December 2018 Chaplain s Corner In the Creation Covenant of Genesis, God shows the humans how to image Him in the decisions they make, how they act them out and the total goodness of the results of the divine choices in Creation. From the couples wrong choice in the Fall, throughout Salvation History we constantly see that humans forget their need to stay close to God and learn from Him how to make good choices and to avoid evil ones. The Hebrew Scriptures constantly show us the failure of humans, even the chosen People, to be faithful to imaging God in their limited free will choices. Grand Knight Merry Christmas to all! May the Christmas season be a pleasant and enjoyable one for all. Congratulations the Richard White and Daniel Webster who took their third degree at St Joan s in Aberdeen. The Council sponsored a workshop through the Nativity Ministry on November 17th. Over 15 families participated in making a nativity display cut from plywood. Several were from our council. Thanks to Ed Cooper, Tony Grato and Rob Suter for their support for this event and Jerry Wagner for taking the pictures. Even God s sending His People into Exile only keeps them close to God for a short period of time. So in the fullness of time, God comes to earth in Jesus Christ to show us a human life lived close to God and in image and likeness. One of the purposes of the Christian Gospels is to share with us some of the daily actions of Jesus to remain close to the Father: Knowledge of Sacred Scripture; a desire to fulfill them in His life; prayer that keeps the Father s will in Jesus everyday decisions, and a trust in the Father that strengthened His willingness to sacrifice and suffer to make God s will come to earth. The Father sends Jesus to earth as a human to concretely show us all; how to desire things, make choices act, them out and work towards results that are godly good. The Incarnation is about teaching us how to image God s goodness in our choices. This Christmas let us celebrate by making gift buying and giving choices that image God s gift of life and free will to all humans. Fr. Michael 1
Bel Air Council 4714 Monthly Schedule of Events First Tuesday - 7:30 pm - Business Meeting - open to KC members only Second Tuesday - 7:00 pm - Home Corporation Meeting - open to KC members and invited guests Third Tuesday - 7:00 pm - Social Meeting - open to general public Fourth Tuesday - 7:00 pm - Officers' Meeting - open to KC members and invited guests All Fridays - 7:00 pm - Bingo (board is lit) - open to the general public The Council provided food and donations to both St Mark and St Margaret parishes for the Thanksgiving holiday. A big thanks to Tom Krista who took the food to St Mark. Also on November 17th the Council acknowledged the altar servers from St Mark Parish. (see report later in this issue) The Memorial Mass was celebrated by Msgr. Schenning and assisted by Bernie Classon. The Fourth Degree with their presence added to the reverence of the occasion. The CLSO provided light fare and desserts. A very nice event and social time followed. Thanks to Bob Knorr for coordinating this event. Our January Business meeting will be held on Wednesday January 2nd. We will also be conducting a First Degree that evening. The Council will be providing the First Friday lunch at the St Margaret Mission on December 7th. Don t forget our Christmas Party at our next social on December 18th. Bring gifts for Birthright. The FIELDS Christmas party will be held on December 20 from 7-9 pm. Santa Claus will make an appearance. Take time this Christmas season to remember the reason for the season, the birth of Christ. Enjoy family and friends during this festive time. John Knapstein, Grand Knight, 410-692-9823 Jdk920488@gmail.com Council Activities Council Home A new railing along the curb was installed. Thanks to Bob Cassilly who donated funds to support the project and Ed Cooper who dug holes and poured concrete. Tim Knapstein delivered the railing from Havre de Grace. 2
Shirts for Sale Several size large shirts are for sale. They will be on display on meeting Sick and Deceased Please continue to pray for the following brothers and sisters: Pat Ruckle; Al Kramer; Chuck Duvall; Vernon West; Edie Krebs, wife of Brother Ron Krebs; Tony Grato; Pete Kozak; Margie Mack; Gilly Ann McNamara wife, of PGK Kevin McNamara, David Lavin, Tom Krista and our Chaplin, Father Michael Buttner. Please say the Rosary to Our Lady of Perpetual Help for these and any other brothers and sisters who are in poor health. Grand Knight John Knapstein was admitted to the hospital recently with some bleeding issues. He was released on Sunday afternoon with a minor diagnosis. He is doing well now and has assumed his regular duties. Thank you for your prayers. May the souls of the faithfully departed rest in peace and in God s Heavenly Kingdom. Amen. If anyone knows of a Brother who is sick or recently deceased, please notify me. Social meetings Third Tuesdays 18 December-- Christmas Party/Gifts for Birthright 15 January-- Souper Bowl Alive & Well Let us offer a prayer of thanksgiving to those of us who are in good health. Lecturers Program If you have an interesting topic you would like to share let Grand Knight John Knapstein know and you will be scheduled. Bingo Workers and Bartenders Needed If you can help out once or twice a month, that s ok. We can train you how to call back numbers. Same with bartenders. We can train you. Next bartender certification class is January 29 6-10 pm at the Council Home. Card Party Several members and their wives play cards on the second Monday of every month at the council home. If you need more information contact Dick. Dick Kozlowski 410-676-2892 3 Brothers Helping Brothers. If you need transportation to a doctor s office or hospital, call me. I will make every effort to find transportation for you. Also, if you are available and can provide transportation to a council member or his wife, please let me know. Your help is needed and will be greatly rewarded in heaven. When you are sick and/or disabled life becomes difficult and it is hard to get around. A special invitation to all our Fraternal Brothers, please come and join us in our monthly business and social meetings. Your input is vital to the success of our council and we really need your help and talent to continue and improve our programs. If you are good friends with a brother who has not been attending our business or social meetings, please invite him to attend.
Please remember to bring a canned good to each meeting. Your donation goes directly to Anna s House to help the poor and abused wives and children. This is part of our mission and why we exist. Thank you for your support. Tootsie Roll Program For the Council s annual Tootsie Roll Program, I would like to thank all Brother Knights who volunteered in the October 2018 program. It took 79 brothers to fill one or more of the 143 two-hour spaces. Our total gross collection for 2018 was $9,855.00, to be divided between the Arc and the Harford Center, after expenses. Monies collected as follows: Double T Diner took in $3,645.00 for 37.0% of the gross monies during (4 weekends with four, 9 AM to 1 PM Shifts on Sundays) Redner s took in $1,993.00 for 20.2% of gross monies during (2 weekends) St. Margaret Church and Mission took in $1,418.00 for 14.4% of gross monies for (1 weekend) Harvest Fare took in $1427.00 for 14.4% of gross monies during (2 weekends) Rock Spring Giant took in $661.00 for 6.7% of gross monies (1 weekend) St. Mark Church took in $710.00 for 7.2% of gross monies (1 weekend) A special thank you to all weekly captains: Jack Fuchs 4 weeks, Tom Krista 2 weeks, John Schaefer, Dick Delmonte and Bob Jump 1 weeks each. Thanks also to Charles Belli and AlDiCocco who made reminder calls. Last but not least my Co- Chairman Tony Lamancusa really came through for me when needed. May God bless and keep us all in His good graces, Paul Zarachowicz, Chairman Financial Secretary In mid-december I will mail out statements for 2019 dues. Annual dues remain $32 for members and $12 for honorary members. Dues are waived for Honorary life members and clergy. As in years past, I will provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope for you to 4 return your payment. I am looking into setting up a PayPal option for paying dues. This avoids the cost and hassle of mailing paper and writing checks. If you are interested in using PayPal, please contact me. Recently I have been pleading for us to increase our volunteer presence in our community and parishes. Response has been underwhelming. I am reaching out to other councils and other organizations, such as the AARP, for opportunities to partner in volunteering. If you are looking for opportunities to volunteer, or if there is a local cause that you want us to support, please contact me. Mark Zimmerman, Financial Secretary, intrepid21122@yahoo.com, cell/text 443-306-3989 Fraternal Benefits Update Your Beneficiaries Sometimes it is easy to overlook the simplest of things. Take, for example, the beneficiaries on your life insurance policies. If your policy was applied for and issued several years ago, it may very well be that the person you originally selected as the beneficiary is no longer the person you would want to receive the policy proceeds. If you bought the policy when you were single, for example, you may have named your parents as beneficiaries. If you have since married, your policies should be updated to reflect your spouse as beneficiary. Maybe you ve had children since, who are not named on the policies. Most people list a primary beneficiary, who is specifically designated as the first in priority to receive policy proceeds. We also encourage the naming of a contingent beneficiary, an alternate person designated to receive policy proceeds, usually in the event that the original beneficiary pre-deceases the insured. I routinely call all of my policyholders for annual review appointments, usually near the anniversary date of your policy that is, the date it was originally issued. One of the matters that I ll discuss during this review is the status of your beneficiary designations. If they need updating, and they often do, I can complete the paperwork during that appointment. I look forward to meeting with each of you to discuss your family s needs. Edward A. O Keefe, CLU, ChfC, 410-569-6141 Edward.okeefe@kofc.org http://okeefefinancialplanning.com
Community Activities Perry Point Program The Bel Air Council will be assisting patients at Perry Point on the first Sundays of the month. We will once again be looking for help on the first Sunday of December (2nd) for our turn to aid the patients at Perry Point. If you would like to join us, we leave from the McDonalds on 543 in Riverside at 9:30 AM, or you may want to join us at the Chapel in Perry Point at 10:00 AM. Mass is at 10:30 AM. After returning the patients to their various buildings, we usually return to Riverside by noon. If you are unable to help with patients, you are very welcome to join us at Mass. If you want more information call Tom Sutera at (410) 638-1096 or Pat Dolan at (410) 679-7058. Our thanks to all of our members, wives, and friends that help us aid our veterans each month. God Bless All of You. Tom Sutera Veterans News To begin with, a very special thanks to all who have been supporting our programs at Perry Point VA Hospital. Aside from our weekly support of the Sunday Mass we have supported their annual Fall Festival along with members of CLSO our ladies organization. It is that time of the year for Flu Shots and hopefully all of us who have any contact with our veterans have or will soon get these shots. If you have not received this shot you are encouraged to wear a face mask when working with patients. Some good news to report is that all of the homes that have been rehabbed at PPVA have been occupied by homeless vets and their families. Additionally, the Eastern Clinic, which replaces Fort Howard Clinic, is expected to open in February. This clinic is located adjacent to Franklin Square Hospital which makes it very convenient for many veterans in this area. Since we are now in the Christmas Season many events are being planned for our veterans, among them the distribution of gifts which occurs on December 21st. If you are interested in the packing and distributing gifts please contact this writer. Again, on behalf of our veterans, Thank You and May You and Your Family Enjoy a Blessed Christmas Season. W. Wayne Davis, Jr., PGK, VAVS Rep, 443-956-9572 Church Activities St. Mark will be holding its annual Christmas Blood Drive on Thursday, December 20 at the White Hall Building. We will need assistance in signing parishioners after the Masses on the two weekends prior to the actual blood drive. If you are able and in good health, please consider giving the gift of life. This is possibly the best Christmas present you could give a total stranger. Youth Activities The keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest judging was held at our November Social Meeting. The winners will be announced in our January publication. The winners of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will receive gift cards of $25, $15, and $10 respectively. The awards will be given out at St. Margaret s Christmas rehearsal, (date to be announced). St. Mark s 3rd annual Altar Server Dinner was held on Saturday, November 17, following the 4:00pm Mass. The Mass celebrated the Patron Saint of Altar Servers, St. John Berchmans. Dinner was held at the White Hall Building this year where forty-eight altar servers and adults attended. Many thanks to District Deputy Steve Conley for acting as MC for the evening, and brothers George Hector who is also president of the t. MRK Church Council, Troy Conley, and the chief chef, Tony Lamancusa for helping to make this event a great success. St. Margaret s Altar Server dinner will be held on December 8. Details of this event will be published in our January issue. Certificates of appreciation will be given to each altar server. 5
the big celebration. The following is our schedule for December: Fr. Jerry posing with the attending altar servers. December 1, 2018 St. Mark s Winter Wonders Festival - 9AM 3PM December 2, 2018 2PM CLSO Christmas Party At Giovanni s. $33. pp contact Sharon DiMatteo for reservations. December 13, 2018 Luncheon/Business meeting at 510 Johnny s - 12:30 P.M. We will be setting the schedule for our winter and spring meetings. Our Saint for the Month is St. Rose Philippine Duchesne and our Color of the Month is Rose. Wear or carry a rose or rose colored clothing. December 20, 2018 - FIELDS Christmas Party - volunteers should be at the hall by 5 PM. We participated in the Veteran s Autumn Fair at Perry Point in October and held a Bingo for the Vets at Perry Point on Nov 28th. Everyone had a great time. Our December Birthday Lady is Diane Custer 12/13. Pray for the health of Jean Hess. Come play BINGO with us on Friday nights at the Newport Room Doors open 5:30 and the games begin at 7:30. Support our Knights and purchase one or more Ladies Game, this is a split the pot game - so the more you buy the more you can win! It is also one of our favorite fund raisers. Catholic Ladies Service Organization Hi everybody, Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Christmas will be here in a flash and CLSO is getting ready for Wishing everyone a Happy, Holy Christmas. Respectfully submitted, Dolores (Dee) Kozlowski, President Catholic Ladies Service Organization 410-676-2862 dkozlowski247@gmail.com 6
News from Supreme Knights of Columbus holding nationwide tour of Curé of Ars Heart The Shrine of Ars, France, has entrusted to the Knights of Columbus the major relic of St. Jean Vianney s incorrupt heart for a national tour in the U.S., from November 2018 through early June 2019. City, State Location Date(s) New Orleans, LA Pensacola, FL St. Rita Catholic Church Basilica of St. Michael Birmingham, AL Cathedral of St. Paul 12/01/2018 to 12/02/2018 12/03/2018 to 12/04/2018 12/06/2018 The Knights of Columbus welcomes this special opportunity to offer for veneration a major relic of the patron of parish priests, whose holiness and integrity is a model for clergy and laity alike. Please find below the pilgrimage s schedule. The schedule will be updated as new locations are added. Please visit http://kofc.org/en/events/vianney.html for updated schedule and other details. Atlanta, GA Washington, DC Holy Spirit Catholic Church Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception 12/07/2018 to 12/08/2018 12/09/2018 to 12/12/2018 For questions, please email vianney@kofc.org. Gales Ferry, CT Our Lady of Lourdes Church 12/13/2018 Baltimore, MD Archdiocese of Baltimore 1/7/2019 to 1/13/2019 In between public events, the relic will be traveling to seminaries, religious houses, and other locations for private veneration. 7