October 2009 Knights of Columbus Mater Dei Council Inside this issue: GK s Message 1 DD s Report 2 Tootsie Rolls 3 Advocate / Flag 4 Calendar 5 Popes on Rosary "Among all the devotions approved by the Church none has been so favored by so many miracles as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary." - Pope Pius IX "Of all prayers rosary is the most beautiful and the richest in graces; of all it is the one which is most pleasing to Mary, the Virgin Most Holy. Therefore, love the Rosary and recite it every day with devotion: this is the testament which I leave unto you so that you may remember me by it." - St. Pius X "There is no surer means of calling down God's blessings upon the family... than the daily recitation of the Rosary." - Pope Pius XI GK s Message Knights Of Columbus Mater Dei Council #9774 http://www.kofc9774.org My Brothers All, With the Fall season is upon us, we have completed our first quarter of the fraternal year. In the first quarter, our focus was organizing the new council s administration and establishing operational plans to achieve our goals for the year. As you may recall, our three primary goals for this year are related to the improvement of communication, participation and financial resources. Operationally, we have taken some steps towards achieving our goals. For the communication objective, we appointed Tony Cammarota as our council s reporter to cover the events and Warden Federica Sologuren is working on improving our websites. For participation, we are reaching out to our membership by contacting you to assist in our council s programs and membership drive efforts. Financially, we are discussing and researching new events to increase our budget. If you have any ideas for fund raisers, please email me your suggestions, they are greatly appreciated. The new ideas are great, but we must remain diligent with our on-going programs. I ask that you sell or buy your quota of raffle tickets. As you may recall from the budget published last month, 15% of our annual operating expensing are funded from the raffle. The council retains 60% of the gross receipts. The sale of Entertainment Books funds 12% of our budget. Please purchase one. These two fund raiser are our largest source of revenue next to the membership dues. Remember, our annual operating revenue for the council is only $13,500; most of the money we raise every year is given to charity. I would greatly appreciate your support. In September, our First Degree Program installed four new members to our council. We welcome our new Knights. We hosted our first monthly Coffee & Donut event at St. Raphael s after the Sunday masses. Our Council will host that event the third Sunday of each month. Please contact Warden Federico Sologuren, if you are interested in helping. Our Council s Program Chairman Dick Jasinski did not excellent job organizing the cooking task for St. Raphael s Church Picnic. Our Tootsie Roll Chairman Don Novotny has been busy organizing this year s drive. If you have an hour or two to help, please contact Don at 301-424-6772. He is always looking for volunteers. Please know I was welcome ideas and suggestions for improving our Council. God Bless, Don J. Titzman Grand Knight Mater Dei Council
Page 2 October 2009 The Blue Mantle DD s Report By E. Roberto Ibáñez, DD #18 My Brothers all, During my visits to each of the councils in our district, one theme gets repeated often: Membership. And I know many raise their eyes to heaven and say: Here we go again. But the simple fact is that if we don t bring more members to each council, that council will die. Just ask each of your Financial Secretaries: how many members died last year? How many transferred out? How many were either dropped out or withdrew? If we don t replenish those numbers, we will dwindle and die. Recruiting Catholic men to become Knights is a DUTY all of us should share. It requires us to ask a worthy man to become a member. It also requires us to be prepared to answer his questions concerning what it means and what it takes to become a Knight. Let me offer you again some pointers I listed last year to aid you in this effort. I believe it s worth repeating. We are a Catholic, fraternal, family, service organization. The Knights of Columbus is not a men's social club. It is an organization designed to help Catholic men strengthen their faith, to support the Catholic Church and the Holy Father, to increase family relationships between members and their wives and children, to foster development of close friendships between Catholic men, to guide men to become involved in assisting the needy, to enhance the financial security of our families, and last, but not least, to enhance our love for our country and its flag. The Order's basic principles are charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism, and our programs are created to serve Church, community, council, family and youth. Each year, Councils develop a wide array of activities and programs keyed to these central principles and objectives. Does every Catholic man need help in all these areas? With our demanding business and family obligations, can every Catholic man become involved in all of these activities? Of course, the answer to both questions is "No." Actually, being a member of the Knights of Columbus means different things to different men, and to their families. For example: a man with growing children may need help reinforcing the value of a moral life as a role model for his children. With us he can become involved in activities with other men who share his values, thus demonstrating to his children the acceptability of living a faith-directed life. To a man who is new to the community or a recent convert to the faith, the Knights offer opportunities to develop social relationships with other Catholic families in the Parish. If a man feels the need to give back to the community and to help the disadvantaged, through the Knights he and his family can join others to support a particular charity or the community in a way that would not be possible as a single individual. Does membership in the Knights require a major time commitment? Easy answer: No. The strength of our Order is its diversity of activities. Unless a man accepts a position as an officer, members may participate in only those activities that are significant to themselves and their families. In truth, membership in the Knights can be reconciled with, and actually enrich, otherwise busy lives. Is it expensive to be a member? No. The annual dues range from $30 to $50 from one Council to another. These dues are a major source of funds for operation of the Council, including supplies, refreshments at meetings, organization of family and youth programs, etc. Are there other benefits of membership? You better believe it! Membership brings benefits which include a rosary, the monthly Columbia magazine, access to the top rated insurance and annuity programs, access to long-term care insurance, accidental death coverage for member and spouse at no cost, eligibility for various scholarships, the opportunity to build personal leadership skills, and a list too long to include here. Ask your Fraternal Benefits Advisor how the proceeds of our insurance policies are used. You ll be astounded! I hope you get to put these pointers to good use, and I ll see you at our next 1st Degree Exemplification! Fraternally, E. Roberto Ibáñez, PGK District Deputy No. 18 "We are Called to Serve"
Page 3 The Mater Dei s Tootsie-Roll Campaign has started. The Campaign helps to raise money for Montgomery County children who are intellectually disadvantaged. The funds go to a number of local organizations including the local schools that have programs for these youngsters. Above is a picture of some of the Knights that participated in the Tootsie Roll Campaign this year on a recent weekend at some local grocery stores. Mater Dei Knights outside local grocery stores on autumn weekends has become a community tradition, and our presence and purpose are well received and warmly appreciated by virtually everyone. It is amazing how generously shoppers contribute to this Campaign. From Campaigns in previous years the community has come to expect to see the Knights at the local stores in the Fall and they are friendly and generously. To those who have never participated, the routine is simple: signboards posted curbside at each location mostly speak for themselves so the volunteer's role is mainly to smile a lot, greet each customer and invite their support and to hand out a tootsie roll as a token of appreciation. It can be lots of fun. The Mater Dei Tootsie Roll Campaign continues every weekend throughout October and every Knight that can needs to participate. The success of the Campaign depends on everyone participating. The amount collected depends DIRECTLY upon the number of volunteers and the number of 2 hour time slots that each volunteer to for. Even those who due to age or disability need to sit The Blue Mantle rather than stand can simply bring a chair and still be very effective. Call as soon as possible to arrange one or more time slots. Call early so you have the best chance of getting at slot at your favorite local store or at a time that is best for your schedule. To arrange a time slot contact either. Don Novotny 301-424-6772 (email naldc@msn); Tom Luxner 301-610-6040 (email lux4run@mac.com) or Jack Wohlhieter 301-424-7926 (email j-ml-wohl@comcast.net)
Page 4 Advocate Advisory Many Knights take their first, second and third degrees and very seldom return to observe as a member rather than a participant. This is sad because you really understand the lessons of the degrees greater each time you see it. You will gain an even greater understanding of the degrees and the lessons being taught by becoming a member of the Degree Team. All Degree Teams require new team members to sustain their ability to put on the degrees each year as team members age, move or retire and are no longer able to carry out their assignments. Each degree requires more team members than the previous degree. I will briefly explain each degree in the following paragraphs. The First Degree is a member s initial introduction to the Order and states that we are guided by the principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. The First Degree concentrates on charity as without charity the other principles have very little meaning. Each Council has a First Degree Team and puts on Degrees for its members. The Second Degree is conducted under the District Deputy and is done throughout the District for the councils that are members of that district primarily but members of councils in other districts may attend. The Second Degree teaches the principal of unity and stresses how important unity is. The Third Degree teaches the principle of fraternity, makes you a full member in the Order and is conducted under the State Deputy with a state wide team. This degree is conducted around the state primarily on Friday nights with an occasional Saturday or Sunday degree. If you have taken your Third Degree and never returned to witness it, do yourself a favor and do it at the next opportunity. There are degrees at Rock Creek Council in Bethesda and Holy Family in Silver Spring this year. As you can imagine The Blue Mantle the Third Degree brings together the largest groups and therefore requires the most team members. If you have charity in your heart and really want to contribute, this would be a great way to do it. If you have any questions, contact the Grand Knight or myself for more information. The Fourth Degree teaches the principal of patriotism and is conducted under the auspices of the Fourth Degree Master. This degree has the color corps which is the most visible group of Knights to many outside our Order. The Degrees are a very important function of the Knights and need the active support of the membership. Please consider stepping forward and helping to usher new Knights through their degrees just as people were there to help you through your degrees. Fraternally, Richard Weller, Advocate Flag & Ice Cream On Thursday, October 15, 2009, at 7:00 PM the Sullivan Brothers Assembly will conduct a Flag Retirement Ceremony at Montgomery Council, 17001 Overhill Rd, Derwood MD 20744. The Assembly will collect flags to be retired. Tattered or worn flags can be brought to the assembly on meeting nights, the 1 st and 3 rd Thursday, or you can bring them with you on the 15 th. The flag retirement ceremony is an emotional and moving experience that you will never forget. You do not have to be a 4 th degree Knight to attend the ceremony or the Ice Cream Social that follows. Spouses are certainly welcome. If you have any questions please contact Jack Giacalone, Faithful Navigator at 301 774 6338. Hope to see you then.. BE THERE TO WIN! At every meeting attendees have the option of participating in the Attendance Award drawing for $1 each. The name drawn at the September 10 meeting was Joseph Bertone, who was not present. The money collected at meetings in which there is no winner is placed in the fund until a winner is picked at a future meeting. August Family of the Month Congratulations to Federico Sologuren and his wife Rosmary as family of the month for August. Federico is from La Paz, Bolivia where he earned an engineering degree. He came to the USA in 1988, and has been employed as a payload engineer by Intelsat. His activities include soccer coach, Montgomery County Roadrunners Club, and has run in the Boston Marathon four times, helped to raise money for multiple sclerosis through the Intelsat bicycle team, and is a swim team official. He has been married for over 25 years and has four children. His offices in Mater Dei include Chancellor and Warden since joining the Knights three years ago.
KEY CONTACTS GRAND KNIGHT Don Titzman, 830-583-5166 don.titzman@occ.treas.gov DEPUTY GRAND KNIGHT Ted Tate, 301-762-1367 tatejms@aol.com CHANCELLOR John Li, 301-424-2713, jli@fbw.com WARDEN Federico Sologuren, 301-983-5894 RECORDER Tony Cammarota, 301-424-6138 vacmac@aol.com TREASURER Eric Gregrich, 301-598-0998 eric.kofc@verizon.net ADVOCATE Dick Weller, 301-990-8185 jrhwellers@verizon.net FINANCIAL SECRETARY John Frey, 301-424-3386 kofcjfrey@comcast.net LECTURER Larry Boesch, 301-762-7134 larrypb41@aol.com GUARDS Dick Bianchi, 301-279-7244 Maurice Brice, 301-340-0781 John Kent, 240-477-8662 Don Novotny, 301-424-6772 Brian Bazczewski, 301-340-1836 Ray Gasper, 301-340-6523 TRUSTEES Robert McCaffrey, 301-251-5225 bmacc38@yahoo.com Bill Shaffer, 301-762-1735 billshaffer_kofc@verizon.net Wilsie Adams, 301-924-1422 wadams@whalaw.com INSURANCE FIELD AGENT Rick Morin, 301-384-7627 DISTRICT DEPUTY Roberto Ibáñez, 301-445-3238 eribanez@comcast.net Program Director: TDB Membership Director: TDB Council Program: Mike Donahue 301-424-6041, mpdonahue@xcomcast.net Church Program: Wilsie Adams Community Program: Tom Schneider Youth Program: John Li 301-424-2713, jli@fbw.com Editor, Blue Mantle: Camille Ng 240-686-0808, cam1000@gmail.com Message Board Please note that our Web Site has moved to www.kofc9774.org. Knights of Columbus Mater Dei Council #9774 Articles are due on the 25 th by noon. Whenever possible, please submit early. Show the Lord s gentleness in your dealings with one another, and look down on no one. - Saint Polycarp Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God. Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Mat 18:3-4). Schedule of Events: October - November 2009 Tue Oct 6, Executive Board, 7-10pm, Duffy Small Room Thu Oct 8, Business Meeting, 8-10pm, Duffy 4&6 Sat Oct 10, Blood Drive, 8am-2pm, Trumpet Sat Oct 10, Columbus Day Ball, Glen Burnie Sun Oct 18, Coffee & Donuts, Trumpet Thu Oct 22, Social Meeting, 7-10pm, Duffy 4&6 Tue Nov 1, Executive Board, 7-10pm, Duffy Small Room Thu Nov 10, Business Meeting, 8-10pm, Duffy 4&6 Sun Nov 20, Coffee & Donuts, Trumpet Tue Nov 22, Open House, 7-10pm, Duffy Small Room Thu Nov 24, First Degree, 7-10pm, Duffy 4&6 The Blue Mantle is a publication of Knights of Columbus, Mater Dei Council No. 9774, Rockville, MD. It is an unofficial publication and does not represent official opinion of the Knights of Columbus. It is published monthly.
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