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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS MARCH 2016

www.kofcohio.org Monthly Publication of the Ohio State Council

Brother Knights, A little about membership… We have seemed to hit a speed bump in February. We were off to a slow start and never seemed to get on track until the end of the month. Our rally wasn’t quite enough to recover but we still ended up the month with positive growth. We finished February with an intake of 105 members for a 4.67% intake. We ended up in the basement and placed 9th for the month in Division 1. The other Jurisdictions just took us to the cleaners. To date we stand at 63.02% of our Supreme Council membership requirements. We rank 25th of the 74 K of C Jurisdictions worldwide and we rank 3rd among the Division 1 State Councils slightly behind Florida and Texas. The best news is that we are continuing to grow. I don’t like to get too far ahead of myself but we are at +182 Net/Net (intake less suspensions, withdraws, deaths, and out of state transfers) and we are beginning to show new growth in Ohio. This places us 7th in the Order slightly behind Louisiana, Mexico, and the Philippines. With another couple of good

recruiting months Ohio could be over the 58,000 member mark. Today we stand at 57,920 members strong. Thank you to everyone who is working to make this happen. Grand Knights and Membership Directors please keep 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 80% of the Council's around the state have recruited a new membership and are working to place Ohio in the Circle of Honor. If the State of Ohio is to improve our membership status and grow as a jurisdiction we need the other 20% or roughly 82 councils to step up and begin recruiting. A new member from each of those councils would make a significant impact on our bottom line today. We are all on the same team and all in the game together. I need a firm commitment from all involved to make this happen. We are again looking for some opportunities again in March. There are still a lot of prospective members just

waiting to be asked or need to be contacted. Inspector Membership has some incentives in March for Brother Knights that bring in new members. Rumor has it that the State Deputy and Inspector Membership have issued an additional three month Membership Program Contest for March, April, and May. Many of you have seen it on the Super Cash Bonanza Road Show Meetings. It’s called “The Land of 1,000 Members”. Watch us on Facebook or get signed up for our social media blitz for this new membership incentive. Supreme Council has announced the requirements for earning VIP Bonus Points for the second half of the Fraternal Year. See your Grand Knight, District Deputy, or State Membership Director Nick Gresko for details. 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

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CHARITY - UNITY - FRATERNITY PATRIOTISM

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Capita payments for one year. 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 January 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. Today I counted 28 Admission Degrees in Ohio. I don’t believe there are enough posted to handle the expected new membership load across the state. Plan out your degree schedule, the candidates will come. Please post all (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) degrees on the State Website. The degree posting page should be overflowing with scheduled degrees. There should be a minimum of 80 1st 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. District Deputies and Grand Knights please continue to file the Degree Exemplification Report Form 450 and Form 450C. This form enables the State Council to track a new members progress throughout Ohio and insure that new member has been recorded and credited for your council at Supreme Council. 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. New Conferring Officer… Please congratulate Brother Dale Bottoms as he has been recently certified as a new Conferring Officer for the Knighthood Degree. Brother Dale will join Brothers Ed Ponder and Tim Mangan in those responsibilities in the Cincinnati Archdiocese. Again more Squires Congratulations... Congratulations to our State Squire Circle. They continue to gain in membership throughout Ohio and are ranked second in the Order. They are 5th stateside with a 61 member intake and a net intake of 55 new members. Circle of Mary… Marysville Council #5534 will invest a “Circle of Mary” for young women at their council this coming May 15th. Congratulations to those Brother Knights and District Deputy #49 Duane Lord in making this possible for the young women of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. Culture of Life… I would like to send out a special “Thank You” to Grand Knight Edward Ponder and the membership of Council #10215 for securing funding for another ultrasound machine for the Dayton area to assist in the “Pro-Life cause. Supreme Council Icon Program…

The Holy Family Icon Program Books are printed and we have begun the Icon Tour through Ohio. Hopefully the four icons will circulate through the State of Ohio as planned. Look further to the State Website 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. Lake Erie Chapter… Congratulations to the Brother Knights and Councils of the Eastern portion of the Toledo Diocese with the restoration of the Lake Erie Chapter. An information meeting took place St Mary’s Church hosted by Clyde Council #1175. The State Deputy along with the Toledo Diocesan Staff and several District Deputies gave insight and reason to the workings and value of a local chapter. The councils represented agreed to meet bi-monthly on the last Wednesday of that month. State Council Financials… State Secretary Brother Kevin Miller has just issued all of the Football Frenzy Sweepstakes weekly winner’s checks. He has also issued all of the Council rebate checks. Those rebate checks were sent to the Councils Financial Secretary of record as of January 1st. State Advocate Brother Mark Siracusa has finalized the 2015 Measure Up Campaign and the 2015 Matching Funds Campaign. Booklets containing the results of these two campaigns will be made available to your council through your District Deputy. 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. A little about the Statewide Retreat… There were 11 Brother Knights who made the Ohio State Council Statewide Retreat the weekend of February 5th and 6th. The retreat weekend was under the direction of Former State Chaplain Rev. Fr. Ron Williams. The time spent together as Brother Knights proved to be fruitful for all with a clearer understanding of some elements of our faith. Paperwork and more paperwork… We are just a little behind in filing some of the Supreme Council paperwork. To date 40 Councils have yet to file Report of Officers Form 185. This was due last summer right after your council elections. The Report of Service Personnel Form 365 was also due at this time. To date there are 58 Council who have yet to file that report. The Fraternal Survey Form 1728 was due the end of January and 60 Councils are now late in filing this report.

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The Council Audit Form 1295 for the 2nd half of the Fraternal Year is now overdue to Supreme Council. The six Diocesan Coordinators along with the District Deputies have been instructed to clean up this backlog of paperwork by months end. Please make every effort to work with these Brother Knights and assist them in completing this task. “Town Hall” Meetings… The State Deputy “Town Hall” meetings

are over for this fraternal year. However the Supreme Council Membership and Programming consultant Brother Joe Ramirez, PSD Iowa, will make four stops this month in the Toledo Diocese. These meeting are a great place to learn about the working of our Order, Church Drives, programming and membership recruiting. The dates and locations for Brother Joe’s meetings are as follows: March 7, St. Patrick’s of Heatherdowns Council #14155 March 8, Ottawa Council #1757 March 9, Bucyrus Holy Trinity council #711 March 10, Los Cabolaros Council #15036 All meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. Look for another round of “Town Hall” meetings statewide to begin this August sometime after we return from the Supreme Convention. Regional and State Free Throw Contests… All six Regional Free Throw Contests should have been completed by now. Regional Contest winners advance to the next level of competition. That competition the State Free Throw Final will be Saturday, March 19, in Columbus at Bishop Ready High School. Registration is at 12:00 p.m.

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. The final details of the pin have been finalized and are in production. It is an attractive pin that I believe any Brother Knight would be proud to wear. Look for a form here in the “Voice of the Spirit” that will enable to you obtain this pin provided the requirements have been met. WWW.KOFCOHIO.ORG The State Website is up and running for the first four 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 still a bit new and not everything it is capable of doing is in place. With this said and confident in the working of the Website thus far Brother Gilliland has given District Deputies the ability 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. We have added the ability of the District Deputies and Grand Knights to use a fillable 450 and 450C Degree Report Form on the Website. Filing of this form on the State Website will generate a copy to the Supreme Council, State Membership Director Nick Gresko, and to me. Look for this form under the “Forms Tab” at the top of the Website page. If this proves successful and reliable it is just a precursor to a fillable From 185 and Form 365 this June. Please be patient. Look for a more complete and informed website this month. I will be personally meeting with Webmaster Gilliland to go over every aspect of the site to see where we can make an improvement. If you have any issues please address them to me and I'll get with you and Brother Bob to get them resolved.

Super Cash Bonanza… The 2016 Super Cash Bonanza Campaign is underway. State Treasurer “Farmer Bob” Bob Byers and his “Road Show” Team did a great job of presenting the campaign to the membership. Nearly 600,000 tickets were distributed at nine “Road Show” stops in Ohio. Look for more in the State Treasurer’s article. State Convention 2016… Grand Knights and State personnel be on the lookout for the 1st call to convention. It will be taken to the post office for delivery on Thursday, March 3rd. The 117th State Convention will take place the weekend of May 20, 21 and 22 a week prior to Memorial Day weekend at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Sandusky, Ohio. Please take the time to read and look through the information provided. Many of the enclosures are date sensitive. There is an invitation and some instruction from the State Secretary. The Cleveland Convention Committee has some instructions regarding the convention weekend. Look for information on Registration, In Memoriam, Program Book Ads, Babysitting, Msgr. Krispinski Golf Outing, Lake Erie Fishing Charter, and the Friday Night Party and Night at the Races. In closing… May God continue to Bless you as you continue to the work you do in Jesus name. Dedicate everything you do for Him to the honor and glory of God and see what changes it will make in your life. Bob Collins State Deputy

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Reflections from State Chaplain Father Edward Janoch, State Chaplain

Most of the month of March we will be in the Season of Lent even though Easter occurs this year on March 27th. I hope that all of us are truly “repenting of our sins and believing in the Gospel.” This occurs through sacrifice involving prayer, fasting, and alms giving. Almsgiving is not just a sacrifice of treasure, but also includes our time and talent. Sharing of our time and talent may be harder for some to do than just “writing out a check” from our treasure. It does not involve much effort, whereas, giving of one’s time and talent can be time consuming and can drain one’s energy, but this may be more appealing to God. But we are called to do something during Lent. An area that I believe needs our attention during Lent is the Supreme Council’s efforts for #40BucksforLent. This is an Order wide initiative to raise awareness and funds for the Christians who are suffering in the Middle East; especially in Syria and Iraq. Below is a News Release from the Supreme Council. Knights of Columbus ‘40 Bucks for Lent’ Campaign to Help Persecuted Middle Eastern Christians 2/9/2016 The Knights of Columbus is asking those considering a Lenten sacrifice to give “40 Bucks for Lent” and use the hashtag #40BucksForLent to help Middle Eastern Christians and other religious minorities suffering religious persecution there. “Since many people give up something for Lent, we wanted to provide an opportunity for their sacrifice to make a difference — not only in their own life, but in the lives of others,” said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. “During the Lenten season, we recall Christ’s suffering and death. In turn, remembering and assisting those who are today suffering and dying for their belief in Christ is an excellent way to do good where it is most needed and to enter more deeply into the spirit

of this season.” The Knights began its Christian Refugee Relief Fund in 2014. To date nearly $10 million has been raised to provide housing, food, medical aid, education and general relief to persecuted Christians and other religious minorities especially from Iraq and Syria, and to raise awareness about their plight. Those persecuted have suffered enormously at the hands of terrorists, who target them simply for their faith. Lives have been turned upside down, friends and families killed, and homes seized. Last fall, the Knights also brought a young Iraqi girl to the United States with her mother, so she could receive specialized medical care. In addition to raising funds, the Knights of Columbus has brought assistance to these Christians and other persecuted religious minorities while also working to raise awareness of their situation via television commercials and news stories. More recently, Supreme Knight Anderson testified on Capitol Hill and signed a letter to the State Department with a number of religious leaders, scholars and other experts asking the U.S. government to declare the systematic destruction and persecution of Middle Eastern Christians as genocide. These donations can be made to the Christian Refugee Relief Fund at christiansatrisk.org, or by sending checks or money orders (payable to “Knights of Columbus Charities”) to P.O. Box 1966, New Haven, CT 06509-1966. The memo portion should indicate that the check is for “Christian Refugee Relief.”

No administrative fees are taken from the funds donated, so 100% of all donations directly supports humanitarian assistance and efforts to raise awareness of

persecuted Christians and other religious minorities, especially in the Middle East. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Knights of Columbus Charities Inc. is recognized by the IRS as a charitable organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. I have made a challenge to all members of the Knights of Columbus in the Great State of Ohio to make a $40.00 donation to this effort. I have already made my donation. Please consider making a donation, too. Our Saint of the Month, St. Katharine Drexel gave up her entire inheritance to help the black and native Americans. If she could give up $20 million, we could surely give up $40 dollars. Another area to sacrifice time is to spend an hour at an abortion facility peacefully praying for an end to abortion. The 40 Days of Life is going on during this season of Lent. We Knights of Columbus say that we stand for LIFE, then let us as councils and individuals spend an hour of our time in prayer for LIFE. I will mention more on the Resurrection of our Lord in the April Newsletter. Pray, Fast, and Give Alms; our way to “repent and believe in the Gospel.” Vivat Jesus! Fr. Edward J. Janoch Worthy State Chaplain

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The Saint of the Month: St. Katharine Drexel March 3rd Saint Katharine Drexel, Religious (Feast Day-March 3) Born in 1858, into a prominent Philadelphia family, Katharine became imbued with love for God and neighbor. She took an avid interest in the material and spiritual well-being of black and native Americans. She began by donating money but soon concluded that more was needed - the lacking ingredient was people. Katharine founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Black and Native American peoples, whose members would work for the betterment of those they were called to serve. From the age of 33 until her death in 1955, she dedicated her life and a fortune of 20 million dollars to this work. In 1894, Mother Drexel took part in opening the first mission school for Indians, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Other schools quickly followed - for Native Americans west of the Mississippi River, and for the blacks in the southern part of the United States. In 1915 she also founded Xavier University in New Orleans. At her death there were more than 500 Sisters teaching in 63 schools throughout the country. Katharine was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 20, 1988. Because of her lifelong dedication to her faith and her selfless service to the oppressed, Pope John Paul II canonized her on October 1, 2000 to become only the second recognized American-born saint. catholic.org

Knights of Columbus Military Chaplain Scholarship Fund just short of $1.2 million goal. Today's total for our Military Chaplains Scholarship Fund is $1,139,109.01 leaving us a balance of $60,890.99 Since the time of 9/11, the active-duty roster has shrunk from more than 400 to 216. Currently, 25% of the Military is Catholic, but Catholic priests make up only 8% of the chaplain corps, leaving them stretched thin over a globally dispersed faith community on a scale of only one priest per 1300 service members, not counting their families". We currently have 28 men in the Co-Sponsored Program. They are from 22 dioceses and are in 16 seminaries, including the Pontifical North American College in Europe. Three men were ordained deacons in 2015 and they will be ordained Priests in 2016. There are 11 men in-processing who are expected to start seminary in the fall of this year. So as you can see our donations are bringing young men to the seminary to serve as Military Chaplains. And we thank you for your loyal and gracious support. As we start the month of March, we are down to four months to reach our goal. Brothers, please don't let us close out this

campaign short of our goal. We can do this if we continue to keep the program foremost in our activities. Each Council and Assembly is challenged to donate a minimum of $25.00. Let’s keep this $25.00 challenge going strong, promoting the program every chance we have. Contributions can be made by check made out to: Knights of Columbus Charities. Please put “MCSF” on memo line, and send to: Donald Hall, VSM 301 Garden Drive Wintersville, OH 43953-4113

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Membership Nick Gresko, State Membership Director

I need HELP From Non

-Recruiting Councils

Each month I put into my monthly update with all the winners, top diocese and top councils the following statement, “Remember the goal is +250 for the month. Inspector Membership knows we can do it! What are you going to do for March - keep the same from last or go out pound the pavement helping Team Ohio be #1 again? Will your diocese make a leap towards being #1? That is all up to you! Well there is still 83 councils that have done the same thing month after month since July

1st. Do you know what the same thing they have done? If you said they have not recruited a new member yet you would be 100% correct. Our Worthy State Deputy and I need these councils to jump on board and bring in a new member. If they did just think what our numbers as a state would look like. A lot of times getting that first member in is all you need to get a few more especially if you promote the Shining Armor Award. This encourages the new members to bring in a new member and if you make a big deal at your council about it trust me the new members will come!!!

March, April and May with the land of 1000 members incentive there is not a better time than to bring in a new members because recruiters and councils all can bring in some serious cash. The state could give out $10,000 + in these 3 months. This could be some great extra cash to spend on vacation or make a home improvement that you have been putting off. I’m hoping that we can have this list down to less than 35 by June 1st. Below and on the next page, you will find all of the Councils that have not recruited a new member as of 3/1/2016.

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!

Form 100’s Within 3-10 days of a degree any Form 100’s should be emailed to the Supreme Council at membership@kofc.org or to membershiprecords@kofc.org Supreme is able to process the Form 100 much quicker this way and you have a receipt that they were sent in your sent mail. Plus this saves your council the cost of a stamp every time new members are brought in.

Cincinnati (8 of 82)- 9.76% Mike Felerski - DMRD Larry Droesch – State Warden Mother Seton 3376 Fr. Wm. P. O'Connor 3730 Archbishop Moeller 3861 Msgr. Kuenle 5239 Lasalle 5621 A.J. Schulte 6144 St. Lawrence - Price Hill 14545 Msgr. Robert J. Von Kaenel 15424

Columbus (10 of 71)- 14.10% George Jones- DMRD Kevin Miller- State Secretary Columbus 400 Discovery 1341 Santa Maria 2898 Ascension 4324 Fr Holtzapfel 10284 Saint Elizabeth 11193 Saint Leonard 12641 Holy Trinity 13081 Buckeye Lake 13379 Our Lady of Peace 14282

Cleveland (15 of 72)- 20.83% Jerry Nowesnick- DMRD Bob Collins- State Deputy Painesville 947 Lakewood 2643 Newburgh 2816 Heights 3087 Bishop Hagan 3126 Southeast 3222 Fr. Mahon 3541 Saint Pius X 3822 Medina 4168 Magnificat 4498 Maple Heights 5106 John F Kennedy 5506 Fr. Mitchell Cieslik 8369 Fr. Maruskin 10936 St. Cyprian 14714

STATEWIDE TOTALS

83 OF 378

COUNCILS NOT

RECRUITING

21.96%

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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. These can be filled on line now at the State Website and then it automatically sends it to who it needs to go to. Take advantage of this!!!

Retention

Has Its’

Basis in

Love Bill Wirtz (West) / Mike Jordon (East)

Brothers, let us start by saying, “We love you.” As Knights this is our goal every day and the very reason we do what we do. Love is sharing our faith and putting it into practice. The Knights of Columbus enable we men of faith to pool our resources within an infrastructure developed to be flexible and efficient, and to encourage participation of all members. Therefore, Retention of all members is essential to sharing that love. Some of our tasks, as part of the State Retention Team, include conservation efforts of members in the process of either suspension or withdrawal. These are two “critical periods” that have new applicable

conservation procedures put into effect on 1 July 2015, the beginning of this fraternal year. The State Retention Team has embraced the new procedures and doing our best to apply them. Consequently, the actions of the State Retention Team are meant to complement the efforts of the Financial Secretaries, council Retention Teams, and the District Deputies. Councils need to know we will never work against established processes, and that the new procedures do not replace what the council and DDs are currently responsible for. We ask the councils to be patient and communicate openly with the State Team as we work through our new conservation procedures. We know you have done your best to retain our members, but Supreme has afforded us one more opportunity to share the love. We also want to recommend the councils get way out in front of Retention by contacting every member of your council on a regular basis.

Please don’t wait till some are two years behind in their dues. Call them several times a year and let them know they are needed and important to the mission of the Knights of Columbus. They joined the Knights to make a difference, so let them. Please allow the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with the love needed to guide our actions and complete our mission. For questions and assistance please don’t hesitate to contact your Ohio State Council Retention Directors. God Bless, Bill Wirtz and Mike Jordon

Steubenville (12 of 26)- 46.15% Tomm Offenberger- DMRD Bob Byers- State Treasurer Bellaire 1246 Mother of God 1421 Fr. Frank Patala 1716 Toronto 2187 Saint. Anthony 2262 Msgr. Joseph Dooley 4361 Saint Catherine 4590 Saint Mary's 5174 Our Lady Assumption 5250 Pieta 5583 Saint Gabriel 11380 Our Lady of Carroll County 15401

Toledo (22 of 69)- 31.88% Jim Collins-DMRD Mark Siracusa- State Advocate Fremont 591 Msgr. Lang 1039 Saint John Neuman 1117 Fostoria 1197 Edgerton 1494 New Washington 1718 Port Clinton 1750 Bryan 1915 Ottoville 2238 Msgr. Leo W Frye 2642 Sacred Heart 2850 Our Lady of Fatima 3564 Blakeslee Fr. Deveaux 3883 Holgate 4790 Holy Cross 5139 Montpelier Sacred Heart 5226 Saint Anthony 10299 Saints Francis/Gasper 10749 Saint Aloysius 11287 Saint Jerome’s 11450 Saint Clement 13636 Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cathedral 16264

Youngstown (16 of 58)- 27.59% Mike Jordan- DMRD Ken Girt-State Deputy Canton 341 Wellsville 507 Carroll 509 Warren 620 Conneaut 627 Louisville 2530 Newton Falls 3350 Mantua 3766 Fr. Lambert J Andrews 4433 Msgr. Lavelle 4571 Fr. Coan 4658 Saint Peter's 5173 Saint Mary's 5589 Saint Dominic Fenwick 13586 OLPH Aurora 14186 St. James 14491

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Membership Mission #9 State-Wide Membership Drive

The March Membership Drive is upon us as we continue to head toward the end of the fraternal year. We cannot give up and let Dr. Arceo win. We have the luck of the Irish on our side this month as many of us will be looking forward to corned beef, cabbage and some adult beverages. Use that as an opportunity to help recruit a new member - ANYONE WILL DO! Inspector Membership is encouraging all of us across Ohio to run your Membership Drives, setup Open Houses, have a First Degree and roll in the cash. Click for the video and review the flyer.

New Council Development John Brown Well, the first half of the year blew by like a strong gust of wind. The great state of Ohio is looking like the winner it is. Thus far, we have started five new councils. We’re almost half way to our goal for the year. It’s going to take some hard work to meet our goal, but I haven’t met a Brother Knight yet who isn’t up to the task. New Council Development does not happen in a vacuum. It involves a District Deputy who keeps his ear to the ground and his eyes to the heavens. It takes a District Deputy who goes the extra mile to regularly talk with the pastors in his area about the Knights. By

now I think you’ve all seen the “K of C Elevator Talk” that Brother Jeff Hearty introduced to us. Approaching the pastor is not that much different than talking with a potential new Knight. If you say “You wouldn’t be interested in starting a new council here would you?” you already know the answer. Be prepared to answer questions when you talk with the Pastor. If he has questions – he’s interested. Use that opening. Find out what Father knows about the Knights. Hear him out. Really listen to him – you’ll be able to tell if he’s informed or not. Talk with him about what other councils in your district are doing for their parishes. Give specific examples. Ask him if there are things a council could do to help him minister to his flock. If he says nothing – and means it – he’s one lucky Pastor.

If he’s still listening, explain the process – briefly. Schedule an hour appointment to explain the details and more specific benefits. Contact me, your Diocesan DD Coordinator, the Diocesan Membership Director and your state officer. If possible, I will go with you along with the Diocesan Membership Director. If I’m unable to attend the meeting, your state officer should be there. Make sure you’re prepared for the meeting. Contact me and we’ll make sure you have everything you need to hit the ground running. New council development is not rocket science. It is common sense and determination. I’ll provide you the tools. If you provide me with the name of a Pastor that you have talked with who is interested, I’ll make sure you have the support and manpower needed to make the process fun and interesting.

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In Search of...Land of 1000 Members CALLING ALL MEMBERS FROM ACROSS THE STATE OF OHIO!...STOP URGENT COMMUNIQUE FROM INSPECTOR MEMBERSHIP...STOP Inspector Membership here. There have been strange noises coming from the far corners of our Great State. So, I decided to get my Membership Gadgets going and take a trip around the state to see what was all of the mumbo-jumbo. There are mass numbers of Catholic men with their families...searching for something greater. From the far corners of the Steubenville Diocese, across to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, around the Toledo Diocese, into the Cleveland Diocese and straight into Columbus Diocese - Catholic men and their families looking for opportunities to grow in faith, fellowship and service. Is this too big for IM to handle? I say "nay-nay." Chief Collins is calling in all deputized members of the Knights of Columbus! We are living in the LAND OF 1000 MEMBERS!!!! Members to the left of me...Members to the right...there are so many members available and so much you and YOUR council can gain. Look at the linked flyer...watch the video! Laugh a little...share the message...and lets go out and bring those Catholic men and families into the our Order!!!! Vivat Jesus!

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General Programs Bob Walsh, General Program Director

The fourth reporting period has just ended, there is one more left for this Fraternal Year. This one will be shorter at only six weeks, ending on April 15. Now would be the time to review your programs and point totals. If you have any question please let me know. Have you been looking in your Fraternal Leader Planner? For the month of March it shows an Orderwide Outreach Week in Honor of Fr. McGivney. The Holy Father has suggested doing some Corporal Works of Mercy for the coming year, this would be a great way to accomplish his wishes.

There are many deadlines due on the first of April. Your nomination for Honorees of the year, you can find the list of Honorees on page 27 of the Program Book. On April 15th your Pennies for Heaven report and The State General Program ends. Remember Administration Requirements are part of the program that counts for 165 points of the total of 1085. The winners of the Soccer Challenge are:

Church:

Vocations &

Round Tables Joe Makos

Brother Knights, first I want to talk to you about roundtable form #2629. I have called several grand knights asking them to please consider filling out this form. All I get is ok, and then nothing is done, Why? Several have stated to me that their council is a church based council! Great I understand that, but also take the time to see if any of your members belong to another parish. Right here in my hometown area I know of 6 church based councils, that not every member belongs to that church where the council is based. These are the names you should submit on the Roundtable form. The form asks for membership number, members name and address, the parish he belongs to, number of council members that then belong to that parish and the number of families at the parish. Please take the time and check into this as soon as you can. The State Council has a goal of

100 roundtables. As of March 1 we stand at 37, I’m sure we can do better than that. At the January District Deputy meeting it was announced that a DD that has forms submitted from all of his councils will have his name placed in a drum to have a chance to win a gift card to a restaurant in his area.

RSVP

Financial Assistance

to Seminarians

and Religious.

I have been going over the reports that you have sent to the church director, and for whatever reason what you have claimed and the forms I have received haven’t been the same. Please if you’re reporting this program to our church director send me a copy of the form #2863 that you sent Supreme. Showing the canceled check from your recipient.

AGE BOYS GIRLS

9 Cohen Nicholas 1610

Kloe Wagner

3213

10 Caden Bistrek

14891

Abbie McEl-

downey 5239

11 Austin Valentine

3213

Michele Hofacker

14551

12 Nick Vissel 5286 Haley Vasko

4168

13 Austin Staiger Olivia Bistrek

14891

14 Kia Anthony

3213

Darcy Franck

4424

Community Tom Forsthoefel

As I was listening to the reading of the Mass today for the Third Sunday of Lent I thought about the barren fig tree in the gospel. Many of us as Knights of Columbus want to think we are doing a good job of following in the footsteps of Fr. McGivney with our charitable acts. But I had to think about whether we have examined our hearts and souls as to what was taught to us at our 1st degree. Yes I try to go out and do good deeds for others in the act of charity but do I really go that extra effort to try and help others as I should. Yes, when it is convenient for me and I have nothing else pressing in my life I may or may not help the less fortunate. During this Lenten Season let us make that extra effort to help someone at: • local food pantry • American Red Cross • St. Vincent de Paul

Society • our veterans both

near and far • Habitat for Humanity • or any other area in

our community that is in need of assistance for funds or man-power.

Too often we have good intensions but we don’t want to go that extra mile or out of our way to help someone in need. Now is the time as we enter into the 3rd week of the Lenten Season to examine ourselves to see if we can make that extra effort to help someone in need. We don’t need to be patted on the back to say yea I did a great job to help so and so with my charitable efforts. Just do it out of your heart. In the end you will be rewarded with the warm feeling in your heart knowing that you can make a difference.

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Culture of Life Gary Anderson

One of the new activities introduced into the state Culture of Life program this year was Activity #51, Celebrate World Marriage Day. In light of the ever-increasing assaults on the true essence of marriage as the union of a man and a woman, it seemed to be the right time. Brothers, you responded in a terrific fashion. Thanks to the many councils that planned and conducted events and activities centering around World Marriage Day, which was observed this year on February 14, coinciding with Valentine's Day. Kudos to Councils #733, 741, 1944, 2158, 2565, 4847, 10792, 10820, 11216, 13977, 14502, and 16137, all of which completed #51.

Once again, many councils statewide had plans to journey to Washington, D.C. for the March for Life on January 22, but as you heard, Mother Nature had other ideas. The epic blizzard caused almost all of them to cancel their bus trips. My hat is off to so many of them that ultimately turned lemons into lemonade. So many reports came in from across the state explaining how councils that had planned on going to our nation's capital, instead got involved with local marches and rallies. In many cases, they held their own events at their parishes. Well done, brother knights! In the news, the U.S. Supreme Court is now hearing oral arguments in one of the most significant abortion cases in the past 20 years, that of Whole

Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt. The law being debated is a Texas law that requires abortion facilities to meet the same standards as other ambulatory surgical facilities. But believing they stand above those requirements, the abortion lobby challenged those requirements. But what makes this case even more intriguing is the makeup of the Court since the recent passing of Justice Antonin Scalia, leaving an even eight justices, with no tie breaking vote. As it looks now, the Court could very well be deadlocked at 4-4. In such a case where the Supreme Court is unable to render a decision, the existing law, or decision of the lower court, prevails. Either way, it is going to be very interesting.

Family Stewart Vetter

As we approach the end of the program year and enter the last reporting period, we all plan "the push". It's that time when you see how many activities you have completed and how many you need to max the program. To aid you in your "final push", I'd like to offer some suggestions. We are in the heart of lent and the initial zeal to not cheat on what you gave up has begun to fade for some of our fellow Catholics. Now is a great time to plan a prayer service or rosary for the families. You could plan a one day retreat for the men of your parish (maybe discuss the challenges of fatherhood in a culture that continues to devalue fathers). How about having a presentation on how to pray? (Did you know there are different techniques to prayer?) Planning any of these activities might be the bit of motivation some people need to get to the joy of Easter. The most important thing is to let our Catholic children see us pray because they will follow our example. Have you committed an act of mercy yet this lent? Need knows no season and I'm sure the local soup kitchen, clothing exchange, nursing home, or food bank

would love to have you come in with your Brothers and their families to put in a few hours of help. Every little bit helps. Whether it's folding clothes, stacking cans, or visiting with the elderly residents, there's something everyone can do sop bring everyone from

grandma to the toddler to help. Are you planning a Mother's day activity? Do you have an annual event for Father's day? If the event is planned and will take place after the program year ends, you can still report it for this program year. Make sure you give good detail about the planning and how many you expect to attend. What about step

parents? Many of them step up and love the children like their own. Are there plans to honor them? Maybe you could plan coffee and donuts after mass to honor them. Every council should have a memorial

mass every year. If you haven't had yours yet, what are you waiting for?!?!? With the longer, warmer days, the kids (and teachers) start to see the summer coming. Tuition is a faint memory for most; except for those that wonder where the money is going to come from. With tax returns coming in, why not schedule a fund raiser for tuition assistance? "But we don't have a school" Then raise money to support any catechesis program at your local parish!! The family of the year nomination is a great way to recognize one fantastic family in your council. A family that deserves to be family of the year for Ohio also deserves more

than a half page write up. Why not go all out and get write ups form the groups they help, from the pastor, from friends, neighbors and community leaders. Share some pictures of the family actually doing those great activities, attending events, and any other photos that will show off how amazing they are. If you put all that documentation in a binder, you could present it to them later.

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The Catholic Difference Many companies claim that their founder was a saint. As brother Knights, our claim is not simply hyperbole: We know that our beloved founder lived a virtuous and holy life. We hope and pray that he will be raised to the dignity of the altar. In fact, by proclaiming Father McGivney “venerable” in 2008, the Catholic Church has declared that Father McGivney exercised Christian virtue above and beyond the call of duty. As members of his brotherhood, it is incumbent upon all brother Knights to act in a way that pays homage to Father McGivney, carries on his mission and works with the same virtuous spirit that animated his life. That duty applies to all aspects of Columbianism, whether it be our charitable work, our fraternal work or our business endeavors. Those two concepts — Catholic virtue and profitable business —may seem incompatible, but the Knights of Columbus has long been a shining example of how businesses can succeed by placing faith and values before financial gain. Our Catholic heritage permeates our business. It’s part of what makes us so unique. We call it our Catholic difference. Asked recently about the Knights of Columbus and its Catholicism, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson replied:

It means that we are different. We talk a lot about the “Catholic difference” of doing business with the Knights of Columbus. We present our members with a clear choice between doing business with us and doing business with a secular insurer. We are proud of our identity as a Catholic company. … Our ethical practices, in fact, received international recognition in 2014 and 2015, when the Ethisphere Institute designated the Knights of Columbus as a World’s Most Ethical Company®. We stayed true to our principles and knew that if we did the right thing for the right reasons, we would get the results that we wanted — and we have. Last year marked our 15th consecutive year of insurance sales growth. The signature way in which our Catholic identity impacts our business is in our investment strategy. We put our money where our faith is.

We have established a strict screening process that prevents us from investing in companies that participate in any of the following lines of business:

• abortions and abortifacients • contraception • human cloning • embryonic stem cell research • for-profit health care that pays

for any of the aforementioned • pornography

We also do not invest in junk bonds or in risky investment instruments. We do not believe that the potential for profit is worth jeopardizing our Catholic faith or our solemn promise to our members and their families. “It is a principled approach to investing,” the supreme knight said, “that highlights the depth of our commitment to our faith. And while following these principles, our investment team has consistently achieved positive and competitive financial returns.” That’s integrity. Not all insurance companies are fraternal benefit societies. Not all fraternal benefit societies are Catholic. Not all Catholic insurers are like the

Knights of Columbus —we are different. We are different because of who we are. We are different because of what we believe. And we are different because of the way we act on those beliefs. It’s a difference that traces its way back to Father

McGivney, and that ought to be a point of pride for all brother Knights and their families. Contact me today to find out more about how you and your family can benefit from our Catholic difference.

Insurance Corner Chad Osterholt

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You’re A

Click

Away—

State Website Bob Gilliland Council Forms Online through the State Website!!! Worthy Financial Secretaries and Worthy Grand Knights. You now have the ability to set up, process and submit your Form 185 (Council Officers), Council 365 (Service Personnel), Form 1295 (Audit-1 and Audit-2), Form 1728 (Fraternal Survey) and Form SP-7 (Columbian Award). This District Deputy assigned to the Council will also have access to these Council Forms to help the Council in submission of the Form. The District Deputy will select the appropriate Council and the members for that Council will be loaded for selection.

For each of the Council Forms, the “Save Form” button at the bottom of the screen will save the data in the State Website Database for later retrieval and printing of the form. Also if an officer position is not filled (unelected), it can be filled later by the Financial Secretary when the Council elects that officer position and a new form generated. The “Print Form” button at the bottom of the screen will generate a PDF document that can be downloaded by the Financial Secretary and printed out for submission to Supreme Council, The State Council, The District Deputy, and the Council records. The “Submit Form to Supreme” will generate an email to Supreme Council, The State Deputy, The District Deputy, and the Council Financial Secretary with the Form 185 in PDF form as an attachment to the email. Note that for the 185 and 365 forms this button is currently disabled and will automatically become enabled after May 1, 2016 for use when Council Officer Elections and

Service Personnel appointment take place.

It is important to note that per Supreme Council, Department of Fraternal Services, the Form 1295 (Audit-1 and Audit-2) and Form 1728 (Fraternal Survey) require the appropriate signatures of the Grand Knight (Form 1295, Form 1728), Financial Secretary (Form 1728) and the three Trustees (Form 1295). In the meantime, Worthy Financial Secretaries, and Worthy Grand Knights, feel free to experiment with this new tool, and please feel free to email me with any questions that you may have. I will be contacting each Council Financial Secretary and Grand Knight to make sure that everyone is able to use these new form submission tools. If you have any problems, or need any help, please feel free to email me at BobG@sceinet.com.

Form 185 – Council Officers

The Financial Secretary of the Council will have access to this form as he is in charge of submitting this to Supreme Council. The members registered in the Council per the Council Roster generated by Supreme Council will populate in each of the officer positions.

Form 365 – Service Personnel

The Grand Knight of the Council will have access to this form as he is in charge of submitting this to Supreme Council. The Financial Secretary will also have access to this form to help the Grand Knight if need be. The members registered in the Council per the Council Roster generated by Supreme Council will populate in each of the service personnel positions.

Form SP7 – Columbian Award Application

The Grand Knight and Program Director of the Council will have access to this form. The Program Director is in charge of this form and it is attested to by the Council Grand Knight. They are in charge of submitting this form to Supreme Council. The completed and graded programs submitted by the Council will be available in the respective dropdown sections of the form. The Council can select up to four (4) programs in each group and can set the

order that they appear on the Columbian Award Application form. For example, the Council Church activities will be available to select from in the Church dropdowns. The Community activities will be available in the Community dropdowns. The Council activities will be available in the Council dropdowns. The Family activities will be available in the Family dropdowns. The Culture of life activities will be available in the Culture of Life dropdowns. The Youth activities will be available in the Youth dropdowns. If your Council sponsors a Columbian Squires Circle, please make sure to check the box

below the Youth activities and enter the Squires Circle number in the textbox to the right. If there are no activities for a particular category, the dropdowns will be blank.

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Something Smells Fishy! That’s right, something is fishy here. Hopefully very fishy. The Worthy State Deputy has decided that he wants a Fishing Extravaganza at the 2016 State Convention. Who am I to say no to the Worthy State Deputy??? Very shortly, your council will receive it’s packet of information about the convention. In it is a sign-up form for the outing. There is also a sign-up form for golfing, but Walleye tastes much better than golf balls – it’s not as chewy either. So, here’s the deal. Here’s what your $45 gets you:

• A day of fishing for the wily and elusive Lake Erie Walleye aboard the Clevelander II

• Rod and reel rental (if you need it)

• Box lunch • Soft drinks & water • Fish cleaning and

storage until Sunday

• Bait (lures are not provided – they are available for purchase – or bring your own)

Here’s what you need to bring:

• Motion Sickness medication (Dramamine or the like) – take 2 hours before we leave

• Valid 2016 fishing license (you can buy them at the dock, but get there

early) • Sun screen – don’t

take a chance • Weather

appropriate clothing (keep an eye on the forecast - plus I’ll email you with the forecast a few days before the event)

• A hat • Comfortable shoes

– not street shoes (tennis shoes are OK)

• A cooler to take your fish home (they will be frozen and stored for you until Sunday)

There may even be a little inter-diocesan competition. We’ll be leaving from the dock in Sandusky (15 minutes from the hotel) at 9:00 sharp Friday morning, May 20th. Directions will be sent after I receive your paid registration. We will return at 3:00. The cost is $45 a person and this is open to potential Knights, your friends, co-workers, your family. There is room for 50 to fish comfortably, so get your registration and payment to me as quickly as you can. Once we get fifty, the registration is closed and I’ll return your money. Contact me if you have any questions. Registration form is on Page 15

John Brown 212 Boston Lake Drive Valley City, OH 44280 trouter0523@gmail.com

(330) 610-0308

Holy Family Icon Larry Droesch, State Warden 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 sponsored 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 enclosed/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 opportunity 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.

ASSIGNED DATE

ICON 1 ICON 2 ICON 3 ICON 4

ON OR BEFORE DD # DD # DD # DD #

1-Mar 64 67 37 26

1-Apr 3 62 72 75

1-May 1 66 73 29

1-Jun 2 68 32 74

State District Deputy Director’s Notes George Metz The requirements for March 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 using the link to the monthly report form. If you are having trouble contact your diocesan coordinator for assistance. The numbers for this report should be for February ONLY.

March Requirements

• Remind your councils to send in the Knight of the Year, Family of the

Year, Lady of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Youth of the Year, Blue Coat of the Year, Chaplain of the Year, and Religious of the Year nominations to the individual program directors BEFORE April 1st.

• Talk to all of your Councils about the Measure Up Program. There are two dates (end of April; first week of May) for collecting money for Measure Up.

• Register for State Convention as soon as you get the registration packet.

• Continue to push membership at every council meeting you attend.

Thank you for all the great work you do.

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