Knights of Columbus Council 6793

"As Knights we are constantly observed, our faith judged, and our order appreciated."

Father Maher's Knightly News is
published monthly by:

Knights of Columbus
Fr. Peter Paul Maher Council 6793
P.O. Box 570
Olney, Maryland 20830

Please e-mail your articles in WORD
format by the 20th of each month to:
editor6793@yahoo.com

Good Brothers and Gentle Ladies: New Year Blessings To You And Yours! Our Lord has blessed us in so many ways. We may have grumbled about those wet Fall months we had and the two December snowfalls, but we'll benefit from a higher water-table in the months to come. We can be certain that He anticipates our needs and provides for us, perhaps not in the ways we expect, but in His way and time.

Friday, January 22, 2010 marks the Annual March for Life to be held in Washington, DC. Take a look at the following Internet site for details, www.marchforlife.org. Our council will have a contingent attending and carrying our banner.

I look forward to seeing as many of you, who can, join us on Saturday, February 27 for the 34th Annual Pancake and Sausage Day at St. John's Episcopal Church Hall. This is our joint event with the Lions Club and all proceeds benefit our College Scholarship Fund. So, please review the flier in this newsletter and contact Don Hemke to volunteer!

Dearly beloved brother Knights and gentle ladies, I pray and hope that you all have a blessed Christmas, a faith filled New Year with great joy in your homes and in your hearts. It is a great blessing for me to be a member of the Knight of Columbus, and to witness our brother Knights working so hard over the years. The community of Saint Peter's is so blessed to have so many good and dedicated men that willing to serve God and others.

Reading last month's newsletter, our Grand Knight, SK Paul McFarlane summed up some of the activities that the Knights have achieved in the past sixth months. For future reference, Paul has pointed out his suggestion on various things that the members of the Knights need to consider for the upcoming year. However, I like the idea that the brother Knights should come together to create a "Do List" things that the Knights want to do, and especially things that have been put off for awhile.

God loves us and calls us to the task of giving ourselves for the salvation of souls. It is a great blessing to anyone who is willing to respond generously to God and to carry out the task that He entrusted to them faithfully. In this time of great need, I am so grateful and happy to see our brother Knights helping and supporting others, especially the seminarians.

There are so many things we want to do, and there are so many people that need our help and care. Therefore, each member needs to commit himself to the task and to do it with a loving heart. As our Grand Knight suggested, this year is "dedicated to God's will", and he hopes that this year will be "a year full of clear, vibrant, realized expectation."

In order to have a year full of clear, vibrant, realized expectation, it is important for each one of us to imitate the life of Christ. When we are called to serve, keep in mind that it was people who were interested Christ, not social classes or labels. As we enter the year 2010, may God continue to send forth His spirit upon us. May our Lord Jesus Christ look upon us kindly and give us peace. May our Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints continue to pray for us that our work will bear much fruit for the kingdom of heaven.

If you are passionate about the protection of the unborn, the quality of life for all, and the dignity of life for our senior citizens, please send your e-mail address to me, Marco Colombini at colombini@umd.edu I will provided you with brief, but timely notifications about the issues pertinent to this cause. If you later change your mind, about receiving weekly updates, just send me an e-mail and I will remove your name from our mailing list. Thank you and please pray for the 1 million infant lives lost each year in US abortuaries.

This month, I chose to pass up the opportunity to use the old cliche about two things we must do... although the timing should certainly bring it to mind.

This season, in most homes, is financial accounting time. I'd like to wager that, at some point in the process, someone will ask (probably you!). Where did all our money go? Surely, all of the money we earn finds a home somewhere... the grocer, the mortgage, the tax man. Very little, if any, is left over for a personal bank account or other investments. Most of us consider ourselves fortunate if we've managed to pay our bills! Folks usually save what's leftover and for most folks, that's nothing.

The point is, whatever the amount earned, chances are good that it is spent providing for and rearing a family. Think about that for a minute. The needs of that family continue... food, shelter, clothing, etc. even if the breadwinner suffers an untimely death.

So what does income tax have to do with insurance? Simply this; it can serve as a reminder that protection for dependents should include an estimate of the current needs for money. While it may be convenient to say I can't afford it that's probably not accurate... when you consider that your family will be without any income should you die.

With this in mind, your Order has designed a plan which guarantees to continue income to your family for as long as they will need it. What's more, this plan will enable you to systematically save some of those dollars so difficult to account for at tax time.

With several boxes of baked goods, plates, cups, punch fixings, gifts, and a festively decorated sheet cake in their 4-wheel drive truck, first Lady, Karen McFarlane and our Grand Knight trudged to the Marians Center on Sunday, 12/20 at 1:30 PM. The 21 inches of snow that fell over the prior 2 days lay under a crisp-icy top. It kept all, but them and three other Knights volunteers from hosting the party. No problem, however, as we expected the residents to outnumber us! Our tiny crew prepared punch, sliced cake, and spooned fruit cocktail for approximately 30 guests.

With thanks to our youngest volunteer, Brendan Allison, Christmas music soon filled the air. As the guests and our team happily chatted, a resident asked if we might sing carols. Fortunately, we had caroling books from our council Christmas party. (Thank you Don Hemke!) We located songs on a couple of our CDs and to our guests' delight we followed the music and sang lyrics! Our party room's huge windows allowed us to take in the beautiful sun-drenched snow scene outside. Each guest, including those who couldn't attend, received a plate of decorated cookies and a goody bag containing items they could use every day. Bright smiles and thanks abounded as we departed with a promise to return in 2010! Thanks all around!

Tempus Fugit! That's Latin for "Time Flies." This expression was first recorded in the poem Georgics written by Roman poet Virgil: "Sed fugit interea fugit irreparabile tempus, singula dum capti circumvectamur amore." which means, "But meanwhile it flees: time flees irretrievably, while we wander around, prisoners of our love of detail."

Where, you might ask, did 2009 go? The answer is surprisingly simple. 2009 went the way of many of its predecessors. It was spent on that attention to details that we scrupulously focus on. It went to hours, days, weeks, and months of planning ahead and avoiding past missteps. It went to careful execution of well-planned work, family, and personal pursuits. It went to devotion to our faith, a faith that keeps us on an even keel. Indeed, 2009 was similar, perhaps familiar to us, compared to a few of its predecessors. Did we learn from 2009? With prayerful reverence I posit that we did. As a Council we will be certain to assess our past, weigh our aspirations and plans for 2010 and resolve to make this New Year an improvement on 2009.

Stay close with your Council family. Offer your prayerful input and devote some of the precious time and talents God has given you to volunteer with your Brothers. In doing so you'll strengthen and advance our collective, Knightly resolve.

St. John's Episcopal Church Hall (Olney)
Olney-Laytonsville Road (Rt. 108), Olney, MD
(Across from Olney Library)

Your participation benefits The Lions Club's "Community Activities
Fund" and our Council's "College Scholarship Fund"

Pricing and Ad Sizes:
1/8 page (Business Card Size)....$25.00
1/4 page, 3 1/4" X 3 1/2"......$50.00
1/2 page, 6 1/2" X 3 1/2"......$85.00
Full Page, 6 1/2" X 7 3/4"........$150.00
All copy must be camera ready by no later than February 18, 2010.
Advertisers will receive two (2) complimentary tickets. If additional tickets are needed, the following charge will apply: Adults $7.00 and Children 6-12, $3.00 Children under 6 are FREE!
Checks are payable to "Pancake 34" when submitting Ad copy.
Please contact Don Hemke at (301-774-7511) and email: gumpermd@verizon.net to volunteer and/or purchase an ad.

January 1 (FRI)	Solemnity of Mary - Holy Day of Obligation
January 3 (SUN)	Feast of the Epiphany
January 6 (WED)	Council Executive Meeting, Cottage on Marians Grounds, 7:30 PM
January 13 (WED)	Council Business Meeting, OLGC** 7:30 PM, Room #120
January 21 (THU)	Sullivan Bros. Assembly Mtg. at Montgomery Council #2323, 8:00 PM
January 22 (FRI)	March for Life, Washington, DC
January 27 (WED)	Council Social Meeting - Possible First Degree, OLGC**

February 3 (WED)	Council Executive Meeting, Cottage on Marians Grounds, 7:30 PM
February 10 (WED)	Council Business Meeting, OLGC** 7:30 PM, Room #120
February 12 (FRI)	President Lincoln's Birthday; It's observed on Monday, 2/15/2010
February 14 (SUN)	Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year
February 17 (WED)	Ash Wednesday, Lent Begins
February 22 (MON)	President Washington's Birthday
February 24 (WED)	Council Social Meeting - Possible First Degree, OLGC**
February 27 (SAT)	34th Annual Pancake & Sausage Day-St. John's Episcopal Church Hall (8 AM-2 PM)*

*Look for details of this event elsewhere in this newsletter or on the Council website.

**Our Lady of Good Counsel High School (See Council website for directions.)

For information or to participate in any of the above events call Paul McFarlane, GK on 301-570-5508

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