Download - November 2015 Voice of the Spirit
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NOVEMBER 2015
www.kofcohio.org Monthly Publication of the Ohio State Council
Brother Knights,
A little about
membership…
As your State Deputy I
have to congratulate
the Brothers Knights
throughout Ohio. We
have done a fantastic
job with membership
intake in October. To
date we stand at 30% of
our Supreme Council
membership
requirements. We rank
18th of the 74 K of C
Jurisdictions worldwide
and we rank 3rd among
the Division 1 State
Councils.
On Wednesday, October
28, 2015 I received a
call from Mr. Al Cala.
Brother Al is the
Deputy Director of
Membership Growth for
the Order. He just
called to say “Thank
You” for Ohio’s efforts
in membership this
year. Needless to say it
was a gratifying to
accept this call on
behalf of all our hard
working members.
Membership should be
the foremost priority of
every Grand Knight
and Membership
Director throughout
this great state of Ohio.
We have shown an
increase in councils
recruiting and bringing
in new members. To
date about 35% 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 65%
or roughly 260 councils
to step up and begin
recruiting.
We are again looking
for big opportunities
again in November.
There still may be some
left over prospects from
Octobers Parish Drives
that need to be
contacted. Inspector
Membership has some
incentives for
November for Councils,
District Deputies, and
Brother Knights. Watch
us on Facebook or get
signed up for our social
media blitz on some
unpublished midmonth
membership incentives.
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Mission Statement We as men of the Knights of
Columbus, men of faith, are
called through Baptism to
grow and increase in faith.
We are thereby summoned
to serve as witnesses to that
faith in our daily lives, in
the lives of our families, and
in the lives of others
throughout our
communities.
Mission Objective Fostering men united in a
faith that will continue the
growth of Fr. McGivney’s
dream ensuring the spread
of Columbianism; becoming
more visible through the
good works of Charity,
Unity, and Fraternity;
creating an atmosphere
which encourages and calls
all Catholic men to serve
with their Brothers.
Check Us Out At
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STATE DEPUTY
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
September 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…
Please continue to schedule
frequent degrees. Our
requirement is one 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 a 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.
Squires Congratulations...
Congratulations to our State
Squire Circle. They stand on top
of the Order with a percentage
net gain of 7.12%.
Congratulations as well
to Grand Knight Nathan
Helmstetter and Chief
Counselor Eric Huelskamp and
the Knights at St. Henry
Council #2640 upon the
reactivation of their Squires
Circle #3773.
Our Fall Fundraiser the
Football Frenzy
Sweepstakes…
The Football Frenzy
Sweepstakes is beginning to
take in revenue from around the
state. Early returns of
sweepstakes tickets are
promising. Final sales results
will be available soon. Thank
you to all who took the time to
either purchase a ticket or to
sell tickets at your council. If
your council has not made their
returns please make them as
soon as possible to Past State
Deputy Gary Eckstein.
Remember an increase this year
of $50,000 in profits at the State
Council will negate the $1.00
per capita increase that will be
proposed to the delegates at the
next state convention.
Supreme Council Icon
Program…
The Holy Family Icon program
is on hold for now. We are
waiting on Supreme Council to
publish the program booklets
that will lead us through the
adoration ceremony. 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 the last of
the Measure Up Grant Checks
to those councils who were a
little late in getting their
collections in to the State
Chairman. I have instructed
State Advocate Brother Mark
Siracusa of a cutoff date of
December 1, 2015 for the end of
the 2015 Measure Up
Campaign. On behalf of all the
State Officers I would like to
thank everyone for their efforts
in the Measure Up Campaign.
Due to your efforts we showed
an increase in donations this
year.
Brother Miller has also paid the
last batch of the 2015 State
Convention Delegate Mileage
and Per Diem checks. The
checks have been set to the
Financial Secretary of record.
The only checks that may not be
paid are the councils who have
recently sent in the State Per
Capita check. Remember that
the 2015 Convention Mileage
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STATE DEPUTY
and Per Diem check is not paid
until the State Council receives
the State Per Capita check.
The Matching Funds Campaign
is running a little behind usual
donations. Councils contributing
early have the opportunity to
have their contribution
“matched” by the Ohio Charity
Foundation up to the first
$25,000.00 collected. Remember
all funds stay in your diocese
and are used for religious
education.
A cutoff date of December 1,
2015 will end this year’s
campaign. Thanks to all who
have contributed to this worthy
fundraiser.
A little about the Statewide
Retreat…
Please reserve the weekend of
February 4th and 5th, 2016 for
the Ohio State Council State
Retreat. A Reservation Form,
event costs, rooming and
rooming availability will be
available in the next issue of the
“Voice of the Spirit”. I know I
promised it this month but will
have it next month for sure.
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 and Supreme
Council Training Consultant
Tom Ciborski 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 in the Archdiocese of
Cincinnati, in the Toledo
Diocese, and several in the
Cleveland 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, November 5
Marian Council #3813
Tuesday, November 10
Mantua Council #3766
Thursday, December 10
Garfield Council #4130
Wednesday, December 16,
Greater Columbus Area
Thursday, December 17
Kenton Council #1597
Tuesday, January 19
St. Mary’s Chardon Council
#15942
Two dates in January in the
Steubenville Diocese are yet to
be confirmed.
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 later this
fraternal year.
WWW.KOFCOHIO.ORG
The State Website is up and
running for the 1st General
Program grading period. Yes we
have had some web issues. All
problems to my knowledge have
been worked out with
Webmaster Brother Gilliland on
a person to person basis. He has
taken to task the corrections of
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STATE DEPUTY
any deficiencies that may have
come along. Remember our
website is only 125 days old so
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.
A little about K of C
Insurance…
Earlier this Fraternal Year the
State Officers sat down with the
five General Agents of Ohio in
an informal day-long meeting
discussing how we can assist
one another. We are truly
blessed with a great group of
men dedicated to our Order and
the financial protection of our
families. Each and every one of
them is full time employees of
our Order and day in and day
out live Father McGivney’s
Dream.
Please take every advantage of
these fine gentlemen with not
only your insurance needs but
with Parish Drives and
Membership Promotion within
your council. They are all
excellent cold call recruiters;
well versed and able to help
secure that new member.
James Valent, 740-319-5632;
Dave Roberts, 330-614-2063;
Jeff Hearty, 216-592-8514
Chad Osterholt, 419-447-0404;
Patrick Murphy, 513-847-1306
Look for an article in upcoming
issues of the “Voice” by one of
our General Agents. We will
feature Brother Patrick Murphy
in the December issue.
In closing…
God Bless and continue to do
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.
Bob Collins
State Deputy
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Council Grand Knights are reminded to get their orders for Measure
Up rulers to their District Deputies. The DD’s will receive their
District’s rulers at the Mid-Year meeting in January 2016.
The Holy Family Icon Prayer Books are still in the process of being
printed at Supreme. The Icon prayer program will hopefully begin in
late November or early December. All councils are District Deputies
will be notified as soon as the prayer books are printed and when the
program will start in Ohio.
Larry Droesch
State Warden
STATE WARDEN
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STATE CHAPLAIN
FATHER EDWARD JANOCH
On December 8th, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception;
Patroness of the United States, the Holy Year of Mercy will begin.
Inaugurated by Pope Francis, on 13 March 2015, during a Lenten
Homily, he wants the whole world to experience the Divine Mercy of
God, for only when we have been forgiven, do we become truly free.
We read below the purpose of this Jubilee Year.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis presided over a penance service
in St. Peter's Basilica on Friday afternoon, during which he
announced an extraordinary Jubilee dedicated to Divine
Mercy. Below, please find Vatican Radio's English translation
of the Holy Father's homily, in which he made the
announcement.
Dear brothers and sisters, I have often thought about how the Church might make clear
its mission of being a witness to mercy. It is journey that begins with a spiritual
conversion. For this reason, I have decided to call an extraordinary Jubilee that is to
have the mercy of God at its center. It shall be a Holy Year of Mercy. We want to live
this Year in the light of the Lord's words: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
(cf. Luke 6:36)”
This Holy Year will begin on this coming Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and
will end on November 20, 2016, the Sunday dedicated to Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of
the Universe – and living face of the Father’s mercy. I entrust the organization of this
Jubilee to the Pontifical Council for Promotion of the New Evangelization, that [the
dicastery] might animate it as a new stage in the journey of the Church on its mission
to bring to every person the Gospel of mercy.
I am convinced that the whole Church will find in this Jubilee the joy needed to
rediscover and make fruitful the mercy of God, with which all of us are called to give
consolation to every man and woman of our time. From this moment, we entrust this
Holy Year to the Mother of Mercy, that she might turn her gaze upon us and watch over
our journey.
As your State Chaplain, I would like us to “be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” in our
relations with one another whether it is in our families, parishes, schools and places of work, local
community and in our State and Local Councils. How this happens, as Pope Francis states, is
through “a spiritual conversion” of the soul. As we conclude the calendar year and also the liturgical
year, it is always a time to reflect on our lives and to constantly change our hearts towards God.
As Knights, we are called by our knighthood to be forgiving as our heavenly Father is forgiving. It is
said in the Gospel of St. Matthew “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to
give.” (Matthew 10:8b) What we are given without cost is God’s gift to us, through the Sacrament of
Penance, is Mercy and Forgiveness. That same Mercy and Forgiveness is to be given to others. Let
us find ways to begin to practice Mercy and Forgiveness even before the Extraordianry Jubilee Year
begins.
One way is to forgive debts that may be owed by brother Knights. Many Councils do or should have
set up resources to help their brother Knights who may be in financial difficulty and cannot pay their
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STATE CHAPLAIN
dues. One of our State programs
is to set up a fund and to hold a
fund raiser to collect monies to
fund this fund. During this
Jubilee Year of Mercy, we
should withhold any suspension
due to lack of due payments or
debts owed to a Council.
Some forms of forgiveness needs
to be given when the
forgiveness is not financial but
in our relationship with brother
Knights. Wrongs or perceived
wrongs occur among brother
Knights all the time. We may
have interpreted or more often
than not misinterpreted
something that was done or
said by a brother Knight. It
happens because all of us come
from different backgrounds,
ethnic groups or upbringing.
We see things differently and
can misinterpret something
said or done. These are
sometime great grievances but
more than often they are minor
grievances that probably had no
intentions of offending or
causing one brother Knight to
be angry with another brother
Knight. Whether they are great
or minor grievances, they must
be shown Mercy and
Forgiveness as our heavenly
Father shows that Mercy and
Forgiveness to all who seek
them from Him. This may also
be the time to re-activate a
brother Knight who left because
of a grievance. That grievance
may no longer be an issue
within the council, yet a brother
Knight still feels the anguish,
pain and bitterness caused by
the grievance. Invite the
brother Knight back and show
the Father’s Mercy and
Forgiveness to him. God has
done the same to us and for
greater sins than a brother
Knight may have done to us
and we are to show the same to
any brother Knight that asks
for it or needs it. This year of
Jubilee, Ohio Knights of
Columbus Councils should have
the lowest amount of
suspension in their history for
we are to show Mercy and
Forgiveness, just as our
heavenly Father is merciful.
There is no time than the
present moment to show God’s
Mercy and Forgiveness. We are
to do it NOW!
SAINT OF THE
MONTH: BLESSED
MIGUEL AGUSTIN
PRO, SJ November 23
Born on January 13, 1891 in
Guadalupe, Mexico, Miguel
Agustin Pro Juarez was the
eldest son of Miguel Pro and
Josefa Juarez.
Miguelito, as his doting family
called him, was, from an early
age, intensely spiritual and
equally intense in his
mischievousness, frequently
exasperating his family with his
humor and practical jokes. As a
child, he had a
daring
precociousness
that sometimes
went too far,
tossing him into
near-death
accidents and
illnesses. On
regaining consciousness after
one of these episodes, young
Miguel opened his eyes and
blurted out to his frantic
parents, "I want some cocol" (a
colloquial term for his favorite
sweet bread). "Cocol" became
his nickname, which he would
later adopt as a code name
during this clandestine
ministry.
Miguel was particularly close to
his older sister and after she
entered a cloistered convent, he
came to recognize his own
vocation to the priesthood.
Although he was popular with
the senoritas and had prospects
of a lucrative career managing
his father's thriving business,
Miguel renounced everything
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STATE CHAPLAIN
for Christ his King and
entered the Jesuit
novitiate in El Llano,
Michoacan in 1911.
He studied in Mexico
until 1914, when a tidal
wave of anti-Catholicism
crashed down upon
Mexico, forcing the
novitiate to disband and
flee to the United States,
where Miguel and his
brother seminarians
trekked through Texas
and New Mexico before
arriving at the Jesuit
house in Los Gatos,
California.
In 1915, Miguel was sent
to a seminary in Spain,
where he remained until
1924, when he went to
Belgium for his
ordination to the
priesthood in 1925.
Miguel suffered from a
severe stomach problem
and after three
operations, when his
health did not improve,
his superiors, in 1926,
allowed him to return to
Mexico in spite of the
grave religious
persecution in that
country.
The churches were closed
and priests went into
hiding. Miguel spent the
rest of his life in a secret
ministry to the sturdy
Mexican Catholics. In
addition to fulfilling their
spiritual needs, he also
carried out the works of
mercy by assisting the
poor in Mexico City with
their temporal needs. He
adopted many interesting
disguises in carrying out
his secret ministry. He
would come in the middle
of the night dressed as a
beggar to baptize infants,
bless marriages and
celebrate Mass. He would
appear in jail dressed as
a police officer to bring
Holy Viaticum to
condemned Catholics.
When going to
fashionable
neighborhoods to procure
for the poor, he would
show up at the doorstep
dressed as a fashionable
businessman with a fresh
flower on his lapel. His
many exploits could rival
those of the most daring
spies. In all that he did,
however, Fr. Pro
remained obedient to his
superiors and was filled
with the joy of serving
Christ, his King.
Falsely accused in the
bombing attempt on a
former Mexican
president, Miguel became
a wanted man. Betrayed
to the police, he was
sentenced to death
without the benefit of
any legal process.
On the day of his
execution, Fr. Pro forgave
his executioners, prayed,
bravely refused the
blindfold and died
proclaiming, "Viva Cristo
Rey", "Long live Christ
the King!"
Information courtesy of
ProVision and Brother
Gerald Mueller.
Prayer for Jubilee Year of Mercy
Lord Jesus Christ,
you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly
Father,
and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved.
Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from
being enslaved by
money;
the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness
only in created
things;
made Peter weep after his betrayal,
and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.
Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the
words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:
“If you knew the gift of God!”
You are the visible face of the invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power above all by for-
giveness 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.
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MEMBERSHIP
TEAM
MEMBERS
Nick Gresko
“Inspector Membership”
State Membership Director
John Brown
New Council Development
William Wirtz
Retention Director (West)
Michael Jordon
Retention Director (East)
Raymond Darr
Ceremonials Director
DIOCESAN
MEMBERSHIP
DIRECTORS
Richard Chunnic
Cincinnati
Jerome Nowesnick
Cleveland
George Jones
Columbus
Thomas Offenberger
Steubenville
James Collins
Toledo
Dave Bender
Youngstown
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!
Please Get Form 450, Form 450C and Form 100’s in ASAP
Form 450 and Form 450C is like GOLD!!!
District Deputies please make sure within two days of holding a degree in
your District the Form 450 is turned in. Grand Knights and Financial Sec-
retaries the Form 450C should be sent in within two days of doing a de-
gree. This is extremely important because this allows us to track if Su-
preme 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 work and effort.
Form 100’s
Within two days of a degree any Form 100’s should be emailed to the Su-
preme Council [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.
RETENTION Bill Wirtz (West)
Mike Jordon (East)
As we have had great
success in the month of
October bring in new
Brothers it is also our
job to keep them.
Fraternal: of or like a
brother or brothers.
This defines our
relationship within the
order,
As we continue to grow
our order we must also
continue to train our
Brothers to be the best
Knights that they can
be. We do this in a
multitude of ways,
training, mentoring and
leading. This month we
would like to take a
closer look at training
our Brothers. Activity
#83 Train the
proposers. We as
Brothers need to know
what is expected of us a
proposer. This activity
Brothers is one that is
good for the lecturer or
his guest speaker to
talk about. The theme
that we recommend is:
It’s not a transaction,
it’s a relationship.
Using this theme truly
fulfills Our Theme of “
Through Him, With
Him, In him”.
Brothers we would like
to wish you all a Very
Blessed and Happy
Thanksgiving.
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The leaves have turned and the cooler weather has started
to creep into the Great State of Ohio. No one would be able
to tell that from what the Knights of Columbus have been
doing in fulfilling the missions of Inspector
Membership. Ohio is HOT and there is no stopping the
train.
November is here and that means turkey with all of the
fixings. The Inspector has another mission for you - are
you ready? Working those community meals, helping to
feed the hungry and sitting around your dinner table this
month - recruit future members of the Knights of
Columbus. Talk Turkey and gain a member and the Inspector will reward you!
Your mission is on the video and on the next page attached. Pass it on to your councils. Lets talk
turkey!
MEMBERSHIP INCENTIVE
Click to Watch Your Mission for November!
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GENERAL SERVICE PROGRAMS
TEAM
MEMBERS
REPORTING
DIRECTORS
Robert Walsh
General Program
Director
Gary Anderson
Culture of Life
Jeff Kiliany
Church
Stewart Vetter
Family
Tom Buehner
Council
Mike Nau
Youth
Tom Forsthoefel
Community
NON-
REPORTING
DIRECTORS
Joe Mackos
Vocations & Round
Table
Harding Christ
Editor “Buckeye
Bulletin”
Marty Schumacher
Squires
Robert Gilliland
Website
Jim Maslach
Social Media
CULTURE OF
LIFE Gary Anderson
The Ohio jurisdiction got
off to a rousing start
during the first few
months of the fraternal
year, with a strong
contingent of councils
jumping right into the
state Culture of Life
program with gusto. From
the Fortnight for Freedom
in early July to the
National Day of
Remembrance for Aborted
Children and 40 Days for
Life in September, councils
have displayed their
passion for defending the
sanctity of human life.
Your commitment and
dedication to standing up
for the innocents are so
very inspiring, brother
knights, and for that, I
thank you.
Among the brand new
Culture of Life activities
added to the program this
year, is one about which I
am so completely
enthused: Promote Teen
Chastity, Activity #52.
With our youth undergoing
increasing spiritual
assault, this activity will
help serve as a shield for
them. By providing a 12-
segment study program,
Theology of the Body for
Teens, for our schools and
parishes, councils can go a
long way towards
protecting the innocence
and wholesomeness of our
youngsters before the
stench and corruption of
today's secular culture can
entrap and enslave them.
The program is based on
St. John Paul II's
monumental Theology of
the Body, in which he
outlined his integrated
vision of the human person
-body, soul, and spirit-that
he delivered through 129
catechetical lectures. The
study program uses John
Paul's vision for love and
life to answer the tough
questions kids are asking
about God, sex, and the
meaning of life. It is
available in both high
school and middle school
editions. Worthy grand
knight: I humbly ask your
council's participation in
this most worthy activity.
October, now in the rear-
view mirror, is always
dedicated to the Holy
Rosary. There is no better
weapon against the culture
of death than Our Lady's
Rosary, which is credited
for many Christian
victories over the
centuries. Most notable
among them was the
Battle of Lepanto on
October 7, 1571, when a
Christian fleet defeated a
far superior Ottoman
Muslim fleet and
consequently, stopped
further westward
expansion of Islam in the
Mediterranean.
Flash forward to today, as
once again, radical Islam,
through its embodiment-
ISIS-is metastasizing
across the Middle East and
into Europe, committing
genocide against innocent
Christians and threatening
to take its murderous
campaign even to our
shores. So again, we
turn to the Holy Rosary for
protection of Christians
and all people of good will,
as well as for the defense
of sacred human life in
general
Those wishing to assist
with the relief efforts can
donate by CLICKING
HERE or by sending
checks or money orders
payable to Knights of
Columbus Charities at
P.O. Box 1966, New
Haven, CT 06509-1966.
The memo portion should
indicate that the check is
for Christian Refugee
Relief.
We continue to hear
reports that several
Ultrasound Initiative
campaigns are underway
around the state. Brothers,
is there really any more
critical, finer endeavor
carried out by the Order
than the Ultrasound
Initiative, through which
lives are saved every day
by each and every free
ultrasound machine we
provide to qualified
pregnancy care centers? I
think not! Keep up the
good, and holy work.
Now is the time to be
firming up plans to attend
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. I hope to see you in
D.C!
11 | VOICE OF THE SPIRIT | NOVEMBER 2015 | WWW.KOFCOHIO.ORG
GENERAL SERVICE PROGRAMS
CHURCH—VOCATIONS &
ROUND TABLES Joe Mackos
The week of November 1st is
National Vocation Awareness
Week. The attached prayer card
was printed by the Diocese of
Youngstown, and made possible
through the generosity of The
Knights of Columbus.
What is your council doing to
promote Vocations in
your area? One idea
is the RSVP program
(Refund Support to
Vocations Program.)
If your council is
unable to write a
check for $500.00
consider a smaller
gift. If throughout
the year by some
chance your finances
change then consider
giving a little more.
For every $500.00 for
donate you would
then receive $100.00
back from Supreme.
You do however need
to have all the
cancelled checks, and
photo copy them to
Supreme along with
form #2863.
Has your district
deputy talked to you
about filling out a
roundtable form?
Has your district deputy given
you form #2629 (Report of
Roundtable Coordinator? If not,
ask him for the form. District
deputies that attended the June
DD meeting received enough
forms for each of their councils.
As there is a quota for the State
Council for Membership, and New
Councils, there is also a State
quota for the number of round
tables the state needs. At this
time we only have 19 roundtables.
We need 81 more.
The form is easy to fill out. (For
example, is your council a parish
base council?) In the 1st box the
question asks “IS YOUR
C O U N C I L A P A R I S H
COUNCIL”? If you are, check the
box that says “YES”. Put the
name of the parish, your council
number, city, jurisdiction, and
diocese. In the 2nd set of boxes
your membership number, name,
address, city, state, zip. Parish,
city, number of council members
at the parish and in this case the
total number of members, the
number of families at the parish
and the GK sign the form and you
mail it off to Supreme.
If you’re not a parish base council
then fill in as many boxes you can
with the names of council
members that belong to others
parishes. One of the best ideas is
to find out which of your members
sit on parish councils. These
brothers would be the best to
become roundtable coordinators
for they are already working with
their parish.
As I have been going to different
councils within the Youngstown
Diocese, I have been
taking the form 2629
with me. Please
District Deputies, do
the same. Let’s all
work together to
achieve this goal. 81
m o r e r o u n d t a b l e
needed, it’s doable, but
we all need to work at
it.
I would like to thank
the following councils
for submitting
roundtables already:
Co. #500, #558, #752,
#1341, #2158, #3269,
#4733, #6373, &
#10003. These 9
councils have
submitted a total of
19 roundtables.
THANK YOU!
Prayer for Vocations
Father Almighty,
As part of your divine plan you have created us for some
definite purpose.
Bestow your grace upon us to know the path you have
designed for us in this life snd help us to respond with an
unconditional “Yes.”
Make our diocese, parishes, homes and hearts fruitful
ground for Your gift of vocations.
May we your faithful, especially our young people, re-
spond to Your call with courage and zeal.
Inspire among our men a desire and the strength to be
good and holy priests.
Bless us with an abundance of consecrated religious, per-
manent deacons, lay ecclesial ministers, and those called
to a chaste single life.
Sanctify the union of man and woman as one in marriage
so that they may be a sign of Christ’s love for his Church.
Through the intercession of Mary our Blessed Mother, we
offer our prayer for vocations to You, Father, in union
with the Holy Spirit, through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
GENERAL SERVICE PROGRAMS
12 | VOICE OF THE SPIRIT | NOVEMBER 2015 | WWW.KOFCOHIO.ORG
YOUTH Mike Nau
Have you ordered your Free Throw
Kits? November is the month you
need to that. You need to go to the
Supreme website, go to forms and go
to Free Throw Kits. Last year
119000 young people participated in
Knights of Columbus Free Throw
Championships. The Council level
needs 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.
Remember that the State Free
Thrown will be held on March 19,
2016. Remember that the age levels
are 9-14 years old. Let’s get out and
promote the Free Throw. Let’s stop
the trend, and get more
participation.
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.
I know that everyone thinks that
youth are important and that each
Council does activities to help the
youth. Please take the time to
submit the reports. The numbers of
Activities reported are down.
However, there are several very
good ones. This time of the year
there’s always some kids that need
coats. What a great way to show you
care by giving coats to needed
children. That would be Activity #56.
During the Holiday Season no child
should go Hungry. Hold a food drive
for the local food bank. Or hold a
fund raising event to give more.
That is Activity #55.
We had one Squire Circle
Reactivated. A big thanks to Council
# 2640, St. Henry’s in the Cincinnati
Diocese. They have been awarded
100 points in the Youth program.
Thanks for all your work. Activity
#66, Sponsor or promote new or
existing Squires Circle. Squire
Circles are vital to the growth of our
Squires Program and in turn benefit
greatly the Knights through the long
-time proven fact that Active Squires
make Active Knights, who often take
on leadership roles in councils once
they become 18 years old.
Hope all have a blessed Holiday
Season. Keep up the good work and
take time to report those great
activities under the Youth Program.
You’re Only A Click Away …
Resubmitting Returned
Programs and closing
Incorrect or Duplicate
Programs.
If you get a “Returned”
program, simply “Edit” the
program and make the
corrections that the Program
Director is asking for and click
“Update Program Listing”.
When you use the State Program
Website to enter your programs,
sometimes a mistake is made
when selecting the program
group or program activity or
sometimes a program is returned
as a duplicate program by the
Director.
Instead of leaving these
“Pending” or “Returned”
programs in the system, and to
make this easier for the Council’s
to manage their program
information, there is now a
“Closed” status that is available
(see images below).
This is available ONLY if the
program is in the “Pending”
or “Returned” status.
Once the program is set to
“Closed”, it will no longer be
counted towards your Council
points and is in effect will be
“archived”.
Later this month, the “View
Programs” page will have
separate tabs for the various
statuses (“Pending”,
“Returned”, “Graded”, and
“Closed”) so that they will be
easier to manage.
If you have any problems, or
need any help, please feel free to
email me at [email protected].
Robert Gilliland
State Website Director
13 | VOICE OF THE SPIRIT | NOVEMBER 2015 | WWW.KOFCOHIO.ORG
SPECIAL POPULATION FREE THROW
It is time to get your gear for the Special
Population Free Throw Contest! The or-
der form is linked underneath the picture
and is required to obtain T-shirts and
plagues. The Special Population Free
Throw contest runs until April 30th, of
this fraternal year, for our citizens with
Developmental Disabilities. Every council
still has plenty of time to plan and partici-
pate in your own council’s Special Popula-
tion Free Throw contest.
All Grand Knights will receive this free-
throw T-shirt and plaque order-form with
their 2016 Measure-Up Campaign packet.
Please duplicate this form as needed.
All free-throw forms must be filled out completely: T-shirt sizes, number of plaques and the proper
shipping address. Any council who would like to have t-shirts please submit a check along with the
order form. Again, the Ohio State Council will supply the award plaques at no cost to the councils.
The basic price of the T-shirts have increase this year to: $ 5.00 for all sizes, 6-8 through XL; size XXL
- $ 6.50; size XXXL - $ 7.50; size XXXXL - $ 8.50. The latest date to submit order forms will be April
30, 2015. Please allow two weeks for delivery of order to allow arrival before the contest date. Phone
orders will be accepted by calling 614 – 679-4238. Please make checks payable to
“T-Shirts By Eckstein”.