Knights of Columbus Council 8521 St Joseph Catholic Church - Honey Creek 25781 Hwy 46 West Spring Branch TX 78070-3613

January 2019 NewsletterKC Officers for 2018-2019

Grand Knight Hal B. Lane III830-980-6848 Deputy Grand KnightTom Brod210-392-9839 Financial Secretary Joe Vocks 830-885-4340 Chancellor James Sulak210-649-7904 Treasurer Matt Wohlfeil830-388-6296Recorder Paul Barton830-743-1677Advocate Greg Canfield830-438-8266Warden Carl Newton210-488-7181Inside Guard Ricardo Garcia210-843-7157Outside Guard Hugh Fleming210-381-3275Chaplain Rev. Francis McHugh210-824-0139 Trustee 1st YearRudy Gonzales 210-488-5431Trustee 2nd YearMike Merta210-995-7220Trustee 3rd Year Gilbert Alvarado210-218-1388LecturerScott Anderson409-344-1124

Praying the Angelus on the Feast of Saint

Stephen, Pope Francis says the first

Christian martyr teaches us to trust in God

and always to forgive others.

Pope Francis prayed the Angelus on

Wednesday with pilgrims and tourists

gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

As the Church celebrates the feast of the

first Christian martyr, the Holy Father

reflected on St. Stephen’s example of trust

in God and forgiveness.

“Forgiveness,” he said, “broadens the heart,

generates sharing, and gives serenity and

peace.”

Pope at Angelus: ‘St. Stephen teaches us to forgive’

By Devin Watkins

Joy and martyrdom

Speaking on the day after Christmas, Pope Francis said the contrast

between the joyful birth of the little Child and the cruel drama of

St. Stephen’s martyrdom “may seem strange”.

“In reality this is not the case, because the Child Jesus is the Son of

God made man, who will save humanity by dying on the cross.”

St. Stephen, said Pope Francis, was the first person to follow in

Jesus’ footsteps through martyrdom. He died like Jesus, “entrusting

his life to God and forgiving his persecutors.”

Trust in God

In the day’s First Reading (Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59), the deacon

Stephen is dragged before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem on false

charges of blasphemy. He speaks at length to them, but they are

enraged by his words. They throw him out of the city and stone him

to death.

Pope Francis said Stephen displayed an attitude of faithful

acceptance of whatever life brings, be it positive or negative. “Trust

in God helps us to welcome difficult moments and to live them as

an opportunity for growth in faith and for building new

relationships with our brothers and sisters,” he said.

Pope at Angelus: ‘St. Stephen teaches us to forgive’

Pope at Angelus: ‘St. Stephen teaches us to forgive’

Forgive alwaysStephen, the Pope said, also imitated Jesus with an attitude of forgiveness, praying for his persecutors.

“We are called to learn from his example to forgive, to forgive always.”

Stephen’s example is a way to live our relationships with other people: in the family, at school or work, and in parish life. “The logic of forgiveness and mercy always prevails and opens up horizons of hope.”

Forgiveness, said Pope Francis, is cultivated through prayer, “which allows us to keep our gaze fixed upon Jesus.”

Pray intenselyHe said Stephen was able to forgive his killers because, “full of the Holy Spirit, he looked up intensely to heaven and his eyes were opened by God.”

“Prayer gave him the strength to suffer martyrdom.”

We too, the Pope concluded, need to pray insistently to the Holy Spirit for “the gift of strength that heals our fears, our weaknesses, and our small-mindedness.”

A Message from our Worthy Grand Knight

Brother Knights

Another year has come and gone. Too fast in my opinion. I would

like to express my sincere thanks to all my Brother Knights that

helped make this past year a huge success, from the normal charity

donations, fish fry’s, blood drives and especially the BBQ pit raffle.

These acts of charity will truly benefit those in need and without

your hard work, it would not have been possible.

2019 brings about a new year of charity and our membership

numbers have never been this high. With that said, I am looking

forward to seeing a lot of new faces to help out with our Charity

events over the next several months.

I have no doubts, with the Catholic Gentlemen we have in our great

organization, 2019 will prove to be one of the best years ever.

Once again, thank you Brothers for all your hard work and may God

Bless you and your families.

Merry Christmas!

In His Service

Vivat Jesus

Viva Cristo Rey

Hal Lane GK, SK

It’s Okay to be CatholicBy Zach Blodgett

I love apologetics. I can listen for hours to Bishop Fulton Sheen, Trent Horn, Patrick Coffin, Fr. Larry Richards and the like, explain our faith in different and wonderful ways. However, we need to make sure the laity fully understand what apologetics really is. When I talk about Catholicism with my colleagues who are repping the St. Benedict medal and Rosary hanging in their car, I don’t witness apologetics; I witness apologies. Why?

Since when did being part of the one true faith, dating back thousands of years, become something that some don’t want to be associated with suddenly? We, the oh so oppressed people of the modern age, beg for forgiveness from the world, the media, our friends. We plead with them not label us sexist because we support the life of unborn children. We happily deny Natural Law, in order to be inclusive. We avoid discussing shameful sin, in order to not cause waves. It is increasingly apparent that what we really fear above even hell are titles with negative connotations. Call me a bigot, sexist, homophobe, xenophobe or any other phobe and I’ll happily lock my faith up in a shed to make sure I’m accepted. Why?

It’s Okay to be Catholic

What consequence is so grave that we would be willing to give up our chance of salvation in order to get some pointless social points? We’re Catholic men for goodness sake! Our ancestors were beaten, mocked, persecuted, hated, and killed in droves for following Christ. And yet, even though we live in one of the most prosperous times in history, why is it that we wave our white flags when the faintest verbal insult is slung at us. I’m tired of it. Christ has stood on the front lines taking the brunt of all these attacks for far too long. I’m advocating for us men to stand up with our King, shoulder to shoulder, and help bring back order to his kingdom. How? It doesn’t have to start big and no one is calling for you to grab a sword and revitalize the Crusades. It starts simple.

The next time someone lets their head droop and begins to regretfully talk about their Catholic background, lift it back up and let them know, “It’s okay to be Catholic”.

Those Catholic Men and Exodus 90 inspired me to start my own mission with SIGNUMX, so now I’m challenging you to get up and do the same. We all have talents that God gave us, dust them off the shelf and get to work.

Eric Harvey

FAITHFUL COMPTROLLER REPORTFOR

January 1, 2019There are currently 86 Members which include 2 Honorary

and 5 Honorary Life.

Scott E AndersonBruce R Barber

Richard C DawdyJesus De Leon

Louis H EsquivelRicardo A Garcia

Robert G JamersonHal B Lane, III

Larry W LeesmanChristopher J Levonius

William M Lowak

January Birthdays

Edward MataRalph W Neugebauer

Carl J NewtonDaniel L Petro

Charles L ReginiRobert D RichterRichard E Roberts

Micahel J RodriguezTomas Rubio

Patrick J SiemsenScott E Towe

FINANCIAL SECRETARY REPORT FOR

January 1, 2019Total Membership : 223

which includes 74 Insurance, 13 Honorary and 28 Honorary LifeAwards Program

11

The dues invoices for 2019 have been mailed to each Knight along with 2018 Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity Individual Member Worksheet. Please complete this worksheet and return with your dues. Payments were due by December 31, 2018. There are 100 Knights who have not paid their dues yet for 2019 for a total of $2,575.00. Please make checks payable to Knights of Columbus Council 8521 and mail to Joe Vocks, Financial Secretary, 923 River Way Spring Branch, TX 78070.

Jan 1st – New Year’s Day

Jan 9th – Council 8521 Meeting - St. Johns Hall

Jan 16th – Officers Meeting - St. Johns Hall

Jan 17th - Admissions Degree, Host 9967

Jan 19th – Major Degree Council 11596, St. Brigid- Sportsman Banquet (Wild game Dinner)

St. John’s Hall

Jan 20th – Knights of Columbus Blood Drive

Jan 21st - Martin Luther King Day- 1st degree Exemplification Rehearsal,

St. John Hall, Host 8521

Jan 26th – Texas Rally for Life

Feb 9th – Major Degree Council 7986 Prince of Peace

Feb 13th – Council 8521 Meeting - St. Johns Hall

Feb 14th – Valentines Day

Feb 16th - Sweetheart Dance/Dinner - St. John Hall

Feb 18th – 1st Degree Exemplification St. John Hall

Feb 20th – Officers Meeting - St. Johns Hall

Feb 23rd – 2019 San Antonio KofC Regional Free Throw Competition

Forty Anti-Catholic Lies: A Myth Busting Apologist Sets the Record

Straight

Recommended Books fro Catholic Men

Tired of being stumped when false claims are made about the Catholic Church? Want to be armed with knowledge that puts these mistruths to rest?

In these pages, Catholic writer and scientist Gerard Verschuurenprovides thorough yet concise answers to forty of the most common — and absurd — lies about the Catholic Church.With precision and charity, you’ll soon be able to defend the Church when you’re told that Catholics . . .Still live in the Dark AgesOppress womenKilled thousands during the InquisitionTake orders from the popeWorship statues and the Virgin MaryWrongly call priests “father”Helped Hitler seize powerAnd so much more!

Relying on historical works and official Church documents, Vershuuren authoritatively proves that these and many other claims are simply caricatures or outright misrepresentations of the real beliefs of Catholics.

Insurance Q & A

Do I need life insurance?Yes, the chances are you do need life insurance, whether it’s for paying funeral expenses, replacing income, providing money for your child’s education, protecting your home or many other reasons. Unfortunately, too many people don’t know the value of a life insurance policy and go without any or adequate coverage.

Is the Knights of Columbus financially strong?Yes. The Order is one of the strongest organizations from which you can purchase insurance, as assessments by independent evaluators consistently show. Our margin of safety is among the best in the industry. The Knights of Columbus annually receives the highest ratings given by the A.M. Best Company and Standard & Poor’s.

What exactly are dividends?Dividends are the divisible surplus the Order has left over after paying expenses and setting aside the necessary amounts to assure that future benefits are fully funded. Dividends develop from favorable experience, such as people living longer than expected or from interest earnings higher than those guaranteed in their policy. Remember, the payment of dividends cannot be guaranteed.

If I have questions about my insurance policy, or have an interest in learning more about the products the Order offers, whom should I ask?Your professional Knights of Columbus agent can answer any questions you may have. Even if you are not currently a policyholder, a field agent, who is also a brother Knight is available to meet with you at your convenience the needs of you and your family. To identify your agent, call 1-800-345-KOFC (1-800-345-5632).