GRAND KNIGHT'S REPORT MEMBERSHIP ANNIVERSARIES INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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1 GRAND KNIGHT'S REPORT Brother Knights, St. Thomas Aquinas explains that, as far as external works are concerned, mercy is the greatest of all the virtues; In itself mercy is the greatest of all the virtues, since all the others revolve around it and, more than this, it makes up for their deficiencies. (Taken from Evangelii Gaudium and the book Year of mercy with Pope Francis-Daily Reflections.) During this Jubilee of Mercy, let us practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy in service to the cause of human life. And when this special year of grace has run its course, may we all be closer to creating a civilization of love. (Taken from the January 2016 Columbia article by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori.) We have five (5) months left in this Fraternal Year. This means we have to do our best to recruit two (2) good Catholic men per month if we are to make our goal. If we are to reach this goal I will need your help. If you know someone that may be interested please let me or the Membership Director PGK Jerry Michonski know and we will give them a call. Our phone numbers and addresses are in the back of the Newsletter. New ideas for recruiting are always welcome. We have a 1st Degree scheduled for February 11 th and we have one candidate at this time. We have room for more. I wish you and your families a healthy and Happy New year. God Bless Grand Knight Lee Bennett (703) LBennett39@gmail.com BIRTHDAYS The following Ascension Council knights will be celebrating February or March birthdays: Craig Adams Robert Bedard Arthur Bohn,CGK Thomas Broderick Michael Crump Emmanuel DeVera Alfredo Escobar Anthony Bado,PGK Jeffrey Befumo,PGK Joseph Briganti Francis Burkart George Darnell,PGK Lawrence Dillon James Etzel Year Number 5 February-March 2016 ascensioncouncil9285.org Page 1 Christopher Farrell, Jr. John Genualdi Mark Horn Joseph Marshall, Jr. WIlliam Miller,PGK Anthony Muscarella III Brian Nix Michael Saller, Sr. Lance Sherrill Jason Terrell Edward Warzywak Thomas Zum Brunnen,PGK MEMBERSHIP ANNIVERSARIES Robert Frappier Thomas Harrington Paul Loving Patrick McKeown,PGK Gerald Moore Joe Nani-Tome Richard Rocha Robert Salm Matthew Shontofski Garrett Uecker Thomas Wolter The following Ascension Council knights will be celebrating their membership anniversaries in February or March (years as a knight shown): Charles Quinones,PGK(42) Kenneth Mathiasmeier(36) Antonio Catabui(33) Anthony Muscarella III(23) Al Litchfield,PGK(22) Christopher Hadley(21) Douglas Blair,PGK(20) Peter Sisa(20) Kerri Crutchman(17) Donald Hajec(17) Robert Wiencko(15) Michael Saller, Sr.(10) WIlliam Miller(9) Alfredo Escobar(8) James Pritchert(8) Chris Sherrill(6) Billy Antley(4) Mark Noblit(4) Phillip Klemmer(3) Nicholas Pardi(1) INSIDE THIS ISSUE George Gross(41) Allan Erickson(34) Arthur Bohn,CGK(32) Donald Lewandowski(22) Thomas Zum Brunnen,PGK(22) Mark Heller(21) Michael Romero,PGK(20) Paul Loving(19) John Genualdi(17) Michael Crump(15) Timothy Dumm(10) John Schroeder(10) Cosmas Emegbusim(8) Joseph Gozzo(8) Terrence Gregory(7) Alexander Blair(5) Robert Brady(4) Kristen Rigby(4) Donald Harper(2) Garrett Uecker(1) BIRTHDAYS... 1 CALENDAR DEGREE SCHEDULE... 9 EDITORS CORNER... 9 FAMILY OF THE MONTH... 7 FIELD AGENT GRAND KNIGHT'S REPORT... 1 KNIGHT OF THE MONTH... 7 MEMBERSHIP ANNIVERSARIES... 1 PROGRAM DIRECTOR S REPORT / COMMITTEES COUNCIL LEADERSHIP POSITIONS... 13

2 PROGRAM DIRECTOR Now for a recap of events in December and January looking forward to February, March and April. Deputy Grand Knight and Program Director Jack Kapp (703) JKapp3@verizon.net Church The Director s objective for Church activities is to provide council involvement in, service to, and/or increased council commitment to our Church, clergy and religious, to enrich the spiritual involvement of individual members in their Church and its activities, and to promote vocations to the religious life. Coffee and Donuts The serving of coffee and donuts after Sunday morning Masses is now underway and can use your help. Corporate Communion This fraternal year s third Corporate Communion was held Saturday, January 30 th at the 5 PM Mass with the rosary prayed at 4:30 PM. The fourth will be May 28 th with a rosary to precede the Mass we attend. This is a new rosary program launched by the order to encourage the councils to lead the rosary on every 5 th Sunday that falls within a month. By doing this during this Fraternal year qualifies the council as fulfilling the Church Activity requirements for the Columbian Award. Father Devan Water Project Thank you to the Knights and families for your generous donations! We exceeded our goals! With the help of the Sacred Heart Seniors, we were able to donate over $17,000 to support the water project. Of note, even though Father Devan's family is grieving the passing of his father, Father Devan was able to take the funding with him. We are hopeful this will bring some happiness to his hometown as they grieve their loss. We are looking forward to seeing some pictures of the progress of the water project and will share news with you in the near future. Usher Ministry Ushers at Mass are necessary and needed not only for taking up the collection, but to be a welcoming face to all who attend Mass, to assist parishioners in finding a seat and be sure all the physically disabled receive the Eucharist. Page 2 PGK Doug Blair needs a couple of Knights to agree to be ushers at the 10:45 AM Mass. He only has two (2) Knights (Jim and Dave) that usher normally every Sunday at the 10:45 AM Mass. This is a well-attended Mass and we really need a couple more ushers who can fill in and give Jim and Dave a break. Please consider making a committment to this important ministry. KCIC Sales Thanks to the Knights and parishoners we sold 100 boxes of religious cards and about 80 car magnets. Thanks to all the Knights who made purchases and helped with the sales. Roses for Life On the first and third Sunday of each month when there is one or more baptisms, at 1:30 PM we present a rose to each mother. Contact Jack Kapp to assist or for more information. Sub Sale Our next sub sale will be held after all Masses on Super Bowl weekend, February 6 th and 7 th. Preparation starts at 3:30 PM on Saturday and 7 AM on Sunday. Pancake Breakfast The next Pancake Breakfast is scheduled for Sunday, April 17 th. Details to follow. Clergy Appreciation Dinner The Clergy Appreciation Dinner is scheduled for Saturday, April 9th. Details to follow. Council The Director s objective for Council activities is to increase fraternalism among members, to provide enjoyment to members and their families, to ensure service to the brotherhood and advancement in the Order's degrees. Christmas Party Karen and Jeff Befumo hosted another fun Christmas Party. The White Elephant exchange was the big event of the night. There was a lot of wheeling and dealing over all the great stuff. As always Karen did a great job of decorating. Thank You Karen and Jeff. New Year s Eve Party Tom and Leslie Butler opened up their home to all Knights and families on New Years Eve and a great time was had by all well into the New Year. Tom and Leslie had recently completed the game room, bar, huge TV and a big fireplace into a warm and relaxing place to

3 meet. There was plenty of food and drink and was enjoyed by all. Thank You Tom and Leslie. Golf Tournament The Sacred Heart and Knights of Columbus Ascension Council Golf Tournament was a huge success. With all of our sponsor support and support of the raffle, 50/50 and putting contest we were able to raise $7, % of those dollars will be used to support those in need and less fortunate than all of us. We have already reserved Old Hickory for next year s golf tournament and expanded our group to 112 golfers. That s 28 groups and we ll have the course to ourselves. We ll need your help to meet this registration goal so please spread the word. The tournament will be held on Monday, September 26 th. The website is up and ready for registration: Membership The Columbian Award was presented to PGK Pat McKeown at the January council meeting. Kevin Libby also made his 1st Degree at SEAS in December Steve Amato made his 3rd Degree on the last Saturday of January at St. Leo the Great in Fairfax. PGK Jeff Befumo, PGK Tom Zum Brunnen, PGK and WDD Bryan Roberts and Lee Bennett were there to support him. The next membership drive is scheduled for April 9 th and 10 th. Fraternal Benefits Night What a great turnout! Our Council sponsored a Estate Planning 101 Workshop to include Estate, Tax and Business Planning on January 19 th in the Sacred Heart Church Hall. The event was arranged by our Field Agent Thom Harrington and Worthy Warden Carl Birchard. Couples and singles were invited and refreshments were available. Field Agent and Brother Thom Harrington arranged to have our Brother Knight Attorney Jim Seidi to provide a very interesting program for the 50 plus people who attended. We had about 15 Brother Knights and families attend also. Attorney Jim Seidi is an experienced estate planning attorney who, for the past twenty years has prepared estate and plans for 1700 clients, including over 600 brother Knights and their families. There was no cost to all who attended and handout materials were available. Brother Jim had a great slide presentation. Our Field Agent Thom Harrington was busy during the night as he was also able to have one of the attendees sign a Form 100 and he plans to make his 1st Degree on February 11 th. Page 3

4 Storage Reorganization DGK Jack assembled his crew on a January afternoon (PGK Tom Z.B., PGK Bill Hechmer, Alex Blair, Lee Bennet and his grandson Joe-Joe) to clean out, discard, assemble Pat's shelves and rearrange all the Knights supplies. There is some tweaking to do, but you can now see where everything is and maybe we can store items in the same place all the time. Thank you to all the Knights that helped. Pizza Party Come join Joe and Suzanne Marshall at their home for a pizza party on Saturday, February 20 th after the 5 PM Mass (around 6:30 PM). Multiple home made pizzas and tossed salad will be served along with appropriate beverages. Please RSVP by February 17 th so Joe knows how many pizzas to make. Attendees are welcome but not required to bring an appetizer (no breads, cheese or chips) or Lenten appropriate dessert to share. Super Bowl Raffle Super bowl 50 is fast approaching. Due to the massive snow storm and Church being closed over that weekend we are way behind last year s record returns. Please give it your best efforts to sell or buy the tickets you have. If you need more tickets Jack Kapp will be at the counter in the Commons area after every Mass until the Super Bowl. Remember, all the proceeds go to charity which is our first degree motto. State Convention The Virginia State Convention is scheduled for April 29 th to May 1 st in Herndon. More details next month. Council Meetings We will continue to pray the rosary prior to our business meetings starting at 7 PM. Our next 1st Degrees will be held during our February and April Business meetings. These meetings will be short and expedited. Page 4

5 The Planning Meeting for February will be held on the fourth Thursday at 7:30 PM in the chapel to avoid conflicts with Faith Fest. The Planning Meeting for March will be held on the fifth Thursday (March 31 st ) to avoid Holy Week. Family The Director s objective for Family Activities is to involve the entire family in the activities of the Knights of Columbus, to strengthen family life, and to care for widows and children of deceased members. Holy Family Prayer Program "The future of the world and of the church passes through the family," observed S. John Paul II, whom Pope Francis called "the Pope of the Family." Recognizing the vital role of families in the world, the Knights of Columbus has dedicated its 17th Orderwide prayer program to the Holy Family, with the intention of strengthening Catholic families and their prayer lives. The program will consist of an Icon (picture of the Holy Family, blessed by Pope Francis) that is passed from Council to Council, the rosary and other prayers as determined by our chaplain. We will have the Icon on February 29 th. As the details are worked out with Father we will pass them on to all the Knights and their families. Lenten Meals Ash Wednesday comes on February 10 th in We will hold a Fish Fry on Friday March 4 th. Youth The Director s objective for Youth activities is to provide opportunities for all youth to become personally involved and committed to programs for improvement of their physical, social, and moral development. CYO Basketball Teams CYO basketball is underway. Sacred Heart and the Knights are sponsoring two teams again this season. Brother John Damato is coaching the girls 7 th grade team and brother Joe Gerhart is coaching a new 5 th grade girls team with the help of PGK McKeown and brother Huszcza. The season is well under way with both teams winning games but most importantly teaching the players life lessons like sportsmanship and team work. Our season ends the first week of March. Page 5

6 The teams play at various Arlington Diocese churches each week. Find a game that fits your schedule, enjoy a Mass at the host church and stay for a Sacred Heart basketball game. You can find the teams schedules at March For Life 2016 CYO Pancake Breakfast Ascension Council conducted a Pancake Breakfast on January 3 rd to support Sacred Heart Parish s two girls CYO Basketball teams. There were 105 attending the Pancake breakfast and we netted $ for our CYO Basketball teams. The team members, coaches and parents supported the breakfast very well. The team members served the food and each had a very large smile and warm thank you for each parishioner attending. Six fathers helped with the food preparation; four of the fathers and one other were Council members. The breakfast tuned out very well and a good time was had by all. Community The Director s objective for Community activities is to increase the council s awareness of its life within the community and to promote council as well as individual involvement in the community. Pantry Bread Wrapping We are in need of continual help each Wednesday to wrap bread donated from Panera Bread. Your work supports the Saturday food pantry. PGK Jerry Michonski is the lead. If you can support please contact jerryandgiulia.michonski@verizon.net (or select his name from the officer's list on the UKnight site). The 42nd March for Life is now in the history books, and if you were not able to attend you missed a grace-filled day that all who attended will remember fondly for a very long time. Despite the threat of snow, which did begin just as the March for Life stepped off at 1 PM, tens of thousands of people showed up, prayed, listened, and marched in opposition to the infamous Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions handed down from the Supreme Court in Jeanne Mancini, President of the March for Life Education & Defense Fund, has said the March for Life would not occur without the support of Virginia Knights of Columbus. Once again this year we Virginia Knights from many Councils came through, providing marshals to render first aid, help reunite lost persons, secure the stage area of the rally, and of course organize the start of the march itself. See the pictures at MarchForLife.org, and continue to pray for an end to abortion. ARC Holiday Decorations Five members of Ascension Council brightened the Arc home in Dale City by hanging Christmas lights there in December. More information about Arc of Greater Prince William can be found at: who are eligible for KOVAR funds. Page 6

7 FAMILY OF THE MONTH The following families were recognized by the Grand Knight for their contributions to the council, parish and community. The Family of the Month for August was the Joe Gerhart Family. They were also selected as Family of the Month for August by Supreme and State. The Knight of the Month for December was Jack Kapp. The Family of the Month for November was EJ and Steve Cochran for the music program at our Memorial Mass on Nov. 2 nd KNIGHT OF THE MONTH The following Knights were recognized by the Grand Knight for their contributions to the council, parish and community: The Knights of the Month for November were PGK's Bill Miller and Tom Zum Brunnen. Page 7 FIELD AGENT Caring for Our Own The Knights of Columbus isn t just an insurance company. It s a brotherhood, and so we do things differently. If we were just another insurance company, you d be nothing more than customers or potential customers who only add value based on the products you purchase. But you re not. You re brothers, and so are we. After all, Father McGivney founded the Knights 132 years ago so that we could help each other. So we offer you products and services unique to our industry because we care deeply about you and your families, and your well-being. For starters, we extend to each of our members an Accidental Death benefit for free, just by virtue of their membership in the Knights of Columbus. The program which is only available in insurance jurisdictions provides a benefit of $1,000 - $2,500 upon the accidental death of any member or his spouse (subject to certain age restrictions). The program was launched at the 113th Supreme Council Meeting in 1994, and has continued to the present day, providing more than $12.5 million in benefits. In addition to the Accidental Death benefit, the Knights of Columbus offer a number of free services to our members and their families. First and foremost, we agents are committed to providing survivor assistance to widows and families left behind after the loss of a loved one. Most commercial agents would fill out the necessary paperwork and move on, but not Knights of Columbus agents. We will stand by you and help you contact your attorney to sort out the will, help you make funeral arrangements, help you

8 notify and coordinate with the council, help resolve any financial matters, help you file any claims (including claims with companies other than the Knights of Columbus), and will help file for survivor benefits or Veteran s benefits, if necessary. Secondarily, we offer two additional services to help Knights families plan. The first is Profiles & Forecaster, a comprehensive and complimentary industry tool that helps you evaluate your family s financial situation, and to determine what insurance protection if any may be needed. The second, the Knights of Columbus Personal Planning Workbook, will help you record your final wishes and important information (including accounts, passwords, funeral arrangements, etc.) for your survivors. Both of these services are free. To our insurance members,* we offer two additional programs: the Family Fraternal Benefit Program, and the Orphan Fraternal Benefit Program. The Family Fraternal Benefit Program offers two distinct benefits. The first offers insurance eligibility to uninsurable children. Through the Program, a member can purchase a $5,000 life insurance policy for an otherwise uninsurable child at standard rates before the child is 61 days old, or at a rated premium if before the child s 18th birthday. A member can also purchase a $5,000 policy for a mentally impaired child at standard rates, between the ages of 3 and 18 years old. The Program also offers death benefit coverage to members who have lost an infant child less than 61 days after birth, or who have lost an unborn child in a stillbirth, after the 20th week. (The Order affirms that life begins at conception. In this instance, the benefit requires a certified death certificate for the stillborn child, hence the 20-week rule.) The second fraternal benefit program available to insured members is the Orphan Fraternal Benefit Program. This extensive program also provides two benefits. The first is an $80 monthly benefit for each eligible orphan, until their 19th birthday. The second is a scholarship program, which grants eligible orphans up to $1,750 per year for a four-year period. In a letter addressing the programs, our Supreme Knight Carl Anderson noted that These benefits augment the tradition of fraternity established by Father McGivney, namely, that the Order cares for its own; it expands upon a basic reason for which he founded the Order: of rendering pecuniary aid to its members, their families, and beneficiaries of members and their families. They are part of what makes us unique. So get to know all of our fraternal benefits, and the ways in which you may benefit from them. Contact me today to learn more. *To be eligible for both the Family Fraternal Benefit Program, and the Orphan Fraternal Benefit Program, the member must be in good standing, and either he or his wife must be insured under a Knights of Columbus certificate requiring an annual premium of at least $150, or providing at least $5,000 in permanent life insurance coverage. Eligibility for the Orphan Fraternal Benefit Program is also contingent on the child being covered by an individual Knights of Columbus certificate. Put Your Loved Ones First During the month of January, we spend a lot of time thinking about ourselves. What will our New Year s resolutions be? How will we change our lives? What will 2016 bring for us? But what about the ones you love? Is protecting them part of your plan for 2016? Sure, there s a lot that you can and do to protect your loved ones. You make sure they re safe. You make sure they re taken care of. You do your best to make them happy. But what if you weren t there for them? What if you couldn t be? Many are afraid to think about life insurance because they re afraid of their own mortality. But life insurance isn t about dying, it s about helping your family to live if and when something should happen to you. Life insurance allows you to continue providing for your family after you re gone, by seeing to it that they have the money they need to be as safe and secure as they have always been. It can provide mortgage protection, income replacement, retirement income, final expenses, and so much more. And life insurance doesn t need to be a gift that you ll never see given. Your family can benefit from your policy while you re still here to see them enjoy it. So before Valentine s Day, when you re out buying that box of chocolates or flowers for your wife to express your continued love for her, make a point to schedule time with me to get your wife a special life-giving gift that will help you to protect her and your whole family for decades. Field Agent Thom Harrington Thomas.Harrington@kofc.org Page 8

9 DEGREE SCHEDULE The announced district degrees (1 st and 2 nd ) and state degrees (3 rd and 4 th ) scheduled for the new fraternal year are: 3rd 2/6/ Ashburn 11:00 AM 1st 2/11/2016 Ascension; 9285 Manassas 7:30 PM 1st 2/16/2016 SEAS; 8183 Woodbridge 7:30 PM 3rd 2/20/ VA Beach 11:00 AM 1st 3/2/2016 JP1; 7165 Manassas 7:30 PM 3rd 3/5/ Stafford 11:00 AM 2nd 3/8/16 JP1; 7165 Manassas 7:30 PM 3rd 3/13/ Arlington 11:00 AM 1st 4/7/2016 Ascension; 9285 Manassas 7:30 PM 3rd 4/9/ Hampton 11:00 AM 3rd 4/16/ Ashland 11:00 AM 1st 4/19/2016 SEAS; 8183 Woodbridge 7:30 PM 3rd 4/23/ Radford Noon 1st 5/4/2016 JP1; 7165 Manassas 7:30 PM 3rd 5/14/ VA Beach 11:00 AM 2nd 5/17/15 JP1; 7165 Manassas 7:30 PM 3rd 6/4/ Richmond 11:00 AM 1st 6/9/2016 Ascension; 9285 Manassas 7:30 PM 1st 6/21/2016 SEAS; 8183 Woodbridge 7:30 PM 3rd 6/25/ Manassas 11:00 AM EDITOR S CORNER Welcome to our latest newsletter. Happy New Year and a Holy Lent to all of you! Our Facebook page is still active and is located at There is new interest and excitement being generated please visit the page and be part of the buzz! If you supply pictures to any of our websites, please send me separately any that especially summarize the event and should be considered for the newsletter. As a participant in the event, you know this better than I could surmise scanning multiple unlabeled photos on the website. We now have a new website on UKnight with both public and private (member password access) areas. You can reach it at AscensionCouncil9285.org. We will keep the most up to date calendar here. Also, once an event has a chair assigned, you can easily contact him from the website calendar to volunteer or to ask a question. The event chair then has the ability to setup a list of those volunteering and communicate with that group directly through the website. Minutes from meetings will now be solely posted on our website with an notification to all members when the minutes are posted. The other capability that UKnight provides is the ability to send s to all members. If you have an to send to everyone in the council or specific subsets such as all 2 nd Degree Knight, please send the to our Grand Knight or Deputy Grand Knight who will then send it out from UKnight. I would like all future newsletter inputs no later than the Saturday AFTER the special planning meeting for the month. For the April-May 2016 issue I will need articles by Saturday, March 26 th. Please mark these dates on your calendar and plan ahead to meet these deadlines. The softcopy file of this newsletter, koc0116.pdf will be posted on our council UKnight website. Please me at voyagerjoe@verizon.net with your contributions. Disclaimer: the views and opinions in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the KOC. Editor Joe Marshall voyagerjoe@verizon.net Page 9

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13 Ascension Council 9285, Fraternal Year Positions Position Name Phone Chaplain Father Mike Bazan Grand Knight Lee Bennett Deputy Grand Knight Jack Kapp Program Director Jack Kapp Financial Secretary Jeff Befumo, PGK Recorder Alex Blair Lecturer Rick Crete, PGK Treasurer Joe Gerhart Chancellor Bill Hechmer, PGK Advocate John Damato Warden Carl Birchard Inside Guard Julian Saenz Outside Guard Phillip Klemmer Year Trustee Patrick McKeown, PGK Year Trustee Joe Fox, PGK Year Trustee Bill Miller, PGK ARC Home Bryan Roberts, PGK Church Director Carl Birchard Council Director Donut Duty Bill Klug Family Director Peter Burr Community Director Youth Director John Damato Membership Director Jerry Michonski, PGK Retention Director Corn Hole Tourney John Keast Culture of Life Chair Norberto Sese Degree Team Leader Andy Baronavski, PGK Golf Chairman Joe Gerhart Gumbo Night Patrick McKeown, PGK KCIC Chairman Lee Bennett KOVAR Chairman John Damato Newsletter Editor Joe Marshall Pancake Breakfast Tom Zum Brunnen, PGK Roses For Life Jack Kapp Sub Sales Chairman Rick Johnson, PGK Oktoberfest Chairman Bob Richard VDOT Road Cleanup Tom Zum Brunnen, PGK Website Webmaster Joe Marshall District Deputy Bryan Roberts, PGK District Warden Guillermo Giandoni KOC Field Agent Thom Harrington Page 13

14 Knights of Columbus Purcell Road Manassas, VA ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Page 14