June, 2014
State Deputy’s Annual Report By Ken Girt State Deputy
As I prepared for my term, I thought about a theme that would have meaning to every Knight of Columbus in Ohio. One Sunday a few years ago, I had heard Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus told his followers to be the “Light of World” ….. and “let that light shine before all so that they will see our good deeds and give glory to our Father in heaven”. Our “good deeds” are examples of the first principle of the Order; Charity. What better way to show our good deeds to others than through our charities. This is how the “Light of Ohio” theme came to be. And thanks to Fr. Antoninus Niemiec, OP, a priest of the Order of Preachers serving St. Dominic Church in Youngstown, who created our graphic logo. I wanted a simple approach to our general program contest and I choose to keep it as simple as the criteria of the one Supreme Council award that judges and awards a grand knight and council for achieving the basic objectives of the idea council. Those objectives include membership growth, charitable service programs, insurance promotion and two reports that Supreme Council requires for communication purposes and maintain our tax-exempt status. So we took the criteria of the Star Council Award and created the “Light of the Ohio” State Program Contest. Continued on Page 4
Another year of Great Ohio Membership Crusade winds down By Ken Gardner
State Membership Director
Three years ago this July, the membership theme of “The Great Ohio Membership Crusade” was introduced, with the now famous “Ohio Jones” leading the way. Ohio Jones’s main message was that councils in Ohio need to join the quest to go out and search
for the treasure of a new member and that Catholic men throughout Ohio are eager to join a fraternal organization that stands for the principle of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. Since this theme was rolled out, many councils have rallied behind Ohio Jones and joined the Crusade, searching for new members and successfully growing their
councils and the Order. For the 20132014 fraternal year, as of May 31, Ohio had grown by 1,655 new and reinstituted members -- below our goal of 2,500 and less than the 1,830 members brought in during the same time period for the 201213 fraternal year. On the positive side, our losses for the
State Convention
Continued on Page 5
Girt, other officers re-elected for 2014-2015 “Light attracts. Light guides people. Light brings people together. This is a great theme for us to reflect on.” Most Rev. James Griffin, Bishop of the Columbus Diocese until his retirement in 2005, reflected on the Ohio State Council’s 2013-2015 theme, “We are the Light of Ohio”, as he spoke at the State Deputy’s Banquet of the 115th Annual Ohio Knights of Columbus Convention, held May 23-25 in Columbus. “I think that’s beautifully stated,” he said. “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You are the light of the world’. Every one of us Christians are called to be the light of the world. As Knights, we are illuminating the world by what we do.” Ken Girt, who was elected State Deputy in 2013, will begin his second year leading the nearly 60,000 Ohio Knights on July 1 based on being re-elected at the 2014 convention. The other current officers Continued on Page 3
Retired Columbus Diocese Bishop James Griffin spoeaks at the State Deputy’s Banquet of the State Convention.
Ohio Knights again surpass $100,000 in Pennies for Heaven collections
Ohio’s 2013-2014 Pennies for Heaven Campaign – the fund used by diocesan vocations directors to promote and assist those seeking a religious life – surpassed the $100,000 mark for the third consecutive year. Pennies for Heaven Chairman Dave Helmstetter, the Immediate Past State Deputy, reported at the State Convention that $103,287 was collected during the 2013-2014 fraternal year. In the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 fraternal years, $101,214 and $115,029, respectively, were collected, both setting new records. “It once again proves that our Knights in Ohio will do whatever they can to help with religious vocations,” said Helmstetter. Pennies for Heaven funds are given to the six diocesan vocations directors to be used to promote vocations and assist in the recruitment of men and women to a religious Continued on Page 2
OR CURRENT RESIDENT Ohio State Council Knights of Columbus Buckeye Bulletin 32649 Surrey Lane Avon Lake, OH 44012-1642
CLEVELAND, OHIO PERMIT NO. 229
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