december 2015 voice of the spirit #6
DESCRIPTION
Monthly Publication of the Ohio State Council Knights of ColumbusTRANSCRIPT
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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS DECEMBER 2015
www.kofcohio.org Monthly Publication of the Ohio State Council
“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” - Luke 2:14
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A little about membership…
Here we go Ohio! Congratulations to the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati, State
Warden Larry Droesch, Diocesan
Membership Director Richard Chunnic, Diocesan Coordinator
Sam Robinson, and District
Deputy #83 Robert Young for the institution of West Union
Council #16348 at Holy Trinity
Parish. We also welcome Pastor Rev. Fr. Jason E. Bedel as
Chaplain.
We are Rockin’ the Membership Boat here in Ohio and as State
Deputy I have to congratulate
all of you throughout Ohio on your efforts. I received a
check several weeks ago from
the Supreme Council Membership Department in
the amount of $2,100.00 for
Ohio’s earnings in the Summer
World Sports Membership Championship. With this check
Inspector Membership and I
will be bringing on some new incentives at the Council,
District, and Diocesan levels to
earn more cash for membership intake.
We continue to do a fantastic job
with membership intake in November. We finished the
month with an intake of 203
members for a 9.02% intake. We placed 7th for the month in
Division 1 but in a very close
race. We were only 0.31% out of
3rd place, about 7 or 8 members. This finish though earned us a
$700.00 bonus in the Winter
Sports Supreme Council Membership Contest. To date we
stand at 41% of our Supreme
Council membership requirements. We rank 21st of
the 74 K of C Jurisdictions
worldwide and we rank 3rd among the Division 1 State
Councils.
At the Midyear State Deputy Meeting in San Antonio I had a
personal interview with the
Supreme Council President of Membership Brother Lou
Barbour. Brother Lou could not
thank me enough on behalf of the Supreme Council for all the
work in membership being
accomplished throughout Ohio.
Needless to say it was extremely
gratifying to sit with a Supreme Council representative and
accept his gratitude on behalf of
all our hard working members. I
don’t believe there was a prouder State Deputy there than
me; and it showed.
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson
by a unanimous vote of approval
from the State Deputies
gathered in San Antonio approved the Supreme Per
Capita Star Council Incentive
Plan for another year. Achieve Star Council status at your
council and be exempt from
Supreme Per Capita payments for one year.
Grand Knights and Membership Directors please make
membership the foremost
priority in every one of your councils throughout this great
state of Ohio. We have begun
to show an increase in the number of councils recruiting
and bringing in new members.
To date about 55% of the
Council's around the state are carrying the load in new
membership. If the State of
Ohio is to improve our membership status and grow
as a jurisdiction we need the
other 45% or roughly 180 councils to step up and begin
recruiting.
We are again looking for some opportunities again in December.
There are still a lot of
prospective members from Parish Drives that need to be
contacted. Inspector Membership
has some incentives in
December for Councils and Brother Knights that bring in new
members. Watch us on Facebook
or get signed up for our social media blitz for an unpublished
midmonth membership
incentive.
Here We Go Ohio! Robert F. Collins, Jr, State Deputy
“Growth in new
membership brings
new Brother Knights,
new ideas, and new
energy into your
councils.”
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Look for a special twist on a
membership incentive around the 10th of this month. I have
been working with Inspector
Membership to lay out a special
plan during the Christmas Season.
Growth in new membership brings new Brother Knights, new
ideas, and new energy into your
councils. Please get on track with your councils membership
program and sign up a new
member today. If you haven’t
brought in a new member this year please take a moment and
ask yourself why.
Congratulations to the October
Membership Contest winners and
all who brought in a new member that month. Contest
winners should be listed in State
Membership Director Nick
Gresko’s column.
Some thoughts on degree
work…and its working! Please continue to schedule
frequent degrees. Our
requirement is one Admission (1st) Degree per District per
month, statewide. I see the
results of these frequent degrees
already paying off in our membership numbers. Every
District Deputy is required to
schedule and conduct an Admissions (1st) Degree in his
district every month.
Please list all of the degrees on the State Website. The degree
posting page should be
overflowing with scheduled degrees. There should be a
minimum of 80 degrees per
month posted on the State Website. If you schedule them
they will come. If you post them
others can see them and they
will come too.
Please continue to remind your
candidates about the proper
attire when they come to take
any of the degrees. A candidate in t-shirts and shorts is just not
an acceptable dress for a
candidate making a degree. They
should be dressed at the very minimum some type of Dockers
or dress pants and a polo shirt or
dress shirt.
Again more Squires
Congratulations... Congratulations to our State
Squire Circle. They stand second
in the Order with a percentage
net gain of 12.72%. They are 10th stateside with a 55 member
intake and a net intake of 50
new members.
Congratulations as well to St.
Henry Circle #3773, Norwalk
Circle #4552, and Marysville Circle #5710 who have all
brought in 12 new members this
year.
Our Fall Fundraiser the
Football Frenzy
Sweepstakes… The Football Frenzy Sweepstakes
has taken the last of revenue
from around the state. Our returns of sweepstakes tickets
are promising. Final sales results
will be available by the District
Deputy Midyear Meeting. Thank you to all who took the time to
either purchase a ticket or to sell
tickets at your council. I would like to pass along a special
“Thank You” to Past State
Deputy Gary Eckstein for continuing to chair the event
year after year.
Look for some interesting proposals from State Fund
Raising Chairman Gary Eckstein
and myself for future Football
Frenzy Sweepstakes programs.
Supreme Council Icon
Program…
The Holy
Family Icon
Program
Books are
printed.
We are waiting
on
Supreme
Council to issue
the
program booklets to the four Districts that will begin the Icon
Tour through Ohio. Hopefully the
four icons will circulate through the State of Ohio soon.
Look further in this issue of the
“Voice of the Spirit” for the schedule and when the icon will
come to your district. Please take
full advantage of this prayerful opportunity within your council
and parishes.
State Council Financials…
State Secretary Brother Kevin
Miller has just issued several
weeks of the Football Frenzy Sweepstakes weekly winners
checks. The State Council usually
gets our information on Tuesday and the checks are normally
written and mailed out on
Wednesday.
State Advocate Brother Mark
Siracusa has a cutoff date of
December 1, 2015 for the end of the 2015 Measure Up Campaign
and the 2015 Matching Funds
Campaign. On behalf of all the State Officers I would like to
thank everyone for their efforts
in the Measure Up Campaign and
Matching Funds Campaigns. Due to your efforts I believe we
showed an increase in donations
this year.
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A little about the Statewide Retreat…
Please reserve the weekend of
February 5th and 6th, 2016 for
the Ohio State Council State Retreat. A link to an electronic
Reservation Form will be listed in
this issue and hopefully on the State Website. The event costs,
rooming and rooming availability
should be available on the electronic Reservation Form.
Please send your personal or
council check to State Warden
Larry Droesch at his home address for payment to attend
this activity. Please make every
effort attend this 24 hour day with your Brother Knights in
some fraternity, meditation, and
prayer.
District
Deputy
Midyear Meeting…
The District
Deputy Midyear
Meeting will
be weekend of January
8, 9, and
10, 2016 at the Columbus Hilton
at Easton. Supreme Council Membership and Programming
Consultant Joe Ramirez will lead
the day of training on Saturday afternoon.
Every District Deputy is required
to attend this weekend conference. Please plan to attend
and clear your calendar for this
all-important weekend. District Deputies will receive a personal
invitation with requirements he
will need for that weekend. Plan to provide information
concerning required forms,
membership, programming, and
degree work that day.
“Town Hall” Meetings…
The “Town Hall” meetings seem
to be working
well. I have attended
meeting in all
but the
Columbus and
Steubenville
Diocese. Meetings have been very well attended. There has
been excellent dialogue and
debate among myself, other State Officers, State Directors
and the Brother Knights in
attendance. These meeting are a
great place to learn about the working of your State Council,
the State Website, State General
Program, Church Drives, and membership recruiting. All
meetings start at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 10,
Garfield Council #4130
Wednesday, December 16,
Greater Columbus Area Thursday, December 17,
Kenton Council #1597
Tuesday, January 12, Marietta Council #478
Thursday, January 14, Mingo
Junction #4361 Tuesday, January 19, St.
Mary’s Chardon Council
#15942
Special Lapel Pin…
I have been working with Vice
Supreme Master Donald Hall to produce a special lapel pin for
any 4th Degree member who
brings in a new member and get
him through his first 3 degrees. Our 4th Degree Sir Knights are
always looking for ways to
increase not only their membership but the State
Councils as well. I, Vice Supreme
Master Hall, and State Social Media Chairman Jim Maslach are
working out the final details of
this pin. Look for more on this in
upcoming issues of the “Voice” or from your District Masters
sometime after the first of the
year.
WWW.KOFCOHIO.ORG The State Website is up and
running for the first two General
Program grading periods. Yes we
have had some web issues but to my knowledge they are minimal.
All problems to my knowledge
have been worked out with Webmaster Brother Gilliland on a
person to person basis.
Remember our website is only 150 days old or so and it’s just
getting up on its feet.
With this said and confident in the working of the Website thus
far Brother Gilliland working on
the ability for District Deputies to view all of their respective
councils programming. Brother
Gilliland is also working on the State Chaplain’s Page, the State
Deputy’s Page, links to video
productions on the Supreme
Website, State Council Website tutorials, and better information
to our Membership Inquiry Page.
Please be patient with us. If you
have any issues please address
them to me and I'll get with you and Brother Bob to get them
resolved.
In closing… May God continue to Bless you
during this Christmas Season 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 changes it will make in your life. Have a Blessed Merry
Christmas and the Happiest of
New Years from all of us at the Ohio State Council.
Bob Collins State Deputy
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Reflections from State Chaplain Father Edward Janoch, State Chaplain
A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to Matthew
Matthew 2:13-18
When the Magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and
said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by
night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had
said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered
the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accor-dance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said
through Jeremiah the prophet:
“A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation;
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
These words from sacred
scripture ring true today just as they did in the First Century.
There are still children who are
fleeing their homelands because
some ruler seeks their deaths. The Christians from the Middle
East who have been in the Holy
Land for almost as long as when this Gospel was written, are now
homeless and persecuted for the
crime of being followers of the “Child who fled to Egypt.”
Syrian and Iraqi Christians are
being wiped out and seek shelter
from other nations for protection. This is not as easy
as it was for the Holy Family to
flee to Egypt. Today politics plays a role in who can or cannot
enter into a country. With the
threat from those who are persecuting the Christians in the
Middle East are also persecuting
those nations who are helping
them. On November 13, 2015, in Paris, France, over 130 people
were killed for being “infidels.”
Radical Muslim Terrorists took it upon themselves, with the
support of ISIS, to terrorize their
victims, and sent shock waves of
fear throughout the world. Sadly, the Christian Refugees
are caught in the middle of this
dilemma. They are fleeing their counties because they are being
persecuted and now many
nations are closing their support for these refugees because of
the fear that hidden within these
persecuted people are also
terrorists who are disguising themselves to be Christian
refugees. In our own State of
Ohio, it was reported that 72 refugees entered our State in
2015. Now our Governor has
joined over half the Governors in the United States to cease taking
in anymore refugees until they
can be guaranteed that these
refugees are not terrorists in disguise.
How are we to react to this
dilemma? I believe that our
Supreme Knight, Carl Anderson can help us Knights to
understand and to act in this
deceive moment in world history. The following is an
excerpt of Supreme Knight Carl
Anderson’s remarks on the
Order’s Christian Refugee Relief Fund.
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Iraqi and Syrian Christians, as well as other religious minorities,
continue to face violent
persecution and the very real
prospect of extinction. Thousands have fled their
homelands to escape forced
conversion or martyrdom.
Our Knights of Columbus
Christian Refugee Relief Fund donated $2.2 million to help
these families in Iraq. Our
donation paid for the
construction of new homes on property owned by the Chaldean-
rite Archdiocese of Erbil.
The houses were built mostly for
Iraqi Christians who were driven
from their homes in Mosul and the
surrounding area —
many of whom have
been unable to find room even in emergency
shelters.
We also gave $150,000
to provide emergency
medical care for refugees in Erbil this
summer. Our Christian
Refugee Relief Fund has
also sent $200,000 in general aid to the Melkite-rite Archeparchy
of Aleppo, Syria. And more
recently, an additional $150,000 was donated after the diocesan
facilities were bombed.
FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP — AID TO CHRISTIANS
Eighty-nine years ago, Supreme
Knight Flaherty addressed the Supreme Convention in
Philadelphia with these words:
We behold our brothers suffering
for their faith, in one of the most
violent and unjust persecutions
of modern times. … It is a sorry hour for our civilization when a
persecution of this sort … can be
conducted under sanction of
silence. We shall not give it that
sanction.
He also said, “We are bidden to
hold our peace, but we shall not
hold our peace.”
In 1926, Supreme Knight
Flaherty was speaking of the persecution of Catholics in
Mexico.
But who among us, hearing
those words today, does not
think of the religious cleansing —
or, as Pope Francis recently said in his address to the World
Meeting of Popular Movements,
the “genocide” — of Christians in the Middle East? What is their
only crime? To believe in the one
who 2,000 years ago taught us to love our neighbor.
In Iraq alone, the Christian population has fallen by at least
two-thirds, from 1.5 million to
less than 400,000. Many of these
Christians have fled to the city of Erbil.
In Syria, almost 10 percent of the population is Christian.
There, too, violence against
Christians has caused a refugee crisis. Thousands have fled for
their lives to escape forced
conversion and martyrdom.
Just days ago, a headline in The
New York Times asked, "Is This
the End of Christianity in the
Middle East?"
The world remains largely silent.
These refugees’ cries for help
remain largely unheard.
Thankfully, the Kurdistan Regional Government and the
nations of Jordan and Lebanon
have offered safe haven for many, and we are grateful. But
neither the United States
government nor the United Nations are doing enough.
The blood of these martyrs cries
out to heaven for justice. And the blood of these martyrs cries
out to you and to me for help.
As with Mexico in 1926, the
Knights of Columbus will come to
their aid.
Through our Knights of
Columbus Christian
Refugee Relief Fund, we have already delivered
more than $3 million to
assist our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Syria.
Our dollars provide
housing and medical care, but we can and
must continue to do
more.
Today, I announce that the
Knights of Columbus will
redouble our efforts to bring aid to these victims in the Middle
East. We will begin a new
education campaign to expose
the crimes against humanity that are being committed.
It is time for a season of truth about what is happening to
Christians and other minorities.
It is a time for action.
We can do something, even if it
is just a small token or a simple gesture by participating in the
Order’s Solidarity Cross Program.
For $10.00 we will be supporting
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the Order’s efforts in raising
funds for the persecuted Christians who are remaining in
the Middle East. It may be a
simple gesture, but the Child
who fled into Egypt, Jesus Christ, came to save the world from sin
and death and we his followers
are now being asked to save those who are in the greatest
need. Do not let the terrorists
win by living in fear, but win by living in faith with Jesus Christ.
These refugees are now in need
of experiencing the “coming of
Christ” into their lives by the support we can give them in this
Season of Watching and Waiting
for the Lord. Let us not turn this effort into a political quagmire,
but to do what Jesus would do:
bringing comfort and joy to those who are finding it hard to
have comfort and joy in this
Advent and Christmas Season.
A Blessed Christmas and a Holy
New Year to all Knights in the
Great State of Ohio. Vivat Jesus!
Saint of the Month St. Juan Diego, December
9th
Juan Diego was born in 1474 in
the calpulli or ward of Tlayacac
in Cuauhtitlan, which was
established in 1168 by Nahua tribesmen and conquered by the
Aztec lord Axayacatl in 1467;
and was located 14 miles north of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City).
On December 9, 1531, a native Mexican named Juan Diego rose
before dawn to walk fifteen miles
to daily Mass in what is now
Mexico City. Juan lived a simple life as a weaver, farmer, and
laborer. That morning, as Juan
passed Tepeyac Hill, he heard music and saw a glowing cloud
encircled by a rainbow. A
woman's voice called him to the
top of the hill. There he saw a beautiful young woman dressed
like an Aztec princess. She said
she was the Virgin Mary and asked Juan to tell the bishop to
build a church on that site. She
said, "I vividly desire that a church be built on this site, so
that in it I can be present and
give my love, compassion, help,
and defense, for I am your most devoted mother . . . to hear your
laments and to remedy all your
miseries, pains, and sufferings."
The bishop was kind but
skeptical. He asked Juan to bring proof of the Lady's identity.
Before Juan could go back to the
Lady, he found out his uncle was
dying. Hurrying to get a priest, Juan missed his meeting with the
Lady. The Lady, however, met
him on his path and told him
that his uncle had been cured.
She then told Juan to climb to
the top of the hill where they first met. Juan was shocked to
find flowers growing in the
frozen soil. He gathered them in his cloak and took them at once
to the bishop.
Juan told the bishop what had happened and opened his cloak.
The flowers that fell to the
ground were Castilian roses (which were not grown in
Mexico). But the bishop's eyes
were on the glowing image of the Lady imprinted inside Juan's
cloak.
Soon after, a church was built on the site where our Lady
appeared, and millions converted
to Christianity. Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared the
patroness of the Americas.
He died on May 30, 1548, at the
age of 74.
Juan Diego deeply loved the Holy Eucharist, and by special
permission of the Bishop he
received Holy Communion three times a week, a highly unusual
occurrence in those times.
Pope St. John Paul II praised Juan Diego for his simple faith
nourished by catechesis and
pictured him (who said to the
Blessed Virgin Mary: "I am a nobody, I am a small rope, a tiny
ladder, the tail end, a leaf") as a
model of humility for all of us.
In His Footsteps: Juan walked
fifteen miles to attend Mass
every day. Participate in Mass one day this week that is not a
Sunday Mass. If this is
impossible, take a long walk outside and notice the miracles
of God's love during that walk.
You may not see roses in the snow or hear music, but there is
plenty to praise God for!
Prayer: Blessed Juan, you faced the skepticism and rejection of a
bishop and the crowds to bring
Mary's message to Mexico. Pray for us that when we are faced
with obstacles to our faith we
may show that same courage and commitment. Amen.
From: catholic.org
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The Twelve Days of
Christmas
The time between Christmas Eve and Epiphany [traditionally January 6th]
The true love in the song refers to God, and the beloved who receives the gifts
refers to every baptized person.
The Partridge in a pear tree is Jesus
Christ, the Son of God.
The other symbols mean the following:
2-Turtle Doves = the Old and New
Testaments and/or the two Natures of Jesus Christ
3-French Hens = The Trinity and/or
Faith, Hope, and Charity; the Theological Virtues
4-Calling Birds = the four Gospels and/or the four Evangelists
5-Golden Rings = the first five books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch,”
which gives the history of man’s fall from
grace.
6-Geese a-Laying = the six days of
Creation
7-Swans a-Swimming = the seven gifts
of the Holy Spirit and/or the seven
Sacraments
8-Maids a-Milking = the eight Beatitudes
9-Ladies Dancing = the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
10-Lords a-Leaping = the Ten Commandments
11-Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful Apostles
12-Drummers Drumming = the twelve
points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed
Brother Knights, I am excited to announce that the Holy
Family Traveling Icon Prayer Program is officially starting December 12, 2015. It will run through May 19,
2017. The 2 year Prayer Program will start in Districts 57,
61, 39, and 71.
It involves creating, planning, and holding a K of C spon-
sored Prayer Service honoring the Holy Family and using
the Icon, Prayer Books, and Cards. All District Deputies will have the Icons for 20 up-to 30 days to move around
within their Districts and then send or deliver the Icon,
Prayer Books and cards to the next DD on the traveling schedule. Sorry to say we got the prayer books about 3
months late, so we had to readjust the schedule.
I ask that every council and district please follow the en-closed/attached Traveling schedule to prepare for when
your area will receive it. This also includes the guidelines
that must be followed so every District in Ohio has the op-portunity to have the Icon within the 2 year period.
Thanks for your patience with getting this Prayer Program started and running. Feel free to call, text, or email me
with questions"
Holy Family Icon Larry Droesch, State Warden
ASSIGNED DATE ICON 1 ICON 2 ICON 3 ICON 4
DD # DD # DD # DD # ON OR BEFORE
12-Dec 2015 57 61 39 71
10-Jan 2016 58 59 42 28
1-Feb 65 60 46 27
1-Mar 64 67 37 26
1-Apr 3 62 72 75
1-May 1 66 73 29
1-Jun 2 68 32 74
1-Jul 5 63 30 79
1-Aug 4 69 31 82
29-Aug 6 70 18 78
16-Sep 7 48 21 81
9-Oct 8 49 36 80
31-Oct 17 50 19 77
21-Nov 13 45 25 76
16-Dec 9 47 24 51
20-Jan 2017 11 44 23 52
17-Feb 10 43 22 53
10-Mar 12 41 34 54
7-Apr 15 38 20 55
1-May ** 14 40 33 56
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Membership Nick Gresko, State Membership Director
It is time to look and see where your council is at and possibly
readjust your goals for the 2nd
half of the year. At the end of
December your council should be at 50% of Membership and
50% of Insurance goals set by
Supreme if not higher. If you are at 50% or higher on both of
these goals then you need to
look at how your council is going to achieve 100% or
higher on both of these by June
30, 2016. If your council is
below 50% of both or one of these goals what is your council
going to do to get to 100% by
June 30, 2015? It is time now to evaluate where your council
is and what needs to be done.
As Grand Knight your number 1 goal should be to get Star
Council. This shows that your
council is growing and doing
great programming. Furthermore, it shows that your
leadership as Grand Knight has
been successful. If I can be of any help meeting your
membership goal please contact
me and I will help. There was
a council over a month ago that
the Grand Knight called me and this council has not recruited a
member in over 2 ½ years and
they asked for help. I walked
the Grand Knight and council Membership Director as to how
to do a successful Parish
Membership Drive. Believe it or not they did this and the council
was rewarded with 10 new
members. Call on me I will be
4 MORES: MORE Knights bring MORE hands
& hearts, to raise MORE funds and to
evangelize, doing GOD’S good works helping
MORE people in need!
50% of Membership &
50% of Insurance Call On ME!
Membership in Ohio
For five straight months we have been positive with
membership recruitment.
Brother Knights what do you
have planned for the next two months to keep this trend up?
Inspector Membership is
expecting huge numbers the next few months!!! Inspector
also wants to thank all of the
Brother Knights and Councils for their hard work when it
comes to membership for the
first five months!!!
Form 450 and Form 450C 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. Grand Knights and
Financial Secretaries the Form
450C should be sent in within 3-7 days of doing a degree.
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.
Form 100’s
Within 3-10 days of a degree any Form 100’s should be
emailed to the Supreme
Council at
[email protected] or to [email protected]
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.
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Retention Bill Wirtz (West) / Mike
Jordon (East)
The holidays are a very holy time
of the year for many of us, magical for the young and young
at heart, but even stressful for
others. So, it is especially critical that we reach out to all
our members during this season.
They are, after all, our family. We need to ensure their well-
being and also let them know
they are loved and in our
thoughts and prayers.
When reaching out during this
season consider taking this opportunity to offer some of our
Brothers transportation to our
meetings and church services. They may also need to get out to
do some shopping and access
will be essential to them.
Encourage all able council
members to be the Retention Team and put them into action.
As always, it’s about the love
and respect we have for each
other.
Please allow the infant Jesus,
and our Through Him, With Him, and In Him program,
guide our hearts and our actions.
Embrace the Retention Activities Program, get creative with your
efforts to reach out to all our
current members, and share
your successes by reporting.
For questions and assistance
please don’t hesitate to contact the Ohio State Council Retention
Directors.
God Bless,
Bill Wirtz and Mike Jordon
glad to help. If you need help
with Insurance please call your General Agent if you do not
have a Field Agent. If you need
help with this please call me and
I can also help. It is my goal to get 100 Star Councils or more.
The time is now to start thinking
about this and making a plan. Please do not wait until the last
minute because it is easy to run
out of time and end up short of Star Council. I will be waiting
on your calls and or emails.
Good Luck in achieving Star
Council!!!
Inspector Membership
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The 10 Proposers that won $50 for November are as follows:
1. Rev. Jason E. Bedel Council 16348 Arch Diocese of Cincinnati 2. Jeffrey M. Stegbauer Council 16164 Arch Diocese of Cincinnati
3. James F. Mumaw Council 4424 Arch Diocese of Cincinnati
4. George W. Perz Council 3269 Cleveland Diocese
5. Brent P. Grantham Council 15942 Cleveland Diocese 6. Sean P. Fitzgerald Council 12939 Columbus Diocese
7. Erol J. Hosdil Council 11828 Steubenville Diocese
8. Gary Lizotte Council 11828 Steubenville Diocese 9. Robert C. Stipe Council 4891 Toledo Diocese
10.Gregory D. Frank Council 5582 Youngstown Diocese
Mission Winners November Mission Debriefing
DD winners for bringing in a minimum of 5 new members in their District win $2 per new
member- #3 $10, #5 $18, #8 $14, #12 $12, #18 $22, #19 $14, #20 $16, #25 $10, #31 $12, #35 $12, #45 $12 and #50 $10
DD winners for any non recruiting council in his district that brought a new member in gets
$10 per non recruiting council- DD #2, DD #4, DD #5, DD #6, DD #9, DD #11, DD #14, DD #17, DD #18, DD #20, DD #22, DD #25, DD #28, DD #29, DD #35, DD #39, DD #41, DD
#43, DD #52, DD #60, DD #63, DD #68, DD #74, DD #78 and DD #80
The Following DD’s won $20.00- DD #15 and DD #69
12 Councils that brought in 3 or more new members in November get $75 each-1362, 2158, 2886, 4243, 4847, 4891, 11445, 11801, 13874, 14416, 14551, and 16137
Diocesan Membership Director Incentive for hitting their Diocesan Membership Goal for the
month win $30 + for every .5% over you get an extra $10 Cleveland Diocesan Membership Director Jerry Nowesnick $30
December Membership Mission #6
We have reached the midpoint
of the fraternal year. You have
accepted the missions to-date and have all responded. Ohio
has had a great increase in
members since July.
Christmas is upon us. As we
get ready to go shopping for those gifts this season, let us
not forget one the best gifts that
you could give. It is a gift that -
if nurtured - it can grow into
something that is so fantastic
that you never would have thought. No, it is not a new
plant or that special electronic
gizmo you want. It is a Knights
of Columbus membership!
Where else can you give
someone a gift that is truly the "Experience of a Lifetime?" Look
at all of the good that comes
from being a member of the Knights of Columbus - growth in
faith, fellowship and service - all
things that can make someone a
better son, husband, father, friend and so on. One never
knows where a priceless gift as
membership can lead. Help
someone reach their potential in
the eyes of Christ.
Your mission for December is to
the right - click, if you so choose
to accept. Inspector Membership will be watching and
making sure that we all do the
best to "Keep Christ in Christmas" this season.
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General Programs Bob Walsh, General Program Director
With half of the general program
almost over, now would be the time to review your council
programming to see how many
more activities are needed to
max out the “Through Him, With Him, In Him” Program.
Remember that you need 1085
points in the nine reporting areas. 200 points in the Church,
Council, Community, Family,
Culture of Life, and Youth categories. 200 points for
Membership, 120 Retention, and
165 for Administration. The
number of Councils reporting in each activity has gone up in the
second reporting period, but
there are still a number of Councils that have not turned in
any reports. This is one way the
State can gauge how the Councils are doing.
The Family of the Month is a
wonderful program to recognize the Families in your Council for
all the work they do, Supreme
also recognizes these hard
working families, but for them to do this councils have to turn in
your honorees monthly. In
October, no Council turned in any honorees, let’s show
Supreme that Ohio has families
that deserve this honor.
The following report needs to be
turned into Supreme in January,
#1728 Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity due by
January 31st, also #1295 Semi-
Annual Audit is due by February 15th, now would be great time
to start working on them so that
they are turned in on time. These are also part of the
Administration program.
While reviewing your Council
programming remember to
review your Star Council
programs and keep track of them.
On behalf of all the Directors and their families we wish all
our Knights and their families a
Blessed, Happy, and Healthy Christmas.
Church Jeff Kiliany
Jubilee Year of Mercy Pope Francis has given the
Church and the world a great
gift in his announcement of Jubilee Year of Mercy that will
begin December 8, the
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which is the fiftieth
anniversary of the closing of the
second Vatican Council, and will
continue through to the Solemnity of Christ the King in
November of 2016.
Mercy is “the beating heart
of the Gospel”
Pope Francis writes: “It is
absolutely essential for the Church and for the credibility of
her message that she herself
live and testify to mercy.” Mercy, he says, is “the beating
heart of the
Gospel” (Misericordiae Vultus). To live mercy, we must help our
members to rediscover both the
Spiritual Works of Mercy and the
Corporal Works of Mercy:
Spiritual Works of Mercy
Counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners,
comfort the afflicted, forgive
offenses, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the
living and the dead.
Corporal Works of Mercy Feed the hungry, give drink to
the thirsty, clothe the naked,
welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and
bury the dead.
There are many ways that our
members can respond to the call
to live mercy.
A few resources for ideas are
listed below:
Put Two Feet of Love in Action.
Use the “Two Feet of Love in
Action” guide to consider how you can
strengthen both charitable
works and social justice at home and
as part of your faith community.
Visit www.usccb.org/twofeet for more information.
Get Involved Locally. Explore
the map at PovertyUSA.org to find local organizations
that practice mercy by learning
about and addressing poverty. Or, contact your
diocesan director for the
Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
Engage Your Faith Community.
With your faith community, use
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Pope Francis’ prayer
for the Jubilee Year, and the resources mentioned below, to
pray, reach out, learn, and
act during the year. Visit
WeAreSaltAndLight.org for stories of how communities of
faith around the country are
living mercy.
Participate in Action Alerts on
issues of life and dignity from the U.S. Catholic bishops
(cqrcengage.com/
catholicbishops).
I am most interested in hearing
about how your Council is
promoting the “Year of Mercy” and activities that your members
are doing. Enter your activity
under Council Choice #6 or #7.
Pope Francis’ Prayer for the
Jubilee Year of Mercy
You are the visible face of the
invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness
and mercy:
let the Church be your visible
face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.
You willed that your ministers
would also be clothed in
weakness in order that they may feel
compassion for those in
ignorance and error: let everyone who approaches
them feel sought after, loved,
and forgiven by God. Send your Spirit and consecrate
every one of us with its
anointing,
so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,
and your Church, with renewed
enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor,
proclaim liberty to captives and
the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind.
We ask this through the
intercession of Mary, Mother of
Mercy, you who live and reign with the
Father and the Holy Spirit for
ever and ever. Amen.
Excerpted from Pope Francis’
Prayer for the Jubilee Year of Mercy
“Keep Christ in Christmas”
Campaign Remember our Keep Christ in
Christmas campaign. As Catholic
families, we can take a pro-active approach to the season by
actively participating in a variety
of campaigns. To earn credit for this step, your council needs to
participate in one or more of the
activities listed in the “Through
Him, With Him, In Him” church Activities Program and report it
under Activity #3.
HAVE A JOYOUS AND
BLESSED CHRISTMAS:
We, as Knights of Columbus, support the “Keep Christ in
Christmas” campaign to remind
people that Christmas is above
all else, a holy day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. With
this in mind, my wife Judy & I
would like to wish you and your families, a very joyous and
Blessed Christmas Season!
Family Stewart Vetter
We all have fond memories of December. Most of those memories involve family. December is a great month to plan family activities. Go
caroling at a nursing home or to the shut-ins of your parish. Schedule a
Christmas party for families. A church decorating party. A family New Year’s Eve party. Adopt a family in need and have several Brother
Knights go shopping for them. The Christmas season is a great time to
keep our Catholic families active.
During all the activity, planning, shopping, decorating, and running
around, we often forget the reason for the season. We forget that our Savior humbling himself to
become man is why we celebrate and revere this season. We forget that through the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph became a family too. Your council can plan activities that remind, not just our
Brother Knights but, your entire parish that we need to keep Christ in Christmas. A rosary before
the Nativity of the Holy Family. Pass out coloring pages of the Holy Family to kids after mass. Volunteer or host a fund raiser for a maternity center. Volunteer at a homeless shelter to honor
Mary and Joseph who slept in a stable.
Family events are plentiful this time of year and I can’t wait to read about how your council celebrates the birth of our Savior. May God bless you and keep you and may the Holy Family serve
as our model for faith and love within our families.
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Culture of Life Gary Anderson
Please act now to encourage Congress to protect the rights of
conscientious objectors to
abortion, sterilization, and contraception. These rights are
under attack. In California, for
example, the state government has issued a directive requiring
all health plans to cover
abortions. Religious ministries in
the state, including Catholic schools, are right now being
forced to add abortion to their
health plans.
This sort of coercion violates
federal law, but these federal
conscience protections have not been enforced. More protection
is needed as similar violations
occur throughout the country. Health care workers and
organizations need the ability to
act on their own to defend their rights in court. The Abortion Non
-Discrimination Act (ANDA)
grants this by providing victims
a means for protecting their conscience rights through legal
action. Contact your members of
Congress to support ANDA.
Immediate action is necessary.
Consider the case of Cathy Cenzon-DeCarlo, RN, a nurse in
New York City, whose employer
forced her to choose between
assisting in a late-term abortion and losing her job: "The hospital
where I work coerced me to
assist in a 22-week abortion. They were well aware that as a
faithful Catholic, I could not
participate in the killing of a pre-born child. Yet, they threatened
my job and my nursing license if
I did not take part in the murder
of a baby." Her story is here: https://youtu.be/uknxrMI61WI
As Pope Francis has said, “conscientious objection is a
right, and part of the body of all
human rights. If we want to make peace, we must respect all
rights.”
Thank you for doing your part to protect conscience rights and to
build a Culture of Life.
Fraternally,
Carl Anderson
Supreme Knight
Ultrasound Initiative Update
Ohio continues to be one of the leading jurisdictions in supplying
free ultrasound machines to
qualified pregnancy care centers through the Order's Ultrasound
Initiative campaign. As of now,
K of C units across the state have successfully delivered 30
of the life-saving machines since
2010, which places the Ohio
State Council #6 in the Order. That is simply amazing. When
one considers the hundreds
upon hundreds of ultrasound exams to be performed by each
machine in the coming years,
and the fact that approximately 90% of pregnant mothers who
see the sonogram of their
babies ultimately deliver their
little ones, we're talking literally thousands of babies who may be
saved right here in Ohio through
the Ultrasound Initiative program. Does it get any better
than that? I think not.
Congratulations for the following units that have successfully
sponsored and conducted
ultrasound campaigns in this fraternal year: St. Hilary Council
#14551, the Dayton Chapter,
and Tiffin Council #608. St. Leonard Council #10215 is in
the process of completing its
fundraising for THREE new
machines for a major PCC in the Cincinnati area. And they did it
in the blink of an eye with a
very short deadline. Well done,
brothers! If I missed any council
that was a lead sponsor, my apologies. Please contact me
with all the details.
Let's stay focused , brothers, by keeping your eyes and ears
open for pregnancy care centers
in need of new or replacement machines. For more information,
see pages 62-63 of the General
Program Book. The Ultrasound Initiative program is a Supreme
Featured Program, meaning the
sponsoring council/unit will fulfill
the Culture Life component for the Columbian Award by
successfully completing a
campaign and meeting the strict guidelines as outlined by
Supreme in the program book.
It also would qualify to max the state Culture of Life program.
Please note that councils must
be sponsors and/or active
participants in the campaign, not just financial donors.
March for Life 2016
Once again,
many K of C councils,
assemblies,
and their
families will be soon be
trekking to
Washington, D.C. for the March for Life 2016 on Friday, January
22. The day kicks off with the
noon Rally while the March itself
steps off at 1:00 p.m. Those arriving a day early can make
plans to attend the March for
Life Conference on Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
at the Renaissance Washington
Hotel. Download a PDF of the March for Life Trip Planner by
CLICKING HERE. If your council
or group is going, please take
lots of photos and notes then forward them to me for
publication in the Buckeye
Bulletin. The same goes for
15
those who will be attending local
marches or rallies. The March for Life is also a Supreme Featured
Program, provided the guidelines
are followed exactly as specified.
World Marriage Day 2016
Now is the time to begin
planning for World Marriage Day,
to be observed on February 14.
What a wonderful coincidence that it falls on Valentine's Day
this year, and the First Sunday
of Lent. Since 1981, World Marriage Day has been
celebrated on the second Sunday
in February across the U.S. and around the globe. World
Marriage Day honors husband
and wife as the foundation of the
family, the basic unit of society.
It salutes the beauty of their
faithfulness, sacrifice and joy in
daily married life. The critical
nature of World Marriage Day becomes more and more
important with the increasing
onslaught of attacks on marriage and the family. K of C councils
are strongly encouraged to
proclaim to the nation and the world their undying support for
the institution of marriage. For
more information, see page 67 of
the General Program Book.
K of C Day of the Unborn
Child
One of the Order's most popular
Culture of Life events is the Day of the Unborn Child, which in
most years coincides with the
Solemnity of the Annunciation of
the Lord on March 25. However,
with Easter falling in 2016 on March 27, the observance of the
Annunciation has been moved to
Monday, April 4.
The Day of the Unborn Child is a
magnificent opportunity to
promote and pray for the return of respect and protection of the
unborn child. Some worthwhile
ideas: Plan and sponsor a Mass for the Unborn (may include your
Fourth Degree Color Guard).
Consider a pro-life talk with light
refreshments after, or even a dinner. Pray the Rosary as an
assembled council and family for
unborn children. Hold a prayer vigil in front of a statue of our
Blessed Mother Mary or a
monument to aborted children while praying a Rosary for the
Unborn. Use your imagination!
State Website Bob Gilliland
Council Forms Submission
Financial Secretaries and Grand Knights
can now submit their Council Forms
online. Financial Secretaries can maintain their Council Officers, submit the Form
185 (Officers), Form 365 (Program
Directors – submitted by Grand Knight), Form 1295 (Audit 1 and), Form 1728
Fraternal Survey, and Form SP-7
(Columbian Award).
Each of these forms will offer the ability to print a PDF or submit electronically (except the Audit
which must be signed by the Grand Knight and 3 Trustees) to Supreme Council, the State
Deputy, District Deputy of record and the Council for its records.
The Form SP-7 will populate from the Graded Council programs already entered in the State
website and the Council Grand Knight can select the desired programs that will populate the form if more than 4 programs in a particular category are completed.
If you have any problems, or need any help, please feel free to email me at [email protected].
16
Our Guarantees Set Us Apart
Knights of Columbus life
insurance offers something
precious few other financial
products can – guarantees. As long as you pay your premiums,
the policy proceeds will be there
for your beneficiaries should something happen to you.
That’s peace of mind, and that’s
what we offer with every product in our portfolio.
We guarantee the cash value in
your whole life policies will be there.
We guarantee the rates on your term insurance.
We guarantee our retirement products will provide a stream
of income when you need it.
On top of those product guarantees, I guarantee that I
will offer professional, high-
quality service that you would expect from our organization.
Our Order is among the highest rated life insurers in North
America. AM Best has rated the
Knights of Columbus “A++,
Superior” for 39 consecutive years. It’s a testament to our
track record for excellence and
security.
I would suggest that a principal
reason that we were able to
achieve those accolades is because we remain steadfastly
committed to the vision of
Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney by providing life
insurance by brother Knights for
brother Knights.
That commitment is an essential
core value of the Knights of Columbus, and our core values
permeate all levels of our
organization. We pledge to
serve our brother Knights, and their families, according to our
Golden Rule: “In all my
professional relationships, I pledge myself to the following
rule of conduct: I shall, in light
of all conditions surrounding those I serve, render that
service which, under the same
circumstances, I would apply to
myself.”
Only Having Insurance
“Through Work” Doesn’t Work
Do you know anyone whose life
or career has drastically changed during these years of
economic downturn? It’s very
likely that someone in your
immediate or extended family or group of friends is facing
financial uncertainty. Maybe
there’s a possibility that you (or your spouse) could lose your job
or change employers.
Too many people have often
relied on group term life
insurance as their only safety
net. Often, this insurance is an employee benefit provided at
low or no cost. The existence of
this coverage might convince someone that personally-owned
life insurance is not necessary.
But only having “through work” insurance can leave you and
your family vulnerable. Most
group life insurance policies are limited in amount, which may
be tied to salary or some other
benchmark. These numbers are often capped, and this cap may
be
dangerously low when compared to your family’s actual
needs. In fact, a detailed needs
analysis that evaluates your specific situation, will likely
show that any employer-
provided coverage falls short.
In addition, the amount of
group insurance offered is
almost always reduced, sometimes dramatically, when
you retire. You could one day
find yourself without coverage, and if your health has changed
(which it will as you age), you
might also find yourself unable
to secure individual protection. At the very least, it will
definitely be more expensive.
While group life insurance can
help, it does not replace the
need for individually owned life insurance. I’ll be happy to meet
with you and provide a no-cost
needs analysis, so you’ll know
exactly where you stand.
..
Take steps to protect your family and your financial
future.
On behalf of all of the
General Agents of Ohio we want to wish you all
A Wonderful Christmas
Season and a Blessed 2016.
Fraternally,
Patrick
Insurance Corner Patrick Murphy
17
State District Deputy Director George Metz Worthy District Deputies,
First of all, I would like to thank all of you for your hard work for the first half of the fraternal year. There are a few requirements you need to work on in December. They are summarized below and
listed in the District Deputy Manual. Remember the monthly reports are due by 11:59PM on the 5th
of every month. We need a 100% on-time turn in. These reports are to be done on line. The link
will either be on the website or sent out by your Diocesan Coordinator. If you are having trouble contact your diocesan coordinator for assistance. The numbers for this report should be for Novem-
ber ONLY.
December Requirements The first turn in for Pennies for Heaven is due by December 15
The District Deputy Semiannual Report 944A is due by December 31, please send it in early.
Send in your Mid -Year District Deputy Meeting registration as soon as you get registration in-formation. Register at the hotel for the Mid -Year District Deputy Meeting.
Thank you for all the great work you do.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
George Metz
District Deputy Director
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Plant the Seed to Grow CASH for Charity The 2016 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 19, 20, or 26, 27, 28 (2016). Please
check for the exact date, time, and location in your council area.
Please make sure that all who are in charge of the 2016 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 two-member 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 Friday, April 15 (2016) and Friday, May 13
(2016). 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 15, 2016.
Extra materials and tickets can be obtained from your District Deputy or Diocesan Officer. Any
questions concerning the 2016 Super Cash Bonanza Campaign should be directed to me, Robert Byers, State Treasurer and Chair, by email at [email protected] 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 2016
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
19
Super Cash Bonanza Road Show 2016 Ticket Distribution Meetings
The Super Cash Bonanza Road Show Team is making plans now to meet with each and every Coun-cil throughout the State of Ohio to kick off the 2016 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
Thursday, February 18, 2016
7:00 PM Marietta Council #478
312 Franklin Street
Marietta, OH 45750
Friday, February 26, 2016
7:00 PM Tiffin Council #608
49 E. Perry Street
Tiffin, OH 44883
Friday, February 19, 2016
7:00 PM Msgr. Dooley Council #4361
Legion Drive
Mingo Junction, OH 43938
Saturday, February 27, 2016
9:30 AM Msgr. Lang Council #1039
111 Elliot Road
Defiance, OH 43512
Saturday, February 20, 2016
10:00 AM Randolph Council #2039
2697 Waterloo Road
Randolph, OH 44265
Saturday, February 27, 2016
3:00 PM Fr. Aufderheide Council #12912
(St. Christopher Church)
435 E. National Road
Vandalia, OH 45377
Saturday, February 20, 2016
1:00 PM Garfield Council #4130
10806 Grainger Road
Garfield Heights, OH 44125
Saturday, February 27, 2016
7:00 PM St. Michael’s Council #3382
(St. Michael’s Church)
11144 Spinner Ave.
Sharonville, OH 45241
Sunday, February 28, 2016
2:00 PM St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Council #11187
600 Hill Road
Pickerington, OH 43147
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First Name *