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FR. MAHER'S KNIGHTLY NEWS
'Come Grow With Us!'
November 2006
VOLUME XXXI ISSUE 5
Please Patronize Our Advertisers
Newsletter Contents:
GRAND KNIGHT'S MESSAGE
Council Events - A Great Success
I normally do not write about past council events, but our Cruise and Golf Tournament were such great fun I felt compelled to tell everyone. Although we could have had better participation in both events, each was successful in its own way. On Monday, September 25 eight couples departed from NYC for an 8-day cruise of the Eastern Caribbean; Puerto Rico, St Thomas and Tortola. Although we saw very little of each other, dinner seemed to be the best time to share our daily adventures. The evening was full of dancing, great shows, and of course the famous midnight buffet. Everyone had a great time, just ask them, they will be happy to tell you.
With incentives (for groups from non-profit organizations) from the cruise line the council will earn about $2,000 for our Scholarship Fund. The more people that go on the cruise the more money we can earn for the Scholarship Fund. Thanks to Dick and Barbara Sherbert for organizing, coordinating and making sure we all had a good time. We are hoping to offer another cruise next year so stay tuned.
What can I say about the Golf tournament; on again, off again and finally we did it on Wednesday, October 4 (the day after we got back from the cruise). Twenty-five golfers and myself, clearly not a golfer, gathered at Laytonsville Golf Course at 7:30 am for sign-ups, coffee, donuts and a goodie bag with some golf tees, golf balls, etc. We gathered our clubs, found our foursome, got into our carts and went about the job of golfing, although for me it was clearly a missing, chasing, searching, and apologizing event. We all returned to the club house around 2 pm for lunch, door prizes and the prestigious 'closest to the pin' and 'longest drive' awards. Of the 26 golfers participating, 4 were brother Knights from our Council. Other participants were friends, relatives and just other golfers that wanted to participate in a worthy cause. When all was said and done we made $806 for the Council's Scholarship Fund and all had a great time.
Again, as I stated above, the more people that participate the more money we can earn for the Scholarship Fund. We are hoping to have our second golf tournament in spring 2007 with even more participants. I just want to give a sincere thanks to Mark and Kelly Long and Joe Feakes for their hard work and tenacity in making this event a success.
If you have a comment or are interest in participating in any of these events for next year please let me know.
Thank You, Jack Giacalone, your Grand Knight
DISTRICT DEPUTY MESSAGE
by Ernest Harley, DD
Brother Knights of District 11, the first blitz for the Fraternal Year, 2006 - 2007, has come to a close. I must congratulate each of you on your initial efforts. Eleven candidates for the First Degree have signed Form 100's, with a total of sixty-four persons submitting cards of interest.
That's eleven candidates in thirty days. Consider the number of new members to the Knights of Columbus, and the eventual stability of each Council with a recruitment effort of that size each month. That stability is a distinct possibility that will result in satisfaction of each Council's membership quota and the Star Council Award for achieving the required goals. In the preceding Fraternal Year, every Council in the District was ever so close to the top award. It is my belief, with the blitz effort as evidence, that each of your Councils can now succeed and become Star Council candidates with the District a Star District.
The real work is now beginning. First we need to get those eleven candidates through their First Degree and membership interviews. Next, we need to sign them up for those tasks they indicated they would be interested in assisting with. Then back to a campaign for the recruitment of the sixty-four in the interested group.
From that group, six groups of eleven can be gleaned. What a possible stockpile from which available new Knights can be drawn. But don't stop there. Continue to recruit interested persons, keeping that available group (that stockpile if you will) as large as possible.
I am looking forward to working with each Council in their efforts to satisfy their requirements for awards. Keeping in mind the individual awards, "Shining Armour" and "Silver Knight", that can be obtained by every member in the Council along the way.
KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS POSTER CONTEST
Once again this Christmas season Fr. Peter Paul Maher Council will sponsor the Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest for children in grades one through eight. Winners in 3 categories at the council level will receive a $50 savings bond. Winning art work, in each category, will be sent to the state for the statewide competition.
The winning children and their families will be invited to our Council's Christmas party on December 17th at St. Patrick's Parish Center to see their winning work displayed and to receive their savings bond. Please go to our web site at www.kofc6793.org for more information, contest rules, and the poster identification tag that must accompany each poster. Good Luck....
CHAPLAIN'S MESSAGE
This is a political season in our Country. We, therefore, must decide how to use our sacrosanct vote to choose the political candidates and the issues. We love all the candidates who want to dedicate their political abilities to be public servants. On the other hand, we as citizens must ask the politicians to serve us according to our needs and beliefs. Deciding the issues for 300 million citizens of our Country can cause social confrontations, cultural debates, and political agendas. But the process is absolutely necessary for a just society. Then comes the question: Which candidate should I vote for and which issues should I vote for?
In our Catechism, the Fourth Commandment clearly states:
"...the political community has a duty to honor the family, to assist it, and to ensure especially:
- the freedom to establish a family, have children, and bring them up in keeping with the family's own moral and religious convictions;
- the protection of the stability of the marriage bond and the institution of the family;
- the freedom to profess one's faith, to hand it on, and to raise one's children in it, with the necessary means and institutions..."
In his July 9th closing Mass homily, Pope Benedict emphasized that families have a duty to make sure "the good news of Christ will reach their children with the utmost clarity and authenticity" (Families Conference in Valencia, Spain). Finally, I must advise you, Worthy Brother Knights, to cast your sacrosanct vote for the candidate who follows the Divine laws and the issues to benefit the poor, the elderly and the disabled.
God bless us all!, Fr. L. Tou
FRATERNAL BENEFITS
"RENDERING PECUNIARY AID"
The month of November in the Knights of Columbus is traditionally the time during which we remember our deceased Brother Knights - those who have gone to their eternal reward.
Our thoughts also turn, naturally, to those who our Brother Knights have left behind - their widows and children. These are the same people, though a different generation, who occupied Father McGivney's thoughts in 1882 when he founded the order.
The first two reasons listed on our charter for the establishment of the Knights of Columbus are: "rendering pecuniary aid to its members, their families and beneficiaries of members" and "rendering mutual aid and assistance to its sick, disabled and needy members and their families."
My position as a field agent for the Order has evolved from those principles. I am here to help you plan financial security - both for yourself and for those who you may leave behind. I am not here to sell you insurance because you might die and be a part of our remembrances next November. I am here to sell you insurance because someone else might live...and I think you love that someone and would like her to continue to live with dignity.
It's not a pretty thought, but picture the first November your loved ones will spend without you. How does it look?
Call me today for an appointment. Together we can explore how the Knights of Columbus can best serve you and your family's needs.
Fraternally, Rick Morin 301-384-7627
HEALTH FOR K of C MEMBERSHIP LONGEVITY
by Bill Gulban
Is it possible to completely remove pesticide residue from conventionally grown produce? Washing and peeling fruits and vegetables can greatly reduce the amount of pesticide residues, but doing so won't necessarily remove all of them. You should wash all produce, whether organically or conventionally grown, before eating. A great suggestion is using a small amount of diluted dish detergent and a vegetable scrubber, followed by a warm water rinse. A study done at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, showed that by washing (and sometimes peeling) produce, pesticides could be removed from half the samples and lowered in the rest by 30 to almost 100%.
What is recommended is eating a variety of organic produce, but if you do buy conventionally grown fruits and vegetables, stick to those least likely to have pesticides on them such as avocado, sweet corn, broccoli, asparagus, bananas, pineapple, and mango. The Environmental Working Group found peaches, raspberries, strawberries, apples, celery, spinach, potatoes, and sweet bell peppers to be the most contaminated with pesticides when grown conventionally. The three worst culprits were peaches with 45 types of pesticides and sweet bell peppers and raspberries, both with 39. If your food budget allows, purchase organic varieties of the most contaminated produce, as many pesticides are known carcinogens.
The above article is supported by Dr. Andrew Weil's "Self Healing" health newsletter.
CALL FOR FOURTH DEGREE CANIDATES
All third degree members of Father Maher Knights of Columbus are encouraged to take the next step in their journey and give consideration to joining the Sullivan Brothers Assembly as members of the fourth degree or patriotic degree. The symbols of the Fourth Degree are the Cross, the Flag, and the Sword. These symbols are constantly being attacked and as Catholic American men we should do what we can to defend them. The conferring of this degree will occur in March next year. Our meetings are held once a month and are no more than one hour.
For more information contact John E. Moore, at 301-774-9260 or just come to a Council meeting and talk to any of the many members of the Council who are members of the Sullivan Brothers Assembly.
NEW YEAR'S EVE BALL
The Fr. Rosensteel Council in Silver Spring would like to invite you to their Annual New Year's Eve Ball on December 31st. Live music will be provided by Joker's Wild. The light fare provided will be hors d'oeuvres and Steamship Round. All the party favors and an open bar are included. The price is $40 per person before November 15th and $50 after. Nowhere else can you find such a great deal for that price anywhere in town. We are expecting a sell-out so be sure to get your tickets early. This will be a great evening. For tickets or more information please contact Grand Knight Rob Seubert at 240-286-1905.
CHRISTMAS CARD SALE
Keep Christ in Christmas this year! Send and give religious Christmas cards and support a great cause. To view the real beauty of these cards in color, and to print an order form, please visit our website at www.kofc6793.org, and place your order today. The proceeds from this year's sale benefit the Gabriel Project. Please call Marc Long at 301-518-1040, or mail your order form to Marc at: 9201 Tulip Grove Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20879. Thank You
BREAKFAST WITH SAINT NICK - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Each year a handful of Brothers and spouses from Fr. Peter Paul Maher Council prepare and cook plenty of pancakes and sausage to feed the hungry parishioners at St. Peter's Breakfast with St. Nick. This year the event will be on Saturday, December 2 at St. Peter's Parish Hall. There will be 2 servings, one at 8 am and the other at 10 am. The first wave of Knights arrive promptly at 5 am to begin the preparation and we usually finish cleanup by 1 pm. Needless to say we do need some Help. We need 6 to 8 volunteers for two, four-hour shifts, 5 am to 9 am and 9 am to 1 pm. Spouses are welcome to participate.
Please contact Jack Giacalone at 301-774-6338 to volunteer and Thanks.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS BISHOP CANONIZED
Bishop Rafael Guizar Valencia (1878 - 1938), who was canonized in Rome on October 15, 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI, is the seventh Knight of Columbus and the first bishop/Knight to be declared a saint. Six other Knights, all of whom were martyred in Mexico during the persecutions of the 1920s and 1930s, were declared saints of the Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II in 2000.
"We welcome the canonization of our brother Knight, Bishop Guizar Valencia, and know that his life of courage and legacy of evangelization will be an inspiration to each of our 1.7 million members around the world," said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, who will attend Bishop Guizar Valencia's canonization in Rome.
Rafael Guizar Valencia was born in Cotija de la Paz, Michoacan, Mexico on April 16, 1878. He was ordained a priest in 1901. With the start of the Mexican revolution in 1910, persecution of the Catholic Church became severe, and Guizar became a special target because of his outspoken defense of the Church. He went underground - disguised as a junk dealer - in order to be able to continue his work as a priest. In 1915, when the Mexican government issued an order that he be shot on sight, he escaped to the United States, and then went on to serve the church in Guatemala and Cuba. While in Cuba, he was consecrated Bishop of Veracruz, Mexico. The end of the revolution enabled him to return to Mexico in January 1920, and he joined Knights of Columbus Council 2311 in Jalapa, Veracruz on August 16, 1923. As bishop, he founded a clandestine seminary to train future priests, noting that "A bishop can do without a mitre, a crosier, and even a cathedral, but never without a seminary, because the future of his diocese depends on the seminary."
Bishop Guizar Valencia was forced to flee Mexico once again in 1927, during the persecution of the Church under Mexican President Plutarco Calles. He returned in 1929, the year the Church reached an accord with the Mexican government, reached in part because of successful lobbying by the Knights of Columbus to get the U.S. government to take an active role in solving the crisis. After his return to Mexico, Bishop Guizar Valencia continued his ministry, and became known as "the bishop of the poor." He died of natural causes on June 6,
1938, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II on January 29, 1995.
The first Knights of Columbus council in Mexico was established in 1905.
BITS AND PIECES
CHRISTMAS CAROLING AT MONTGOMERY GENERAL HOSPITAL
Please come and join us in our traditional hour of caroling at Montgomery General Hospital on Wednesday, December 20th. We will meet in the hospital lobby at 6:45 pm and will sing carols throughout the hospital until 8 pm. As always, songbooks will be provided and no singing ability is required. This is a small way for us to brighten the season for those confined to the hospital during the holiday season.
If you have any questions please contact Steve Goldhammer at 301-570-9613. Bring your family and friends for an hour of sharing the joy of the holiday season with others.
Fr. Peter Paul Maher Council presents our Annual
Family Christmas Party
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2006, 3-6 PM
St. Patrick's Parish Center
(Norbeck Road and Muncaster Mill Road in Rockville)
| Music | Gifts for the Kids | Good Eats |
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A visit from SANTA and much more Have your Picture taken with Santa Christmas Raffle Drawing Introduction of Seminarians |
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Each Family - Please bring ONE MAIN DISH large enough to feed 10 people
The Council will provide Dishes, Utensils, Salad, Dessert, and Beverages
Please call Harry Bushar at 301-929-1425 no later than December 15th,
to let us know if you will be attending, the number of people in
your group and the gender and ages of any Children.
Please Volunteer to help with the preparation
and setup for this event, WE NEED HELP, Call
Jack Giacalone at 301-774-6338
Fr. Peter Paul Maher
Council #6793
Spaghetti Dinner
Sunday, November 12, 2006
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Spaghetti, Sauce, Meatballs
Italian Bread, Mixed Salad, Dessert
Iced Tea, Orangeade
at
St. Patrick's Parish Center
Norbeck Rd, at Muncaster Mill Rd., Rockville
Donations at the Door
For more information or to volunteer to help with this event
please call Jack at 301-774-6338
AN EVENING AT THE OLNEY THEATRE
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Cinderella
Friday, December 1 Pre-show Reception Adults $35.00 Kids* $19.50 (*Kids - 18 and under) |
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Our council has reserved a block of tickets for an evening at the award winning Olney Theater on Friday, December 1st. The play is Cinderella, with a charming prince, a pumpkin coach, one spunky fairy godmother, and a dreamer with a heart of gold. People of all ages will enjoy this enchanting musical production. The play will be preceded by a wine and cheese reception (refreshments for all ages) at the theater social room. Tickets are priced at $35 per adult, $19.50 per kid (18 and under), including the reception. We are pleased to announce that one of our local merchants, Olney Beer and Wine, has agreed to co-host the reception. The reception will begin at 6:15. The theater is located at 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road (Rt 108). We are not limiting sales to Knights of Columbus. Consider children, grandchildren and friends for this fun evening to kick off the holiday season. Our sales will be limited to the number of tickets we have reserved, so make your plans early! To purchase tickets or for more information, call Chuck Cozad at 301-570-0073. |
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NOVEMBER - DECEMBER CALENDAR OF EVENTS
| November 1 | Council Executive Meeting- Cottage 7:30 PM |
| November 8 | Council Business Meeting - 8:00 PM |
| November 12 | *Spaghetti Dinner, St. Patrick's Parish Center |
| November 16 | Council Social and 1st Degree - Thursday -St. Peter's Classroom P, 8:00 pm |
| November 23 | Happy Thanksgiving |
| December 1 | *Olney Theater Event Cinderella |
| December 2 | *Breakfast with St. Nick, St. Peter's Parish Center |
| December 6 | Council Executive Meeting- Cottage 7:30 pm |
| December 13 | Council Business Meeting - 8:00 pm |
| December 17 | * Council Christmas Party - St. Patrick's Parish Center |
| December 20 | * Caroling at Montgomery General Hospital |
| December 21 | Sullivan Brothers Christmas Party- Montgomery Council |
| December 25 | Merry Christmas ! |
THE COUNCIL'S COMPLETE AND UPDATED ANNUAL CALENDAR CAN BE VIEWED ANYTIME AT WWW.KOFC6793.ORG
(Select the "Calendar" button on the left side of the web page)
If you would like any information or would like to participate in any of the above activities please contact us at 301-774-6338
* See Newsletter for additional information
NOTES FROM SUPREME
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SPIRITUAL PILGRIMAGE WITH POPE BENEDICT XVI | The Knights of Columbus announced today [Oct. 26] that it will sponsor a "spiritual pilgrimage" with Pope Benedict XVI as he travels to Turkey in late November. Knights, their families, and all Catholics are being asked to pray daily for the Pontiff during the trip, which begins on Tuesday, Nov. 28 and concludes on Friday, Dec. 1. |
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U.S. ELECTION DAY GET-OUT-THE-VOTE EFFORT | Tuesday, Nov. 7, is Election Day in the United States, and Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson has asked every U.S. Grand Knight to mount an intensive get-out-the-vote effort at his parish. Voters will be selecting every member of the U.S. House of Representatives, a third of the U.S. Senate, and in many states electing local officials as well. |
ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS 2007
To order, call Doug Keeter at 301-570-5202
