Knights of Columbus Council 6793

Father Maher's Knightly News is
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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:
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We are fast approaching the season of Lent; it will be here before the next Newsletter is published and mailed. We should be giving thought to what Lent means to each of us. Since Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for us and our sins we ought to consider what sacrifice we will perform. Some will give up some thing they enjoy; either an activity or food. Others will do something they don’t normally do; such as saying the rosary or attending daily mass. We must never forget what God has given us.

On the subject of what God has done for us, and how blessed we are, it was a great honor, as Knights, to be able to be part of the Tootsie Roll Program and just see what our efforts mean to others less fortunate. For those of us who were able to attend the Tootsie Roll Dinner, on February 7, it was a night we will always remember. Four Districts representing some sixteen K of C Councils distributed roughly $50,000 to seventeen worthy organizations. If you have never attended this event, and it is an extremely moving night, I would highly recommend that you try to attend it next year.

March madness, March MEMBERSHIP BLITZ, Founders Day, spring starts, all are reminders that we still have time to make this one of the most memorable years of our lives as Knights. The March madness gives us the time to enjoy our favorite basketball teams (those who make it) compete and reach for the highest award of the year, to stand out as the STAR of the NCAA. You can see where I am going with this. Our Spring (March) Membership Blitz allows us to compete for our respective STAR by recruiting our assigned number of quality candidates to join us in the Experience of a Lifetime and become honored brothers in our Order, our Fraternal Benefits Program and in our Councils. To some the word BLITZ brings to mind a very aggressive approach similar to several guys at the Church door waiting to pounce on men of the parish as they exit mass. I think that would turn most people off in a hurry. Standing at the doors is fine after the proper announcement that you will be there and then let the prospects come to you. The most effective BLITZ is done quietly every Sunday by asking just one man to join us as good men trying to do God’s work. We can attain our goal if we get together and make it happen.

We have a First Degree March 25, 2009 at FR Peter Paul Maher. We can schedule additional degrees if necessary.

District Events include District Free throw Competition at Our Lady of Guadalupe. Contact Terry Waters and District Warden Jack Giacalone for time and date.

I take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and support while I recuperate from knee surgery. The cards, phone calls and visits are greatly appreciated. Everything seems to be going well and I hope to get out of the house by the end of next week.

In America, and indeed throughout the world, there is a diminishing respect for life in all its stages. As a society, we prevent its beginning, manipulate the elements of conception, create life in a laboratory and extinguish it in the name of research, destroy the child in the womb from the first moments of development through partial (and occasionally full) birth, condone the taking of one’s own life, and assist others to exterminate themselves. These acts are justified with terms like mercy, choice, tolerance, and personal rights, which mask the selfishness, materialism, lack of self-control and disregard for others that actually exist. This all-out offensive against life brings the nation closer to being permeated by and accepting of a "culture of death."

While abortion is the most heinous attack on life, it is not the only one. A reverence for life is assaulted through euthanasia, suicide, sterilization, homosexual acts, in vitro fertilization, embryonic stem cell research, and contraception. Each is an affront to man’s role as God’s partner in the fulfillment of creation through "pro-creating" in marriage other humans to "know, love, and serve God in this life, and to be happy with him in the next."

Euthanasia, whether it is forced for eugenic purposes as in the Holocaust, or for the convenience of others or is voluntary – which is only a palatable way to describe permissive suicide – is a declaration that some lives are not worth living.

This is the case with the use of embryonic stem cells, whether for research or therapeutic purposes. In order to obtain the stem cells, human embryos are created and destroyed, which disregards the life that exists and violates respect for human dignity. No intended good for others can justify the taking of a human life, even if it is in the first stages of development. While abortion, euthanasia and suicide destroy life, contraception and sterilization prevent life. Contraception also is the precursor of abortion. When artificial means of preventing birth fails, the next step is to terminate the life before it becomes viable. Contraception, sterilization, in vitro fertilization, and the redefinition of marriage to include homosexual unions all violate God’s commands for marriage.

One must not only abstain from these many anti-life activities, but must oppose them as acceptable practices in society. Tolerance in these matters is not a virtue. Tolerance only encourages these practices, and others, to proliferate. Not bringing one’s faith into establishing public policy and a culture that repudiates these immoral acts is implicitly acknowledging that these behaviors are socially acceptable and that they are no more right or wrong than restraint from these practices.

As Catholics, and as Knights of Columbus, we should work to protect and strengthen the family, promote personal responsibility and accountability for one’s actions, and renew in society a reverence for life in all its stages, from conception to natural death. We must help to create a reverence for and a culture of life.

On Saturday, April 4, from 10:00am to 12:00pm, our Council will host its 4rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt for children 10 and under. The event will take place on the grounds of the Marian Assisted Living Facility, off of Georgia Avenue in Brookville. Just follow the signs once you turn onto the grounds. Prizes will be awarded to children for finding the specially marked eggs. All children will receive a bag of Easter candy and there will be Cookies and punch for everyone. So come join the fun, I know the kids will love it.

So that we may better estimate the number of participants, and not disappoint any child, please contact the Grand Knight, John E. Moore at (301) 774-9260 or jem1234@verizon.net to let us know how many children and their ages, that you will be bringing. In the event of inclement weather, please go to our web site, www.kofc6793.org, for updated information. Thank You.

Knights of Columbus, Fr. Peter Paul Maher Council # 6793 is pleased to announce that we will once again offer scholarships to deserving high school seniors who have been accepted as full time students to an accredited college or university following their senior year. Under the "Fr. Canice Treacy Memorial Scholarship Fund" any graduating high school senior (Catholic or non-Catholic) is eligible to apply for a grant. The deadline for application submissions is Friday, May 8, 2009. Scholarships will be awarded on June 24, 2009, during the Council Social Meeting.

For more information, please contact Kevin Kennedy at 301-774-5014, or see the announcement and application form at www.kofc6793.org/scholarship.php.

Title	Name	Telephone
Grand Knight	John E. Moore	301 774 9260
Chaplain	Rev. Father John T. Nguyen	301 924 3774
Associate Chaplin	Rev. Mr. Thomas J. Cioffi	301 253 6042
Deputy Grand Knight	Paul D. McFarlane	301 570 4891
Chancellor	Joseph E Krempasky	301 924 2733
Warden	Andrew P. Colliton	301 924 2733
Financial Secretary	Donald M. Hemke	301 774 7511
Treasurer	Joseph M. Feakes	301 774 0137
Recorder	Charles W. Cozad	301 570 0073
Advocate	Eugene I. Kane Jr	301 963 4733
Lecturer	William D. Gulban	301 774 0424
Inside Guard	Nick J. Padams	301 570 5213
Inside Guard	Frederick E. Boland	301 774 5163
Outside Guard	James N. Padams	301 570 5213
Trustee 3 year	Harry F. Bushar	301 929 1425
Trustee 2 year	Jack Giacalone	301 774 6338
Trustee 1 year	Innocent P. d'Almeida	301 871 6756
Financial Advisor (Insurance)	Richard J. Morin	301 384 7627
Convention Delegate	Harry F. Bushar	301 929 1425
1st Alternate Delegate	Jack Giacalone	301 774 6338
2nd Alternate Delegate	Robert M. Mazonkey	301 253 6274

Council shirts are now available for $20. They are Maroon in color, Gildan Ultra Blend, 6.5 ounce, 50/50 cotton, poly pique knit sport shirts for men and women. The K of C insignia is just above the left pocket. We currently have all sizes available, medium, large, extra large and 2 extra large. To order your shirts please call Jack Giacalone at 301-774-6338. Thank you.

The following note has appeared for the last five months and no Brothers responded in February. Only three Brothers out of almost 400 have responded to date with donations. Let’s see who else will step up to the "challenge."

A very generous Brother Knight in our Council, who wishes to remain anonymous, would like to challenge his Brother Knights to donate to the Seminarian Fund. He will match all donations up to $1000. Please be generous in your donations and know that your gifts will have double the impact. This challenge will be separately recorded and the results will be reported monthly in the Knightly News. Send all donations directly to the Grand Knight, John E. Moore, 4500 Prestwood Drive, Olney, Md. 20832.

AS I WRITE THESE WORDS, a popular investment magazine has released the results of a survey of finance executives responding to the question: "How long will it take for the finance sector to return to strength?" More than 50 percent of those surveyed responded that it will take three to five years, and an additional 20 percent said it would take six or more years. Already, many people have lost their savings and pensions; others have lost jobs and homes; and still others have seen health care and educational opportunities disappear. If the financial experts are correct, these painful circumstances will linger for a long time as we work to find a way out of this deepening global recession.

As if these problems were not enough, we see almost every day new signs of uncertainty, pessimism and even fear. At a time when charities are hoping to do more, many are reporting a dramatic downturn in contributions.

First, let me report that while we have not been unaffected by this financial crisis, we remain extraordinarily strong. Our financial strength relative to the industry as a whole has greatly improved — it is even better today than it was one year ago. Brother Knights and their families should continue to have every confidence in our financial stability.

Equally important, though, is that every brother Knight should have confidence in the strength of our Order as a force helping the world find a way out of its present crisis. We all take justifiable pride in our record work for charity — including $145 million in contributions and 69 million hours of volunteer service during the last fraternal year alone, as well as our tremendous service in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks and hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The remarkable strength of the Knights of Columbus lies not only in our ability to give money, but also in our ability to do things for people in need. Our effective grassroots structure consists of thousands of active councils, all of which are motivated by the Christian principles of charity, unity and fraternity.

This is the real "secret" of the Order’s charitable work. As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in Deus Caritas Est, "My deep personal sharing in the needs and sufferings of others becomes a sharing of my very self with them. ... I must give to others not only something that is my own, but my very self; I must be personally present in my gift" (34).

But if the pope has highlighted the path for us to take, he has also emphasized the challenge before us: "The Church is God’s family in the world. In this family no one ought to go without the necessities of life" (25). Of course, this family cannot stand idly by while its neighbors are suffering.

Although this may not be a time in which many of us can make dramatic increases in cash contributions to charity, we can all afford to give something extra of our time — which is to say, give something extra of ourselves. If every member of the Knights of Columbus were to contribute just one additional hour of volunteer service each week — less than 10 minutes a day — the dollar value of that effort alone would surpass $1.7 billion this year.

During the Great Depression, people would often hear passersby ask, "Buddy, can you spare a dime?" Today, my question is: "Brother, can you spare 10 minutes?" If enough of us do, we can change the world — if not for everyone, then at least for many who depend on the Knights of Columbus for help.

Throughout our long history we have faced many unexpected challenges and we have always responded with determination and creativity. I have every confidence that we will do so this time as well.

Fried Cod, Fish Sticks, French Fries
Apple Sauce, Salad, Bread
Beer, Wine, Soft Drinks, Coffee/Tea

For further information, Please call:
Innocent d'Almeida 301-871-6156
John E. Moore Sr. 301-774-9260

March 4	Council Executive Meeting, Cottage, 7:30 pm
March 7	District Mtg. Fourth Degree Priest Exemplification, 9:00am
March 11	Council Business Meeting, OLGC,* 7:30 pm
March 12	Deadline for Fourth Degree Exemplification Candidates
March 15	Irish Dinner, 5:00 pm-7:00 pm, St. Patrick’s Parish Center
March 19	Sullivan Bros. Assembly Mtg. Montgomery Council #2323, 8:00pm
March 20	Lenten Fish Fry Dinner, 5:00 pm-7:00 pm, St. Patrick’s Parish Center
March 22	Washington District fourth Degree Exemplification, U. of Md.
March 25	Council Social Meeting, First Degree (Members Only) 7:30 pm, OLGC*

April 1	Council Executive Meeting, Cottage, 7:30 pm
April 4	4th Annual Council Easter Egg Hunt, 10:am -12:00pm
April 8	Council Business Meeting, OLGC,* 7:30 pm
April 12	Easter Sunday
April 16	Sullivan Bros. Assembly Mtg. Montgomery Council #2323, 8:00pm
April 19	Divine Mercy Sunday
April 22	Council Social Meeting, 7:30 pm, OLGC*
April 25	33rd Annual Charter Dinner, Site TBD**

* Our Lady of Good Counsel High School
** Check next month's newsletter for details
For additional information or to participate in any of the above activities, contact us at (301) 774-9260

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