The Knights of Columbus Bishop Blanchette Assembly Captain Ray Scott P. O. Box 1001 Warrenville, IL 60555-7001 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Welcome Fourth Degree Members Bishop Blanchette Assembly This is the first newsletter of the Bishop Romeo Blanchette Assembly, the newest Assembly in the Western DuPage area of the Joliet Diocese of Northern Illinois. The membership to date is just under 200 Sir Knights. My Brother Sir Knights, The existence of this new Assembly will strengthen and promote our Order in the Joliet Diocese. The members of Dooley Assembly are a true example of Fraternalism by offering their knowledge and experience to this new assembly. Vivat Jesus, Raymond V. Biliskov, Master Northern Illinois District Marquette Province
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUs BISHOP ROMEO ROY BLANCHETTE ASSEMBLY 3044 SUMMER 2007 NEWSLETTER ASSEMBLY OFFICERS COUNCIL CAPTAINS FRIAR FR.DAN HESSLING 630-369-0777 COUNCIL# CAPTAINS PHONE # MASTER RAY BILISKOV 847-895-6251 1369 NAPERVILLE- JIM SNYDER 357-2387 NAVIGATOR JIM RUSSELL 630-226-0644 5918 R.P. CONNELLY-CHRIS LAROSE 968-4768 CAPTAIN RAY SCOTT 630-393-0868 6710 ST. IRENE- ROBERT RAUKO 231-6974 ADMIRAL WAYNE DECKER 630-393-1891 8002 WINFIELD- RICH HARWOOD 231-0087 PILOT JERRY BEVIGNANI 630-972-1446 10958 CORPUS CHRISTI- DON BAKER 289-4826 SCRIBE JOHN LAMB 630-544-6248 12005 ROBERT WEAVER- PHIL SWEIGART 585-0353 CONTROLLER TONY RICKERT 630-830-3572 14171 ST. RAPHAEL- BILL SMIRNIOTIS 369-0979 PURSER GARRY DALY 630-892-3858 2601 WHEATON- ANTHONY GIORDANO 462-1749 1-YEAR TRUSTEE MARK WAYPA 630-231-1015 10025 ST. ELIZABETH SETON- TOM WROBLEWSKI- 2-YEAR TRUSTEE BILL SMIRNIOTIS 630-369-0979 416-0181 3-YEAR TRUSTEE JIM BARTZ 630-393-3263 JOLIET CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVE SENTINELS PHIL SWEIGART- 12005 585-0353 INSIDE PHIL SWEIGART 630-585-0353 TONY RICKERT- 10958 830-3572 OUTSIDE LONI HOWARD 630-876-1923 MEETING DATES AND LOCATIONS SENTINEL CHRIS LAROSE 630-968-4768 November 14, 2007- Our Lady of Mercy Aurora, Il. SENTINEL Jim Snyder 630-357-2387 December 12, 2007- St. Scholastica Woodridge, Il. COMMANDERS January 9, 2008- TBA REED CALLAHAN 630-326-9326 February 13, 2008-TBA TIM ROGERS 630-904-1957 March 12, 2008- TBA April 9, 2008- TBA May 14, 2008-TBA June 11, 2008- St. Irene Parish, Warrenville, Il. The Assembly Hospitality room will be in room #402 for the exemplification.
ELECTED BLANCHETTE ASSEMBLY OFFICERS AND MASTER RAY BILISKOV ON JUNE 2 ND AT THE EVENING MASS OF ST. RAPHAEL S PARISH Sir Knights Bishop Romeo Blanchette Assembly is up and running. We have just under 200 Sir Knights from 9 councils who have formed this assembly of 4 th degree Knights. First, I would like to thank every one of you for becoming a member of Bishop Romeo Blanchette Assembly. I want to thank all of you for your confidence in the potential of this Assembly. One of the most important factors in being successful is the participation of ALL members of the Assembly. We can and will have a great year with all members supporting and participating in the various activities of the Assembly. I encourage our council captains to ask your members to attend the assembly meetings, participate actively in the assembly functions and ask what you can do. Take a leadership role. Come up with an idea. We are already off to a great start. Loni Howard form the Winfield Council did a great job in getting us involved with the DuPage County Fair as a fundraiser. Ron Kinsley from Wheaton Council is Chairman of Carson s Community Day s. Bill Smirniotis from St. Raphael Council is Chairman of our Veterans Committee and Rich Harwood from Winfield Council is Chairman of our Memorial Mass. This Mass will be held on November 10, 2007 at St. John the Baptist Church in Winfield. Garry Daly from Robert P. Connelly Council is our web master and should have our web site up and running by the time you receive this. Our web site is www.blanchetteassembly.org.
We have also been asked, to be responsible for running the LADIES LUNCHEON at the February Exemplification by, the host, Joliet Assembly. Ray Wheeler from St. Raphael Council has offered to chair this big event. In closing please keep in mind that the next 4 th degree exemplification is February 16, 2008. It will be held at the Lisle Wyndham Hotel in Lisle, IL. Please invite members from your council to join the 4 th degree. We need new members. We also need a membership chairman. If you are interested please contact me ASAP I learned something recently! We are not volunteers as we have thought in the past. We are MINISTERS. We are ministers to what we believe in and what God wants us to do. That is why we belong to the Knights of Columbus and that is why we are members of the fourth degree. SO please volunteer. Your suggestions and you can and will make a difference. Fraternally Yours Vivat Jesus Jim Russell Faithful Navigator BISHOP ROMEO ROY BLANCHETTE BIOGRAPHY Bishop Romeo Roy Blanchette was born in St. George, Kankakee County, Illinois, on January 6, 1913. As a young man, he had aspirations of becoming a priest. In 1928, he enrolled in the Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Chicago, Illinois, and graduated in 1931. Bishop Blanchette was ordained a priest in 1937 in Chicago, Illinois. Father Blanchette obtained Bachelor degrees in Sacred Theology and Cannon Law, as well as a Master s degree in Theology. In 1948, Pope Pius XII established the Joliet Diocese, which was canonically erected on March 24, 1949. Fr. Blanchette was assigned to establish a chancery office for the newly created Joliet Diocese in 1949. He was appointed Vicar General of the Joliet diocese on January 6, 1950 and was invested as a domestic prelate with the title of Right Reverence Monsignor on August 1, 1950. On April 3, 1965, he was consecrated Auxiliary Bishop of the Joliet Diocese. Most Reverend Blanchette was appointed the second Bishop of the Joliet Diocese by Pope Paul VI on July 19, 1966, was consecrated on August 31, 1966, and served in this capacity until January 30, 1979 when he resigned after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig s Disease. He succumbed to the illness and died on January 1, 1982. During his tenures as Vicar General, Chancellor, Auxiliary Bishop and Bishop of this new and growing Diocese, he continually participated with and invoked the services of the Knights of Columbus. Bishop Blanchette was himself a Knight and knew what a great source of assistance the Knights could be in the support of the new Diocese. The Joliet Diocese grew from 90,000 parishioners to over 400,000 parishioners while he was Bishop, and he continually relied on the Knights of Columbus to help serve this ever-expanding Diocese. Sir Knight Bishop Blanchette was instrumental in seeking out and appointing Chaplains for the numerous Councils being chartered in this rapid diocese growth period. He was known to regularly
attend Knights functions all throughout the seven counties of the Diocese. He enlisted the Knights to help raise funds for the Bishop s Burse to support Seminarians because he knew the Knights would be instrumental in promoting and assisting vocations. Bishop Blanchette also regularly invited the Knights Honor Guard to participate in numerous diocese ceremonies, including church dedications and confirmations, in order to perpetuate the visible presence of the Knights, and the important work they do. Bishop Blanchette was not only a member of the Knights of Columbus; he was an active participant of the Knights work. Bishop Blanchette thought so highly of the Knights in the infant stages of the Joliet Diocese, it seems only fitting that a new charter assembly in his own Diocese be named after him. James C. Russell Raymond Biliskov Faithful Navigator Master Northern Illinois District One