GRAND KNIGHT'S REPORT MEMBERSHIP ANNIVERSARIES INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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1 GRAND KNIGHT'S REPORT Brother Knights, The birth of Jesus brings us the good news that we are loved immensely and uniquely by God and he not only enables us to know his love, but he also gives it to us; he communicates it to us! (from Pope Francis) I am very appreciative for your continued support for all our programs and projects. Our two (2) newest Knights, Steve Amato and Ed Warzywak have already made their 2nd Degree and are ready to move up to full Knighthood as soon as their schedules agree. Please congratulate PGK Doug Blair for being the recipient of the Bernie Kocis award. He is most worthy of the award. Christmas is just around the corner. Please do not forget the less fortunate by supporting our Food Pantry and Parish Giving Tree. Don t forget the Council Christmas Party at Jeff and Karen Befumos on December 19th. Please RSVP Jeff and Karen by December 17th. Grand Knight Lee Bennett (703) LBennett39@gmail.com BIRTHDAYS The following Ascension Council knights will be celebrating December or January birthdays: Year Number 4 December 2015-January 2016 ascensioncouncil9285.org Page 1 Andy Baronavski, PGK Alfred Caporaletti Stephen Daniels Edward Henderson Brian Kline William McCabe Christopher Potvin Michael Ragan Juan Rivera Clement Ryan Chris Sherrill William Tully K. Tony Anakor David Varnes Billy Antley Ray Bazan Ronald DeSpirito Guy Guiffre Bill Hechmer, PGK John Hon Kenneth Mathiasmeier David Mundt Mark Pahla Ray Stearns James Yuengert MEMBERSHIP ANNIVERSARIES The following Ascension Council knights will be celebrating their membership anniversaries in December or January (years as a knight shown): Gordon Tassi (44) Bob Salm (39) Michael Doheney (32) Gerald Moore (30) Tony Bado, PGK (29) George Braun (28) Bill Hechmer, PGK (28) Richard Rocha (28) Neil Pellegrino (27) Wallace Geiger, Jr. (23) Joseph Briganti (19) John Hon (19) John Cunha (18) Ken Henz (18) Todd Ketch (16) Michael DeVera (16) Paul Hillenbrand (15) Pat McKeown, PGK (15) William T. Miller (15) Salomon Carias (13) Wayne Brown (12) Rick Crete, PGK (12) Ray Stearns (12) David Watjen (9) Joe Fox, PGK (6) Peter Burr (5) Erik Rosado (5) Patrick Pierpoint (3) Joseph Brazil (2) Jason Terrell (2) Christopher Thibideaux (2) INSIDE THIS ISSUE BIRTHDAYS... 1 CALENDAR DEGREE SCHEDULE... 5 EDITORS CORNER... 8 FAMILY OF THE MONTH... 7 FIELD AGENT... 6 GRAND KNIGHT'S REPORT... 1 KCIC SALES 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 October and November looking forward to December, January and February. 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 second Corporate Communion was held Sunday, November 29 th at the 9 AM Mass with the rosary at 8:30 AM. The third will be January 31 st, 2016, 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 We cannot thank you enough for the outpouring of support for the Father Devan Water Project! Thanks to your donations we were able to exceed the $3,000 in matching funds. As of November 23 rd with the matching funds we collected, $6465 in donations from the council! Thanks to all who have contributed to this worthy cause. If you haven't yet donated, please consider donating. Please make the check out to "Sacred Heart" with "Fr Devan Water Project" on the comment line. Mail checks to: PGK Patrick McKeown, Champlain Drive, Manassas VA You can also put the check in our box by the council's bulletin board by the parish office. Pancake Breakfast Sacred Heart Catholic Church is providing financial support for our church s Sister Parish in Honduras as well as clothing and other items as needed. Ascension Council #9285 conducted a Pancake on November 22 nd to provide financial resources for this parish. 132 parishioners and family members attended the breakfast. The breakfast was a great success both financially and socially in that we were able to include a number of our Honduran visitors in the group of Knights that prepared and served the breakfast. A lot of good fellowship was had and I believe some friendships were developed. A good foundation of KofC support was established with this group of Catholic visitors from Honduras. The following Brother Knights, family and Honduran visitors contributed unselfishly to the success of the Pancake Breakfast: Bill Miller, PGK, Camden Miller, John Brady, PGK, Andrew Brady, Bill Hechmer, PGK, Jack Kapp, Joe Fox, PGK, Bill Klug, Dixie Zum Brunnen, Tom Zum Brunnen, PGK, Alex Blair, Jason Terrell, Lee Bennett and Suzanne Johnson and from our Sister Parish: Father Ramon a. Maradiaga, Vicotor a. zuniga Lagos, Sofia d. Mendoza Hernandez. Thanks again for all of your help!! Praise God!!! Page 2 KCIC Sales We will continue selling Keep Christ in Christmas cards and car magnets on November 21 st after all Masses through December 13 th. We have a very nice selection of cards and magnets. "Our "Keep Christ in Christmas program is more important than ever. Our work to Keep Christ in Christmas helps everyone remember that you can't have Christmas without Christ" (from Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight) 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 6th and 7th.

3 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. Membership The council held a membership drive after all Masses on the weekend of October 3 rd and 4 th resulting in two new members, Steve Amato and Ed Warzywak. Remember, for each new or former member you recruit you will receive a medallion of Pope Francis and 2000 VIP Points. This special incentive will be in place until December 31 st. PGK Dinner The PGK Dinner was held at Anthony's Restaurant on November 7 th at 6 PM. A big Thanks to PGK s Joe Fox- MC and Bill Miller for planning the PGK s dinner for PGK Pat McKeown. We had over 40 Knights and family on hand to honor the PGK. Thank you all for your continued support of Pat. The council achieved the Columbian Award for Fraternal Year under the leadership of our PGK Pat McKeown. PGK Bill Hechmer was the Honoree for their 1 st Degree. Page 3

4 Memorial Mass The Memorial Mass for our deceased Knights occurred on Monday night November 2 nd. (All Souls Day) A bell was rung to remember each member, the Fourth Degree provided a color guard and the Mass ended with a tribute on the bagpipes. 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: Super Bowl Raffle Super Bowl Raffle tickets are coming soon. The sales of these tickets between January 23 rd and February 7 th allow us to support a number of charities as every cent is given away. Jack Kapp will once again be running this activity. Fraternal Benefits Night The Knights of Columbus Ascension Council at Sacred Heart Church is sponsoring an Estate, Tax, and Business Planning Workshop by Attorney James P. Seidl for the members of the parish and Knights of the Ascension Council. The seminar will be held in the Parish Hall on Tuesday, January 19 th starting at 7 PM. Couples and individuals are cordially welcomed. Attorney Seidl is an experienced estate planning attorney, who the past twenty years has prepared estate and business plans for 1700 clients, including over 600 brother Knights and their families. He is a Fourth Degree Knight and Past Grand Knight. Mr. Seidl will provide a MOST interesting and informative guide for Estate Planning. He will have handout materials and slide copies for attendees to facilitate understanding the numerous elements for effectively planning for you and your family s future. Also, the good news is that there is no cost to attendees and refreshments will be available for those attending. Christmas Party The Council Christmas Party will be held at Jeff and Karen Befumo s home on December 19 th at 6 PM. Please RSVP Jeff and Karen by December 17 th. Please Page 4 bring an appetizer or dessert to share and one or more white elephant gift(s) to exchange. Council Meetings We will continue to pray the rosary prior to our business meetings starting at 7 PM. Our next two 1st Degrees will be held during our Business meetings on Januar 14 th and Feburary 11 th. Each meeting will be short and expedited. The Planning Meeting for December will be held one week early on December 17 th in the Parish Hall at 7:30 PM to avoid conflicts with Christmas Eve. The Planning Meetings for January and February will be held on the fourth Thursday of each month at 7:30 PM in the chapel to avoid conflicts with Faith Fest. 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. New Year s Eve Party Mark your calendars now for a New Year s Eve party on December 31 st in the Church Hall. Details to follow. Lenten Meals Ash Wednesday comes on February 10 th in We will hold our Gumbo Night on Fat Tuesday, February 9 th and 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 brothers McKeown and Huszcza. The season starts Sunday December 6 th and 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

5 CYO Pancake Breakfast A pancake breakfast will be held in the parish hald after the first three Masses on January 3 rd to support the CYO program. 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. ARC Holiday Decorations Brother Knights, tis' the season to brighten the Arc home in Dale City with our Christmas lights. You are invited to join PGK/PFN/DD Bryan Roberts with your friends and family members to install lights across the front of the home at 5562 Neddleton Avenue, Dale City, VA on December 5 th beginning at 9:30 AM. Please bring a string of lights and plan on spending about 30 minutes with your friends. More information about Arc of Greater Prince William can be found at: who are eligible for KOVAR funds. If you have any questions or need directions, call Bryan at (703) 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). March For Life 2016 I signed up! Have you? Every January 22 nd, scores of thousands of peaceful pro-life demonstrators from all over the nation and the world gather in Washington D.C. to protest the Supreme Court s decision following Roe v. Wade. This year marks the 43 rd anniversary of the decision to legalize abortion, which contradicts our belief that life begins at the moment of conception. The theme for this year s March is, Pro-Life + Pro-Woman Go Page 5 Hand-in-Hand. The March for Life 2016 Rally will begin on Friday, January 22 nd, 2016, at Noon, at the grounds of the Washington Monument near 15 th Street and Constitution. From there, pro-lifers will begin marching from the Rally Stage along Constitution Avenue and will end in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building. As in previous years, Virginia Knights of Columbus will be the marshals for the March. One hundred marshals are needed to provide assistance to the pro-lifers, dignitaries, and keynote speakers both for the Rally and March. To volunteer as a marshal, or other specialty duties, please take a minute to sign up using this link to ( the Sign Up Genius page, or contact Thom Harrington. 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 12/5/ Warrenton 11:00 AM 1st 12/15/2015 SEAS; 8183 Woodbridge 7:30 PM 3rd 1/16/ Portsmouth 11:00 AM 1st 1/20/2016 JP1; 7165 Manassas 7:30 PM 2nd 1/26/16 JP1; 7165 Manassas 7:30 PM 3rd 1/30/ Fairfax 11:00 AM 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

6 FIELD AGENT Long-Term Care Plans Offer Peace of Mind Since its addition to the Order s product portfolio in 2000, long-term care (LTC) insurance has provided the Knights of Columbus with an excellent opportunity to further serve members and their families. And, for our long-term care policy holders in the United States, there s an added bonus. It s called Provider Pathway, a program offering access to a network of long-term care providers at discounted rates. The network includes discounts on products, such as hearing aids, diabetic supplies, personal emergency response systems, and durable medical equipment, as well as skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, and adult day care. Eligibility for participation in this program is open to Knights of Columbus long-term care insurance policyholders, their spouses, dependent children, parents and parents-in-law. All providers are fully credentialed and meet state licensing requirements. If you haven t yet spoken with me about long-term care insurance, you owe it to yourself to do so. There are a few decisions to make in choosing a plan a comprehensive plan that covers care whether you re at home or in a facility, or one that covers facility only; daily benefit amounts and benefit durations (how much and how long it will last); and the length of the elimination period (waiting period) before benefits kick-in. Having a professionally trained agent and a brother Knight you can trust to help guide you through the process is yet another valuable benefit that comes with your membership. Take advantage of it; contact me today. $100 Billion Life Insurance in Force I write to you today to share some wonderful news. On November 3 rd your Knights of Columbus surpassed $100 Billion of life insurance in force, further cementing our position as one of the largest life insurers in North America. It is a tremendous achievement, and one that we should all celebrate let me tell you why. It s not about the number. It s not that $100 Billon isn t impressive it is. It s not that it doesn t matter it does. But it s about the purpose and the potential of those dollars, not the dollars in and of themselves. It s $100 billion of protection for brother Knights and their families. It s $100 billion of real money, waiting to be paid out, to keep the hopes and dreams of Catholic families alive when a breadwinner suddenly dies. It s a $100 billion promise that our members have entrusted to us. I smile when I see that number. I smile, not because I like big numbers. It s not the number that impresses me. But the Supreme Council office tells me that on an average night that 74 brother Knights passed away. 74 of them. And yet only 30 have insurance with the Knights of Columbus. There are 44 widows somewhere out there to whom we have nothing to give. To be sure we have prayers, and dinners, and fundraisers. But we don t have enough. We don t have enough to send the children to school. We don t have enough to save the family home. We don t have enough to make a terrible time easier. That $100 billion number makes me smile because I know that bringing that number up, means bringing the number of unprotected widows down. I know that sometime in the not too distant future, 100 will become 150, and 150 will become 200, and subsequently the number of brother Knights left uninsured at the time of their death will decrease, the number of widows and orphans provided for will increase, and Catholic families will flourish, despite the odds, because of the diligent planning of a brother Knight just as Father McGivney would have wanted. What a tremendous number. What a point of pride for you and for me. For those of you that have given the Knights of Columbus the privilege of helping to protect your family s financial future: thank you for your trust. For those of you that haven t yet: there has never been a better time to turn to your Knights of Columbus. We are here to protect you, just as Father McGivney intended us to be. That is a claim that no other company can ever make. We are the premier Catholic insurance company, and we are yours. And be sure to follow me on Linked IN and Facebook! Harrington-Knights-of-Columbus- Insurance/ ?fref=ts Field Agent Thom Harrington Thomas.Harrington@kofc.org 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. PGK Tony Bado and his family were named Family of the Month for June. KNIGHT OF THE MONTH The following Knights were recognized by the Grand Knight for their contributions to the council, parish and community: Bob Richards and PGK Pat McKeown were named Knight of the Month for September. Joe Gerhart and his family was named Family of the Month for September. PGK George Darnell was named Knight of the Month for October. John Keast and his family named as Family of the Month for August. Page 7

8 EDITOR S CORNER Welcome to our latest newsletter. 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 February-March 2016 issue I will need articles by Saturday, January 30 th. Please mark these dates on your calendar and plan ahead to meet these deadlines. The softcopy file of this newsletter, koc1215.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 8

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10 January 2016 Page 10

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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 Doug Blair, 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