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October 2003
VOLUME XXVIII ISSUE 4
Contents . . .
Grand Knight's Message
Good brothers there has been much discussion of what we do as a council and what our purpose as Knights of Columbus is here in Olney. We are the "Go To" guys, we're the firemen to support and assist our parishes and community in any means what so ever. We are the men who get called for events and activities when others can't do the job or its an emergency. Show your willingness to be their for our brothers and our parishes. Contribute your time, talent and energy to projects and events at our parishes and in our communities. Be the best knight you can and show your pride in our order.
Our Knights assisted the Boy Scouts to distribute Dry Ice to folks whose freezers didn't have power. Our Knights cleared debris from the grounds of the Marian Center. On any Sunday when you shake hands with the ushers, your most likely shaking the hand of a brother Knight. WE're the cooks and servers for Pic Nics, and special events.
Join me and your brother Knights and renew your commitment to serve and support our parishes and community. Wear the symbol of the order with pride.
Pax Christos et Salve Regina
Rick Allison, GK
Chaplain's Message
Last year we had the sniper, snow storms, terrorist threats. I had hoped that all that was behind us. Now we have Isabel. Schools are closed again and our lives are disrupted by power outages and floods. I hope that Isabel is the end of a cycle of trouble and not the beginning of a new one. All these problems remind us of how uncertain our lives are. But, we do not face the difficulties of life with a glum resignation. We know that all things are ordered for the good for those who love God. Christ has liberated us from a joyless stoicism. We can know be thankful for all the things in our lives, good or bad.
Of course, October is Tootsie Roll month. This is one of the biggest fundraisers we do in our Order. Please support the Tootsie Roll drive in as many ways as you can. Be generous with your time and money. The Knights' support for the mentally handicapped is a witness to the value of all human life. There is a movement in medical science and in society to define human life based upon the functional abilities of the person. Someone who can't think or is dependent can be considered dead already. They can be starved to death and have their organs harvested. This is not the way things are now. But, unless we are vigilant it can come to that. Just as abortion was foisted upon us by a small minority of people so can other evils be foisted upon us. Pray, pray, pray.
On a lighter note, St. Peter's had its parish picnic yesterday. It was a great day. It looked to me as if we had about three hundred people come. Without the Knights it would not have happened. On behalf of St. Peter's, Thank You. As of this writing, Bill Zurek is still in the hospital and is beginning to show some improvement. He has a long way to go, though. His wife Ann is convinced that prayer has brought him this far and prayer will take him further. So, remember Bill (and all the other intentions of our Council) in your prayers every day.
God Bless you,
Fr. LaHood
Insurance News
by Rick Morin, FICF, LUTCF, Your K of C Agent 301.384.7627
FRATERNAL BENEFITS -- INSURANCE ODDS ARE SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
When the buyer of a new home takes possession of his dream house, the first thing he usually does is to protect his investment with an insurance policy against loss or damage by fire. It's the sensible thing to do, but the homeowner who lets it go at that is making a mistake which could later be a source of great hardship to his family.
Insurance actuaries, the people who calculate the risks and set the premiums, offer statistical evidence that fire is not the greatest hazard to the average homeowner. For every home destroyed by fire, sixteen homeowners will die before they pay off their mortgage.
This means that the homeowner who protects his investment against fire and similar hazards without also protecting his family against his own death, is playing a long shot at sixteen-to-one odds with his family taking all the risk!
The simple and relatively inexpensive answer to this problem is mortgage redemption insurance. This insurance is a guarantee that if the breadwinner dies at any time prior to full payment of the mortgage, his family will inherit their home debt free. Such policies usually become a source of substantial savings.
Call me today for your free analysis.
District Deputy Report
by Joe Feakes
I have just returned from a District Deputy's Meeting in Hagerstown, Maryland. We discussed many issues with the State Officers, Program Directors, and Chairmen. You can probably guess what the number one topic was -- MEMBERSHIP!!!
Membership, quality membership, is the cornerstone of any success we may achieve at the council, chapter, assembly, or state level. Don't ignore the two tremendous recruitment opportunities in the month of October. And don't forget that everyone is on the membership committee.
October 18th and 19th are the dates for our statewide membership blitz. If you can spare a few minutes before or after mass, please tell your council membership chairman or Grand Knight. I am sure they will appreciate your help. This is a great chance to spread the word about all the good things the Knights do to support the Church, our communities, our councils, the youth, and our families. I cannot emphasize enough that we are a Catholic, Fraternal, FAMILY, Service Organization.
One of the most, if not the most, visible activities performed by the Knights of Columbus is our annual October Tootsie Roll Campaign for God's "special children". I ask every man to consider volunteering a couple of hours of his time during the month of October to help make a difference in a child's life. I promise you that you won't regret it. It's OK to bring the family with you. This is also a great opportunity to ask men to join our order. So keep a supply of Form 100s close to the candy boxes.
There is a lot of sadness, fear and despair in our world today. As Catholics it is our duty to take the lead to remedy this situation. This remedy consists of good works and prayer. We have already discussed the good works topic. What about prayer, especially the Rosary? Do you know where the Rosary you were given at your First Degree can be found? Our Holy Father has said, "Without prayer there can be no joy, no hope, no peace. For prayer is what keeps us in touch with Christ."
Our District Warden, Yen Le, I, and our wives, Nu and Lynn, hope that all is well with each of you and those you love. Please continue to support all the programs of the Knights. We hope to see you at the Cardinal's Charity Ball Kickoff Dinner on October 29 at 6 pm at the Joseph P. Kennedy Institute.
Vivat Jesus
Saint Peter's Octoberfest is on, and We're the Cooking Heroes
Good brothers,
We have been requested to cook and serve the food for the St. Peters School of religion October fest on October 12 from 1pm to 3pm.
We would need to be there from 11am until after clean-up around 5pm.
We are grilling the same food as at the St. Peters Picnic; hamburgers, chicken breasts, hotdogs and wurst.
We will need to bring two charcoal grills with us for this event; I'll bring the two from the cottage and my own.
We need 5 cooks, and 5 servers in the kitchen.
I'll be the contact for this, but could really use the experienced cooks we had at our Picnic and/or from the St. Peters Picnic. Please contact me by email or telephone ASAP.
Rick L. Allison, GK
Important Announcements from the Chancellor
by Bill Gulban
Name tags of council members were ordered from the Wheaton store but engraving delay was caused by his tag material supplier company. Another order #2 of name tags for council members is being developed so I am requesting new members to call me and arrange for their preferred name or nickname and prepayment for ordering. The cost is $5.00. For an additional option, members can order a nametag for their wife to wear at KC functions or social events. The cost is $3.00. Please order your nametag by calling me at (301) 774-0424.
Prayer remembrance. My newly designed prayer list is for members, relatives & friends who are ill, and a list of deceased. Any person can call me for requesting prayers offered. Simply call (301) 774-0424 and leave the name of the Brother Knight or a member relationship. The prayer list will be published in the following month's newsletter.
The fundraiser, "Garage to Attic Sale" is coming along with a good start. The date is Saturday, October 18, from 8 am - 3 pm. Your donated items from your attic, basement, or wherever is being collected in the garage at the Marian's property located at 19101 Georgia Avenue, 1 1/4 miles North of route #108 in Olney. Turn right into the drive where the sign of the Knights of Columbus is between two brick entrance columns. The drive beneath the row of trees leading to the open two-car garage where items are stored on the right side. We encourage collection early as possible alleviating work load nearing the sale date at St. Patrick's Church Parish Center. If you have large items such furniture, shelves, etc, please call me (301) 774-0424 or Gabe Francis (240) 472-9748 for truck moving assistance. A registration book is located in the garage. Small items such as jewelry or collectibles should be delivered or picked up by me or Gabe and stored in my house until sale date.
Much help is needed to carry on this fundraising project. Members will be called for your assistance whether it be a donation, help in sale date, spreading the word for collecting and saving donated items, sign making, telephone tree, assist transportation of collected items at Marians and deliver to St. Patrick's Friday (or night) October 17, assist buyers and help carry larger items to their car, and cooking & selling hot dogs, bags of chips/cookies and sodas. Sharing some of your time, even a couple of hours in carrying out this project will help in making this fundraising project a success. Your ideas are welcomed. I look forward in the spirit of fun and work in this community event. Please see my article on another page of this newsletter.
Inwood House Halloween Festival
The "kick-off" Koffee met on September 17th in spite of anticipation of Isabel's arrival.
Plans are developing but there is still a strong need for more volunteers. This event is one of the Council's community service activities and as in the past there is a need to make this a success, both for our pride and the pleasure of the disabled residents.
PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING A FEW HOURS OF YOUR TIME on October 25th at the event. We need help to serve and assist at this event. Also there is a need for Door Prizes. A donation of gifts valued at $10.00 or donations of cash would help purchase gift certificates. Call Jim Padams or see him at a council meeting.
Thank you from Jim Padams 301-570-5213
Needed: Door Prizes for Halloween Festival
Last year was our 4th successful Halloween Festival for Inwood House. We were able to give many door prizes and our GOAL this year is to have a prize for everyone. Please look through your basement and closets for some little "treasure" that will be suitable for a door prize. Last year Brother Knights donated items like music boxes, costume jewelry, watches, clocks, and various knick-knacks, .etc.! Or perhaps you would like to donate a food certificate from Safeway or Giant of $10.00 or more?
This small consideration would provide much joy and happiness to the guests at our Festival. The look of excitement of "winning" any prize is worth a thousand words.
Call or bring items to Jim Padams before October 1st. Tel: 301-570-5213
Saint Peters School of Religion Octoberfest - 12 October
Good brothers we need twenty hands to help out from 11 am to approximately 5pm on Sunday the 12th of October. We will be cooking and serving hamburgers, hotdogs, wurst, and chicken breasts. We need three large charcoal grills and the owner/cooks. All the food is provided and purchased by the School of Religion. We're just the cooks and servers. There will be two seatings, but we'll cook the whole time. If it rains we'll move the cooking into the kitchen. If you can help contact me as soons as possible at 301/260-7950.
Yours in Service,
Rick Allison, GK
Patron Ads
by William E. Ketter, PGK
The Council received requests for 92 Patron Ads compared to approximately 80 patron ads in 2002. There are 26 new patron Ads. The council wishes to take this opportunity to thank every member that placed a patron ad and showed their pride in being members of Father Peter Paul Maher Council No. 6793. The generosity of the members participating this year was as exceptional ass in 2002 and will allow the Council to pay for the two page Ad and to place ads in other programs. The two page Ad placed in the Columbus Day Ball Program will be reprinted in the November Newsletter.
The Patron ads will remain open for the remaining three programs so members who have not participated to date are encouraged to do so!
Christmas Raffle 2000
The proceeds from the Christmas raffle this year will be used for helping our seminarians. In previous years the proceed were used to start the William J. Polli Memorial, to provide funds for the Kennedy Institute as well as to finance the Seminarian Fund.
The Christmas raffle tickets will be sent out by October 25th and the drawing will be at the Council Christmas party as in years past. The Raffle ticket will each cost $10.00. The raffle will be a true 50/50 raffle in that one half of the proceeds will go to the Seminarian Support Fund and one half will go toward the raffle prizes. Probably no more than 400 tickets will be sold.
Watch for the letter which will be sent with one raffle ticket as it will contain much more information. We hope the members will participate and be generous as in years past.
Health for K of C Membership
by Bill Gulban
Stent cases raise a caution flag. Patients can help ensure safe use of drug-coated devices. As pent-up demand surged for new drug-coated stents, approved in April, at least 47 of the more than 50,000 recipients suffered a life-threatening complication.
Cardiac stents are wire-mesh cylinders that prop open heart vessels, pushing plaque against the artery wall and widening a passage for blood flow. The head of the catheterization laboratory at the Cleveland Clinic, says the rare complication-blood clotting (thrombosis) that can cause a heart attack-may not be related to defects in the new stent. Instead, he says, the blood-clot cases may have resulted from implanting the devices in patients who shouldn't have received them, or failing to administer enough anti-clotting medication during the procedure, or using stents that were wrong size. Patients themselves who are awaiting the new stents can help ensure their safety by asking their physicians at least one crucially important question. Does the stent you plan to use match my vessel diameter and the length of my blockage?
One-in-a-hundred risks. The previous generation of uncoated, bare-metal stents carries a risk of thrombosis of one in a hundred-a danger level far outweighed by the benefits stents offer most heart patients. The major problem with uncoated stents has been reclosure, affecting between 15-40 % of bare-metal stent patients. In clinical tests, the drug on the new stent, sirolimus, has reduced the reclosure rate to less than 10%. Preliminary evidence has suggested that sirolimus stents are no more risky than uncoated stents. Still, the Cleveland Clinic says unfortunately, few thromboses would be expected in their patients. It's happened to three of the more than 500 patients who have received the new stents at the clinic. Thromboses can carry fairly devastating consequences. Heart attack is common, and about 10 to 15% of patients with thromboses die. No one knows for sure what causes the complication.
Some theories: Wrong patient. Insufficient clinical trial data to say that drug-coated stents are safe in patients in the throes of a heart attack. Patients most likely to benefit are in stable condition. Perhaps some of those affected have been too sick to receive a stent safely.
Insufficient use of medication. Some reports of thromboses indicate that patients weren't given a medication-called glycoprotein inhibitors-during the implantation procedure. These drugs reduce the stickiness of platelets, preventing them from clumping together to form blood clots.
The wrong size. Stents are threaded into place riding on a deflated balloon at the tip of a catheter into an artery. Inflating the balloon expands the stent to it proper diameter. Facing shortages of new stents in high demand, some physicians may have implanted devices that were too small, and stretched the diameter beyond safe limits to ensure that the coated mesh made contact with the vessel wall. But the number of thrombosis cases so far shouldn't trigger undue concern, says the Clinic. And most patients don't seem disturbed by reports of problems. The Clinic's waiting list for the new stents is long; some patients have remained on it for at least a month.
What you can do if you are candidate for a stent, ask your doctor for reassurance that:
This article is supported by the The Cleveland Clinic Heart Advisor.
November Family Communion Breakfast
by E. J. Cummings, Dir. Church Activities
Our Council is inviting family parishioners and guests of St. Patrick's Church together with our Council family members to attend our Communion breakfast held at St. Patrick's Parish Center on Sunday, November 2. The catered breakfast will begin at 10:45 am after the 9:30 am Mass. Brother Knights are encouraged to arrive to Mass early, and sit with your families close to the front of the church (however, pews will not be reserved).
For breakfast the seating is limited to anyone having a reserved ticket, therefore, the closing deadline date for RSVP is October 28, in order to give the caterer adequate notice of head count. Walk-ins are not urged on breakfast day. Tickets will not be sold at the door. The program includes an interesting puppet show with a return engagement of Ted Daigle, a Brother Knight and ventriloquist featuring his personal miracle story related to his rosary prayers. The catered starting menu is juices, milk, coffee, tea, and rugala. The main menu is hot scrambled eggs, sausage links, hash brown potatoes, and assortment of bagels with butter, cream cheese and jellies. The cost is $7.00/person for ages 12 and up; $3.00/person for children ages 3-11; and free for children under 3 years. A "Family" ticket can be purchased for $25.00. Payments are due in advance. For early reservations and information please call E.J. Cummings at (301) 260-2846 or Bill Gulban (301) 774-0424. If you get a recording, please leave a message giving your name, telephone number, and the number of adults and number of children attending.
1st Annual Garage to Attic Sale
Saturday, October 18, 2003, 8 am to 3 pm
ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH PARISH CENTER AREA
4101 Norbeck Road, Rockville, MD
(1 block West of Georgia Ave. on Norbeck Road)
Join in the FUN!
Entrance Fee: One canned/dry foodstuff (to be donated to a local area food bank)
We need your Furniture, Books, Collectibles, Toys, Clothing, Computers, Sporting Goods, Housewares, Luggage, Jewelry, Furnishings, Linens, Gadgets, Appliances, Lawn Equipment, etc. Clean House and make more space at the same time by donating used or almost new, saleable merchandize to the Knights of Columbus Annual Garage to Attic Sale. Deliver items now to Marians open garage next to the big house before Friday, October 17.
The 1st Annual Garage to Attic Sale is sponsored by Fr. Maher Council #6793 of Knights of Columbus and is a major fund raising event which benefits our entire community. Your contributions are needed. Proceeds from the sale are for the operation of the Knights of Columbus whose first principle is Charity.
Please be generous and come and have fun! Thank you and we look forward to seeing you there!
Call Bill Gulban (301-774-0424) or Gabe Francis (240-472-9748) for arrangement to assist pick up of large items or drop off items at the Marians Complex garage, 19101 Georgia Ave., Brookeville, MD (Georgia Ave, 1 1/4 miles North of Rte 108. - see K of C sign)
Recruiting Blitz -- October 18 and 19
WE NEED EVERY BROTHER KNIGHT TO CONTACT THE TEAM LEADERS LISTED BELOW FOR THIS RECRUITING DRIVE.
WE NEED 16 BROTHER KNIGHTS AT EACH PARISH
THIS RECRUITING DRIVE IS OUR CHANCE TO EXPAND AND GROW
CONTACT:
SAINT PETERS - RICK ALLISON or PAUL MACFARLANE
SAINT PATRICKS - INNOCENT d'ALMEIDA or HOMER CHEN
A Note From Father Giovanni
Hello everyone, Thank you for all your help on the parish picnic. Please give my thanks on all those who helped your groups who are not on this e-mail list. I think the day was a success, especially considering the hurricane and all.
If you have any comments about the picnic; what worked, what didn't, what could be added next time; feel free to send them to me. May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Peter
1st Annual Fall Dinner Dance - November 8th at Saint Peters
Good Brothers I am very proud to announce the return of dinner dances to our schedule of activities. We have a band and the hall. We need your ideas to get the dinner part set. Please call me as soon as possible to be on the committees to set this up. We will have an organizational meeting the evening of October 12th at 7pm Hope to see a bunch of you there with your wives.
Membership Update
Please return the following information to the next
meeting you can attend (as soon as possible), or
mail it to the Council at the following address:
Knights of Columbus
Father Peter Paul Maher Council No. 6793
P.O. Box 570
Olney, Maryland 20830.
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Membership Update Information
Name: __________________________________________________
Street Address: __________________________________________________
City: __________________________________________________
State: __________________________________________________
Zip Code: __________________________________________________
Home Telephone: __________________________________________________
Work Telephone: __________________________________________________
Primary Email Address: __________________________________________________
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