The Knight Line Newsletter for St. Ignatius of Loyola Council Holy Family Parish, 4848 Pearl Ave., San Jose, CA 95136 March 2014 Grand Knight s Korner Ed Cruz Brother Knights, Every February I look forward to attending the three-day Silent Retreat of the California State Council - Northern Retreat - at the Jesuit Retreat Center (JRC) in Los Altos. Once a year, Catholic men, Knights and non- Knights gather and prepare themselves for the coming of the Lenten season. Most of them are repeaters, men I have met over the years at JRC. This time we were 35, with four newcomers. A few came from Long Beach, Orange County, Folsom and Monterey. The theme Living from the Center- a Henri Nouwen Retreat started with a video presentation on the life of Fr. Henri Nouwen (1932-1996). He was a world-renowned diocesan priest, author, a highly sought speaker and professor, who specialized in psychology and spiritual writing. He abandoned his post as a fellow lecturer at Harvard and chose to live among people with intellectual disabilities far from urban life. Editors: John Marks, Gary Miskimon Under Fr. Henri s love and care Adam, a boy with severe physical disability, changed not only his outlook on life but other s around him. What a change he had from a face without smile, to a face full of life. Fr. Henri wrote and published over 40 books on spiritual life. He once said, I don t need to prove to the world that I am loved. It is unfortunate that I was the only one from our Council able to attend the retreat this year, but other councils had more. Many years ago at Holy Family, we had wellattended retreats led by the former Men s Fellowship, coordinated by Ed Casey. Staff Grady, John Marks and myself assisted at each of them. We had music provided by Mike Buchner, prayed the rosary and did the Stations of the Cross and prepared talks on a theme for the season. There was such a joyful camaraderie among us. It would be great if our Council could participate in greater numbers at future Northern California Retreats. On the last day of this year s retreat there was an open discussion: why we came up the hill. A man on my left who was at my table at lunch revealed that he is a widower. He lost his wife of 40 years. Now I know why he looked melancholy. Shortly after the discussion I offered my hand to wish him well and suggested he explore the Knights of Columbus in his parish. I assured him that it is a good place to meet new friends and do charitable work and that he will never be alone. He responded, Thank you for your guidance.
I urge everyone to experience a special time with God through Jesus through this Silent Retreat. Just being up on the hill; A holy ground to thousands who had been there says Dr. Tom Power, JRC director, either on a 3-day, eight, or more, you are rewarded with peace, compassion; and the presence of Jesus will no doubt be felt. Give yourself a chance to get away from the daily grind, recharge your depleted physical and spiritual energy. Lent gives us the best of time for self-evaluation, the chance for healing and reconciliation. I hope you join us next year: rewards are guaranteed and priceless. Thanks to brother Knights who sold the REMS vs. SEMs Basketball tickets after the Saturday and Sunday Masses in February. Fifty tickets out of 100 were sold for a total of $460 dollars that was turned over to the Chapter President. Congratulations to the Seminarians for a hard fought win! Vivat Jesus, Ed Cruz Grand Knight Chaplain s Message Fr. Edsil Emmanuel Ortiz Repentance is so necessary for salvation. During the season of Lent, the theme of repentance will be preached and heard several times in Catholic churches. On Ash Wednesday, we would hear priests and lay ministers, mark our heads with ashes, while invoking the words Repent and believe in the gospel. For us Roman Catholics, the word repentance is usually highlighted during the season of Lent, but this religious discipline is something constant in one s journey through faith. In fact, repentance should be a persistent spiritual disposition of any person who wants to follow the Lord more closely. A repentant person walks humbly with God and deeply acknowledges his or her constant desire to be reconciled and be totally one with God in mind, heart, and spirit. Meanwhile, those who are full of themselves and who think they do not need God in their lives will not feel the need for repentance and are doomed to destruction. It cannot be denied, that the word repentance is still something very strange for many people today, especially among the 2
un-churched and for those who have fully embraced the enslaving mentality, values, and lifestyle of the secular world. In fact, for some people, any religious discipline that demands self-restraint, self-control, purging of conscience and the like, which are not instantly gratifying or rewarding are not worth engaging. Some may even consider religious expressions of repentance, psychoemotionally burdensome. Repentance is so necessary for salvation. The person who repents, allows God to work in their life and welcomes God s unconditional gift of mercy, which leads one to fullness of life in the now and eternal life in the age to come. Even the Lord Jesus said, If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! The biblical mind of Jesus, tells us that our defiance to atone for our sins and to completely return to the Lord, will ultimately lead us to destruction and death, both individually and as a people. The season of Lent is an appropriate time for psycho-spiritual renewal. It is a time for mending our broken souls and for making it whole again -- through the healing power of God s infinite love and mercy. When we truly repent and engage in liberating acts of penance for our sins and for the arrogance of humanity, we gain access to God s infinite mercy that empowers the penitents to deliberately claim the gift of salvation, freely offered by God to all. Our resistance to repent and do penance are acts of defiance to seek God s help and to let God s grace of mercy, emancipate us from the bondage of sin that hinders us to become what God wants us to be in the world. Catholic Trivia: In what country would you find the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope? (Hint: Not Italy) Find the answer somewhere in the Newsletter. Thanks to Ana Deane At the February business meeting, Francis Deane, one of our newest members, presented a work of art to the Council. Shown below is Grand Knight Ed Cruz receiving a classic latch hook rug with the Knights of Columbus logo from Francis, which was created by his wife, Ana Deane. This is a beautiful and lovingly crafted piece that will grace many of our activities in the years ahead. Ana is one of the dedicated Happy Hooker women who create the prayer blankets as a ministry to those grieving the loss of family members or other life tragedies. During this season of Lent, let us kneel before the crucified Lord; get interiorly converted; return to the Lord and partake in his passion and death, through our sincere and tangible acts of repentance, that we may be made holy and worthy to celebrate Easter with the whole Church. Blessings to you and your family always! Father Edsil Ortiz 3
FAMILY & KNIGHTS OF THE MONTH At our February Business meeting, the family of Gary and Mary Herbst was recognized as the Family of the Month for December. The Herbst family assisted at this year s Council Christmas party, and are involved in many Holy Family activities; Adoration, Scouting, training of Altar Servers, and the monthly Pancake Breakfast. Our District Deputy and Past Grand Knight Toby Laufer was recognized as the Knight of the Month for December. Toby chaired the very successful Third Annual New Year s Eve Dinner/Dance. Eugene Okafor was recognized as the Knight of the Month for January. Eugene works tirelessly at many events, especially the monthly Pancake Breakfast and is active in the St. Josephine Bakhita Society at Holy Family. Birthdays in March Scott Conry 3/2 Emmanuel Kiven 3/4 Eugene Okafor 3/5 Phoung Nguyen 3/8 John Lyons 3/16 Tedja Surjadi 3/167 James Cattaneo 3/23 Khoa Vu 3/24 Rev. Anthony Nguyen 3/24 William Glover 3/25 Rev. Hao Dinh 3/26 Robert Elkins 3/27 ACTIVITIES OF OUR PORTOLA ASSEMBLY #49 District Deputy Toby Laufer, PGK, receives award from Grand Knight Ed Cruz During February our Portola Assembly supported: The 113th Exemplification of the Fourth Degree at Rohnert Park on Feb 1 st. Some Fourth Degree members attended the annual 3-day Northern California Knights of Columbus Silent Retreat (Feb 21-23) at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Los Altos. The Assembly hosted a Dinner Night for the new Fourth degree members and their wives on Feb 25. Upcoming event: The Color Corps will serve as Honor Guards on March 13 at the 40 Days for Life Mass celebration at St Lucy's with Bishop McGrath presiding. 4
Upcoming Events Tuesday, March 4, Noon-3:30 Parish Office Closed Staff meeting Tues-Wed, March 4-5 24-hour Adoration for end to Abortion St. Leo s Parish Wednesday, March 5 Ash Wednesday Masses @ 7:30 5:00, 7:30 March 5 Apr 13 40 Days for Life Campaign {Pick an activity this year} Wednesday, March 12-{ DATE CHANGE} Business Meeting 7pm Youth Hall Thursday, March 13 Bishop s Mass @ St. Lucy s 7:30 p.m. Mass to seek end to Abortion Saturday, March 15 St. Patrick s Day Dinner 5:30 9:00 ish Tuesday, March 18, Noon-3:30 Parish Office Closed-Staff meeting Wednesday, March 26 Officer s Meeting 7pm Youth Hall Monday, March 31 Parish Office Closed Cesar Chavez Day Holiday Tuesday, April 1, Noon-3:30 Parish Office Closed Staff meeting Tuesday, April 1 Lenten Reconciliation Liturgy 7pm Wednesday, April 2 Business Meeting 7pm Youth Hall PRAY DAILY FOR OUR PRIESTS AND SEMINARIANS * Seminarians supported by our Council Mar 1 Mr. Khoa Vu * Mar 2 Most Rev. Patrick J. McGrath Mar 3 Rev. Mr. Jeff Fernandez Mar 4 Mr. Francis Kalaw Mar 5 Mr. Edgar Elamparo * Mar 6 Mr. Paul Jussen Mar 7 Mr. Francis Le Mar 8 Mr. Eric Piczon * Mar 9 Rev. Hao Dinh Mar 10 Mr. Michael Scott Mar 11 Mr. Victor Trinidad Mar 12 Rev. Mr. Reynaldo Sarmiento * Mar 13 Mr. John Hoang Mar 14 Mr. Gabriel Lee * Mar 15 Mr. Khoa Vu * Mar 16 Rev. John Poncini Mar 17 Rev. Mr. Jeff Fernandez Mar 18 Mr. Francis Kalaw Mar 19 Mr. Edgar Elamparo * Mar 20 Mr. Paul Jussen Mar 21 Mr. Francis Le Mar 22 Mr. Eric Piczon * Mar 23 Mr. Michael Scott Mar 24 Mr. Victor Trinidad Mar 25 Rev. Mr. Reynaldo Sarmiento * Mar 26 Rev. Edsil Ortiz Mar 27 Mr. John Hoang Mar 28 Mr. Gabriel Lee * Mar 28 Mr. Khoa Vu * Mar 28 Rev. Mr. Jeff Fernandez Mar 28 Mr. Francis Kalaw QUOTES TO LIVE BY Never miss an opportunity to make others happy, even if you have to leave them alone in order to do it. ~Author Unknown God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me. ~Author unknown, variation of an excerpt from "The Serenity Prayer" by Reinhold Niebuhr 5
Fraternal Benefits Advisor s Report A Founding Notion: Protecting the Breadwinner s Income While jobs may be safer in 2014, accidents, injuries, and illnesses that can impact your ability to work still happen. Most, in fact, do not happen on the jobsite or place of employment. A 2011 study revealed that more than 95 percent of the long-term disability claims on file weren t work related. The Knights have always sought to protect members families from the loss of a breadwinner. You know about Father McGivney s vision for our insurance program, but you may not know that Father McGivney also wanted to find a way to help members who couldn t work because of an illness. After all, the loss of the breadwinner does not always mean a person s death; it can also mean the loss of a breadwinner s income. Consider that loss for a moment. How would your family fare if a source of income suddenly stopped? Could a dual-income family manage on a one-income stream? What about young families with a working father and a mother who cares for the children? What if his income halted due to an accident or illness? I ve heard some people say they have coverage at work, but too many aren t sure what this coverage entails, how much income it would provide or for how long. Having this protection definitely counts, but it isn t yours : it s provided by your company, at their discretion and it could be eliminated tomorrow. That s where a personally owned disability income insurance product comes into play. It can offer valuable income replacement in the event of an injury or illness. If you have a job, you must know about this coverage. Reasons Not To Wash If you took the same excuses that people use for not going to church and apply them to other important areas of life you'd realize how inconsistent we can be in our logic. For example: 1. I was forced to as a child. 2. People who make soap are only after your money. 3. I wash on special occasions - like Christmas and Easter. 4. People who wash are hypocrites - they think they are cleaner than everyone else. 5. There are so many different kinds of soap, I can't decide which one is best. 6. I used to wash, but it got boring so I stopped. 7. None of my friends wash. 8. The bathroom is never warm enough in the winter or cool enough in the summer. 9. I'll start washing when I get older and dirtier. 10. I can't spare the time. Catholic Trivia Answer: The United States. The high-powered telescope assembly is on Mount Graham near Tucson, Arizona. Vatican astronomers conduct research at the Arizona site as well as at the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo, I Jonathan Chiem, MDRT, FICF Phone: (408) 608-9706 E-Mail: jonathan.chiem@kofc.org 6
Knights of Columbus Present The Third Annual St. Patrick s Day Dinner Saturday March 15, 2014 Holy Family Community Center 5:30- Social hour & no host bar, 6:45- Dinner served 8:00 - Raffle Prizes awarded Presale Tickets Adult: $12; Child under 12: $4; Family: $30 Tickets Available at event Adult: $15; Child under 12: $5; Family: $35 Menu: Corned beef brisket, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, dessert Live Entertainment Family Fellowship Raffle Prizes Tickets Available Following Mass and in Parish Office beginning March 2nd *All proceeds go toward Church and Community support*