IN SERVICE TO ONE. IN SERVICE TO ALL MONTHLY PUBLICATION FOR THE OHIO STATE COUNCIL
YEAR 2 MONTH 8 FEBRUARY 2017
New Year, New Challenges January Proves Difficult Robert F. Collins, Jr. Brother Knights, A little about membership… Oh boy, looks like our Membership Plan went on vacation for the month of January. It wasn’t a total loss but not exactly what we were looking for at the State Council. It will take some undoing but I still believe in you Brother Knights throughout Ohio to come to the task and get the job done. Our efforts statewide in Ohio placed us eighth in the January Supreme Council Membership Contest behind everyone. We finished with 5.15% intake and nearly six percent behind first place. We will have three Membership Incentives working this month and a Special Spring Incentive for March and April that I will explain at all of the Super Cash Bonanza Road Show stops. Be sure to have your Council Membership Director there so he may hear firsthand what the Council incentives are. Please see the State Membership Director Nick Gresko’s article for details or look for his Membership E-blasts this month.
Gross Intake (New Member Recruitment) We are currently 38th of 74 Jurisdictions in the Order with a 42.98% of intake goal. To date we have recruited but 967 new members in the first seven months of the Fraternal Year. This places us 5th among the Division 1 Jurisdictions, but only about 6% behind them. To put this into perspective we should be at 58.5% of gross intake or 1125 new members. We will have to continue to step up our recruiting pace to get back on track in January. In real numbers we will need in Ohio 256 new members per month over the next 5 months to retain our Circle of Honor status. With just a little extra effort I know that together we can make this happen. Net Intake (New Member Recr uitment less Suspensions and Withdrawals) We are currently 29th of 74 Jurisdictions in the Order with a 45.02% of intake goal. To date we have retained but 788 of those new members in the first seven months of the Fraternal Year. This places us 3rd among the Division 1 Jurisdictions but again just about six percentage points behind. Again
“THROUGH HIM, WITH HIM, IN HIM”
to put this into perspective we should be at 58.5% of our net goal or 1024 members retained. Net/Net Intake (New Member Recruitment less Suspensions, Withdrawals and Out of State Transfers) We are currently 58st of 74 Jurisdictions in the Order with a -92% of intake goal. To date we haven’t retained any of the new members in the first seven months of the Fraternal Year and lost and have lost an additional 92 members. Most of losses this month were due to member deaths. There was an unusual amount of deaths recorded for January. This again places us 4th among the Division 1 Jurisdictions. Again to put this into perspective we should be at 58.5% of our net/net goal or +59 members retained. Again on the positive side we still have another 5 months to recover our losses. With a good membership plan and an aggressive approach to church drives and new council development we can get back on track. It does however raise the bar each (Continued on page 2)
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month now to try to rundown and catch up with our goals. Keep scheduling those 1st Degrees. Every District Deputy is required to schedule and conduct a 1st Degree in his district every month. Our Degree Page on the State Website should be “Busting’ Out” and overflowing with degree information. Right now I see 44 Admission Degrees scheduled in the month of February; I should see 83. This tells me still need a little work setting up Admissions Degrees in the majority of our districts. Successful Councils, Districts, and Diocese have a good practice of frequent degree work, and I have the records to prove it. This is not the practice as laid out and requested of me rather by the Supreme Knight. We also will need each of those degrees to be productive so everyone may help us reach our goal of 2,250 new members. A thought on Degree Work: I have attended some degree work throughout Ohio and need to address one observation. An Admission, Formation, or Knighthood Degree is no place for a Stranger, Candidate or Brother Knight in tshirts and shorts. Please have the respect to the Order and the Ceremonials to dress appropriately. Golf or polo shirts with Dockers type slacks are a minimum dress that should be worn to any one attending these degrees. Please inform all attending degrees to dress the same. Culture of Life News: I would like to extend my deepest congratulations to the following two councils for their efforts in purchasing an Ultrasound Machine to help combat the senseless slaughter of an unborn child. Geneva-Madson Council #5286 has purchased a machine for the Bella’s Women’s Center and St. Leonard Council #10215 has purchased a machine for the Elizabeth New Life Center. Congratulations to Grand Knights Mark Kahanca and Edward Ponder and the Brother Knights of their respective councils for their efforts. 118th State Convention: I know it may sound a bit early to some but the 1st Call to Convention by the State Secretary is just about 4 weeks out. Make sure your Council is prepared to register for the State Convention when your information packet arrives.
One other note on the convention, we will be electing a new State Warden that weekend. Four Brother Knights have announced their candidacy for the position of State Warden. They are in alphabetical order:
their Form 365. Again it has indicated that 72 councils have not completed and submitted their Form 1728. Look for a call in the near future from someone at the State Council to assist in completing these three forms.
State Web Master Robert Gilliland of St. Dominic Fenwick Council #13586 State Membership Director Nicholas Gresko of Brook Park Council #13984 State Retention Director – East Michael Jordan of Campbell Marian Council #3813 State Church Activities Director Jeffrey Kiliany of Leetonia Council #1569
Council contributions to the “Voice of the Spirit”: One feature of this monthly publication needs are events, programs, and human interest events from the local Councils throughout Ohio. Any Council wanting to submit an article of interest to the “Voice of the Spirit” for publication each month should send a finished article and photo if applicable to PSD David Helmstetter. Brother Dave will then edit and decide which articles are to be include in each month’s issue. Brother Dave’s email address is: dhelmstetter@bright.net
Please make every effort to invite them to a Chapter Meeting or a Candidates Night to hear what each has to offer our State Council. State Council Finances: At the present time the State Council finances are in good shape. The only liabilities we have to date are the current “Pennies for Heaven” contributions and the 20% of the 2016 Measure Up Campaign. The 20% Measure Up monies will be moved to a separate account and disbursed before April 15th. A good sale of Football Crazr Tickets has given the State Council some breathing room in regard to the end of the fraternal year finances. Thank you Councils for your continued support. New State Website feature: I have instructed State Web Master Robert Gilliland to release the needed software to allow Councils to file the Fraternal Survey Form 1728 on the State Web site. The feature will allow a fillable form with routing to the Supreme Council and State Deputy. Please take advantage of this new feature on our web site. As always the best policy please print a copy to retain for your Council Records.
More names and emails needed: We have the ability to reach every Brother Knight in the state with this monthly electronic newsletter, the “Voice of the Spirit”. If you ar e a Gr and Knight, Financial Secretary, or District Deputy receiving this publication you may obtain a list of email from your council or councils and forward them to State Media Chairman Brother James Maslach at his email address; kofcdd19@gmail.com. Brother Jim will place you on the email list and then be able to receive this publication along with other important and informative memos from the State Council. District Deputy On-line Training I would ask that any of the District Deputies that have not completed the Orientation Seminar please do so as soon as possible. This training is available on demand at the following web address. Simply copy this text below, paste it in your browser, and complete the required curriculum. http://goo.gl/AYjbgf
Super Cash Bonanza Road Shows: State Secretary Farmer Bob Byers is gearing up for his second planting of crops in the Super Cash Bonanza Road Shows. Look for more about the Super Cash in this issue of the “Voice of the Spirit”. See the State Website Fraternal Calendar for Ticket Road Show dates in your diocese. Lingering Paperwork: Supreme Council records indicate that 36 councils have not completed and submitted their Form 185. It also has indicated that 72 councils have not completed and submitted
Town Hall Meetings: “Town Hall” meetings have been conducted throughout Ohio over the first five months of the fraternal year. I believe they have a great success and a big help to me as State Deputy. At this time I do not have any future dates scheduled but I am willing to return if requested in the months ahead. Football Frenzy Fund Raiser: Just in case you have not heard Chairman (Continued on page 16)
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STATE CHAPLAIN
Reflections from Our Worthy State Chaplain Father Edward J. Janoch
The widow and orphan are helped from their hand At the husband and father’s demise. They are true to their faith, too, by which they will stand Till death knocks at each of their doors . . . The above quote is from a poem written in 1888, by a wife of a Knight in New London, Connecticut to express what she saw as the purpose of the Knights of Columbus. It shows that the Knights have always been involved in performing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. It is by no coincidence that our First Principle is CHARITY, for it is a reflection of Jesus Christ Himself that we are called to imitate and reflect to the world by our words and deeds. The Knights of Columbus have been the fore-runners in defense of the orphan and the widow; of the poor and the marginalized; of the foreigner and the alien. Throughout our history the Knights of Columbus have gone the extra mile to be a witness to the virtue of CHARITY. In 1882, Venerable Fr. Michael J. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus to help take care of the widow and orphans of brother Knights. One way to provide assistance was his insistence that insurance would be a part of the Order. This helped with the financial assistance for the widow and orphans along with the spiritual
assistance that the Knights would provide by being a practical Catholic. We provided assistance to the Catholics in Mexico who were being threatened and killed because of their faith. Ninety years later, we have provided assistance to our brother and sisters in Syria and Iraq who are currently being threatened and killed for their faith. Playgrounds were built in Rome in 1924 and we currently provide assistance to the youth through Food for Families, Coats for Kids and the Soccer and Basketball Free-throw Contests. Our Order provided a $1 Million dollar trust fund for the education of children of members who lost their lives in or as a result of World War II. We currently provide assistance to families who have lost a loved one in active duty of our public safety forces and in our armed forces. We have promoted our Catholic Faith in the early 1900’s when there was anti-Catholic thought. We currently have our Catholic Information Service that provides brochures and pamphlets about the Catholic Faith. We Knights have also been a staunch support of LIFE. Our involvement to life has been a part of our Order from the beginning. We now provide financial assistance to agencies for LIFE and have contributed 700 ultrasound machines to prenatal care facilities. All of these initiative, whether on the Supreme Council, State Council or Local Council level are our response at a concrete witness to the preferential love for the poor which
characterizes the disciple of Jesus. This does not even begin to reflect the thousands of activities that our individual councils around the State do yearly to help the poor, the widow, the orphans, the marginalized, the foreigner and the alien.
I hope that Ohio Knights will continue to be men of CHARITY. Do not get caught up in just “writing a check” for some cause or social need to some organization or agency. Please also offer your time and talent to these agencies besides your treasure. There are many Supreme Council and Ohio State Council initiatives and programs that helps to be men of CHARITY. Take advantage of them. It is said that actions speak louder than words [checks]. For as Jesus said, which is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, “whatever you have done to the least of my brethren you did to me.” Let us take this time to see what we can do for the season of Lent and throughout the year. Vivat Jesus! Fr. Edward J. Janoch Worthy State Chaplain
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This year I will be taking Matters of Faith and Catholic Knowledge from the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is formatted into a question and answer format. I will give a question or two and its answer to matters of faith that are relevant for this month. Here are your questions for this month. Question 420. What is the New Law or the Law of the Gospel? The New Law or the Law of the Gospel, proclaimed and fulfilled by Christ, is the fullness and completion of the divine law, natural and revealed. It is summed up in the commandment to love God and neighbor and to love one another as Christ loved us. It is also an interior reality: the grace of the Holy Spirit which makes possible such love. It is “the law of freedom” (Galatians 1:25) because it inclines us to act spontaneously by the prompting of charity. [See CCC #1965-1972, 1983-1985] “The New Law is mainly the same grace of the Holy Spirit which is given to believers in Christ.” (Saint Thomas Aquinas)
HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS Offered in Solidarity with Pope Francis February 2017 Starting in 2017 the Pope will present only one prepared prayer intention per month, rather than the two presented before this year. He plans, however, to add a second prayer intention each month related to current events or urgent needs, like disaster relief.
Comfort for the Afflicted That all those who are afflicted, especially the poor, refugees, and marginalized, may find welcome and comfort in our communities.
Question 520. By what is love for the poor inspired? Love for the poor is inspired by the Gospel of the Beatitudes and by the example of Jesus in his concern for the poor. Jesus said, “Whatever you have done to the least of my brethren, you have done to me” (Matthew 25:40). Love for the poor shows itself through the struggle against material poverty and also against the many forms of cultural, moral, and religious poverty. The spiritual and corporal works of mercy and the many charitable institutions formed throughout the centuries are a concrete witness to the preferential love for the poor which characterizes the disciple of Jesus. [See CCC #2443-2449, 2462-2463] Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, USCCB Publishing, Washington, DC, 2006, pp 120, 148.
Mother of Good Counsel Prayer By Venerable Pope Pius XII
O Holy Virgin, to whose feet we are led by our anxious uncertainty in our search for and attainment of what is true and good, invoking you by the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel, we beseech you to come to our assistance, when, along the road of this life, the darkness of error and of evil conspires towards our ruin by leading our minds and our hearts astray. O Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, enlighten the doubtful and the erring, that they be not seduced by the false appearances of good; render them steadfast in the face of the hostile and corrupting influences of passion and of sin. O Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us from your Divine Son a great love of virtue, and, in the hour of uncertainty and trial, the strength to embrace the way that leads to our salvation. If your hand sustains us, we shall walk unmolested along the path indicated to us by the life and words of Jesus, our Redeemer; and having followed freely and securely, even in the midst of this world's strife, the Sun of Truth and Justice under your maternal Star, we shall come to the enjoyment of full and eternal peace with you in the haven of salvation. Amen.
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STATE MEMBERSHIP
Commit to Membership Nick Gresko I Need HELP From NonRecruiting Councils Each month I put into my monthly update with all the winners, top diocese and top councils the following statement, “Remember the goal is +250 for the month. Inspector Membership knows we can do it! What are you going to do for February - keep the same from last or go out pound the pavement helping Team Ohio be #1 again? Will your diocese make a leap towards being #1? That is all up to you! Well there is still 170 councils that have done the same thing month after month since July 1st. Do you know what the same thing they have done? If you said they have not recruited a new member yet you would be 100% correct. Our Worthy State Deputy and I need these councils to jump on board and bring in a new member. If they did just think what our numbers as a state would look like.
A lot of times getting that first member in is all you need to get a few more especially if you promote the Shining Armor Award. This encourages the new members to bring in a new member and if you make a big deal at your council about it trust me the new members will come!!! Between February, and March I want to see this list under 90 councils that have not recruited a new member. On the next page you will find all of the Councils that have not recruited a new member as of 2/2/2017 in numerical order by diocese.
Form 100’s Within 3-7 days of a degree any Form 100’s should be emailed to the Supreme Council at membershiprecords@kofc.org Supreme is able to process the Form 100 much quicker this way and you have a receipt that they were sent in your sent mail. Plus this saves your council the cost of a stamp every time new members are brought in.
DVD Admissions Degree Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries it is extremely important that you are talking to your District Deputy and that he knows when you are planning these because he needs to submit a Form 450 and this is not happening all the time right now. Please get this information to your District Deputy so that he can do what he needs to do and to insure you get credit for the work that you are doing when it comes to degrees.
Form 450 is like GOLD!!! District Deputies please make sure within 3-7 days of holding a degree in your District the Form 450 is turned in. This is extremely important because this allows us to track if Supreme actually processed your Form 100’s! If you took the time to bring in a new member the State Membership Team wants to make sure you get credit for your hard work and effort. The Form 450 can be filled on line at the State Website and then it automatically sends it to who it needs to go to. Take advantage of this!!!
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Every Council Active by Diocese-1/27/17 Non Recruiting Council-No Gains for the Fraternal Year Cincinnati (22 of 85)- 25.88% Mike Felerski- DMD Larry Droesch – State Warden Springfield Fr. Butler Greenville Fr. Sourd Harrison Saint Henry Mother Seton Eaton Saint Remy Fr. Anthony Wolf Lasalle Saint Martin Deporres Glenmary Fr. John Roettele Fr. John J Wenzel Saint Mary Saint Paul Saint Benignus St. Lawrence - Price Hill Fr. Gustav Brotzge Holy Name of Jesus St. Isidore
Cleveland (22 of 72)- 30.55% Jerry Nowesnick- DMD Bob Collins- State Deputy 624 968 1796 2423 2633 2640 3376 3698 3890 4378 5621 5624 5674 8115 10003 10149 13874 14092 14545 14665 15330 16348
Stuebenville (15 of 26)- 57.69% Tom Offenberger- DMD Bob Byers- State Treasurer Immaculate Heart of Mary Bellaire Mother of God Fr. Jessing Fr. Frank Patala Toronto Saint. Anthony Our Lady of Peace Saint Catherine Saint Mary's Our Lady Assumption Pieta Bishop John King Mussio Saint Francis Cabrini Saint Gabriel
Akron Northeast Brooklyn-Parma Willoughby Bishop Hagan Southeast Northeast Akron Medina Trinity Don Bosco Holy Family Valley John F Kennedy Saint Elizabeth Ann Seaton Saint Cosmos-Damian Immaculate Heart Saint Peter's Lasagrada Familia Saint Vincents St. Sebastion St Martin of Tours St. John of the Cross
Columbus (21 of 72)- 29.16% Keith Dunnigan- DMD Kevin Miller- State Secretary 547 2786 2803 2886 3126 3222 3529 4168 4217 4801 4891 4893 5506 11464 11831 13517 13601 13640 14054 14255 14769 15737
Toledo (26 of 69)- 37.68% Jim Collins-DMD Mark Siracusa- State Advocate 472 1246 1421 1664 1716 2187 2262 4243 4590 5174 5250 5583 9804 11195 11380
Bellevue Rosecrans/Willard Msgr. Lang Saint John Neuman Clyde New Washington Bryan Saint Joseph Attica West Toledo Infant of Prague Blakeslee Fr. Deveaux Saint Jude Saint Lawrence Vermillion Holy Cross Van Wert Walter Keppler Our Lady of Lourdes Saints Francis/Gasper Saint Joseph Saint Joseph Chaplain Fr. John Duffy Saint Clement Holy Trinity Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary
Saint Lukes Coshocton MacGahan Bishop Flaget Discovery New Philadiphia Santa Maria Assumption Fr Holtzapfel Victory Holy Trinity Buckeye Lake Holy Family Fr. Raymond Bauschard Christ the King Our Lady of Peace Saint Christopher Saint Peter in Chains St. Mark's Fr. Charles Griffin at St. Peter's St. Thomas Aquinas
910 994 1065 1071 1341 2372 2898 3727 10284 12900 13081 13379 13428 13581 13705 14282 14342 14346 15447 15793 15824
Youngstown (23 of 59)- 40.67% - DMD Ken Girt-Immediate Past State Deputy 752 885 1039 1117 1175 1718 1915 2584 3062 3122 3617 3883 3904 4169 4539 5139 6034 8357 10063 10749 11370 12224 12807 13636 15043
Youngstown Canton Wellsville Carroll Warren Kent Ravenna Niles Louisville Girard Fr. Joseph Gallagher Lisbon Jefferson Fr. Lambert J Andrews Our Lady of Lourdes Saint Peter's Saint Mary's Saint Paul the Apostle Saint Robert Bellarmine Boardman Saint Dominic Fenwick St. James Kent S. Newman Center
274 341 507 509 620 1411 1417 1681 2530 2935 3144 4049 4212 4433 4533 5173 5589 11551 11646 11915 13586 14491 15312
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Retention Michael Jordon / Bill Wirtz Retention Now, Retention Always
practicing Retention from the time of our new Brother’s initial welcoming, through his involvement in council activities, to his accepting of positions of leadership within the council.
So, now that we have successfully passed the midway point of the fraternal Brothers, from the day we sign-up a year and headed for the home stretch, candidate and he makes his First Degree, please ensure you have completed at we do Retention. That should be least 3 of the 6 available Retention intuitive to all of us, as it’s imbedded in activities. We particularly encourage our core principles of Charity, Unity and completing Activity #84, Establish a Fraternity. Mentoring Program, which includes developing a Mentoring Handbook. The The Retention Activities, which we handbook and the Mentoring Program developed for the Through Him, With are investments in the future of your Him, and In Him State Program, allow council. us to be creative with our efforts to reach out to all our current members. We are
As always please allow the Holy Spirit to guide our hearts and our actions. For questions and assistance please don’t hesitate to contact the Ohio State Council Retention Directors. Michael Jordon State Retention Director East 2325 Inwood Drive Austintown, OH 44515-7317 330-540-7317 mtjordon@yahoo.com@yahoo.com William Wirtz, Jr. State Retention Director West 8150 Havitshire Way #206 Dayton, OH 45458 937-470-7795 billjoyce1@sbcglobal.net
Mission #20: Are You Stuck on Groundhog Day? We are now on the downward slope of the 2015-2016 Fraternal Year and what a year it has been!!!! You all have completed a lot of missions over the past 7months. Your efforts show as Ohio continues to turn the heads at Supreme. Now, our mission has become even more challenging and we must stand together to reach out and contact all members. Yes, we are in the season where we discussions of suspensions creeps into council meetings. Are we going to let Dr. Arceo and his minions stop the Great Ohio Membership Train? Your mission this month is to look to get out of the same, old rut that councils go. We are not to repeat the actions of the past and hope for changes. We are going to be the ones making that change. Yes, Brothers, Groundhog Day is upon us. And whether you what Punxsutawney Phil or Buckeye Chuck to see or not see their shadows is not the problem. We do not want to end up like Bill Murray's character "Phil" and have our council continue to repeat the loss of members over and over and over and over. Be the change and work my mission.
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STATE GENERAL PROGRAMS
General Service Program Robert Walsh Three reporting periods have passed, now would be the time to review how your programming activities are coming along. Have you checked your total points for all your activities, checked to see which reporting areas need more work? Remember that the program year ends on April 15, 2017. Has your Council started to consider who your Honorees of the Year are going to be? They have to be to the appropriate Director by April 1. The more that you write about
the honoree the better. Are you getting your new brother Knights involved in the Council activities? Are you checking with them to see what their interests are? Make sure they are welcomed at their first meeting.
help others as you help Christ in his need. Have you planned for the Council Church Drive on March 11 or 12th? In honor of Father McGivney, Supreme has designated March 27 thru April 2nd as Community Outreach Week. What has your Council planned for this week? Keep up the great work your Council has done and will do in the coming Months.
Looking ahead, February 15 the Semi Annual Audit (#1295) is due. March 1st is Ash Wednesday this year, it is also the start of 40 Cans for Lent. This is great way to
Church
Council
Jeff Kiliany
Tom Buehner
The new initiative from Supreme Council “Building the Domestic Church”, urges local councils to become more in tune with your local parish. As a means of emphasizing the importance of this initiative, Supreme has added the requirement of 4 programs entered in your council’s Supreme Columbian Award application be designated as “Domestic Church” activities. A complete list of programs and descriptions can be found on the Supreme website at kofc.org/domesticchurch.
Council Websites
Many of your councils have already completed some of the required “Domestic Church” activities as part of your State Church Program council activities that you have submitted online to me.
I’m still compiling a list of the council website addresses for councils across the state. If you haven’t already submitted your council’s website under Council Activity #27 (Council Newsletter/Website), please submit your activity so that you can get credit for it, and so that I can add you to my list! If you’ve already submitted Council Activity #27, please email me the URL for your website (tom.buehner@gmail.com).
Knight of the Year and Lady of the Year Nominations
Please start planning to submit formal nominations for Some of the Supreme activities that also fall under our State Church Knight of the Year and Lady of the Year to me. These nominations should be submitted to me by April 1st. program include: Please remember to take the time to submit your activities 5th Sunday Rosary Program on the State website and reach out to me with any questions!
Consecration to the Holy Family Holy Family Prayer Program Journey to the Inn Keep Christ in Christmas Campaign Spiritual Formation Groups ( ex. Into the Breach)
Vivat Jesus! Tom Buehner State Council Director
If you have any concerns about receiving credit for any of your Church Activity reports as a Domestic Church activity, please feel free to contact me. Please call or e-mail with any other questions that you may have regarding any of the State Church Program activities. I will be happy to assist you and your council. Jeff Kiliany – State Church Director (330) 427-9874 home (330) 853-6099 cell jtktg@yahoo.com “As We continue to Build Up His Church”
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Community Tom Forstoefel February brings us Super Bowl weekend where the top two teams from the NFL will have bragging rights for another whole year. The two teams participating had to go through a long elimination process of winning the division playoffs and then go on to win the AFC & NFC Championship to make it to Super Bowl weekend. Only two teams get to participate in the final game of the 2016-2017 season. In our Ohio Knights of Columbus competition there can be multiple overall winners at several levels. There can be multiple winners at the council level. There can also be winners by division size as well as diocese winners. The overall goal of all councils should be to attain Star Council at the end of the fraternal year. If your council has reached this goal you can pat yourselves on the back for a job well done. You will also be
Family Stewart Vetter It's the dark of the winter. The bright lights of Christmas are a memory. The days are still short and the dark of night is long. The wind howls cold through bare tree branches. It all makes it easy to lull about and do very little. It also makes this time of year a great time to plan family events and keep those lazy families active and engaged. Within the Domestic Church materials from Supreme, there is a detailed planner on coordinating a monthly family movie night. It involves kid's activities, family activities, prayer, and a family friendly movie. This is perfect for this time of year and gets our Catholic families out of the house and active. Do you have any empty-nesters in your council? Do they wish they could see their grandkids more often? Maybe they are more recent empty-nesters missing the days their kids were young. Are you looking to attract young members with families? What about a board game night? The older members might enjoy playing Chutes and Ladders or Cootie or Hi Ho Cherry-O with the grade schoolers. Maybe your members
rewarded by the Supreme Office whereby your per capita dues for the next fraternal year will be waived by Supreme. This can be a great win for your council because you will have additional funds available for the charity work your council can do on a regular basis. It is not too late to get into the game plan and finish out the last half of the fraternal year with a bang and to be one of the best of the best. For those councils that have been submitting activities your council has completed, please continue your good work and sharing your activities on the state web site. If your council has maxed out in a program area, please continue to submit your activities. Some of the activities submitted at the end of the last fraternal year by several councils were still recognized as “best of the best” at the State Convention in Sandusky, Ohio.
recruiting for new members to achieve 100% of your membership goal. Next, work with your K of C Field Agent to attain your insurance goal for the fraternal year. If your council can attain your membership & insurance goals, the rest of your activities should be a piece of cake. You will find that councils that reach their membership & insurance goals are also active in meeting all the goals of Church, Council, Community, Family, Youth and Culture of Life as well. Continue to be positive about “Changing Lives and Saving Lives” and your council will reap benefits for the fraternal year. Vivat Jesus, Thomas Forsthoefel State Community Director tjf042074@sbcglobal.net
For the councils that have only submitted a few activities for the year, you still can finish out the last 4 to 5 months of the fraternal year and be recognized as one of the best in Ohio as a Star Council. Keep are intrepid enough to learn Settlers of Cataan from the tweens and teens (fair warning: it is addictive!!). Board game night is a low stress night out of the house. Families would enjoy connecting with other families over a fun night out spending real quality time together. This is also the time of year to start working on your Family of the Year nomination. The form in the program book should be a outline for the much longer, more detailed write up that is attached to it. Remember this is an OF THE YEAR award, not a lifetime achievement award. The family you pick should be active in the Knights, the community, and the parish. Ideally, the whole family is active and involved. It doesn't matter if that family is a husband and wife, a couple with several kids, or a widower with children at home. Catholic families in all their configurations are eligible.
my siblings) have great memories from those times. No matter what you like to do for leisure, it's part of this year's Campout. There's a tour of the restored Miami & Erie canal, golf, BINGO, euchre (of course), volleyball, cornhole, and much, much more. If you prefer, reading and people watching, that's available too. All the information and registration can be found on the state website under News & Events -> State Council Activities --> State Campout. If you aren't much of a camper but love day trips, the events of the state campout are open to you too. Come out for the day and enjoy the family fun. A big thank you goes out to Brother Lou Hohman and all the members of his team for planning this fun family event!! I'd like to close with a reminder. Family is the people we love the most and appreciate the least. Take the time today to remind your family; they are loved and appreciated.
Registration has begun for the 49th Annual Ohio K of C Family Campout. This year will be held at Mercer County Fairgrounds in Celina. Once again, chairman Lou Hohman and his team have put together a fun filled week of activities and fraternity. As a much younger man, my family and our pop-up camper were regulars at the State Campout. All six of us kids (me an
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Culture of Life Brett Gissel Are you against the legalization of abortion and don’t know what you can do? I recall learning about abortion as a child and knowing that it is intrinsically wrong. I didn’t know what I could do other than support a Pro Life organization. The financial support was easy to do when they sold something after Mass, but we could have given more. Participating in their programs was not easy to do as it involved either a time commitment with work or overcoming a fear of not knowing what to do, especially when confronted while peacefully protesting outside of an abortion clinic. Aside from taking time off of work and stepping outside of our comfort zone, what can we do? First of all, the Knights of Columbus, including many councils in Ohio, have helped Pro Life pregnancy centers purchase ultrasound machines. An ultrasound for a pregnant woman is the single most effective way to save lives. These machines are expensive and I commend any council that has purchased an ultrasound through the Supreme Council Ultrasound Initiative (Program #45). While ultrasound machines are effective, not every council (or even a group of councils) can afford to purchase one. Consider purchasing diapers or other needed items for a family facing the
Youth Mike Nau This year’s Coats for kids program is coming to a close. Several thousand kids will be warmer this year due to the hard work and generosity of the council in this great state. Several councils were way up in the number of coats donated to local community service agencies. Thanks for all you do and taking the time to share these activities by reporting them. Last year 119000 young people participated in Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championships. The Council level needed to be done by the end of January. District needs to be done the mid-February and the Regional will be done the end of February. State Free Thrown will be held in March 18 2017. Remember that the age levels are 914 years old. Let’s get out and promote the
decision between abortion and life. It does not cost a council much to purchase such items or even hold a drive at church to collect them. That support of a pregnancy center will allow the center to serve the families that choose life despite the financial hardship they are facing. If we really do consider all human life to be sacred, we will support families the choose life rather than just pushing them to choose life. That support will also help build and promote a Culture Of Life. You can hold a letter writing campaign to contact your elected officials about an important vote regarding abortion and other life issues. As you collect signatures, you will see the amount of support you have at your parish. It is also a good time to engage with non-members and get them to join the Order. The 40 Days For Life campaign will start on Ash Wednesday (March 1) and runs through April 9. To date the 40 Days For Life program has documented 12,668 lives saved. Aside from participation in the vigils at the clinics, members can also participate in this campaign through public awareness and by praying and fasting during these 40 days. The participation of a member in this program does not have to be at a clinic. They can pray and fast in private if they do not feel comfortable protesting peacefully at an abortion clinic or if they do not have the time. Promoting the program among your parishes is another way to engage members and non-members alike to Free Throw. Let’s stop the trend, and get more participation. I will pass out information concerning time, directions and what each contestant will need to bring with them to the DD coordinator at the DDs meeting on Jan. 7 and 8. Please make sure that each Regional winner gets a copy. I need the winners from the diocesan contest no later 2/28/2017. Please make sure that I can read the names of the winners. We need this so that their name will be displayed on the shirt correctly. The Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest is open to 3 age groups. Kits, rules and regulations can be found on the Supreme website. The age groups are as follow: ages 5-7, 8-10 and 11-14. Local level judging should be done by 12/31/2016. Regional (Diocesan) by 1/15/2017. I need all Diocesan winners by 1/31/2017 so I can get the State winners to Supreme by 2/15/2017. Check with the DD coordinators in our Dio-
get them involved and to recruit. Participation in this campaign can be reported through Program #47. Include any people that participated, regardless of if it was at a clinic or not. The Order Wide Day Of The Unborn Child (Program #49) will be on March 25. This is a day when we unite in prayer for a return of respect and protection of the unborn children. This is an event that does not take a huge time commitment. Early promotion of the event will bring more people together to pray for the unborn. Please note that the Culture Of Life program involves volunteering, educating, advocating, donating, and praying. This should be your guide on what constitutes a Culture Of Life program. If you have any questions about Culture Of Life programs, please contact me at BrettGissel@gmail.com.
Finally, any activity involving end of life issues is a Culture Of Life activity. So long as the program is in keeping with the teachings of the Church, the same guide as what we use for beginning of life issues is used for end of life issues.
Brett Gissel Culture Of Life Director Ohio State Council
cese to see if they are having a Diocesan level contest. If they are not then just send the local winners to me. The State winners will be posted in the VOS next month. Don’t forget Activity #60 Drug and Alcohol Abuse Poster Contest. This is a Supreme Program to help bring the abuse of drugs and alcohol to the attention of the children in our communities. It gives them the chance to discuss these problems with each other and support each other not to use drugs and overuse alcohol. You need to order your Drug and Alcohol Abuse Poster Contest kit from Supreme Council in November to have everything in place for the council level completion in January. The age groups are 8-11 and 12-14. This contest consists of two different contests. One is for Drug Awareness and Abuse and one for Alcohol Awareness and Abuse. Local level should take place in Feb. Check with our (Continued on page 13)
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Education. Activity # 58 Ohio Foundation Scholarship DD Coordinator to see if there is a Diocesan Fund. Don’t forget this important Activity. Keep up the good work and take time to level contest. If so that needs to take place To date very few Councils have claimed this report those great activities under the Youth by late march. I need all local/Diocesan win- under the Youth Program. Please encourage Program. ners to me by early April as to pick the State your council to make a donation to the Ohio winners and submit to Supreme by Charity Foundation Scholarship Fund to 4/30/2017. help students continue with their Catholic (Continued from page 12)
INSURANCE
Plan for this Tax Day and into the Future April 15 (tax day) is right around the corner. It’s become popular this time of year to encourage the opening of an IRA or similar retirement annuity, or the depositing of additional funds into an existing account, as a tax-savings vehicle. Or perhaps someone has tried to convince you to open an account, touting the rate of interest that money in one of these accounts can earn. Let me join the chorus of folks encouraging you to open or add funds to an annuity, but for a different reason. Certainly, contributing money to a Knights of Columbus annuity will allow you to save some money on your income tax return. And, our annuities do pay a very competitive interest rate, consistent with our primary goal of absolute safety of principal. Opening or adding to an annuity for these reasons, however, strikes me as taking a short-term view of a product that is designed to provide long-term security. How much security? How does retirement income that you cannot outlive — guaranteed — sound to you?
Here at the Knights of Columbus, you can open a retirement annuity for as little as $300. Consistent and disciplined savings placed into that annuity over time can – properly structured – guarantee you an income at retirement that you cannot outlive. That guarantee — along with the fact that no one has ever lost money left in a Knights of Columbus annuity (remember – absolute safety of principal) — really will provide you with peace of mind. I am happy to meet with you – at your convenience and in your home – to explain in detail the benefits of opening a Knights of Columbus annuity, along with the benefits of our top-rated life insurance, disability income and long-term care insurance plans. Happy New Year, David W. Roberts General Agent (330) 614-2063 david.roberts@kofc.org
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STATE WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA
You’re One Click Away Robert Gilliland Submitting the Columbian Award (Form SP-7) due by June 30 to Supreme Council. Copies of this form need to be submitted to the State Deputy, your District Deputy, and a copy for your Council records. Your Council should get this in sooner than June 30 in case Supreme Council rejects anything on the SP-7 form. You want to make sure that all requirements for the Columbian Award are completed before sending in the SP -7 form. Worthy Grand Knights and Worthy Financial Secretaries, this article will go into more detail about how your Council can submit the Columbian Award (SP-7) online through the State website and it will be electronically submitted to Supreme Council, the State Deputy, your District Deputy, along with a copy e-mailed back to yourself for Council records. Note that you must be a Council Grand Knight or Council Financial Secretary to have access to these forms. From the Main Menu, Select Forms,
then at the bottom of the Forms page, under “Council Forms”, click on “Council Administrative Forms”. Columbian Award (Form SP-7) due by June 30, 2017 to Supreme Council.
Once the Council Administrative Forms page comes up, select the tab that says “Form SP-7 Columbian Award”.
When you completed the Columbian Award form (#SP-7), you will have three options. First, you can simply save the data and come back to complete the form in the event you do not have all of the information by clicking on the “Save Form” button at the bottom of the page. Secondly, you can print the Columbian Award form on your printer after saving any changes you have made on the form by clicking on the “Print Form” button on the bottom of the page. When you print out the form, a PDF document of the Columbian Award form with all of the programs selected in the program fields filled in will be downloaded to your computer. You can then print out the PDF document on your printer (see form image below). Lastly, you can submit the completed Columbian Award form by clicking on the “Submit Form By Email” button at the bottom of the page. When you click Submit, a PDF document of the competed form is sent to Supreme Council, The State Deputy, your District Deputy, and a copy mailed back to yourself.
the Domestic Church Activity (see images below). Per the Columbian Award: In order to qualify for the Columbian Award, your council must: 1. Annually conduct and report at least four (4) major involvement programs in each of the sections. Additionally, a minimum of four (4) of these programs must be designated as Domestic Church activities. Domestic Church activities can be attributed to any category and there can be multiple Domestic Church activities conducted in a single category. Please visit kofc.org/domesticchurch for a list of qualifying programs. 2. Submit the Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity (#1728). New councils instituted after November 1 of the current fraternal year do not need to meet this requirement. 3. Submit the Service Program Personnel Report (#365).
You can save the Columbian Award form at any time and come back to it to continue filling out the remaining information, again saving the information until you are ready to submit the form. You must check the box to the left of the activity if it is to be considered for
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You can practice filling out the SP-7 help, please form and submitting it on the DEMO feel free to site (demo.kofcohio.org) and it will email me at ONLY email the form back to you. None of the information submitted on the DEMO site is sent to Supreme Council, the State Council, or your District Deputy. Remember that the DEMO site is for practice purposes only.
If your council conducts a featured program in any category, ensure that the program’s minimum requirements are met in order to receive credit for all four activities in that category. The minimum requirements for each featured program are located in the Surge with Service (#962) manual.
I am attaching images of the SP-7 Columbian award at the end of this article. You can download the PDF of the Columbian If your Council did not participate in any Award program category described in the form directly or you don’t have four programs from selected for a program category, leave Supreme the program field at eh “Please Select” Council’s website at and it will leave the field bank on the SP -7 form (the default value) in that field if http://www.kofc.org/un/en/forms/ you have change the program and want council/columbian_awardap_p.pdf to remove it from the SP-7 form. If you have any problems, or need any
bobgkofc@gmail.com.
Robert Gilliland State Website Director
MEASURE UP CAMPAIGN MEASURE UP STARTS NOW - with the advent of the big box stores cutting some councils out from collecting outside their stores, the State has decided to extend the deadline for turn in from June to August. They are asking councils to hold other fundraisers that can take the place of the box stores. If your council holds one in the summer, your funds will not be late. So if you are still allowed to collect at your local box store, feel free to do another fundraiser in addition. If you would like the State Deputy to send the management of a box store a letter to help enable you to collect there again, please email him (rfcollinsjr@gmail.com) with the name, title, address, city, state, and zip. He will then get that out and alert you so you and the State can track the progress of the letter. Also there are some more ideas on how you can raise funds inside the 2017 Measure Up Campaign Book. Your DD will receive those books or more of them at the Super Cash Bonanza ticket distribution on Feb. 18th. So call him and reserve your copy, if you have not already received one. So let's get out there and start collecting to help our developmentally disabled friends from Ohio. Larry J. Droesch, State Warden Ohio State Knights of Columbus 1758 Prairie Road Wilmington, OH 45177 937-728-7783 cell and text 937-383-3680 home ldroesch@msn.com
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KNIGHTS IN ACTION
COUNCIL 14111 Council Breakfast with Santa Members of Council 14111 and its ladies auxiliary located in Norton caught the holiday spirit, hosting a “Breakfast with Santa” program that attracted more than 250 parishioners. Attendees enjoyed “bottomless” pancakes, eggs, sausage and a choice of flavored syrups, donated by the council to attract families. Members dressed as elves roamed the school hall handing out candy. Santa and Mrs Claus visited and gave out stuffed animals to the kids. A “balloon lady” provided excitement with balloon animals. A major social event for the parish, the Knights also included an information table for membership recruiting.
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and Past State Deputy Gary Eckstein did report to me that statewide we sold a couple of tickets short of 16,000 tickets. This number shows a very significant increase in ticket sales over last year’s campaign even with the additional cost of a ticket. We sincerely “Thank You” for your efforts.
changes it will make in your life. God Bless Brothers, have a good month and a better month than the one before. Let’s all work to “Make Ohio Great Again”. Bob Collins State Deputy
Football Fund Crazr Rebate Checks were sent out in early January and all Council should have received their check for their sales efforts. In closing… May God continue to Bless you as you continue to the work you do in Jesus name. Dedicate everything you do for Him to the honor and glory of God and see what
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SUPER CASH BONANZA
Plant the Seed to Grow CASH for Charity The 2017 Super Cash Bonanza Charity Campaign Super Cash Bonanza Charity Raffle Tickets and posters will be distributed during the Ticket Distribution Meetings throughout Ohio the weekends of February 17,18,18 or 24,25 (2017). Please check for the exact date, time, and location in your council area. Please make sure that all who are in charge of the 2017 Super Cash Bonanza Charity Campaign have read the materials provided to the council, especially, the information booklet. Significant income for charity can be earned by your council (far surpassing the basic rebate of $2.40 per ticket), but you must adhere to the “rules” as presented in the information booklet. Some rebates require meeting attendance, while others require meeting First Phase and Final Phase quotas. Here are some of the key points: A minimum of two members from your council must attend the Diocesan Ticket Distribution Meeting. The twomember requirement does not include the District Deputy, State Directors and Chairs, or a State Officer to qualify for these rebates. The sold tickets and one check from your council must be sent to the State Treasurer by the published deadlines. The two turn-in dates are Saturday, April 15 (2017) and Friday, May 13 (2017). Your council must meet these deadlines with the required number of sold tickets per member in order to qualify for the different rebates. Most methods of shipping are acceptable. UPS, FedEx or the US Postal System all have good record of timely delivery of small packages. Please do not send your package by a method requiring my signature. These often go back to the delivery agent’s warehouse and await pickup. Please use durable-strength envelopes or cartons to avoid damage during shipment. Please make every effort to have all of your council’s tickets submitted by the second turn-in deadline. Tickets brought to and delivered at the convention might create a processing problem. With the drawing taking place that weekend, there is very little time for late arrivals. We cannot guarantee your rebates on tickets received more than a few days after the final turn-in date of May 13, 2017. Extra materials and tickets can be obtained from your District Deputy or Diocesan Officer. Any questions concerning the 2017 Super Cash Bonanza Campaign should be directed to me, Robert Byers, State Treasurer and Chair, by email at robert_byers@hotmail.com or by calling me at 740-706-0044 cell or 740-373-7154 home. Plan early, promote, and partner! We are here to help you work toward the success of the 2017 Super Cash Bonanza charity campaign at your local council. Thank you to all my brother knights for helping me “Plant the Seed and Grow CASH for Charity.” Additional information is also available on the Ohio State Council state website at www.kofcohio.org. Fraternally,
Farmer Bob Bob Byers
State Treasurer 17
SUPER CASH BONANZA ROADSHOW
Super Cash Bonanza Road Show 2017 Ticket Distribution Meetings The Super Cash Bonanza Road Show Team is making plans now to meet with each and every Council throughout the State of Ohio to kick off the 2017 Super Cash Bonanza Charity Raffle. We have selected nine locations around the state to make every effort possible for each and every one of you to attend one of the meetings. The team will share with you some thoughts about what is expected to conduct and accomplish a successful charity raffle at your Council. We look forward to meeting with you. The meeting sites, dates, and times are listed below.
“Grow Cash for Charity” Weekend 1
Weekend 2
Friday, February 17, 2017 7:00 p.m. Tiffin Council #608 49 E. Perry St. Tiffin, Ohio 44883
Thursday, February 23, 2017 7:00 p.m. Marietta Council #478 312 Franklin St. Marietta, Ohio 45750
Saturday, February 18, 2017 9:30 a.m. Msgr. Lang Council #1039 111 Elliott Road Defiance, Ohio 43512
Friday, February 24, 2017 7: 00 p.m. Msgr. Dooley Council #4361 Legion Drive Mingo junction, Ohio 45750
3:00 p.m. Fr. Aufderheide Council #12912 (St. Christopher Church) 435 E. National Road Vandalia, Ohio 45377
Saturday, February 25, 2017 10:00 a.m. Immaculate Conception Church (Parish Hall on W. Spruce Street) 409 W. Main Street Ravenna, Ohio 44266
7:00 PM St. Michael’s Council #3382 (St. Michael’s Church) 11144 Spinner Ave. Sharonville, Ohio 45241
Saturday, February 25, 2017 1:00 p.m. Garfield Council #4130 10806 Granger Road Garfield, Ohio 44125
Sunday, February 19, 2017 2:00 p.m. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Council #11187 600 Hill Road Pickerington, Ohio 43147 18