Knights Record

June 2019 Editor: Darla Knepper

MSGR. LEONARD A. BAUER COUNCIL 1028 BISHOP JANSSEN ASSEMBLY 0199 5301 West Main Street 5301 West Main Street Post Office Box 23844 Post Office Box 23844 Belleville, Illinois 62223-0844 Belleville, Illinois 62222-0844 [email protected] (618)979-0622 www.kofc1028.org

FROM THE DESK OF THE GRAND KNIGHT My dear Brother Knights, in this month The Summer months are here and I hope of June, I am thinking that Holy Spirit that you can find some quality time to Grand Knight Council 1028 was sent on the day of Pentecost in or- spend with your families. der that he might sanctify the Church, [email protected] I am currently planning an activity that and thus all us believers would have we can spend together with our families access to our Father through Christ in this summer and I will let you know as One Spirit. He is the Spirit of Life, a soon as I can, the time and place. fountain springing up to life eternal. Through Him our Father gives lives to May the lord bless you and your fami- SUNSHINE us men who are dead from sin, till at last lies. COMMITTEE he revives, in Christ, even our mortal Vivat Jesus! bodies. As Knights, we should always Our thoughts and prayers go out to our be seeking the guidance of the Holy Thank you, Knights of Columbus Council 1028 mem- Spirit in all that we do for the Church bers and families who have either lost a Pete Joergensen loved one or have someone in the hospital and how we can bring Glory to Him in in need of our prayers. our everyday lives.

“TELL THEM I am dying because I am a Christian,” said Blessed Isidore Bakanja shortly before he was killed in 1909 in the Belgian Congo. Isidore was baptized as a young man. He frequently prayed the and proudly wore a . The

overseers of the plantation where Isidore worked demanded that he renounce his baptism, fearing that if their native work- ers became “brothers” in Christ, the brutally harsh conditions of plantation life would have to change. When Isidore re- fused, he was beaten to death. I had the privilege of attending the of Isidore Bakanja at the Vatican in 1994, and I will always remember the emotion with which St. John Paul II spoke of him. My visit to Iraq was an opportunity to see firsthand the situation of the displaced Christians there, how their communities are struggling to survive and what the path to a sustainable future could look like. If does not survive in Iraq — and elsewhere in the region — it may well be a result of the silence and neglect by their brothers and sisters in the West. These suffering Christians deserve our continued solidarity. There is a roadmap for sustainability of the Christian community, but it requires continued material and financial support. And not just in the Middle East. As the recent church bombings in Sri Lanka tragically demonstrate, too many Christians throughout the world echo Isi- dore Bakanja’s words: “I am dying because I am a Christian.” These atrocities must end. The genocide of Christians must never again be allowed, and the Christian communities in places like Iraq must be helped to survive. Vivat Jesus! Carl A. Anderson Supreme Knight FAITH IN ACTION ories to narrate to next generation because portant action and encourage HHS to en- what they need is now just a stone’s throw sure that all grants maintain a respect for Looking to put your faith into action? Check away.” human life. out the Dynamic Catholic website and sub- Maher and Council 11475 raised an addi- CANADIAN KNIGHTS scribe to daily inspirational messages at tional $24,000 to construct living quarters http://dynamiccatholic.com/ nurses adjacent to the clinic which opened MARCH FOR LIFE in 2017 for the nurses working there. Joe DiGiovanni Thousands of Canadian Culture of Life But then there was another need: clean wa- supporters, including Knights of Colum- KNIGHTS NEWS ter. bus and their families, gathered in Ottawa Children from Kitakyusa carry jugs for at Parliament Hill for the annual National www.kofc.org miles to the closest water source, which is a March for Life on May 9. 2019 marked swamp. The children then boil the water to the 50th year that abortion has been legal A DROP TO DRINK make it potable. The lack of readily availa- in Canada. A large contingent of Fourth ble clean water is a major concern for the Degree Knights helped to lead the march. KITAKYUSA, Uganda — One Knight’s clinic. Also representing the Knights at the determination to “give the children a march were supreme directors Larry Kus- fighting chance” turned into a mission of “We have an increase in patients since the providing water and medical care to an completion of the facility,” Father Denis tra of Manitoba, Graydon Nicholas of African village. Wamala, the current pastor of St. Francis of New Brunswick Arthur Peters of Ontario, Assisi wrote to Maher. “There is no supply and Arcie Lim of British Columbia as In January 2012, Father Gerald Musuubire of running water at the parish itself. … We well as state deputies from various Cana- was traveling to visit family in Uganda. He request(ed) the Knights of Columbus to took parishioner Robert Maher, a fellow come to our rescue.” dian jurisdictions. Fifty Knights from member of St. Peter and Paul Council throughout Ontario, under the leadership 11475 in Palmyra, Va., with him on the Council 11475 has raised nearly $15,000 to of Ontario State Deputy Daniel Heffer- visit to the remote St. Francis of Assisi have a water-well dug next to the clinic. nan, helped distribute signs and assisted Maher says construction for a 30 foot-well Catholic Parish in Kitakyusa. Upon arrival, as marshals along the march route. Maher was shocked by the poverty and lack cost between $25,000 to $30,000. of medical care. The Supreme Council of the Knights of COME JOIN THE FUN! “There was nothing there,” Maher said. Columbus made a donation to a $1 million fund to construct an additional 94 clean “People put fruit into the collection baskets St. Augustine Golf Tournament spon- water projects to bring clean water to because they don’t have money. That’s sored by the Buildings and Grounds. how bad this area is.” 48,236 people in southeastern Uganda. The Knights’ contribution funded 8 drilled Maher asked Father Musuubire what hap- wells and 2 rehabilitated wells in partner- pens to villagers if they get sick. The ship with charity: water. priest’s response was dire: they get better on their own or they die. Funding the water wells is just one way Knights serve the most disadvantaged. In fact, two in five village children were Through the Helping Hands initiative, not surviving to their fifth birthday. This Knights councils worldwide organize pro- moved Maher to act. grams as they see fit to assist the needy. After the flight back home, Maher said he “[As Knights], we do what we can to help was determined to “give the children a people,” Maher said. “It’s time for me to fighting chance.” He approached his coun- give back.” cil about raising money to build a clinic at St. Francis parish — where the Knights RESEARCH USE OF FE- were given permission to build a facility..

Council 11475 raised $60,000 and received TAL TISSUE donated medical equipment from the Uni- versity of Virginia. In January 2014, the Supreme Knight Carl Anderson's State- clinic opened. ment: Since then, the clinic has treated 9,000 peo- The Knights of Columbus applauds the ple per year for malaria, arthritis, breathing action taken today by the Department of problems and also administers vaccina- Health and Human Services (HHS) to end tions. research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) using fetal tissue obtained Father John Vianney Kitoolo, former pastor from elective abortions. Over the past sev- of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, noted just eral years, NIH has spent millions of tax- how much the Knights’ assistance has payer dollars pursuing this unethical re- helped the people there, “From the long search and today’s announcement is an distances they used to move to access important step ensuring that public funding health services, from the long hours they is not used to support a practice that de- would sit in a queue waiting to receive pends on the destruction of innocent human medical assistance, all those are now mem- life. We thank the Department for this im- This Space Available Please Call Dan Joergensen Advertisement Chairman For Details, Phone # (618)531-0876

ASSEMBLY OFFICERS CONTACT LIST

Navigator Joe DiGiovanni (618)416-5101 [email protected] Friar Fr. Dennis Voss (618)277-0416 [email protected] Captain William Holdener (618)476-1599 [email protected] Scribe Roger Mueller (618)277-5147 [email protected] Comptroller Dan Joergensen (618)531-0876 [email protected] Purser Pete Joergensen (314)324-5790 [email protected] Admiral Tom Schmidt (618)979-0622 [email protected] Pilot Steve Voss (618)530-6546 [email protected] Inner Sentinel Outer Sentinel Trustee 1 Year Chris Heilig (618)234-6131 [email protected] Trustee 2 Year Larry Conrad (618)234-5080 [email protected] Trustee 3 Year Joe Sandy (618)795-0429 [email protected]

3RD DEGREE OFFICER CONTACT LIST Grand Knight Pete Joergensen (314)324-5790 [email protected] Chaplain Fr. Elmar Mauer (618)277-2967 [email protected] Deputy Grand Knight Chris Heilig (618)234-6131 [email protected] Chancellor Gerald Bach (618)277-1652 [email protected] Recorder Dan Baldus (618)398-0903 [email protected] Financial Secretary Jim Weber (618)578-8837 [email protected] Treasurer Jim Hoffmann (618)691-8006 [email protected] Lecturer Steve Weier (618)789-1744 [email protected] Advocate Tom Schmidt (618)979-0622 [email protected] Warden Dan Joergensen (618)531-0876 [email protected] Inside Guard Phil Meister (618)420-4227 [email protected] Outside Guard Tom Mattern (618)210-0278 Trustee 1 Year Steve Voss (618)795-0429 [email protected] Trustee 2 Year Larry Conrad (618)530-6546 [email protected] Trustee 3 Year Jerry Haas (618)234-5080 [email protected]

Officers for 2018-2019 Council 1028 Grand Knight Pete Joergensen Chaplain Father Elmar Mauer Monthly Meeting Schedule Deputy Grand Knight Chris Heilig Chancellor Gerald Bach Recorder Dan Baldus Council Officer’s Meeting Financial Secretary Jim Weber Treasurer Jim Hoffmann 2nd Thursday of the Month, 6pm Advocate Tom Schmidt Prior to Business Meeting Lecturer Steve Weier Warden Dan Joergensen Inside Guard Phil Meister Outside Guard Tom Mattern Council Business Meeting Trustee 1 Year Steve Voss 2nd Thursday of the Month Trustee 2 Year Larry Conrad Trustee 3 Year Jerry Haas

Assembly Meeting Assembly 0199 Navigator Joe DiGiovanni 4th Thursday of the Month, Friar Father Dennis Voss Captain William Holdener Scribe Roger Mueller Comptroller Dan Joergensen All meetings begin at 7:00 PM Purser Pete Joergensen and are located at: Admiral Tom Schmidt Pilot Steve Voss 5301 West Main Inner Sentinel Outer Sentinel Belleville, IL 62226 Trustee 1 Year Chris Heilig Trustee 2 Year Larry Conrad Trustee 3 Year Joe Sandy