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KofC ICW Member
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Grand Knight's
Letter
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My Brother Knights,
I
would like to begin by sharing
with you some details relating to the penitential season of Lent. Lent originated in the very earliest days of
the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful
rededicated
themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared
for
baptism. Lent is a season of
soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking
stock. By
observing the forty days of Lent, we are imitating Jesus’ withdrawal
into the
wilderness for forty days. Because
Sunday is the day of the Resurrection in the Western Church,
Sundays are skipped over in order to calculate the length of Lent.
Therefore,
in the Western
Church,
Lent always begins on Ash
Wednesday, the seventh Wednesday before Easter.
In many countries, the last day before Lent
(called Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday,
Carnival, or Shrove Tuesday) has become a last fling before the
solemnity
of Lent. For centuries, it was customary to fast by abstaining from
meat during
Lent, which is why some people call the festival Carnival,
which is
Latin for farewell to meat. Until the Second Vatican Council,
Catholics were required to abstain from meat every Friday, as a form of
penance
in honor of the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross on Good Friday.
Under current Church law, on Ash Wednesday and all of the
Fridays of
Lent, Catholics over the age of 14 are required to abstain from meat
and from
foods made with meat. In the Roman Catholic Church, Lent officially
ends at
sundown on Holy Thursday, with the beginning of the mass of the Lord’s
Supper.
Reviewing
the month of January, I
thank Mike D’Auito for running the parish Blood
Drive, Craig Monroe for his involvement in a successful March
for Life event, and Mark
Mulholland for running our annual Youth
Basketball Free Throw competition. Thanks
also to all my Brother Knights who
offered their support and
assistance with these programs.
Our annual Ladies Appreciation Valentine’s Dinner will be
held on
February 12, at 7:00 PM at the International Country Club on Route 50
in Fairfax. See the enclosed flyer for additional
details. This is one way to say thank you to our wives for supporting
us in our
council activities. Brother Joe Beres has volunteered to chair this
event and
anyone interested in attending this event can contact Joe at
703-631-4174 or
via email at beresjg@verizon.net. Reservations and meal selections must be
received by no later than Sunday, February 7.
The Semi-annual Council Audit was completed during
January and a
copy is included in this newsletter. The
audit process was witnessed by our District Deputy, George Fontaine. Thank you to PGK Rich Kovaleski, Financial
Secretary Tom Polson, and Treasurer Darren Furgerson for a job well
done.
Please welcome our newest Brothers, Jeff Pichocki,
Michael Polson
and Bob Wuest who took their first degree on January 5, 2010.
On
January 19, our business
meeting was cancelled as many of us were in attendance at Fairfax
Memorial
Funeral Home to pay our last respects to Doris Abba, wife of our
Brother
Knight, Bob Abba. Anyone who would like
to speak with Bob can reach him at home on 727-596-4745
or by cell at 703-509-5224.
All
prayer intentions should be sent to
Henry Pichocki at pichocki@cox.net
so he can enter
them into the council prayer book.
Reminder – If you have not mailed your 2010 dues, please
do so
today. This will ensure that our council
can meet its operating expenses and charitable obligations. Anyone
having
difficulty paying their dues should please contact our Financial
Secretary, Tom
Polson at 703-968-2597.
Prayer for
Priests:
Heavenly
Father, today we offer
you thanks and praise for our priests and ask that they be filled with
the
Spirit of Jesus as they lead us with zeal and wisdom.
We ask you to give them your fullest blessing
in their priestly ministry. Help them to
serve others as generously as Jesus did, in times of sorrow and in
times of
joy.
Loving
God, bless our priests so
that they may instruct us by their teaching, inspire us by their
preaching, and
encourage us by word and deed to work with them for the good of the
parish.
Loving
God, may your powerful
grace make your priests strong in faith, joyful in hope and fervent in
love,
this day and every day to come? We ask
this though Jesus Christ, our Lord….Amen.
Vivat Jesus,
Rosario
Chechile,
Grand
Knight
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Deputy Grand
Knight's Letter
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Brother Knights,
Thanks again to
all
those who are contributing their time and effort to the Council’s
programs. Also to those who volunteered
for Marshal duty in the March for life on 22 Jan, and those who
attended as
marchers. It was inspiring to see the
streets from 7th Street to the Supreme Court filled with
marchers.
In January, we
launched several programs including Ladies Appreciation Night, Casino
Night,
and the KofC Free Throw competition. We
will keep you posted on developments for these events via email over
the next few
weeks. If you can participate, would
like more information, or are planning to attend, please contact the
chairman,
or coordinator indicated in the Grand Knights letter.
A key program
focus
in February and into the Spring will be Casino Night.
This is one of our most challenging programs
in terms of planning and preparation. Mark
Barnes is currently providing leadership
focus for the initial
phase of this program. With his
experience in developing prior Casino nights, we’re off to a good start. However, this is far from a one man
job. Our target date for the event is 24
April, and that’s pretty close for an event like this.
The major activities include selecting the
venue and coordinating with their people, obtaining
a beverage license from the VA ABC,
lining up prizes,
marketing the event and arranging for posters and advertising, selling
tickets,
planning and delivering refreshments to the event, set up, breakdown
and
cleanup, and of course, dealers and croupiers. As
with any large event, many hands make light
work. If you’d like to help out, please
contact
Mark Barnes at (703)631-2360 or at barnesme@verizon.net.
All the best,
Brothers, in the coming month. See you
at the meeting.
Vivat Jesus!
Rich Flaherty,
Deputy Grand Knight
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Knights of
Columbus Insurance
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Founder's Mission
Focus on New Ads
The
March issue of
Columbia
magazine features an ad that cuts to the heart of the Knights of
Columbus insurance program. In 1882, when Father Michael J. McGivney began our
organization, his primary concern was the care of widows and
orphans. Even though 125 years have passed, we should never
forget his mission.
As you
can imagine, the Order gets lots of correspondence, but every now and
then a letter or e-mail stands out from the rest.
That is what happened back in October when the widow of a member wrote
to the Supreme Council.
While the name of the person writing has been changed
to protect her privacy, the letter appears nearly word for word.
This is what she said:
Dear
Supreme Knight
When my husband became a Knight, we were introduced to our insurance
agent, Mike Walther. We could sense right away that he thought
his career as more of a "ministry" than a sales position. Little
did I know then how much his sense of ministry would mean to me.
During our meetings, we weren't easy to persuade. Never willing
to give up, Mike worked to show us that we had a need, and he was able
to help us understand the value of being protected with life insurance.
My husband died suddenly last fall. His death was a shock to
everyone. Although from a medical standpoint it shouldn't have
happened, I guest God felt his work on Earth was done. Mike was
there for me immediately. He was at the wake and the funeral, and
then, stayed by my side and helped with whatever I needed. He
cried for my husband just like I did.
I think that in this world where everyone is focused on the bottom
line, I saw what the Knights are truly about. They were there for
me when I needed them the most.
Beverly Buchanan
One Life
Lost. One Life continues. One chance to help. A strong shoulder there when she needs it the most.
The
choice of what happens after we're gone is ours.
When my life here ends, I want someone I know and trust to be there to
help my family, to console them, and, yes, to cry with them.
Your
Knights of Columbus agent will do that. The
man, and the organization, will be there for her. That's a
comfort that I can't get anywhere else.
If I
were you, I would call your agent today. I
stand shoulder to shoulder to help my Brother Knights. Memento
Mori -- Time flies, Remember death.
God
bless you,
Jim
James R Bertine, FIC LUTCF
CLTC MDRT
Knights of Columbus
Field Agent
PO BOX 6041
Arlington VA 22206-0041
Phone:
703-845-3402
Fax:
703-845-0023
E-mail:
james.bertine@kofc.org
Web:
http://www.kofcinsurance-nva.org
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Knight of the Year
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Mike
D'Aiuto
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Family of the Year
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Stephen
Bahr Family
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Knight of the Month
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Mike Paulucci
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Family of the Month
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| Joe
Micari Family |
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