Knights Fill Mary s House for Year of Faith Pilgrimage

Transcription

1 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS OCTOBER 2013 l Volume 30 l Number 9 l IN SERVICE TO ONE. IN SERVICE TO ALL. News for Knigts of Columbus Leaders l 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT , USA Knigts Fill Mary s House for Year of Fait Pilgrimage Celebration Marks 50t Anniversary of Knigts Tower Carillon On Sunday, Sept. 8, nearly 4,500 Knigts of Columbus and teir families and friends traveled to te Basilica of te National Srine of te Immaculate Conception in Wasington, D.C. Filling te Great Upper Curc of te nation s preeminent Marian srine, tey gatered for te Year of Fait Pilgrimage, as music from te 56-bell carillon of te Knigts Tower called tem to prayer. Te pilgrims joined Supreme Knigt Carl Anderson and Supreme Caplain Arcbisop William Lori of Baltimore, togeter wit oter K of C leaders and guests, at America s Catolic Curc to celebrate te 50t anniversary of te Knigts Tower Carillon and to reconsecrate te Order to te Blessed Virgin Mary. An onor guard of approximately 500 Fourt Degree Knigts led te opening procession for te Solemn Mass, wic was celebrated by Arcbisop Lori and concelebrated by Arcbisop Gérald Cyprien Lacroix of Quebec, primate of Canada, among oters. Immediately following Mass, a prayer program commenced tat included exposition of te Blessed Sacrament, a Marian meditation led by Arcbisop Lacroix, te recitation of te rosary, remarks by te supreme knigt, and an act of reconsecration to te Blessed Virgin Mary led by te supreme caplain and supreme knigt. Sept. 8 traditionally marks te feast of te Nativity of te Blessed Virgin Mary, nine monts after te Solemnity of te Immaculate Conception. see Pilgrimage, Page 2 Grand Knigt Cecklist October Remember tat Oct. 10 is te suspension of councils tat ave not paid te July assessments. Review ow your council will participate in te annual Coats for Kids and Food for Families initiatives. Start planning ow your council will observe te Cristmas season by sponsoring a Posada event and/or a Keep Crist in Cristmas initiative. Begin collecting your council s data for te Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity (#1728) due after te start of te new year. Make sure your council is on te pat to earning te Star Council Award.

2 Pilgrimage, from Page 1 Arcbisop Lori began is omily by noting te relevance of Jesus words in te Gospel reading, wic seemed tailor-made for tis occasion : Wic of you wising to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate te cost to see if tere is enoug for its completion? (Lk 14:28). Te onor guard encircles te National Srine for te entrance procession as part of te Year of Fait pilgrimage celebrating te 50t anniversary of te Knigts Tower carillon. Te 329-foot Knigts Tower, funded by a $1 million grant from te Order and completed in 1959, togeter wit its 56-bell carillon tat was dedicated on Sept. 8, 1963, as a symbolic purpose, te supreme caplain said. I would submit tat te Knigts Tower sould be seen as a tower of fait, tat rises in our midst as sign and symbol of te Curc s fait. Citing Pope Francis first encyclical, Lumen Fidei (Te Ligt of Fait), Arcbisop Lori proceeded to cite several ways tat te Knigts Tower is an apt symbol for te fait tat we profess. For instance, it is built on a solid foundation, just as Cristians are called to firmly establis teir fait on te trut (cf. LF, 23). Wile fait knows because it is tied to love (26), te tower also represents te Knigts works of carity as tey bear witness to te trut of God s love. Moreover, just as fait involves earing and seeing (cf. 29), te Knigts Tower directs our gaze and lifts our spirits upward, and te bells open our ears to te Word of God. Finally, te structural unity and integrity of te tower evokes te unity and communion of te Curc as well as te interconnected elements of te fait (cf. 38, 46). After Mass, Arcbisop Lacroix led te congregation in prayer and meditation before te Blessed Sacrament. Te recitation of te Supreme Knigt Carl Anderson spoke about te significance of Mary s title as te Immaculate Conception. Glorious Mysteries of te Rosary followed, wit te decades being led by state deputies from trougout te East Coast wo traveled to te Basilica wit delegations from teir state councils. Supreme Knigt Anderson ecoed te supreme caplain s sentiments in is remarks: Just as te carillon of te Knigts Tower sends beautiful music into our nation s capital and reminds all wo ear it of tis place of God, our lives as Catolics and as Knigts of Columbus must also reac out to enric oters and remind tem of Our Lord s presence among us. Anderson went on to speak about te significance of Mary s title as te Immaculate Conception, wic e said is reflected in te patronage of not only te National Srine but also of te ome paris of Venerable Micael McGivney, te founder of te Knigts of Columbus. Our Lord sees and loves and saves Mary before se ad free will, before se could speak, before se could breate, before er parents were even aware of er existence, Anderson said. And tus Mary, te Immaculate Conception, is te paragon of uman dignity. Because, in reacing out to Mary wit extraordinary grace wile still in te womb, God reminds us tat our dignity comes to eac of us as a gift from te Creator. Te supreme knigt furter noted tat a two-year Orderwide Marian Prayer Program dedicated to te Immaculate Conception was inaugurated Aug. 7 at te Supreme Convention in San Antonio. Te program features a painting of Our Lady tat angs above te main altar in te Basilica-Catedral of Notre-Dame de Québec, te primatial curc of Canada. A large reproduction was on display at te foot of te basilica s sanctuary during te pilgrimage. Before te final benediction, Arcbisop Lori prayed an act of reconsecration of te Knigts of Columbus to Mary. In part, te prayer read: O Moter of te uman family, Moter of America, and Moter of te Knigts of Columbus, we confidently entrust ourselves and our families to you. Obtain for us strong fait and te grace of eternal see Pilgrimage, Page MEMBERSHIP IN THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS is open to men 18 years of age or older wo are practical (tat is, practicing) Catolics in union wit te Holy See. Tis means tat an applicant or member accepts te teacing autority of te Catolic Curc on matters of fait and morals, aspires to live in accord wit te precepts of te Catolic Curc, and is in good standing in te Catolic Curc.

3 Pilgrimage, from Page 2 salvation. Pray tat we migt be dedicated entirely to your Son. We pray tat by your moterly care our Order and our earts, newly consecrated, and belonging totally to God, may be a special portion for Him, wo is Fater, Son and Holy Spirit. Te carillon s largest bell (or bourdon), wic is known as te Mary Bell, sounded after Supreme Knigt Anderson led te congregation in praying te Sub Tuum Præsidium, a prayer to Mary from te first centuries. Weiging 7,200 pounds, te Mary Bell features fleurs-de-lis, te emblem of te Order, and te inscription: MARY IS MY NAME / MARY IS MY SOUND / BELOVED MOTHER / QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH / QUEEN OF THIS DEAR LAND / FOR KNIGHTS TO GOD AND COUNTRY BOUND / AND ALL WHO HEAR MY VOICE / I SING THE PRAISES OF GOD. Finally, Arcbisop Lacroix invited all tose present to consider making anoter pilgrimage in 2014 to is ome diocese of Quebec. Te year will mark te 350t anniversary of te istoric paris of Notre-Dame de Québec, te moter paris of Canada and te United States. Also among te special guests and dignitaries present for te Mass and prayer program was Cardinal William Baum, a former arcbisop of Wasington. It was Cardinal Baum s predecessor, Cardinal Patrick O Boyle, wo presided at te inauguration of te Knigts Tower Carillon in On tat occasion, Cardinal O Boyle declared, To te members of te Knigts of Columbus, in te name of all te bisops of te United States, I say we are deeply grateful for tis wonderful gift. Long after we Te birt of our Lord Jesus Crist brougt a great illumination of ope into te world. Councils, Knigts and teir families trougout te Order are invited to elp spread te ligt of Crist on Dec. 3 by ligting a Nativity scene and/or Cristmas tree at 8 p.m. local time. Te ceremonial ligting of te Cristmas tree is just part of te celebration; oter activities can accompany it, suc as caroling, collecting cloting and food for te needy, or serving snacks and refresments to commemorate te event. If Te Posada is a traditional Cristmas celebration tat Franciscan missionaries developed in America wit te goal of introducing te fait, and it continues to be popular trougout te soutwestern United States and all of Latin America. Councils can order te booklet Te Posada: An Advent & Service Programs Spread te Ligt of Crist Supreme Caplain Arcbisop William Lori of Baltimore was te celebrant and omilist for te pilgrimage s Solemn Mass. are gone, tis tower and tese bells will be paying onor to God and to is Moter. Indeed, altoug te Year of Fait Pilgrimage was a special occasion of prayer and celebration, te bells of te Knigts Tower Carillon sound numerous times eac day, welcoming pilgrims from near and far to Mary s House. your council as not participated in te past, tis is te year to start a great tradition and elp spread te joyful tidings of Cristmas. Tis celebration is a wonderful way to kick off te season and celebrate wit broter Knigts, family and friends. A poster is available (#2757) from te Supreme Council Supply Department to elp promote your council s event. For details, visit kofc.org/cristmas. Te Posada An Advent and Cristmas Celebration Cristmas Celebration (#9898-E, S) from te Supply Department. Troug distribution of tis booklet te Order opes to bring te ric Posada tradition to all Knigts and teir families as a way of encouraging a saring of cultures in te Americas around te celebration of te birt of our Savior. Tis booklet provides all tat is needed to conduct a Cristmas Posada wit your family and your Knigts of Columbus council. Councils may wis to discuss wit teir paris pastor te possibility of making tis a paris program. Copies of te booklet can be ordered by using a Requisition Form (#1) and mailing it or faxing it to te Supply Department. 3

4 It s a very simple formula: te more active your council is wit caritable initiatives in te paris and community, te more people will see and appreciate te good works te Order performs and te easier it will be to recruit qualified Catolic men into your council. It s a circular process tat benefits te new member, council, paris and community. Has your council conducted an outstanding activity like tese? If so, we d like to ear about it. Please send information on your project (including te wen, were, wat, wo, wy and ow of te activity) and potos to knigtline@kofc.org. If you ave any questions Service Programs (cont.) To onor te deceased broter Knigts of teir assembly in a way tat memorializes te man wile also elping oters, Santa Clarita (Calif.) Assembly participates in te Order s calice program. Troug tis program, a calice engraved wit te name of te deceased Knigt is presented to a priest. Te donation of a calice in memory of a deceased member elps to bring closure to te mourning process wile also ensuring tat te man is memorialized wenever te calice bearing is name and te dates of is birt and deat is used during Mass. One of te most difficult parts of te ceremony is to find a recipient of te calice, said assembly member Jon Springer (wo is sown in te poto wit calice recipient Fater Muddu of Uganda). In 2013, te assembly ad four calices to present. Te members were able to find four priests to donate te calices to. Te recipient were from Peru, India, Nigeria and Uganda. At a special Mass, eac priest was presented wit teir calice. Te assembly was onored to ave been a part of tis beautiful and meaningful ceremony, Springer said. Active Councils are Successful Councils about sending in potos, call us at In addition, if you tink your council as an event or program tat is an outstanding example of one of te six Surge wit Service categories Curc, Family, Culture of Life, Yout, Community or Council let us know. We would like to produce a listing of upcoming events tat we can pursue for possible promotion wit local media and/or for use as a feature article in one of our publications. Please send a brief description of your upcoming event (one or two sentences about te project), wit te date, location and contact information to knigtline@kofc.org or call Tanks in part to te efforts of te Knigts in Micigan s Lansing Diocese, te Cooley Law Scool Stadium was packed for te Lansing Lugnut s Annual Vocations Nigt. Priests, nuns, deacons and seminarians were invited to attend te minor league baseball game free of carge. During te pre-game ceremonies, Bisop Earl Boyea (sown in poto) of Lansing and Micigan State Deputy Micael Malinowski were among te dignitaries and religious to trow out ceremonial first pitces. A Fourt Degree Color Corp also participated in te ceremonies. Total attendance for te game was 11,166 (wic constitutes a sellout). Among tis crowd was an estimated 2,200 members and teir families. Te need for food to feed ungry families is ongoing. To elp meet tis need, old a Knigts of Columbus Food for Families program to obtain food for local soup kitcens or food pantries. In order to encourage increased outreac to food banks, food pantries and soup kitcens, te Knigts of Columbus will continue to offer financial rebates to councils tat donate food or money. Te Supreme Council will again refund $100 for every $500 or 500 pounds of food donated. Te maximum refund will be $500 per council per fraternal Help Set te Table for Tose in Need Food for Families Initiative year. Indicated contributions of food and/or money sould be cumulative for te fraternal year. Tere is no need to send in a refund request every time a contribution is made, nor does every contribution ave to be for at least $500 or 500 pounds of food. Continue to report Food for Families outreac using te Food for Families report form, found at kofc.org/forms. Also, you must submit documentation tat acknowledges receipt of te food by te personnel of te organization tat is receiving te donation(s). Councils sould 4

5 Service Programs (cont.) exactly te food items tat tey need. Tat s wy in te fraternal year, Knigts of Columbus councils $2,600,000 dollars to elp te cause. In addition, volunteer support to elp sort food and perform oter valuable functions is always needed. Continue to elp your neigbors wit te figt against unger, because no one sould go to bed ungry. Here are some steps to follow wen conducting tis program. Joe Militello, Howard Killian Jr. and Donnie Dobbelare of Leo Council 716 in East Moline, Ill., display some of te items tat were garnered during a council-sponsored food drive. Knigts conducted a drive at five local parises tat netted nearly $1,400 in cas and 240 pounds of food for te St. Mary Food Pantry, wic serves about 200 families. report all financial and food donations made in a fraternal year by June 30. Please do not convert your pounds to dollars on te form. For example, if you donated 500 pounds of food, please do not put its dollar equivalent. Questions regarding tis program can be made to Jason Porrello ( or Jason.Porrello@kofc.org) or Quianna Ricardson ( or quianna.ricardson@kofc.org). Knigts of Columbus councils ave been very generous in providing support to food banks and food pantries. In te fraternal year, councils donated more tan 3,500,000 pounds of food and 565,000 man ours of service to elp feed ungry people. As valuable as donations of food are, te people wo run food banks often say tat contributions of money are even more valuable, as tey allow te food bank to procure Contact a local food pantry or soup kitcen to ensure tey will be able to receive te food. Also, determine if tere are specific items tat tey need. Obtain permission (eiter from your appropriate government department, business owner or pastor) to set up te drive at a grocery store or in te curc foyer. Get permission to display posters (#4833) around your paris, community and stores. Tese posters sould include te time and location of te drive. Ask nearby stores for empty boxes in wic te donations can be collected. At te event, pass out flyers to soppers as tey enter te store asking tem to purcase extra food to place in te collection boxes on teir way out. If you are running te event at your paris, and out flyers to parisioners as tey enter te curc and ask your pastor to make an announcement about te initiative. Or, get permission to ave a council officer make an announcement before or after eac Mass. Also, request tat a written announcement be included in te paris bulletin. In te announcement, ask parisioners to bring nonperisable food items to Mass te following weekend. Wen collecting monetary donations, make sure to ave a secure receptacle in your collection area for cas and cecks. For more information visit te community section of kofc.org/service. Get Ready for Your Coats for Kids Distribution If your council as yet to place your Coats for Kids order, now is te time to do so. By ordering now, you ll be guaranteed to ave coats on and by wintertime. Twelve brand-new winter coats cost $220 (sipping included) for U.S. orders, and $245 for orders sipping outside of te U.S. In tese callenging economic times, no family sould ave to keep teir cild ome from scool on a cold day because te lack of a winter coat makes it unsafe for im or er to stand at te bus stop. Last winter, councils trougout te United States and Canada purcased and distributed more tan 42,000 coats to needy cildren, and by doing so allowed tose kids to go to scool on even te coldest days. Visit kofc.org/coats for more information on ow your council can participate, and download a Coats for Kids order form at kofc.org/forms. 5

6 Knigts of Columbus Insurance Congratulations to Our Million Dollar Round Table Members Te Knigts of As men, tey are grateful for te C o l u m b u s opportunity to represent te insurance program was recently well-represented at te Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) meeting, eld annually in Knigts of Columbus in teir communities. Second, tey are Knigts first. As you get to know tese agents you begin to realize June. Over 100 of Knigts of teir devotion to te Order Columbus agents (a new record) wo earned membersip in tis prestigious organization attended tis year s meeting in Piladelpia. Tomas Smit, cief insurance above and beyond any business interests. Most were active Knigts before deciding to become agents, and all are active Knigts today. Finally, tey are professional. officer, commented on is Acieving te onor of experience at te meeting. Wile I Cief Insurance Officer Tomas Smit membersip in tis prestigious made my way around te room, greeting and tanking te men wo were present for teir work, I was struck by some common temes tat filled te room, e said. First, tese agents are appy! It is a career tat carries wit it a fairly good-sized dose of difficulty. But te men wo ave qualified for and joined tis organization of agents wo are organization takes passion, intellect and devotion. Eac one fits tat description. Te October issue of Columbia contains te names of eac agent wo acieved MDRT membersip in MDRT is an international organization tat recognizes te top 1 percent of financial professionals in te world. among te best in te industry ave found temselves in a good place. 6 Since our founding in 1882, te primary mission of te Knigts of Columbus as been to protect families from te financial ruin caused by te deat of te breadwinner. In te beginning, Venerable Fater Micael J. McGivney and is fellow Knigts passed te at to benefit widows and orpans. From tat start, te Order as grown to include top-rated life insurance, long-term care insurance and retirement products. Wit more tan $90 billion of insurance in force and a full-time field force of more tan 1,500 serving our members and teir families, we are proudly fulfilling Fater McGivney s vision. Scedule a Fraternal Benefits Nigt Today For many years, one of te requirements for a council to win te Founders Award was te conducting of an Insurance Nigt during te fraternal year. Some time ago, tat requirement for te award was dropped in an effort to streamline te steps to becoming an awardwinning council. Just because it s no longer an award requirement doesn t mean it s a bad idea. In fact, an Insurance Nigt sould be a part of eac council s program. Te council s field agent or general agent can assist your council by olding a Fraternal Benefits Nigt for members and teir families. Make sure invitations are sent well in advance to all members and tat is promoted in te paris bulletin and council newsletter, via , on te council s webpage and in oter ways. Te agent will do most of te work for te evening and elp te council arrange for additional speakers, suc as a tax expert, lawyer, funeral ome director or college admissions official. Knigts of Columbus Insurance Te best way to learn about our products is by arranging a visit wit a local field agent. Your agent can custom design an insurance program to meet your current needs, elp you plan for te future or simply explain te many fraternal benefits tat come wit membersip. To contact te agent in your area, use our convenient Find An Agent feature located at kofc.org/insurance. Also, visit tat site to learn more about insurance or our products. To get a roug estimate of te amount of life insurance protection you and your family need, use our Life Insurance Calculator. Te evening sould include te speaking agenda, door prizes and refresments. In addition to information about Knigts of Columbus products, te agent will touc upon te fraternal benefits available to members and teir families, including our scolarsips and fellowsips, member/spouse fraternal benefit, orpan benefit, family fraternal benefit, widow benefits and any local/state programs. For materials to use during te event, te council s agent can order a Fraternal Benefits Nigt Kit from te Supply Department. Te members wo attend gain valuable information about Knigts of Columbus insurance, annuities and long-term care insurance. Te agents gain valuable exposure to te members. And te council may gain tose all-important insurance members necessary for obtaining Star Council. For additional information on ow your council can promote Knigts of Columbus insurance, visit te Recruitment Strategies/Action Steps page at kofc.org/recruit.

7 Membersip Recruitment How to Conduct an Open House Following up your curc drive (conducted in October) wit an open ouse provides an opportunity to furter introduce your council and te Order to prospects and teir families. Te main objective is to exibit tat products your volunteer service programs, your social and fraternal activities, your membersip benefits tat your council and te Order ave to offer to members and teir families. Appoint a committee to organize te open ouse. Te open ouse sould be eld in your council s meeting place. Set a date and time. Publicize te event in local newspapers and curc bulletins, and on community websites, radio and cable television. Order quantities of promotional materials, including te Open House poster (#2826), from te Supply Department at least six weeks in advance. In addition to te prospects from your curc drive, compile a list of oter potential members. Send open ouse invitations to prospects and teir spouses. Follow up te mailing wit a telepone confirmation of receipt and availability to attend events. As te event approaces, reconfirm all arrangements for site, materials, program, etc. Arrange for a display of council scrapbooks, awards, programs, activities and etc. Assign eac attending prospect to a recruiter wo will act as ost trougout te event. Invite your caplain/paris priest and insurance agent to your event. Plan your program: Have a welcome committee greet guests. Ask your caplain or paris priest to endorse te Knigts of Columbus. Introduce officers, members. Have your grand knigt/membersip director explain council aims/organization. Ask te insurance agent to explain benefits of membersip. Scedule a question and answer session following te film, furter explaining te council and te Order. Conclude wit refresments or a ligt buffet. For tose attendees wo aven t already filled out a Membersip Document (#100), make certain ost-recruiters ask prospects to join, and assist tem in completing te Membersip Document. Inform prospects of te First Degree date. Sort Takes Knigts Gear Now Online especially cildren forget tat Cristmas is te day on wic God gave te greatest gift of all to te world in te form of is only son. To combat tis, te Knigts of Columbus as introduced te Keep Crist in Cristmas Poster Contest. Tis program similar to te Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest will allow young people to engage teir creative talents and imaginations wile understanding te true, spiritual meaning of Cristmas. Tis program will be open to young people ages It will be broken up into tree separate age groups. For more information and to order te Keep Crist in Cristmas Poster Contest Kit (#5024), visit kofc.org/forms or call Knigts of Columbus apparel, accessories, books, religious and liturgical items, flags and a variety of oter products are now available online for purcase. Tis webstore covers all Knigts of Columbus related gift and cloting needs. Brands featured include Adidas, Nike, Cutter & Buck, and Columbia. In addition, items can be personalized wit council or assembly names. Products are also being added to te site on a regular basis. Visit knigtsgear.com to see te full selection of items and to buy your Knigts of Columbusoriented products. New Keep Crist in Cristmas Poster Contest In a society were Cristmas is often regarded as a secular oliday, many people All councils are encouraged to conduct tis program. It is time for te young people in your community to know te true meaning of Cristmas, and wat better way to do tat tan a poster contest? Te cildren of today sould know tat Cristmas is more tan gift-giving and Santa Claus. Substance Abuse Poster Contest Wit te introduction of te new Keep Crist in Cristmas Poster Contest, te suggested dates for conducting our long-standing Substance Abuse Poster Contest ave been canged so tat te two programs do not overlap. Te Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest Kit (#SA-KIT) sould be ordered in early December and presented to scools after te Cristmas break, and te artwork sould be collected in late January or early February for judging. Call or visit kofc.org/forms to get your kit today. 7

8 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS IN SERVICE TO ONE. IN SERVICE TO ALL. 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT Score a Toucdown by Earning Star Council Status! And tat s te end of te first quarter, wit te score... If you re a football fan, you will be earing tat quite a bit over te next several monts. Te first quarter of our fraternal year is done, so make sure your council is on te way to a toucdown by earning te Star Council Award. l Council recruitment and programming goals are set. l Recruiters are committed to a minimum of one new member per mont. l Agents are being worked wit to promote Knigts of Columbus Insurance. l Service programs are planned and ready to go, and potential members ave been invited to elp out. l Forms are filed wen needed. Don't wait until te last quarter, meet your goals early and ensure your success. Make your drive now to earn te Star Council Award for tis Fraternal Year! PUBLISHED 12 TIMES A YEAR BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS SUPREME COUNCIL f 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA, NEW HAVEN, CT CUSTOMER SERVICE: f f KNIGHTLINE@KOFC.ORG