The Blue Mantle GK s Report This is my first message to you as Grand Knight of Mater Dei Council. As you may know the final election for Grand Knight and Deputy Grand Knight was held on Thursday evening, June 26. As the saying goes: Better late than never! I greatly appreciate your confidence and am honored by the opportunity to serve as Grand Knight. Your additional slate of officers for this new Columbian Year 2014-2015 is excellent and ready to provide the support necessary to keep our council energized and moving forward in a very positive manner. Tom Baughan, Dpty Grd Kngt Larry Boesch, Chancellor Michael Watson, Warden Don Titzman, Recorder Eric Gregrich, Treasurer John Frey, Financial Secretary Tony Cammarota, Advocate Bob Walsh, Guard Dick Bianchi, Guard John Corso, Lecturer Pete Zaudtke, Trustee Pat DeGraba, Trustee joe Doane, Trustee I recently met with our new Deputy Grand Knight Tom Baughan, our new Chancellor PGK Larry Boesch, our new Knights Of Columbus Mater Dei Council #9774 http://www.kofc9774.org Warden Michael Watson, and our immediate PGK joe Doane to firm up our near-term calendar of events. Additional efforts will be needed to reach farther into the future, building on the tried and true fund raisers for the Council and introducing attractive new activities. Our formal Installation Ceremony and dinner is set for September 6. I would be remiss if I did not ask you to join me in acknowledging the tireless efforts of PGK joe Doane, and the many contributions of his executive team, during the Columbian year just ended. Once again, the highly successful Garage Attic Sale (GAS) has provided the Council with a substantial portion of its Charitable fund raising proceeds. Without the able leadership of PGK joe Doane and the assistance of many, many volunteers, this major activity could not have achieved such a noteworthy result. Please see the additional article on GAS in this issue. I also want to give special recognition to the efforts of PGK Pat De- Graba who managed the Council s raffle ticket sales last Fall, resulting in a donation to the State Scholarship Fund of nearly $2,000 and netted approximately $2,500 for the Council. There is an article regarding the 2104 raffle tickets in this issue. July 2014 Because you will receive this issue of the Blue Mantle in mid-month, three articles were sent to you individually over the past two weeks so that you would have the information in a timelier manner. They are repeated in this issue: Request for GAS nominations; What s Happening; and the Outing for a Frederick Keys game. Finally, our success in the current Columbian Year 2014-2015 will necessarily be measured by the extent that each of us steps up to provide a positive force toward the management and support of the Council s activities. It is a given that all of us have many competing demands for our time, but I urge you to RECALL AND RENEW THE ENTHUSI- ASM with which you joined the Knights and plan to participate generously and thoughtfully throughout the coming year. John Hoyle Grand Knight Mater Dei Council 9774
What s Happening Now? The Council was given a preview of the July schedule in the June Blue Mantle issue. The only changes we ve made in that schedule are postponing the Installation & Dinner from July 26 to September 6, and cancelling the proposed Social Meeting. Since the elections were not completed until June 26, there was insufficient time to properly coordinate the various elements needed for an Installation in July. The Installation of Officers is now scheduled for Saturday, September 6, 2014, at St. Raphael s Church after the 5 pm Mass. Distribution of Gas proceeds will also need to be scheduled in August or September. (See separate article on GAS.) Two additional events are scheduled for August. 1) The annual Car Raffle tickets and e-book sales will begin after the Masses on Weekend, August 2-3; and, 2) we ll have an opportunity to see the Frederick Keys baseball club in action on August 9. (See separate article regarding the game.) Date Time Event Location 7/10/2014 7:30 PM Business Meeting Duffy Ctr Rooms 4&6 7/12&13/2014 TBD Grand Knights Seminar Solomons, MD 8/2&3/2014 After Mass Car Raffle Tickets; e-book sales Church Grounds 8/9/2014 6:00 PM Frederick Keys Game Frederick, MD 8/14/2014 7:30 PM Business Meeting Duffy Ctr Rooms 4&6 GAS Nominations Nominations for distribution of proceeds collected from the recent Garage-to-Attic Sale (GAS 14) are solicited from those who worked the 2014 GAS. Garage-to-Attic Sale (GAS 2014) Nominations are to be submitted providing charity recipient information as follows: 1) The name of the charity; 2) A point of contact (the name of a person) for correspondence with the charity; 3) A phone number for this person; An address for the charity; 4) A description of the work done by the charity; 5) A description of how the money might be used by the charity; 6) The amounts received in previous years by the charity (if known); 7) The proposed amount to be received this year; 8) The proposer s statement regarding his involvement with the charity being nominated; 9) The neediness of the proposed recipient; 10) The efficiency of the Charity in utilizing the funds. The nominations are to be submitted via e-mail or U.S. Mail, and are due by July 31 st, 2014, for deliberation by Mater Dei Council Charities, Inc. (MDCCI, the Charity Fund ) Board. The MDCCI Board will decide, based on the information received from the nominations, on the awardees and the award amounts for this year. It is planned to cut checks, and send them to the recipient charities in August. The GAS award ceremony will be held at a later time, preferably in conjunction with another event. The recipient charities will be invited to attend and provide a brief report on how the GAS award was used in their work. Nominations shall be e-mailed to: PGK Peter Zaudtke, Sr. at Pazsr71@verizon.net or mailed to him at 11332 Brandy Hall Lane, Gaithersburg, MD 20878-2532. Burial For TOM SCHNEIDER Brother Tom Schneider will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, July 23 rd, 2014 at 11:00 AM. Due to security checks, attendees are urged to report to the main reception area between 10:15 and 10:30, indicating that they are there for the Tom Schneider Burial. Directions: take the George Washington Parkway towards Washington D.C., until you see a sign for Arlington National Cemetery. Take the exit to Arlington National Cemetery and stay to your left. At the stop sign, make a left turn onto Memorial Drive. There will be a security guard who will be directing all traffic into the Welcome Center parking facility. Since you are visiting the cemetery for a funeral, stay to the right on Memorial Drive and inform the security guard that you are attending a funeral for Tom Schneider. He should direct you further. If you wish to car pool, please call joe Doane @ joedoane@verizon.net or by phone at 240-464-8285.
Mater Dei Garage To Attic Sales nets $10,000 On June 21 st, 2014, Mater Dei conducted its annual Garage-to-Attic Sale (GAS14). On Wednesday evening, the 18 th, unknown persons deposited their donations in the foyer to the Trumpet Room and in several of the St. Raphael School classrooms. They really kicked off the effort albeit well in advance of the advertised Thursday for receipt of donations. During the course of three days of setup, collecting, sorting, pricing and selling of myriad donations from the surrounding area, and subsequent cleanup, volunteers lent their time and talents to ensure a successful sale on Saturday. As a result of their combined efforts, the generosity of those donating their surplus and of those buying it and converting it into treasure, a net of approximately $10,000 is expected to be realized in the one day sale. This net includes a considerable amount of post sales of book, and of more valuable items on e-bay, thanks to PGK Bob Fontana and his wife, Dorothy. Additionally, a large box of canned good entrance fees was collected for Manna Food. Trumpet Room. The St. Raphael Church maintenance staff pitched in to help clear out the Duffy Community Center and the Trumpet Room. Dorothy Fontana personally assured that all of the left-over books found good homes with the bonus of added income to the sale. The Trumpet Room at the beginning of the sale viewed from the Exquisite Collection As always, it s difficult to thank the participants enough; but special thanks are owed to Kevin O Neill of Great American Landscapes and Rentals Unlimited for covering the cost of a large truck. Amvets came through, both on the day of the sale, and on the following Tuesday in getting the left-over goods out of the This was, as always, a total Parish effort. San- Raphaelites expended approximately 1,000 man-hours in preparation, setup, sale & cleanup - that s not a very high wage; BUT just think of the community camaraderie and home cleanups that ensued. The Knights are the instigators of this annual cathartic exercise. So, where does all the money go? Each Knight who worked at the sale has the privilege of re-questing funds for his favorite charity. These requests will be reviewed by the Board of the Mater Dei Council Charities, Inc. After reviewing the requests, they will make a decision on the awards. Distribution of the funds will follow immediately, with the recipients invited to speak at a later event. See the article, elsewhere in this Blue Mantle, about the process for nominating charities for awards. The Chairman, joe Doane, officers and members of Mater Dei Council want to thank all those who participated in this year s sale. Mater Dei Council will do this again next year; won t you join us? Ms. Mitzi & Eileen after a few hours of sale, as the day wound down in the clothing dept.; it was hectic for the first three hours, then blessed relief.
Retiring Grand Knight THANK YOU Message It is difficult to thank everyone who gave to the spirit and works of Mater Dei Council in this past year. The good news is: this is because practically everyone gave something. The bad news is that I will have to miss some in recognition. At the Grand Knight s Thank You Party on Thursday, June 26th, at 7:00 PM in the Trumpet Room, I recognized the following for their contributions. Marty Piper Always There Elizabeth Myracle Always Helpful Aleta Phillips elle devint une excellente pâtissière ( she became an excellent hand at pastrywork ) John Corso A really interesting Lecture Series Don Titzman Meals Good and Galore Tom Luxner The Best Worker You ve Never Seen Pat DeGraba His Twenty-thousandth fund-raiser Dick Bianchi Special Olympics to remember Camille Ng Quiet Service Mike Donahue The Best Blood Drive Pat Doane The Sine Qua Non Thanks You award to Don Titzman Some of the worker bees, from left to right, Don Novotny, Tom Luxner & Don Titzman Family of the Year award to the Fontanas (Bob & Dorothy at left) And, a few posthumously: Jack Phillips Forthrightness and Faithfulness Bill Hanrahan Quiet Presence Tom Schneider KOC Salesman of The Year (any year from 2002 2014) The Family of the Year for Fraternal Year 2013-14 was awarded to Bob & Dorothy Fontana who added approximately $7,000 to the Charity Fund, primarily due to their diligence, hard work, and expertise. Thank you for all the participation in the programs of the year, for making it a success, both in Christian Charity and in Family Fun. God Bless us all, our families, and our endeavors. Distaff workers, Liz Galvin & ALeta Philips
Car Raffle 2014 Ford Mustang On August 2-3 and 9-10 we will be selling raffle tickets after each of the masses. This is a very important fund raiser for our council and for the K of C scholarship fund. If you can help for 10 minutes after a mass, please contact Pat DeGraba at pdegraba@verizon.net. Thank you. Frederick Keys Outing Free Popcorn Saturday, August 9 th, at 6:00 PM Look at your FAMILY calendar, and see if you wouldn t like a venue that s great fun, protected from the Sun and rain, and inexpensive. The way is easy; and parking is free; form your own carpools (Joe can assist, just ask him). As a bonus there will be optional fireworks after the game. RSVP to Joe Matelis by July 21 st at matelis@verizon.net, or call him at 301-424-8146. I pledge Allegiance July is a time filled with expressions of patriotism -- flags flying, parades, military marches, firework displays accompanied by the 1812 Overture, and recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance. How often have we placed our hands over our hearts, faced the nation's flag, and recited this brief statement of fealty? Do we understand, however, what we are saying, or has the recital become a ritual, a mere collection of words, a formality before certain public events? The Pledge is an outward promise of loyalty to our nation, its history, traditions, culture, the principles upon which it was founded, and the values which it espouses. It is a commitment to the patrimony that has been handed down to us from generations past and a vow to maintain the nation s precepts for generations to come. America was established by people of faith, founded on a belief that everyone is created equal, that they possess certain unalienable rights provided to them by their Creator. The early Patriots acknowledged God as the Supreme Being, and prayed for His beneficence to establish a nation where people could enjoy freedom in their homes, churches, businesses, schools, private organizations and public associations, where political liberty would allow faith to flourish, where religious liberty would be protected by just laws. In this nation, the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are considered innate to the individual, bestowed by a transcendental power. As a gift of God, they cannot be rightfully abrogated or abridged by any state, government, dictator, or will of the majority. This endowment is the essence of the American premise. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, "to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men." The primary purpose of government is to provide the assurance that people can exercise those preexisting rights; it does not create, grant or dispense them. Governments exist for the people, not people for the government. If the substance of being an American is rooted in the transcendental, then a loss of belief in God leads to a loss of belief that the rights bestowed by Him are intrinsic and unalienable. If these rights are to be retained, then a belief in God must be maintained. A great danger to America today is the loss of faith. From the time of the Pilgrims onward, colonial governors, legislatures, Revolutionary leaders, presidents and the Congress have issued hundreds of proclamations acknowledging the existence of God and calling for public fasting and prayer to seek His grace and thank Him for His beneficence. In their traditional Thanksgiving Day proclamations, almost every recent president has made reference to the Almighty. Today, although some 97 percent of the people in America state that they believe in God, one-in-five is not affiliated with any organized religion. Vocal minorities, operating through the courts, have driven God from virtually all public recognition. Our society today is more anti-religious in its policies and regulations, its views and attitudes, its behavior and temperament than it has ever been. The early Americans were very cognizant of a possible loss of faith among the people and its consequences. They were convinced that without a societal belief in God the nation s founding principles would be at risk. John Adams stated the concern as, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." George Washington, in his Farewell Address to the Nation, cautioned that "reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." Patrick Henry warned, "It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains." Presently, too many national leaders profess a faith, but do not publicly practice it. There is a disconnect between what they say they believe and their actions which demonstrate what they believe. Ironically, this partitioning between private beliefs and public actions was begun by John F. Kennedy, the first Catholic to become president. In 1960,
as a candidate for the office, he stated: I believe in a president whose religious views are his own private affair... Whatever issue may come before me as president on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling or any other subject I will make my decision in accordance with these views, in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be the national interest, and without regard to outside religious pressures or dictates. This partition between public and private consciences has allowed many individuals to advance their political aims. Rather than using their religious convictions to shape societal practices, they have diluted their beliefs in pursuit of worldly prosperity, acclaim, or social acceptability. But is the temporal gain worth the spiritual duplicity? One is reminded of the question Thomas More, in A Man for All Seasons, posed to Richard Rich, who had falsely accused him for political gain: "Why Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world... but for Wales?" With the continued secularization of this nation, the rejection of its Christian heritage, and so many Catholics in public life opposing Church teachings, the Knights of Columbus can have a catalytic effect on the nation. As the world s largest fraternal organization of Catholic men and their families, we can demonstrate the complementarity of religion and patriotism. As American citizens, we commit ourselves to support the Constitution, promote laws that are just and respect the dignity of every person, mold public opinion on issues that affect Catholic precepts, and promote virtue and morality that must underlie a nation of, for and by the people. As Catholics, we avow loyalty to the Magisterium, support our bishops and priests, and promote and practice patriotism and citizenship consistent with Catholic virtues and Church teachings. It is only when we live our religious beliefs conscientiously and faithfully and advance them in the public square that we can make our most beneficial contributions to the nation. The effect the Knights can have was exemplified in 1954, when after national urging by the Order, President Dwight D. Eisenhower added the words under God to the Pledge of Allegiance. As a result for 60 years, every time the Pledge has been said, people have been reminded that ours is a nation under God with liberty and justice for all. Prayer for our Country Almighty God, bless our nation and make it true to the ideas of freedom and justice and brotherhood for all who make it great. Guard us from war, from fire and wind, from compromise, fear, confusion. Be close to our president and our statesmen; give them vision and courage, as they ponder decisions affecting peace and the future of the world. Make me more deeply aware of my heritage; realizing not only my rights but also my duties and responsibilities as a citizen. Make this great land and all its people know clearly Your will, that they may fulfill the destiny ordained for us in the salvation of the nations, and the restoring of all things in Christ. Amen Knights Celebrating Birthdays in July Robert Sloan (1), Vincent Clements (2), Dr. William Shaffer (3), Thomas Luxner (5), Franklin Whiteis (6), Antonio Marcolin (6), Richard Burns (10), Rev. Miguel Umana (11) George McKenzie (16), Joseph Doane (16), William O'Sullivan (19), Maurice Brice (20), Christopher Jordan (25), Daniel Tan (26), Jorge Duarte (27), John Corso (30), Darius McHenry (31)