the difference. We now have our parish database essentially frozen by the Red Cross phone call center. We are not losing parishioners to other sites as was the case previously. In addition, our Red Cross Coordinator is now able to send out s to those on our donor list that we have addresses for asking them to come and donate. She was able to get 3 more to sign up. Our volunteers were Tom Bohan, Paul Federico, Bob Gonzalez, Bob Kopas, Lloyd LaComb, Patrick McMahon, T.K. Mohr, Alan Reith and GK Alex Wright. Our next drive will be Sunday, September 14th. Knights Round Table ~ Though our discussions will not resume till September, we can look ahead to our first gathering on Saturday, September 6th, with Father Jay filling in for Fr. Chris. The topic will be a Wall Street Journal article concerning the Pope's statements regarding business corporations which was submitted by Brother Larry Lewis. Fr. Paul Gabor has added another WSJ article by Carl Dolan on the same subject. Father Paul will moderate October's Round Table, and he will use four short texts on the two saint popes. Father Chris will be back from his Vatican Observatory travels in November in time to moderate an article he has selected on assisted suicide. September's handout will be available in time for all to review beforehand. Little Known Fact ~ Not all are aware that one of our projects supported by our council's fund raising activities are the pamphlets on the two spinners in the parish hall. All the pamphlets come from the Catholic Information Service of the Knights of Columbus located in New Haven, Conn. One rack contains the "Veritas Series" and covers a wide variety of Catholic and related subjects. New and current subjects are added from time to time. The other rack contains the "Luke E. Hart Series" which consists of 30 pamphlets which covers the Catholic Catechism. Recently after inventory, which is done approximately every 60 days, 385 pamphlets had to be reordered to fill both spinners. We knights provide this for free to the St. Thomas Parish as a contribution toward the spiritual life of our parish community. Brothers Bob Gonzalez, Lloyd LaComb, and Bob Kopas (left to right) attend the snack bar during the most recent St Thomas blood drive held on Sunday, July 13th. The St Thomas parishioners donated a total of 46 pints of blood during that drive, a great amount considering it s summer and hot here in Tucson. Thank you St Thomas!!! Page 4

5 ~ New Member ~ Brother Patrick Donahue is Council s newest First Degree Member. Brother Patrick participated in his First Degree Exemplification on Wednesday, July 16th, at Council Brother Patrick is shown here after the ceremony surrounded by Council Membership Chairman PGK Tom Metzger and Field Agent Brother Von Clark. Brother Allan Reith was Brother Patrick s sponsor. ~ Awards ~ Arizona State Raffle Chairman Richard Armanini (l) presents Council Brother Allan Reith (r) with a plaque recognizing Brother Allan s outstanding performance during the State Raffle event this past spring. Brother Allan was the top raffle ticket salesman for the state of Arizona, personally accumulating over $3,000 in ticket sales. Brother Allan was also awarded a shirt and a jacket signifying his accomplishments. Grand Knight Alex Wright presents a Council donation check to Sr. Dorothy Ann of Villa Maria Chapel Foundation. The funds will be used to support the Foundation s chapel maintenance requirements. The funds were raised as a result of the efforts of Brother Knight s during last fall s PWID drive.

6 --. Prayers for the Sick and Distressed ~ John Atkielski Eileen Baiocchetti Walter Baumgard Tim Bolan ~ Forgiveness and Peace ~ By Deacon Ed Sheffer Johana Bovo Bro. Knight Dean Callahan Michelle Callahan Dirk Carpenter Dan Castillo Isabelle Celis Brother Michael Clay Patrick Donahue Bro. Knight Tim Donovan, M.D. Bonnie Fay Elizabeth Garcia Barbara Gonzales Anna Marie Heim Adalia Hernandez Kim Hernandez Matthew Horder Vehya Mariani Ibrahim Jill Kennedy Bob Leach Jordan Lupasawski Susie Martinez Mary Momat Dominique Monico Lisa O Malley Chuck Osborne Nina Penapinto Bro. Knight Mike Quigley Molly Ramsower Babs Ronstadt Brother Marty Ronstadt Chris Ryan Annabelle Sanchez Hilda Smith Rev. Joseph Terra Julie Vasquez Mike Whitman Lynda Wills Shirley Wiser I take comfort knowing today my pain stops, and I said a prayer that on this or any other day you may find peace in all of your hearts and may God forgive you all. These were the last words of death row inmate Joe Wood. The State of Arizona killed him July 23. I read several of the news accounts describing the spectacle. The story of finding forgiveness and peace doesn t relate so much to the controversy of using experimental drugs. Rather it has to do with what rests in the hearts of people. I prayed the rosary seven times as I sat in a small cinder block room watching Joe gasp for air. He finally died one hour and fifty eight minutes later. In that time of prayer came oneness with Mary in my heart. I realized that no amount of screaming or pleading by me was going to stop what was unfolding. I, too, had to trust in God: The ransomed of the lord shall return, and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning flee away (Isaiah 36:10). After twelve years of death row ministry, I have developed some healthy relationships with several of the men and women who do the difficult work associated with the Arizona Department of Corrections. I have witnessed some great compassion by more than a few of them. This day I felt heavyhearted for them. Although they had a job to do and an institution to protect, their faces in the death chamber area told a story. The extreme amount of time it took for Joe to die was evidently troubling them as well. A news reporter s job is to gather news and information to keep the public informed about important events happening. Some go out into the field to get the story. The field these reporters arrived at proved to be unfamiliar to even the most seasoned reporter. Although it was not my sister or father who was killed at the hands of Joe, I genuinely do suffer with the family members who were victimized. It was clear that after 25 years the pain remains in a wrathful state. I am also saddened by the promise given so many years ago that the elimination of Joe will one day bring closure to the nightmare. He is dead now, but the agony remains and there is no healing yet. I shared the same physical space in the viewing area with those who fought to preserve Joe s life. They scrambled to do whatever they could, but when it was all said and done it was impossible to miss the horror in their eyes. What was truly in the heart of Joe Wood though? We spent a little over an hour together that morning. We spoke about the two plus year journey we had together in Christ. Our discussion turned to the reality of what the day would offer: fear or love. Joe asked if I could read some Scripture. Page 6

7 I shared Psalm 23, Wisdom 3:1-9, Romans chapter 5, Romans 6:3-9, Romans 8:15-28, Romans 8:36-39, 1 Corinthians 15:50,53-58, 2 Corinthians 4:14-5:1, Colossians 1:24, James 1:2-4, 1 John 3:1-3,11,13-15a,16-18, 1 John 4:7-21, 1 John 5:11-12, Revelation 21:1-5a,6b-7, and Matthew There was meaningful conversation over each of these. After reading from 1 John, I asked Joe who his master was fear or God s love. He got the message. He was assured his death this day would not get the last word, love would. Then we talked about giving his life up as an offering that what sometimes seems to be a curse holds the potential to be a great blessing, a blessing because of the cross. This day the blessing would be eternal life supernatural life with God. I asked him if he believed it was possible for God to make something good out of what was bad or seemed lost. I pointed to who he was many years ago and who he had become after encountering Christ. I assured him that God could use the darkness of this day too to end in good as well. He smiled and understood what I was saying. I told him fear was beneath him at this point in his journey, he belonged to Christ. I told him that, as it is with all Jesus disciples, he was a little Christ and this day held some suffering in it that would end in glory, oneness with Christ. I also stated that this day was his day to be Simon of Cyrene. This day was his day to help carry the cross, to help Jesus in his own way for what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ (Col. 1:24). I then described the irony of the day. This day which is meant to be a punishment will be filled with grace, if only you surrender you entire self to God, offering up all of the good and bad of your life to God, to lay every bit of it at the cross. I explained that it was a very useful day, a day that could bring peace unlike any other day in his life. A peace so powerful there would be no fear in the moment of truth. If he trusted perfect love and let it consume him, it would cast out all fear. We spoke about when Jesus appeared in the upper room and the very first thing he said and offered was Shalom peace be with you. Jesus was saying you are one with God, you are one with me. I have reconciled you to myself. Three weeks ago, I had the privilege of baptizing Joe. That day was one of the most powerful physical experiences of the Holy Spirit. On the last day of his life on earth, I proclaimed the Gospel of John 6: and met the power of the Holy Spirit again. Joe fell to his knees, he had perfect love for all that Christ did for him and he received the Body and Blood of his Savior for the first time in his life. Pray for the Repose of the Souls of ~ Judy Bruns Will Chambers Elizabeth Couse Helen Davila Charlene DeMartino Mark Fay Rose Graziano Don Howard Matthew Johannesmeyer Tom Kennedy Dan Langner Tim Matthews Jeanie Meder Gilbert Montonyo Marcy Newcomb Father Richard O Hoolihan Irene Robles Justice Michael Ryan Tim Staples Samuel Thompson John Trasaco Robert Traynor Rev. Kenneth Walker Rick Ward Martha Warren Today is a day for us to love without fear too. It is a day to pray: May we find peace and may God forgive us all!

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9 Arizona Knights at the Ballpark ~ The Arizona Knights of Columbus will hold its annual Arizona Knights at the Ballpark event on Saturday, August 30th, at Chase Field in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks will be playing the Colorado Rockies in a classic National League Western Division matchup. The annual Diamondback alumni game will take place immediately after the regular contest. Bus transportation is available from the Foothills Mall leaving at approximately 2:00 PM and returning approximately 11:00 PM. The bus drops you off right at the entrance near your seating and is waiting for you there at the end of the game. The cost of the bus transportation is $20 per adult and $15 for children 12 and under. A super deal no matter how you look at it. Please contact Brother Bill Neer to sign up as soon as possible as tickets and bus space is on a first come basis. Contact him at theneers2@hotmail.com or

10 Father s Day Volunteers ~ I want to thank all the Knights that volunteered to pass out pens on Fathers Day. Their support was greatly appreciated and I hope pointed out that fathers are important parts of the family, and are Gifts from God! Saturday 5:00 Pat McMahon Larry Lewis Steve Wood Paul Federico Sunday 7:30 Von Clarke Tom Metzger Bob Kopas Bob Guth Sunday 9:00 John Claffey Ray Bruns Kelly Bequette Scott Green Sunday 10:30 Jim Susa Bob Gonzalez Richard Villamana Bart Pemberton Sunday 12:00 Randy Hannon Dean Maas Richard Villamana Bill Lake-Wright Vincent Baiocchetti Committee Chairman PGK ~ Council Upcoming Events ~ Council has several 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. Officer s Installation Mass, Ceremony and Dinner Council will hold its annual Officer s Installation Mass, Ceremony, and Dinner on Saturday, August 23 rd at St. Thomas the Apostle Church. The Mass will be the regular Saturday 5:00 PM Mass. The Officer s Installation Ceremony will be held in the church immediately following Mass. The Dinner will begin at approximately 6:30 PM in the Parish Hall. Brother Vinnie Baiocchetti will be preparing and serving one of his signature Italian dinners that will include lasagna, homemade meatballs, pasta e fagiole, and gelato for dessert. Wine and beer will be available as well as lemonade and water. Please contact Brother Vinnie no later than August 13 th at vbaio@earthlink.net, or , and make your reservations with him to attend. Second and Third Degree Exemplification Council 8077 will hold a Second / Third Degree Exemplification on Saturday, August 23, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish Hall. The Candidate show time will be 9:00 AM and the ceremony will begin at 10:00 AM. The Second and Third Degree ceremonies will last until approximately 2:30 PM. Lunch is included. If you are a First Degree and would like to participate in this most moving and important degree ceremony, please contact Grand Knight Alex Wright, kawcaw@aol.com, , or Membership Chairman Tom Metzger, tgmetz@comcast.net, , to register for the exemplification. Council All Knighter Council will hold its annual All Knighter event on Friday, September 19th, at St. Thomas the Apostle Church. The event is an evening of great food and outstanding fraternal comradery. We will have a special guest speaker at the event. Please plan on attending and bring along a friend who you think might make a great Knight. This is a great opportunity to recruit quality new members and show them what an important organization the Knights is. We will provide more information as we get closer to the date of the event. Please contact Grand Alex Wright and let him know you will be attending. You can reach him at kawcaw@aol.com or Page 10

11 ~ Schedule of Events ~ Date Day Event AUGUST Saturday Audit Meeting Finance Committee, 8:30 AM 11 Monday Chief Judge John Roll Chapter Meeting Holy Family Church, 7:00 PM 14 Thursday Council Meeting 7:30PM (Officer s Meet At 6:45 PM) 15 Friday The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Day Of Obligation ~ Go To Mass! 21 Thursday Assembly 2392 Meeting 7:30 PM 23 Saturday 2/3 Degree Exemplification, SEAS, Candidates Report At 9:00 AM 23 Saturday Council Installation Of Officers 5:00 PM Mass, 6:00 PM Ceremony, Dinner 6:30PM In The Parish Hall 30 Saturday Knights At The Ballpark Event At Chase Field, Diamondbacks vs. Rockies SEPTEMBER Saturday Roundtable Discussion, 8:30-10:00 AM (Parish Library) 7 Sunday Pancake Breakfast 7:30-10:30 AM 11 Thursday Council Meeting 7:30 PM (Officer s Meet At 6:45PM) 14 Sunday Blood Drive 7:30 AM - NOON 15 Monday Chief Judge John Roll Chapter Meeting Holy Family Church, 7:00 PM 18 Thursday Assembly 2392 Meeting 7:30 PM 19 Friday All Knighter 6:00-10:00 PM 21 Sunday K of C Coffee & Doughnuts 7:30-10:30 AM OCTOBER Saturday Roundtable Discussion 8:30-10:00 AM (Parish Library) 4/5 Sat/Sun PID Drive After All Masses 7:30 AM - 1:15PM Including 5:00PM Mass, St. Thomas Church Courtyard Only 5 Sunday Pancake Breakfast 7:30-10:30 AM 9 Thursday Council Meeting 7:30PM (Officer s Meet At 6:45 PM) 11 Saturday Arizona Rosary Celebration For The Diocese of Tucson 13 Monday Chief Judge John Roll Chapter Meeting Holy Family Church, 7:00 PM 16 Thursday Assembly 2392 Meeting 7:30 PM 18/19 Sunday PID Drive After All Masses 7:30 AM -1:15 PM Including 5:00 PM Mass, St. Thomas Church Courtyard Only 19 Sunday K of C Coffee & Doughnuts 7:30-10:30 AM 19 Sunday St. Thomas Meet and Greet, Parish Hall, beginning after the 7:30 AM Mass 26 Sunday Corporate Communion at 7:30 AM Mass, Breakfast Afterwards - Location TBD

12 Knight of the Month Brother Allan Reith is the Knight of the Month for August. Brother Allan was recently recognized by the State Council as the top salesman for the 2014 Arizona State Raffle. Brother Allan sold over $3,000 in raffle tickets and was awarded a plaque, a shirt, and a jacket. Congratulations Brother Allan on your awards, and thank you for your hard work and dedication to the Knights! The Desert Knightline ~ August 2014 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Knights of Columbus Deacon Raphael (Ray) Longpre Council # N. Valley View Road Tucson, Arizona 85718