New York State Circle Mid-Year Report

New York State Circle COLUMBIAN SQUIRES

Mid-Year Report January 1, 2012

Contents

Page 2 Letter from the State Chief Squire

Page 3 Letter from the State Deputy

Page 5 Letter from the State Youth Director

Page 6 Letter from the State Squires Chairman

Page 7 State Officer Reports

For updated information from the State Circle, please visit our website:

www.NewYorkSquires.com

Thank you so much for your continued dedication to the Columbian Squires program in New York State. This report contains information to assist your circle in the coming months and keep you apprised of all that your State Officers are doing for the good of the Order. As always, please feel free to contact us if you have any

questions, comments or concerns.

Esto Dignus – Be Worthy

Page 8 2011 Recap & Moving Forward

Page 10 Membership Numbers

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New York State Circle Mid-Year Report

Letter from the State Chief Squire

Patrick Klein

Worthy Squires, Counselors and Knights,

I hope that you all had a Merry Christmas, and I wish you all a very Happy New Year! I would like to thank each of you for attending this Evening of Recollection tonight. I would like to thank our State Father Prior, Fr. James Williams, and Blessed Chaminade Circle for hosting tonight’s event. This is the largest gathering of Squires I have ever been a part of and it is an honor to take part in it. I hope you will all enjoy yourselves. Later this month, the officers of the State Circle will attend the Pro-Like Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and we will hold our mid-year meetings. Details regarding our Brother Barnabas Mass and annual Convention will be finalized, and this information will be distributed to you as soon as possible. I look forward to seeing you all at these events, and I hope that attendance will continue to grow! Esto Dignus

Patrick Klein

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New York State Circle Mid-Year Report

Letter from the State Deputy

Salvatore Restivo

Worthy Squires, Counselors and Knights,

I am happy to report that we, the State Council Officers, have had a successful midyear meeting. In attendance were District Deputies, Conference Chairmen, the Membership team, State Directors, some State Chairmen and of course the entire C&B team. The following is my Midyear Report; although it addresses Knights of Columbus Councils, you will notice that Squires Circles are likely facing similar challenges.

The midyear meeting is always focused on membership. Recruitment and retention are always upper most in the dialogue of the weekend. However, we added a few more aspects of membership: Revitalize: All conferences at this time should have established a revitalization committee. This committee’s responsibility is to the councils of their conference that are struggling or have become inactive. Revitalizing and reestablishing councils help the Order grow in minor conference areas. The committee is comprised of brothers who have knowledge and are able to motivate council leaders to take stock in their struggling councils and make the necessary changes to move their councils forward.

Reinvest: We all need to plan for the future of our Order. We all know we need to recruit young men however; we first need to establish a rapport with our boys and young men so that we may better plan and be prepared to involve them. High school Squire Circles are just one of the means by which this rapport can be established. Establishing a Squires Circle in a Catholic high school as part of the extra curricula activities builds Catholic community and provides a direct link from the Faith based teachings to acts of Charity and community. It also facilitates learning about the work of the Order to our young Catholic men and their fathers and mothers. Our youth auxiliaries in your conference should be assessing each Catholic high school for this exciting program.

Establishing a rapport with the Cardinal Newman clubs in each of the public and private colleges is another way to reinvest. We have much talent and experience. The Knights could be mentors and provide advice in our areas of expertise. On Long Island, we are preparing for a Career Night at Hofstra University for young college students.

Finally, Rededicating ourselves to the Order we love is essential. “If it is to be, it is up to me” should be your motto. Your council is your responsibility. We on the state level are here to help but we all know that “God helps those who help themselves.” Your District Deputy is there to guide you and he will assist as well as provide the moral support. But make no mistake – you are the crucial part of the team that will keep your council healthy, active and viable.

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New York State Circle Mid-Year Report

Letter from the State Deputy (continued)

Our new Country Store made its debut with a variety of items for sale. The Country Store will also be open online in the near future on our new and improved website. Speaking of which, our State Council website has undergone a great improvement, and thanks to Tom Boslet and Brian Ennis, a new member of the Web team, we have a modern site. Please check it out for yourself – you may discover that your State Officers have talents which have been undiscovered until now.

“Building his Dream” debuted on October 10, 2011 on Telecare and I am happy to report we have taped 18 episodes thus far. The attendees of the midyear meeting had an opportunity to see show number one. They were also able to view several commercials produced by the Supreme Council.

We will have a Convention Journal this year. There are both business and fraternal contracts available. Information strictly for members will be published in a separate booklet, but the lion share of the State Convention reports will be in the journal with advertising. Please help out by getting the businesses in your area to take an advertisement.

Monthly Statewide Meetings: Beginning in September, monthly meetings of the State Council Officers and Directors have taken place. This is done via the Internet with the webinar system. All Conference Chairmen or their representative(s) are invited to attend. Mandated to attend are State Officers, Directors, staff, State Chairmen, Coordinators and Chairman of the Boards. At these meetings will be a treasurer’s report, the State Deputy’s report, and each Director will have a brief report as well. The meeting will be recorded and available on our website for those who need to listen at a later date. Reports will be published in the Empire State Bulletin. If you are not computer savvy, you simply use your home phone to listen in on the live broadcast. The meetings will be held on the first Friday of every month at 8PM.

Pro Life Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral will be January 22, 2012 at 10:15 AM. Please be at the Cathedral and seated by 9:45 AM as we will have a K of C procession beginning at 10 AM.

Partnership with St. Joseph’s Hospital: We are looking for hospital volunteers to help at this Catholic hospitals and in return, St. Joseph’s will provide free health fairs in their area. We are looking to partner with any and all Catholic Hospitals so that the health fairs that provide free screening services to our communities can be available all over the state. St Mary’s Hospital for Children will be a charity that we as a State Council will support. This hospital is well known for its great work for special children. Please keep focused for our fundraising efforts. St. Mary’s serves families from Long Island, the 5 boroughs, and Westchester County.

With only 6 months in to the fraternal year, I must commend the team of State Officers, State Directors, State Chairmen, and Coordinators for getting off to a good start. I must personally thank my staff for their hard work and assistance.

Building his Dream…..“So that the world may know new hope.”

Sal Restivo

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New York State Circle Mid-Year Report

Letter from the State Youth Director

Michael Galgano

Worthy Squires, Counselors and Knights,

I hope that you and your families had a very Merry Christmas and that the New Year will be a Blessed, Happy and Healthy one. As we gather for the State Circle’s first ever Evening of Recollection and Dodgeball event at Chaminade High School, this event is shaping up to be a momentous occasion. This event promises to be the single largest gathering of Squires in New York State, outside of the annual convention, in over 30 years! Many thanks to all of the Circles who chose to participate in this event. Special thanks are due to State Chief Squire Pat Klein and State Fr. Prior Fr. James Williams for organizing the event, and to Blessed William Chaminade Circle for hosting the event. I hope that everyone present will have a great time and take this opportunity to meet and connect with their fellow Squires and State Officers, and after leaving tonight will continue to maintain those contacts. We hope to see you again at the many other events that the State Circle will be attending, including the Pro-Life Mass on Jan 22nd, the Albany Prayer Rally in March, Brother Barnabas Mass in April, and the State Squires Convention in June.

The State Circle’s membership numbers are promising. So far this year we have added 80 new Squires across the state, which makes us Number 2 in Net Membership Gain and Number 5 in Percent Membership Gain. On the downside, we have not added or reactivated any Circles this year. We have a number of prospects for new and reactivation so with six months to go in the year, I am confident that we will see our membership and Circle numbers increase. Remember that membership recruitment should be a year-round endeavor for your Circle, not just when your membership numbers drop.

I’m sure that as Squires you are well aware of the situation concerning our Catholic Schools. Rising tuition, falling enrollment, and a weak economy have combined to force the closing of many Catholic Schools around our State. Some of you may have already experienced the closing of a local Catholic school. We are asking our Circles to consider helping the Knights of Columbus by supporting our Catholic School Support Program. This program seeks to help our local Catholic Schools by supporting them in any way we can. Perhaps your Circle could organize a fund-raiser, or put together a work crew to help with some light maintenance at the school. Whatever it might be, every little bit helps when it comes to supporting our Catholic Schools.

In closing, please remember to keep the State informed of the good things that your Circle is doing. Send the information to State Chief Squire Pat Klein or Past State Deputy Chief Squire Mike Adam so we can put the information up on the State Website and Facebook page.

Esto Dignus

Mike Galgano

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New York State Circle Mid-Year Report

Letter from the State Squires Chairman

Thomas Gillin

Worthy Squires, Counselors and Knights,

Happy New Year! I hope that you had a great Christmas holiday and that you are now ready to start 2012. I’d like to thank Fr. James Williams, our State Father Prior, and State Chief Squire Patrick Klein for setting up the Squires Evening of Recollection. What a great way to begin the year. Unfortunately a longstanding prior engagement prevents me from being there in person but I will be thinking of you all that evening. (And for the record, this is not a made up excuse to avoid the dodge ball game.) The State Squires will be having their version of the midyear meeting on Saturday, January 21st. Hopefully, we will come away with firm plans for the Brother Barnabas Mass as well as the State Convention. Stay tuned for details. We continue to pursue establishing new Squires Circles as well as pushing for our goal of adding at least one new Squire to each Circle. Remember to follow our latest news on our website and Facebook page. Esto Dignus

Tom Gillin

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New York State Circle Mid-Year Report

State Deputy Chief Squire John DiSanto Well it's the halfway point of our Colombian year. I am pleased to announce the success we've all had as a whole working together on whatever we needed done. Also I would like to update everyone that we have narrowed the possible convention sites to about three or four. I would like to thank Pat Klein and Mike Galgano with having to put up with me almost everyday with my call/texts about anything I had on my mind. God Bless! Esto Dignus.

State Bursar Squire Alex Bedosky The past six months with the State Circle have been great – from having our State Installation and State Meetings to attending local Investitures, I have been able to watch the Squires program in New York State grow and flourish. My goal for the 2011-2012 Columbian Year is for every Circle in New York State to gain at least one new member. This will help the state program grow both in number and substance. Also, I hope for every Squire to live a good, Christian life and to do God’s will. I look forward to seeing you all at the State Convention in early June! Esto Dignus.

State Marshal Squire Philip Tullo So far, the New York State Circle has had a very productive year. This July the State Officers attended the Annual Knight’s Indoctrination Meeting in Suffern, where we distributed information about the squires. In August this year’s state administration was installed at Resurrection Church in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn. We have started a seasonal newsletter with updates from the state and information about activities from circles from around the state. On the state website, www.NewYorkSquires.com, a new member database was create; members can submit prayer requests and events to the website. I look forward to the next half of the year. The State is preparing other events, such as the Brother Barnabas Mass and the State Convention. At the end of January the State officers will be attending the Pro Life Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I sincerely believe that this will be one of the best years for the state. Keep up the good work! Esto Dignus.

State Sentry Squire Mario Giustizia My year so far being with the State Circle has been better than I ever could have imagined. We have had a very fun and productive year thus far. I really like the goal we set for this year, namely acquiring one new Squire per Circle. It’s something small that we can do, but it does so much for us. I also am hoping that we can get some Circles started in more high schools. A lot of the problems the squires as a whole face are that it can be hard to make it to the meetings. With more circles in high schools, it makes it much easier for young men to attend. Esto Dignus.

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New York State Circle Mid-Year Report

State Circle: 2011 Recap • The State Officers attended the State Council Indoctrination Meetings in late July, during

which they had the opportunity to hold their first meeting of the Columbian Year. In addition, State Chief Squire Pat Klein addressed the assembled Knights.

• New York State became the home of 3 Brother Barnabas Award winners: St Francis DeChantal Circle in Wantagh, Immaculate Conception Circle in Astoria, and Don Bosco Circle in Manhasset!

• A Suffolk County Squires Roundtable was held in Centereach on August 18, 2011.

• In August, the first State Circle Newsletter was published and the State Circle Website was entirely revamped, truly revitalizing statewide communication.

• On September 2, 2011, we hit 100 likes on our Facebook page!

• The State Officers were officially installed during an unforgettable ceremony in Brooklyn on October 8, 2011, where Squires and Knights from around the state were in attendance.

• The State Circle has requested that Conferences and Chapters publish Squires news and advertisements in their local bulletins so as to increase awareness and communication.

• The State Circle published its first-ever Mid-Year Report on January 1, 2012.

• Blessed William Chaminade Circle hosted the first-ever statewide Evening of Recollection and Dodgeball Tournament on January 7, 2012.

• The State Officers have attended countless Investitures, Installations, fundraisers, meetings and

various other functions – all for the good of the Order!

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New York State Circle Mid-Year Report

State Circle: Moving Forward • The State Officers will be meeting on January 21, 2012 to finalize plans for upcoming

programs and events.

• All are invited to attend the annual Pro-Life Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (New York City) on January 22, 2012. Knights of Columbus procession starts at 10:00AM, Archbishop Timothy Dolan will be celebrating Mass at 10:15AM. The State Officers will be assisting during the Mass.

• You will receive your circle’s State Per-Capita Bill within the month – please respond as soon as possible so we can maintain accurate records.

• In accordance with the resolutions adopted at the 2011 Convention, the State Circle will contribute $500 to the RSVP Program – a Knights of Columbus program that encourages financial and spiritual support of seminarians. If you know a seminarian, especially one with connections to the Columbian Squires, please submit his name for consideration.

• Recruitment is a yearlong endeavor. Continue asking your friends, neighbors and classmates to join your Circle – check our website for support materials and remember that our goal is to add at least one new Squire to every Circle in New York!

• If your Circle is willing and able, the State Circle highly encourages all Circles to host an Evening of Recollection (or similar spiritual program) for your Squires. Seek out your State Officers if you need assistance with these events.

• The State Circle would like to encourage all Squires and Counselors to keep an open dialogue with your State Officers – invite them to your Circle’s meetings and events, share your successes and challenges with them, and always turn to them if you have any questions or concerns. They’re here to help you.

• The State Circle will continue publishing a statewide newsletter; please continue to submit your Circle’s news and stories. (And post your photos and events to our Facebook page!)

• Details are being finalized for our Brother Barnabas Mass and State Convention, as well as a number of statewide webinar meetings and/or conference calls – please continue to check the State Website and Facebook page for updated information.

Frank M. Kistner Circle 5481 Our circle was very active this year; we held a number of events for our Council and community. On November 13th, our Circle held a community breakfast and we were excited to have a big turnout. At Thanksgiving time, our Circle helped out with a Thanksgiving food drive. On December 10th, our Parish had an installation of our pastor, Fr. Paul, and we served food and coffee for all who attended. Also, on December 17th, our Circle held a Christmas party and a celebration of our one-year anniversary since our Circle was formed. Finally, we also helped out with the Parish Giving Tree and helped gather all the gifts to give to the needy. Esto Dignus.

Respectfully Submitted, Chief Squire Salvatore Isabella

New York State Circle Mid-Year Report

New York: Membership Recruitment/Retention as of December 1, 2011

Current Net Gain Standings: 2nd

Gain 83 Loss 3 NET GAIN: 80

Current Percentage Net Gain Standings: 5th

NET GAIN: 11.03%

TOTAL CIRCLES: 48

TOTAL SQUIRES: 805

NEW YORK STATE CIRCLE

State Father Prior for Youth…………..…Rev. James Williams, S.M. Associate State Father Prior for Youth...............Rev. Dennis Nikolic Associate State Brother Prior for Youth…...Bro. Peter Heiskell, S.M.

State Chief Squire…………………………….....……….Patrick Klein State Deputy Chief Squire……………………………....John DiSanto State Notary Squire……………………………………...William Liles State Bursar Squire……………………………………....Alex Bedosky State Marshal Squire……………………………...............Philip Tullo State Sentry Squire………………………………........Mario Giustizia

State Youth Director………………………………...Michael Galgano State Squires Chairman…………………………...……Thomas Gillin

NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL

Honorary Chaplain Emeritus..His Eminence Edward Cardinal Egan State Chaplain…………………….Most Rev. William Murphy, D.D.

State Deputy……………………………………...Salvatore A. Restivo State Secretary………………………………………….James Connors State Treasurer…………………………………………Charles Ardillo State Advocate………………………………………Michael Stephany State Warden……………………………………….Thomas Tompkins

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