Community Activities Award at Supreme Convention Supreme names Marysville project best in the Order

Transcription

1 September-October, 2014 State Deputy Use our numbers when you recruit a new member By Ken Girt State Deputy As Knights of Columbus members, we can take pride in our charitable work here in Ohio. Whether this charity is a monetary donation or volunteer hours, we are examples of the vision of Fr. McGivney. Each year, Supreme Council uses the Fraternal Survey that a council submits in January and February to tabulate all our charitable donations and the hours of service provided to our churches and many, many charitable programs. When recruiting a Catholic man to join the Order, be sure to emphasize all the good things we do. You should explain that our 2013 charitable activities make our members the Light of the World and the Light of Ohio. Be sure to mention the $170.1 million that the Knight of Columbus gave to charity worldwide in 2013 and the 70.5 million hours of volunteer service provided. You also can mention what the Knights of Columbus in Ohio donated during 2013: Our $3.63 million of total donations for charity. Our 1.49 million hours of volun- an those in need.. by creating and supporting unique programs designed to entertain, Continued on Page 2 Continued on Page 5 Continued on Page 5 OR CURRENT RESIDENT NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID CLEVELAND, OHIO PERMIT NO. 229 Community Activities Award at Supreme Convention Supreme names Marysville project best in the Order With Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson (center) are State Deputy Ken Girt and his wife, Linda (left), and Marysville Council Grand Knight Randall Ralston and his wife, Kristine (right). Actor Gary Sinise describes his work with the most severely wounded GI s Eleven Cardinals were present at the 132 nd Supreme Knights of Columbus Convention. Ninety Bishops/Archbishops were there. So were more than a hundred Priests. Many of the Church s hierarchy were applauded for giving eloquent, important and informative speeches, and telling of the Knights of Columbus great works of Charity. But the longest and loudest ovation was given to a man who spent nearly an hour at the States Dinner giving a stirring account of work with the most severely wounded veterans of our U.S. Armed Forces, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. He told of personal and family challenges; of the conversions of him and his wife to the Catholic faith; of his career and his desire to help the country s wounded warriors. His name: Gary Sinese, a movie actor.. the actor who played Lt. Dan Taylor in the movie, Forrest Gump. He established the Gary Sinise Foundation, with a mission to serve our nation by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, Ohio State Council Knights of Columbus Buckeye Bulletin Surrey Lane Avon Lake, OH Ohio s Marysville Council 5534 was honored at the 2014 Supreme Convention for having the best Community Activities Program in the entire Order for the fraternal year. The council s project involved sponsorship of a Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team (WWAST) softball game in the Marysville community. Grand Knight Randall Ralston, accompanied by his wife, Kristine, accepted the award from Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. With them were State Deputy Ken Girt and his wife, Linda. Last May, the Marysville (Columbus Diocese) project was honored as the Best Community Activity in Ohio at the State Convention. Approximately 2,000 Knights and family members attended the 132 nd Supreme Convention, held Aug. 5-7 at the Orlando, Fla., World Center Marriott. The project was the inspiration of Brother Knight and DD-45 Duane Lord, and involved raising more than $10,000 to pay for the team s travel, room, board and advertising. He took the idea to Marysville Council, which backed the plan and established a committee, headed by Lord. Lord found out that the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team had a Membership Try some Individual Recruitment Training By Ken (Ohio Jones) Gardner, State Membership Director Supreme and State council levels constantly ask local councils to recruit new members. Special programs are rolled out, such as Just Ask, One Member Per Council Per Month. Orderwide Church Recruitment Drives and Bi-Monthly Targeted Recruitment Drives are others. We provide data as to where councils stand with membership growth. We send out newsletters, s, updates, flyers, and many other communications urging councils to recruit. I believe this may overwhelm some councils, especially new Grand Knights and other council officers who themselves may be members for only a few years. Maybe Continued on Page 7

2 Page 2 Buckeye Bulletin September-October, 2014 State Chaplain The end of life: We are to respect each person s dignity By Fr. William Kraynak State Chaplain The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote the following in a pamphlet on Respect Life entitled Advance Medical Directives: Planning for Your Future: It is incredibly difficult to see someone we love suffering, and it is natural for us to want to alleviate their hardship. Additionally, we live in a culture that places value on productivity and prefers to get rid of what is deemed useless. Some people therefore support measures that, at first, might seem like a compassionate response, but in fact are not. Advocates for legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia promote the illusion that we can help those in need by killing them or assisting them in killing themselves. However, this response ignores the person s true needs and does not respect their dignity. Each person deserves real solutions and support when facing physical, emotional and spiritual challenges. Cutting someone s life short before their time deprives them of unknown opportunities for God s grace to work in their life. God s infinite love for each one of us helps us to grasp our identity and our worth. The recognition of this dignity leads to respect and protect each person s life, including our own, and ought to be at the core of whatever medical decisions we make. Let us place our trust in the Lord and ask for his continuous guidance, for these decisions and for all those we face in our lives. As a priest for 33 years, I have been honored to be present at the death of many persons. All of them were deaths with dignity, whether they were a young person suddenly struck with a terminal disease or an elderly person who lingered on the edge of life and death for months. What was always required of the person, their family, the health care professionals and friends was a real understanding of the faith of the dying person and their desire to live their life to the fullest. We who gathered around the dying person needed to help them to pray for the grace they needed to fight against fear or doubt of God s love for them. We who were with them in their journey to the end of this life are to respect each person s dignity as being made in the image and likeness of God. They who are dying are a gift to our world calling us to remember that as we live we are Christ for one another. So we carry our cross and bear the burdens of this life s sufferings together so to win the crown of glory that is promised all. We don t just wait for the end of life. We live our life. And we pray our way through our lives. Each member of our fellowship of the Knights of Columbus could help our Brother Knights and their loved ones by offering our prayers for them. We ask God to grace them with strength and hope. Pennies for Heaven Campaign assists seminarians, promotes vocations Helping the cause of increasing religious vocations is one of the primary Ohio Knights of Columbus endeavors, which is attested by the state s Pennies for Heaven campaigns. In each of the past three years monies collected have exceeded $100,000. In the fraternal year, $103, 287 was realized. That money goes to the vocations directors of the six Ohio dioceses for use in assisting seminarians and promoting religious vocations. All monies collected in a particular diocese stay in that diocese for use of the vocations director. A goal of $125,000 has been established for the fraternal year by Past State Deputy Dave Helmstetter, the current Pennies for Heaven chairman. A Pennies for Heaven form is available on the Ohio State Council website. Deadlines for turnins are Dec. 15 and May 1. Checks should be made payable to the Ohio State Council Knights of Columbus and sent to Helmstetter at 5421 County Road 33A, St. Marys, OH Using Ohio facts to recruit new members Continued from Page 1 teered service, which includes 726,390 hours for our parishes, 367,422 hours for our communities, and 196,103 for youth programs. Our 11,519 blood donors. Our 145,648 visits to the sick and bereaved. Our $590,054 donated for service for our developmentally disabled. Our $188,550 donated for Culture of Life projects including $24,058 for Ultra Sound machines. Our $1.43 million donated to our parishes and Catholic schools, which includes $163,535 for religious education, $220,076 for seminarians and RSVP, and $181,634 for vocation projects. Our $592,573 donated for various youth disbursements, which includes $260,304 for scholarships and education. And don t forget to explain what your own council does for charity. If you are not sure, contact your Grand Knight so that he can list those donations and hours of volunteer service in your council newsletter. Our councils, assemblies and Squires in Ohio do much and donate much for our parishes, our families and our communities. Be proud of what we as Knights do here in Ohio. We are all the Light of Ohio. Let s show a potential new member, that we, and they, can give honor to our Father in heaven with our activities. I would like to congratulate to the following 29 councils in Ohio that achieved the STAR COUNCIL AWARD for the Fraternal Year: 1056, 1597, 1786, 1818, 1944, 3304, 3335, 4212, 4617, 4733, 5628, 10941, 11193, 11216, 11224, 11450, 11550, 11915, 13429, 13977, 13984, 14093, 14345, 14502, 14551, , 15569, and Please continue to work with your council to achieve this prestigious award for the Fraternal Year. Many other councils came very close last year and we want to work with every council in Ohio to make sure they have the opportunity to succeed. The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) has received enough signatures to begin producing the Knights of Columbus license plates. We recently sent them the artwork for the design and will advise everyone when the plates are ready. Thanks to everyone for submitting the signed petitions and for your general support for this program. Ohio State Council s Website The Buckeye Bulletin State Chaplain State Deputy State Secretary Fr. William Kraynak Ken Girt Robert Collins Jr. 409 W. Main Street 6433 Lutz Ave. N.W Tracy Trail Ravenna, OH Massillon, OH Parma, OH (330) (330) (216) wkraynak@youngstowndiocese.org girtken@sssnet.com rfcollinsjr@gmail.com State Treasurer State Advocate State Warden Kevin Miller Robert Byers Mark Siracusa 1101 Arbor Oaks Lane 565 Indian Run Rd Markey Dr. Galloway, OH Marietta, OH Bryan, OH (614) (740) (419) km8007@columbus.rr.com robert_byers@hotmail.com cuzza@roadrunner.com Immediate Past State Deputy Chief of Staff Buckeye Bulletin Editor Dave Helmstetter Jack Campbell Harding Christ 5421 County Road 33A h St. NE Surrey Lane St. Marys, OH Canton, OH Avon Lake, OH Tel: (419) Tel: (330) Tel: (440) dhelmstetter@bright.net cootzbabe@att.net harding.c@oh.rr.com The Buckeye Bulletin is published by the Ohio State Council Knights of Columbus and mailed via Third Class Non- Profit Postage, Permit No. 229, at Cleveland, Ohio. Any member of the Ohio State Council in good standing may subscribe free of charge. Editorial Content Forward all editorial content to Harding Christ, Editor, Surrey Lane, Avon Lake, OH Subscription Status Address Change Forward all requests for new subscriptions, changes of address or cancellation to Harding Christ. New subscriptions must include the full 9-digit Zip Code.

3 September-October, 2014 Buckeye Bulletin Page Matching Funds Campaign under way; funds assist Catholic education The 2014 Matching Funds Campaign is under way. Itt will continue through Nov. 15. In the campaign, the Ohio State Council matches the first $25,000 donated by local councils, assemblies, Squires Circles and chapters. All funds collected in a particular diocese stay in that diocese. The funds in each diocese are given to the diocesan religious education directors, to be used to strengthen Catholic education efforts in every Catholic school, religious education and RCIA programs. State Advocate Bob Byers, 2014 Matching Funds Campaign chairman, has set a goal of $68,000, combined with a 90% participation of Ohio councils. I would hope that all councils across this great state will contribute as generously as they have in past years, Byers wrote in a letter to Grand Knights explaining the program. He suggests several ways funds can be raised for donation to the campaign: Donate a portion of the council s Super Cash Bonanza Charity Campaign rebate. Host a council fundraising event with proceeds earmarked for Matching Funds. Pass the Hat for donations at council meetings. Ask your members to make a personal pledge to the campaign. The funds will be given to the diocesan religious education directors at the January District Deputies Meeting. Special awards will be given for: The highest donation overall by a council. The highest donation by a council in each of the six dioceses. The highest donation per member by a council in each diocese. The highest donation by a Chapter, Assembly and Squires Circle. District Deputies with 100% participation among councils in their district. Fr. Schneider Assembly mailbox Lt. McManus Assembly mailbox Two Ohio assemblies turn surplus mailboxes Into drop boxes for donating used U.S. Flags Two Ohio Fourth Degree assemblies have found a novel way to collect used U.S. Flags for flag retirement ceremonies. They have obtained surplus U.S. Postal Service mailboxes to use as flag drop boxes. In the Cincinnati Archdiocese, the Fr. Nicholas Schneider Assembly found a former mailbox and donated it to the Fr. Charles Mentrup Council 14400, located at St. Mary Parish in Franklin. It was placed in the parking lot area of the St. Mary Parish complex, allowing easy access for the general public to drop off their used flags. In the Cleveland Diocese, the Lt. McManus Assembly of Lorain County came up with a former mailbox and donated it to the Father Ragan Council 3269, Avon, where it was placed at the front entrance to the council hall. Before both former mailboxes were installed, they were refurbished and painted in patriotic colors. The Fr. Schneider Assembly has established a Community Flag Program, which includes giving a certificate of Thank You to commercial businesses and residences for displaying the U.S. Flag; supporting flag burning ceremonies in conjunction with area Boy Scouts and veterans organizations; creating U.S. Flag information, etiquette, proper care and respect; and playing Taps at flag retirement ceremonies. Order pledges funds for Special Olympics World Games Supreme Council has announced a donation of $1.4 million to cover the costs of athletes from the United States and Canada attending the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games to be held in Los Angeles. The donation will cover the expenses of every athlete from the two countries during the event. More than 7,500 athletes from 185 countries competed in the last World Summer Games, held in 2011 in Athens. Our support exemplifies our commitment to the dignity of every person, our dedication to assisting with our neighbors needs whatever they may be, and our deep appreciation for the great work done by Special Olympics, said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson Football Frenzy Sweepstakes give councils the chance to earn extra funds By Past State Deputy Gary Eckstein 2014 Football Frenzy Sweepstakes chairman Over the past 11 years, Knights of Columbus councils in Ohio have sold more than 150,000 tickets earning councils more than $400,000 in rebates from the Annual Ohio State Council Football Frenzy Sweepstakes program. These are rebates that councils may use to pay expenses of their choosing from their proceeds. Last year there was a nearly 12% increase in tickets sales and an 18% increase in rebates to participating councils. This is a Win-Win situation for councils -- a win where $1,000 is awarded to weekly winners, and a win where councils receive rebate proceeds. And you get all of this -- weeks of excitement -- for only $10.00 a ticket. Once again, the incentives will remain the same as in previous years, so more than $125,000 in rebates can be earned, simply by selling these football sweepstakes tickets. The bottom line is that the more tickets sold statewide, the larger the rebate to your council. The 2014 sweepstakes involves the last 10 weeks of games played by the National Football League this season games that will be played between Oct. 26 and Dec. 28. Donations are $10.00 per ticket. There are 32 NFL teams and each ticket has four different teams each week No other ticket has the same teams in any given week. A total of $1,000 in prizes is awarded each week to ticket holders with the four teams that score the most or the least number of points in that given week of games. The scores from the previous week s games are used for teams that are not scheduled to play on any given week. It makes no difference whether teams win or lose. Total prizes awarded for the 10 weeks are $10, A winners list will be posted on Password is ohiofb14 Tickets that are sold can be turned in any time before Oct. 26, which is the final deadline. Sold tickets, and money, are to be sent to: Past State Deputy Gary Eckstein, 1498 River Trail Drive, Grove City, Ohio You also may contact me at (614) for additional tickets. Winners will be notified and paid automatically each week by the Ohio State Council. Remember: participants must print legibly their name, address, telephone number, and name and number of the selling council, on the ticket stub. The stub, and $10, is turned in. The participant keeps the rest of the ticket. Ohio State Council merchandise is available Ohio State Council Light of Ohio merchandise is available for sale by ordering through the website, kofcohio.org, and clicking on the tab entitled State Programs. Then scroll down and click on State for Sale Items. When you find an item you wish to order, go to bottom of page and click on Order Form. Fill out the order form return it to me. I will fill it, mail to you and send a bill, which will be for the item plus a fee for shipping. We have special Keep Christ in Christmas silk neckties at $25 each. These ties can also be ordered online by sending me an and I will ship the ties. The ties are available in three colors -- red, white, or green, with the K of C logo and the phrase Keep Christ in Christmas. If you have questions, me at cootzbabe@att.net or call me at (330) Jack Campbell, Administrative Services Director

4 Page 4 Buckeye Bulletin September-October, Annual Report Supreme Knight Anderson outlines works of Charity by the Order Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson reflected on the theme of the 2014 Supreme Convention You Will All Be Brothers: Our Vocation To Fraternity as he began his Annual Report to delegates at the Opening Business Session. This sense of fraternity is at the foundation of our call, said Anderson. Our charitable activity is all the more effective because it is supported by our fraternal brotherhood. Then, topic after topic of the Annual Report chronicled the many works of charity that Knights around the world accomplished during the fraternal year. Last fall, in a private audience with your Supreme officers and directors, Pope Francis recognized the Order s commitment to charity, Anderson said. At that time, the Holy Father praised the quiet strength, integrity and fidelity of the Knights of Columbus. He thanked us for our commitment to charity, and urged us to continue in our mission. Anderson cited the fact that for the 14 th consecutive year the Knights of Columbus set a new record in charitable giving, increasing it by more than $2.5 million to $170,135,754, and that the number of hours volunteered by Knights set a new record of 70,534,278 hours. He told of the Order s commitment to serving those with intellectual disabilities, especially a Knights of Columbus-announced $1.4 million sponsorship of the Special Olympics World Games to be held in July, 2015, in Los Angeles, and donation of an additional $13.5 million to other projects benefiting people with intellectual disabilities. K of C councils, he said, also donated more than $3.8 million to benefit those with physical disabilities, and distributed more than 5,000 wheelchairs worldwide. He told of Knights of Columbus charitable giving for disasters, such as Typhoon Haiyan in The Philippines that killed more than 6,000 people and displaced millions more; tornadoes and floodwaters in the United States; relief supplies to victims of hurricanes in Mexico, and a chemical spill in the Elk River at Charleston, West Virginia. Overall, our councils donated over $4.2 million to help victims of disasters last year, and Knights donated over 19 million hours of their time to these and many other community service efforts, Anderson reported. And he told of the distribution of Coats for Kids, of food for the needy, and of 410,000 Knights of Columbus blood donors. Regarding membership, Anderson reported that as of June 30, 2014, our Order grew for the 4nd consecutive year, to a record $1,862,774 Brother Knights, and 270 new councils were added. Anderson announced establishment of the Order s first K of C council in South Korea The Ohio delegates to the Supreme Convention are with State Chaplain William Kraynak. They are (top row, from left), Shawn Zarych, R. Ron Williams, Mark Fox, Laddie Marous, Jose Rivera, Immediate Past State Deputy Dave Helmstetter, and State Deputy Ken Girt; (bottom row, from left), Stephen Majer, Robert Rhode, Fr. Kraynak, William Wirtz. St. Andrew Kim Taegon Council There are nearly 5.5 million Catholics in Korea today, he said. It is the fastest growing Catholic community in the world. And Anderson reported that the Knights of Columbus is also growing in Ukraine and Lithuania. Other facts reported by Anderson included: Texas became the first jurisdiction to grow to more than 100,000 in membership. The Knights of Columbus insurance program grew by $8.2 billion in new insurance issued last year. The Order s Ultrasound initiative added 480 ultrasound machines to pregnancy resource centers. Let us continue our dedication to our principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism with that quiet strength and determination for which we have become known, so that by our example and through our service the world may better know the truth spoken by Pope Francis that fraternity is truly the foundation and the pathway to peace, Anderson concluded. The 2015 Supreme Convention will be held in Philadelphia, Pa. Supreme Chaplain William Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore (left) and Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson make their way to the head table at the States Dinner. Most Rev. John G. Noonan, Bishop of Orlando (center), processes to the Altar for the Opening Mass of the Supreme Convention, where he was principal celebrant and homilist.

5 September-October, 2014 Buckeye Bulletin Page 5 Wounded Warriors players taking fielding practice before the game. Supreme honors Ohio s Marysville Council Continued from Page 1 full schedule for 2013 which included two games to be played Sept in Newark, Ohio about an hour s drive east of Marysville. The original plan called for determining if Marysville Council could split the cost with the Newark group, holding one game in each community. Eventually, Marysville Council learned that the Newark group had cancelled their game with WWAST which mean that Marysville Council would be responsible for raising the full cost of the event. The Knights connected with 78 different businesses and organizations, 12 councils, four assemblies and 38 individual donors. They raised $31, Expenses of $15, for airfare, room, board and advertising left $16,000 which was donated to the WWAST and to a Marysville military support group. Two games were played and they were a huge success. Ohio also was cited by Supreme for achieving its New Council Development quota, one of 37 jurisdictions that did so. Six new councils were started in the state in The state officers hosted the traditional Ohio Dinner on Wednesday night of the convention, with nearly 50 persons in attendance. They dined on a paddlewheel boat permanently moored at a Downtown Disney World. The officers provided the entertainment, a takeoff on the America s Got Talent television show. Afterwards, the officers presented a monetary gift to State Deputy and his wife, Linda.. On Monday of convention week the traditional day to socialize the Ohio officers, directors and staff in attendance hosted a Wine and Cheese Party in their hospitality suite. It included various brands of wines from the State of Ohio. It was a crowded afternoon in the hospitality suite as visitors from many of the Order s jurisdictions passed through, greeted by Ken and Linda Gardner and the rest of the officers and their wives. Most Rev. Leonard Blair, former Bishop of the Toledo Diocese and current Archbishop of Hartford (Conn.), read the traditional greeting from the Vatican at the opening of the convention. The theme of this year s Supreme Convention You will All Be Brothers: Our Vocation to Fraternity is one particularly close to the Holy Father s heart, read the letter. Faith teaches us that, created in the image and likeness of the triune God and redeemed by Christ s sacrifice of atonement, the Church is called to be a community of brothers and sisters who accept and care for one another and serve as a leaven of reconciliation and unity for the whole human family. Teh Ohio delegates were at the Supreme Convention. Two of them -- State Deputy Ken Girt and Immediate Past State Deputy Dave Helmstetter -- weere automatic delegates. The other eight were elected at area caucuses at the State Convention. They were Stephen Majer, area 1; Mark Fox, area 2; Jose Rivera, area 3; Laddie Marous, area 4; William Wirtz Jr., area 5; Robert Rhode, area 6; Shawn Zarych, area 7; and Fr. Ron Williams (former State Chaplain), area 8. Actor Gary Sinise describes his work With the most severely wounded GI s Continued from Page 1 educate, inspire, strengthen, and build communities. Sinise recalled stories of severely wounded armed forces personnel, including U.S. Army Cpl. Kyle Hockenberry, who lost both legs and his left arm in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Afghanistan and for whom the Foundation built a custom-built home in Marietta, Ohio, to accommodate a wheelchair and the special challenges faced by Hockenberry and his wife, Ashley. Earlier in the day, during his Annual Report, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson announced that the Knights of Columbus provided $200,000 to the Gary Sinise Foundation to build the computerequipped Smart Home. In the emotional and very personal talk, Sinise recalled growing up during the final years of the Vietnam War and not thinking much about the sacrifice of those who fought. Talking with family members who served in the military, however, inspired him to begin working with veterans in Ten years later, amid a successful acting career, he jumped at the opportunity to play double amputee Vietnam veteran Lt. Dan in the film, Forrest Gump. He said that by playing the role he saw his work as another way to pay back veterans for their sacrifices. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Sinise became even more determined to do something for those veterans, forming the Lt. Dan Band and entertaining troops through the USO. In 2011 he formed the Gary Sinise Foundation. Regarding the Knights of Columbus, he said You have shown that you can be a shining light of hope for severely injured veterans. And regarding the conversions of he and his wife to the Catholic faith, he said The Church has been a rock for me and my family. His presentation was met with tremendous applause, to which Anderson asked those attending the States Dinner if the Order should continue its collaboration with the Gary Sinise Foundation. He received an overwhelming positive response. Aside from the spectacle of Knights standing and waving their jurisdictions flags as their state (or country) songs were played and sung, the States Dinner traditionally includes the appearance of a three-tier head table filled with Church and Knights of Columbus hierarchy, Gary Sinise speaks at the States Dinner The emblem of the Gary Sinise Foundation plus remarks from some. This year was no different. Speakers included His Eminence Edwin Cardinal O Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, who gave the Invocation; Most Rev. John Noonan, Bishop of Orlando; His Eminence Orlando Cardinal Quevedo, Arxchbishop of Cotabato and Former Secretary General of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conference; His Eminence Norberto Cardinal Rivera Carrera, Archbishop of Mexico City and Primate of Mexico; His Eminence Gerald Cyprien Cardinal Lacroix, Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of Canada (who gave the main address), and Most Rev. William Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore and Supreme Chaplain (who gave the Benediction). Cardinal Lacroix, speaking on the convention s theme, You Will All Be Brothers: Our Vocation To Fraternity, said it sends us out into the world that needs to see this love in action through our daily lives, in every family, neighborhood, parish, council and assembly. Do not underestimate the power of fraternity. Love every person you encounter on your path. Love one another. That is how we will become disciples of Christ. A new world is possible with God s help.

6 Page 6 Buckeye Bulletin September-October, 2014 State General Program Has your council outlined the program activities it plans to accomplish this year? By Jeff Kiliany, State General Program Director We re starting the second year of the Light of Ohio General Program! Where did the time go? By now, councils should have a rough draft of the program activities that they plan to accomplish this fraternal year. If you are following the Light of Ohio guidelines, then each of your six program areas should have at least four activities penciled in that your council will be doing sometime this year. This will put your council well on its way to achieve Star Council Award this year. As we start this next program reporting period, remember that keeping your members active and involved with programs and activities helps to keep existing members from leaving your council, and generates interest in your council which helps to attract new members. There are a lot of good ideas for activities that your Council can do throughout this fraternal year. The State Program Directors already have been getting many great activities and reports from councils across the state: St. Dominic Delhi Council participated Knights in the Toledo Diocese are planning the 2 nd Annual Lift Jesus Higher rally, to be held at the Seagate Convention Centre, Toledo, on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Chairman is Willi Meyer, financial secretary of St. Joan of Arc Council 15905, Toledo. Lift Jesus Higher is a full day retreat where you hear the truths of Holy Mother Church about the New Evangelization. Knights of Columbus Insurance Five facts about insurance worth considering By James Valent, F.I.C.F., General Agent State Insurance Liaison To help educate consumers about the need for and value of adequate life insurance protection, the Life Insurance Market Research Association (LIMRA) has published the following five facts. These statistics are certainly worth considering. Fact 1: Nearly 75% of North Americans agree that life insurance is the best way to protect against premature death of the primary wage earner. Fact 2: Twenty-four million households have no life insurance protection at all. Almost one third of adults have no life insurance protection. Fact 3: Forty-four percent of all households either don t own life insurance and believe they should, or own life insurance and believe they need more. Among those that already own some life insurance, 40% believe they don t have enough. Fact 4: One-fourth of primary wage earners feel they do not have a plan in place to provide a decent standard of living for their family if they died tomorrow. Fact 5: People would like to discuss life insurance with a qualified professional agent. They believe that buying life insurance is an important and complex financial decision. Half find it difficult to decide how much to buy, and 43% worry about making the wrong decision. Your General Agents of Ohio in its community s annual Skirt Game, which sounds like a great time for all involved. North Olmstead Council 4731 members participated in the Feast of the Assumption Parade & Festival in Little Italy. Leetonia Council 1569 has several teams consisting of council members taking turns cutting the grass and taking care of their parish grounds each week. Fairborn Council 3724 hosted a memorial golf tournament honoring deceased members of their council. And, St. Joseph of the Three Rivers Council had a council social event where the speaker was a 91-year-old WWII veteran who wrote a book and spoke about his time as a prisoner in Japanese POW camps. Please do not overlook completing a Membership action Plan for your council. A fill able PDF form can be found on the front page of the State Website under the Membership Crusade section. This should be submitted by September 30 th. Even though this is an optional requirement under the Administrative section of the State Program, submission of this plan will aid your council in developing a viable plan to help you achieve your membership quota for this fraternal year, which puts you another step closer to achieving Star Council. Culture of Life State director featured on radio broadcast The Ohio State Council s Culture of Life Director Gary Anderson was one of three featured guests on an Aug. 26 national broadcast on the Radio Maria network and streamed over the worldwide web. The topic of the show was the second annual National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children, which was observed on September 13. The national event is meant to honor the unborn at the gravesites where they are buried and was marked by simultaneous memorial services in cities from coast to coast. The Day of Remembrance was again coordinated by Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, Priests for Life, and the Pro-Life Action League. Joining Brother Gary on the broadcast was Monica Miller, President of Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, and Eric Scheidler, Executive Director of the Pro-Life Action League. The segment was featured on the Quest for a Culture of Life in America show hosted by Steve Koob on Radio Maria As Anderson pointed out during the broadcast, the Knights of Columbus played a pivotal role in the formation of the early roots of the Day of Remembrance. In 1992, John Cardinal O Connor of New York-a Brother Knight-challenged the K of C to, continue the Order s aggressive fight against abortion. He described the Tomb of the Unborn on the Franciscan University campus in Steubenville and asked us to erect similar tombs or memorials in each Catholic cemetery in each diocese where the Knights of Columbus is active. Then-Supreme Knight Virgil Dechant and the Board of Directors took the Cardinal s challenge seriously and it became a true grassroots phenomenon known as the Tombs for the Unborn project in To hear a podcast of the Radio Maria show, go to: and click on the Aug. 26 podcast. Youth Activities: Planning for several youth projects Councils should be taking action on scheduling their youth activities. Soccer: Council competition in September; district and regionals in October. Essay Contest: Council judging in October; district judging in November. Free Throw: Order kits in November; council competition in December/January; district/regional competition in February; state finals in March. Substance Abuse and Alcohol Awareness Poster Contest: Order kits in January; judging in February; district/regional in March. Youth Director Bob Walsh Ceremonials: Using the First Degree DVD properly There seems to be an misunderstanding concerning the use of the DVD for the First Degree. If your council is planning to use it, please read the instructions that come with the DVD. The DVD is not to be given to a candidate to view on his own at home. This is not acceptable. The DVD is to be guarded and kept under control of the officers mentioned in the instructions. If you have any questions, please contact me at sirearp@aol.com or by phone at (937) Ed Ponder, State Ceremonials Director

7 September-October, 2014 Buckeye Bulletin Page 7 Parish Ministry Fairs are an excellent way to recruit new Brother Knights By Ken (Ohio Jones) Gardner State Membership Director Each October and March, all councils in the Order are asked to hold an Order-wide Church Recruitment Drive (formally called Blitzes) in the parishes that we serve. If these drives are properly planned and executed, they will almost always pay off with new members for your council. One of the reasons that I hear some councils do not hold these drives is that the pastor will not allow them to do so. Many times the reason is that the pastor does not want to favor one parish organization over another. A great way to overcome this obstacle is for the council (or parish) to sponsor a Parish Ministry Fair, a program that allows all groups in the parish to spread the word about their organization and what they do for the parish community. This allows all groups equal time and exposure and will many times sway the pastor to support a Knights of Columbus recruitment effort. This is especially true if you can get other organizations to co-sponsor the event or at least encourage the pastor that an event like this will build the faith community. All pastors realize that strong parish organizations will only make his life easier. My own home council has sponsored a Parish Ministry Fair for the past two years and we have had success recruiting at this event. Remember, you need to bring your recruitment A game to this event, as you will be competing against other organizations for the time and talent of the male parishioners. Here is how we have executed this program at St. Dominic-Delhi Council #15533: Start planning the event at least two months in advance. Pick a location for the event that people would normally use as an exit when leaving mass, such as a Gathering Space or the Narthex. If you need to use an area that is not in the normal exit path for people leaving mass, plan to have members at the exit doors of church the day of the event to direct them to the locating of the fair. Work with the pastor or parish office to choose a date when no other events are going on in the parish, at least events that will occur after masses. o Six weeks in advance, put a notice in the Sunday bulletin announcing the event and asking for other organizations to participate. Here is what our council uses: The St. Dominic-Delhi Knights of Columbus are sponsoring a Parish Ministry Fair in the Gathering Space following all daytime Masses on Sunday, October 5. The purpose of this Ministry Fair is to let all parish members know about the many opportunities we have to serve our parish through the organizations and groups that are an important part of our faith community. The Knights are inviting all parish organizations to set up an informational table at this event. Each group will have a six-foot table to set up a display and information about their group. We will be limited to eight tables for this event, so get your request in early. To reserve a table for your group, contact Ken Gardner at This is an excellent opportunity to spread the word about the works of your group! o As groups sign up for the event, ask them for basic information about their organization that they would like written on posters to be displayed above their table. o At council meetings for at least a month in advance, sign up members to help set up for the event, and most importantly, man the Knights of Columbus booth. Train these men how to recruit! o The week before the event, contact all groups that have signed up and remind them of the fair. o The evening before the event have members of the council set up the tables to be used and put up the signs for each group. o Have a pulpit announcement made at each mass, encouraging parishioners to stop by the fair to learn more about the parish organizations they can be part of. o Following the final Mass of the day, have member put away the tables and clean up the space used. You may wish to modify this plan to meet your local needs, but I can guarantee that Ministry Fairs are an excellent recruitment opportunity. If you have any questions about this program, feel free to me at kpgardner@fuse.net or call me at (513) Ohio State Council Membership as of September 1, 2014 Year to Year to Date Date Percent Diocese Quota Gain Loss Net of Quota Needed Cincinnati % 475 Cleveland % 343 Columbus % 278 Steubenville % 78 Toledo % 376 Youngstown % 259 TOTALS 1, % 1809 Try some Individual Recruitment Training Continued from Page 1 we need to talk about membership recruitment at a lower level than the council; maybe we need to take the message of membership recruitment down to the level of the individual Brother Knight. I truly believe that most members simply do not know how to ask someone to join. The data supports this theory -- less than 1.5% of the total members in Ohio recruited a new member last year. Should we believe that 98.5% of members in Ohio do not know at least one gentleman who is qualified to be a member of the Knights of Columbus? I don t think so. Based on this information, we will be rolling out Individual Recruitment Training this year. I have already started working on this program. It will key in on three major topics: 1) Ask Yourself First; 2) Build Relationships; 3) Responding to Negative Feedback. I would like to cover this third topic at this time; I believe it is one of the major issues with getting individual members to recruit. No one likes rejection, and anytime you are trying to sell something, the chances of rejection are high. After the initial conversation is started during the recruitment process, how we respond to a negative reply is a very important part of recruiting. One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received when told how to recruit was never ask a question the gentleman can say no to. You don t ask the question Do you want to join the Knights of Columbus? Rather, you ask How would you like to be a better Catholic gentleman? or Would your family like to spend more time with other Catholic families?. The following are some negative answers you may receive when recruiting for your council and some responses you can give. They may not work every time, but they will increase your chance of getting a gentleman interested in the Knights. ANSWER: I don t have the time to join. RESPONSE: The Knights can help you manage your valuable time while putting your faith into practice.. All we are asking for is 24 hours a year of your time. This is only two hours a month. ANSWER: I thought all the Knights did was play cards and drink beer. RESPONSE: While fraternal programs are part of the Knights, we actually put our faith into practice through our council-sponsored Church, community, council, family, pro-life or youth projects.. Some people may think that, but in 2013, the Knights of Columbus around the world donated over $170 million and 70.5 million hours of volunteer time to charity. Locally, our council (explain your council s charitable works in your community and parish). ANSWER: I have heard about an Initiation Ceremony. What is that all about? RESPONSE: There are four degrees within the Knights of Columbus. Each degree ceremony imparts a lesson on the Order s core virtues of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. Think of it as a religion class for Knights. I guarantee, you will get something positive out of this ceremony. We hope this information and other items that will be provided as part of this Individual Recruitment Training will make all members of Ohio feel more comfortable when asking a gentleman to join our Order. If we could increase the number of recruiters in Ohio to just 4%, we would make our intake quota with ease. Let s work together to have every member of our councils search for that treasure of a new members every day!

8 Page 8 Buckeye Bulletin July-August, 2014 The Ohio delegation at the Supreme Convention The State Officers and their wives take a selfie photo State Chaplain Fr. William Kraynak (left) and Former State Chaplain Fr. Ron Williams, a delegate to the convention, march in the procession of priests at the Opening Mass. Waving the Ohio Flag at the States Dinner The Ohio Wine and Cheese Party State Deputy Ken Girt and his wife, Linda (top photo), greet conventioneers to the Ohio Wine and Cheese Party. A Florida conventioneer (left) toasts a glass of Ohio wine. The Ohio Dinner State Deputy Ken Girt and his wife, Linda, sing a duet during the Ohio Dinner skit, a takeoff of the TV show, America s Got Talent. Nearly 50 Ohioans attended the convention and the Ohio Dinner.