Knights of Columbus Washington State Council Bulletin
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November 2016 Knights of Columbus Washington State Council Bulletin Ed Parazoo State Deputy Washington State Council Cell Phone (509) 680-3627 [email protected] KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS “BE MEN OF ACTION” Message from State Deputy My Brothers All, We are looking for feedback on how you think we are doing as State Officers. Are we doing things right? What areas can we improve? How do you think the Supreme Council sees us? What do you think they see? As of right now, I believe we are seen in a negative light.....there are certain metrics Supreme uses to gauge how we are doing as a jurisdiction (State) and Council. We are not hitting those every well. Do we have all our Form 185's in?........NO. Do we have all our Form 365's in?.......NO. Do we keep up on our Semi-Annual Audits?.......NO. Are we hitting our membership recruitment targets?......NO. Are we meeting our Retention targets?......NO. I need to travel to Supreme next month and I will be hard pressed to answer some of their tough questions...... I don't know what you might need to be successful. What can our State Chairmen or State Officers do to help you? Why aren't we growing in membership? Why aren't we growing in our Charitable footprint? They will say "If you are not growing.....you are dying." I don't want us to die! DO YOU? What can we do to get back on track? Grand Knight - you are the local leader and you must insure your Council files those missing reports. You must insure the Council is in a better condition than when you took over......forms up-to-date; gained in membership; programs are active and engaging; membership is working for the betterment of our Church and Communities. District Deputy - you must insure your Councils are meeting their reporting targets. Your Councils are recruiting new members so we don't have burnout and we have new and fresh program ideas. When we do recruit that new person.....we must get them engaged immediately. We must get them into the Admission Degree ASAP. We must get them linked up to programs that they are supportive of....that interest them. We have heard of a few priests around the State that are looking for a Knights of Columbus presence in their parishes!! Let's go out and make that happen. Let us get with those priests and set up a Round Table and then, if appropriate and the parish will support it, a Council. Those priests have heard of the good works we do, we must not let them down. We must get with them and provide assistance when/where needed. God Bless. Vivat Jesus! Ed Parazoo State Deputy [email protected] Page 2 Knights of Columbus Washington State Council Bulletin November 2016 State Chaplain Message Worthy Brother Knights, I’m sure many of you have read “Into the Breach,” the Apostolic Exhortation to Catholic Men written by Bishop Thomas Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix. If you haven’t had the chance to see it yet, I strongly urge you either to get a copy of it or to read it online for free (go to www.kofc.org and search the site for “Into the Breach”). I heard of Bishop Olmsted’s letter more than six months ago, and I received a copy of it at the Supreme Convention at the beginning of August, but I just got around to reading it in late October. The letter is a wake- up call to Catholic men, challenging all of us to deepen our identity in Christ. Over a year ago, I began using this column to provide reflections on different aspects of authentic masculinity as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, who shows us in the most complete way possible what it means not only to be human, but to be manly. Bishop Olmsted puts it well: “Every moment of [Jesus’] life on earth is a revelation of the mystery of what it means to be a man - that is, to be fully human and also, the model of masculinity. Nowhere else can we find the fullness of masculinity as we do in the Son of God. Only in Jesus Christ can we find the highest display of masculine virtue and strength that we need in our personal lives and in society itself” (p. 10). We have covered a lot of ground in the course of the past year. Our reflections have shown how authentic masculinity: 1) keeps us in relation to the Father, especially through the Sacraments and prayer; 2) requires that we apply our God-given abilities; 3) demands gentleness; 4) includes a deep affection for Mary; 5) compels us to be brave and courageous; 6) enables us to embrace suffering out of love; 7) keeps us strong in perseverance; 8) is closely associated with all kinds of virtue; 9) leads us to fatherhood or generativity; 10) is characterized by mercy; 11) is strengthened by humility; and 12) urges us to evangelize out of concern for the well-being and salvation of our fellow man. There is much more that could be written, and perhaps from time to time I will return to this theme in my monthly column, but for now the best thing I can do is direct you toward “Into the Breach” and encourage you whole-heartedly to heed Bishop Olmsted’s words. The edition of the letter published by the Knights of Columbus includes a reflection guide for individuals and groups. It is formatted for an eight-week course of study, and the material is presented in such a way as to facilitate conversation. Please give some serious consideration to the possibility of discussing this important document in your Councils and even proposing it to your chaplains and pastors for parish use. Finally, it would also be good to start making plans to attend a men’s conference near you. One such opportunity is the Hearts on Fire Catholic Men’s Conference in Spokane on Saturday, January 28, featuring guest speakers Doug Barry and Jesse Romero. The conference focuses on Bishop Olmsted’s letter, and promises to be a great source of information and encouragement. You can register at www.dioceseofspokane.org. Let’s take up the challenge and step out into the breach! Vivat Jesus! Fr. Kenneth St. Hilaire State Chaplain November 2016 Knights of Columbus Washington State Council Bulletin Page 3 State Secretary Message Hi Brothers, Next week I get to go fishing in the Colton Council Steelhead Derby. This is the first time I actually get to fish in my boat. I got my first boat last year and I sure do enjoy it. Wish me luck! I'm hoping for a big one! Dwayne Berens and Mike Reisenauer, two brother Knights will be with me and we are sure to have a great weekend. This month I put out the third invoice for the year and we are up to 93% paid on the Liability Insurance statewide and the Exemplification Fund is now at $375 owed. Congratulations to all of you who have taken care of your Council's debts. For those that still owe, it is not too late to pay these debts. A number of Councils are going to participate in the Black Friday Winter Coat Give Away this year. What a fantastic program this has grown into and I sure am proud of all of you who plan to participate. We really do a lot of good for a lot of people!!! It won't be long and the State Team will be meeting with the District Deputies and then the rest of the membership during the Regional meetings. Find time to enjoy this wonderful time of the year. We all have so much to be thankful for. Have a great Thanksgiving with your families and enjoy the football games! God Bless & Go Packers! Bob Baemmert State Secretary [email protected] Table of Contents Table of Contents State Deputy Message 1 Master of the Fourth Degree - Eastern WA 21 State Chaplain Message 2 Council Chairman 22 Church Chairman 23-24 State Secretary Message 3 Community Chairman 25 Table of Contents 3 Bishop White Seminary Debt Relief Program 25 State Treasurer Message 4-5 2017 Catholic Men’s Conference 26 State Advocate Message 6-7 Culture of Life 27 State Warden Message 8 Family Chairman 28 General Programs 9 Special Olympics Breakfast 29 Membership Director 10-17 Tootsie Roll Update 30 Youth Chairman 18-19 Prayers Needed and In Memoriam 31-32 Vocations Chairman 19 Master of the Fourth Degree - Western WA 20 General Insurance Agency Information 33 Bulletin Contact information 34 Page 4 Knights of Columbus Washington State Council Bulletin November 2016 State Treasurer Message My Brothers, Halloween has passed and I am still stuffed with Candy...uugghhh. Guess it might have helped if I'd have given more to the kids instead of hiding with the lights out and eating it all myself. Oh well, next year. At any rate, the end of the year is near and the need to gather information from your members for the Fraternal Survey (1728) is at hand. Remember this report must be done and in Supreme's hands by no later than 1/31/2017. While you still have time it's always good to get an early start and begin asking members for their information. Many Councils prefer to send questionnaires with their December dues billings but that often leaves them short when members respond late...as many do.