Our Lady Seat of Wisdom

                           Council No.  11259

JULY 2006

 

For The Good of the Order! 

Editor’s note:  This newsletter is going out via email to those with email addresses on file with the Knights.  If you wish a hardcopy to be mailed or if you wish to get the newsletter electronically, contact me at joe.mills52@comcast.net. 

Our Fraternal Year is gaining steam, and there is much getting ready to break loose.  Volunteers have stepped forward to head up Chairs and Programs for the coming year.  Robert Sullivan will be heading up the Tootsie Roll drive, while John O’Conner will be running the car raffle.  The Youth Chair will again be Robert Cross and the Church duties will be shared by three Knights.  Larry Donnelly will concentrate on St. John Vianney, Jim Rank at Jesus the Divine Word, and Chuck Napper at St. Francis DeSales.  Finally, Leroy McCloud will head the Pro Life chair, aided by Vice Chair Ed Waskiewicz.  Thanks to all for your generous donation of your time. 

 

The schedule for Raffle ticket sales is as follows.  Both locations require us to have an ID.  Plan on helping on at least one date.  Other locations and dates are also in the works.

Location

Date

Time

Giant (Prince Frederick)

Sept. 2

8:00 am – 1:00 pm

 

Sept. 9

8:00 am – 1:00 pm

 

Sept. 16

8:00 am – 1:00 pm

K-Mart (Prince Frederick)

Aug. 26

8:00 am – 1:00 pm

 

Sept. 15

8:00 am – 1:00 pm

 

Sept. 23

8:00 am – 1:00 pm

 

September is the time for Parish picnics.  St. John Vianney’s will be held on Sunday Sept 3 and Jesus the Divine Word will have theirs on Sept 17.  Golf is also on the agenda in September.  A tournament for charity is being planned for mid September; details will be forthcoming in the next Newsletter.

 

Father Daley’s 20th anniversary as a priest is being celebrated on September 2 at the Family Life Center at 7:00 pm.  See the flyer in the newsletter for details.  Don’t miss this opportunity to thank Fr. Daley for all his work for the Church over the years.

 

This month we have three first degree candidates from our Council.  The first degree will be on 8/22/06 at 7:00 pm at Calvert Council no 7870 in North Beach.

 

Finally, the roof at St. Francis DeSales Parish Hall is in need of repair.  Chuck Knapper will be heading up a crew to make the repairs.  Please get in touch with him if you wish to help.

 

SK Joe Mills

        Grand Knight’s Report

 

Well a lot of water has gone under the bridge since my last letter. We had our installation of officers At Jesus the Divine Word , and what a grand time that was. Food was as if we were in Ireland Thanks to the Galway Bay, Killarney house people. The State Deputy was here and Larry was beaming His first Installation and all went will.

 

A lot of Thank You’s go out go out for that night. A great big one to the priest substituting for Fr. Leary filling in on such short notice and what a great job he did.  You would think that he had done Installations for years.  Next,  to Fr. Daly, who after a wedding, confessions, and two masses, still found time in his day to come by, Thank you for being there, you are truly a friend of the Knights and I count you as one of my blessings.  Also, thank you to SK Edward Waskiewicz, whose level hand and guide book that he put together and as the Faithful Navigator, lead the officers of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom to a perfect installation.  Thanks to SK Larry Smialek who was our Emcee, as always and to my Deputy Grand Knight SK Big John O’Conner who only asked what can I do then went and did it no matter what.  Also, thanks to all the Ladies of the Officers who helped in so many ways.  Finally, and most especially  to my wife who allows me to be all I want to be.

 

I’m just back from Grand Knights School.  What a beautiful place Mount St Mary’s University is!   Just to walk the grounds is an experience.  There are icons of St. John Mary Vianney all over.  The Grotto of Lourdes was fantastic!  If one cannot get close to God here, than you are in BIG TROUBLE.  I learned some things there that may just allow me to serve you better. You see that is the job of the GK to serve his council and lead them to where they want to go as long it is toward God.

 

Yours and God’s Servant

 

Douglas C Wood

Your Grand Knight

 

 

        Chaplain’s Corner

Editor’s Note: the following is a talk given by Deacon Ed’s on thee Conclusion of Mass given St. Phillip the Apostle Church on April 19, 2005

Seeing Jesus Christ in the Mass

I thank you for inviting me here this evening as you celebrate “Seeing Jesus Christ in the Mass.” It is especially meaningful during this Year of the Eucharist called by our late Pope John Paul II. My intention is to address the conclusion of Mass in these individual parts
- The Communion Prayer - Prayer after Communion- The announcements- The blessing- The  dismissal- The closing hymn.

Being at the end, I hope to leave with you a summary of the series as well as a deeper desire to participate in the Mass and to be transformed or converted by your attendance at Mass.

The Lord be with you. (And also with you)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 24:13-35. (Glory to you, O Lord). May the Words of this Gospel be always in our minds, on our lips and in our hearts.

“Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.  And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?"

And he replied to them, "What sort of things?" They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see."

And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.

As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.

Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?" So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!" Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.”

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

I’m certain that your saying to yourself: This is supposed to be about the conclusion of the Mass, why is the Deacon going back to the Liturgy of the Word? The reason is simple. When I was a youngster and we had the Latin Mass, the Mass ended with the gospel reading from the beginning of St. John’s gospel. Also, this particular gospel serves as a summary of the entire Mass. If it seems familiar, you heard it at Mass 2 Sundays ago, April 10th. In fact, this gospel is about RESURRECTION AND EUCHARIST. It represents what we should take with us as we leave the church after Mass.

Christ has risen from the dead, but he hasn’t forgotten his disciples. He appears to them, but they could not recognize him. He shared with them a homily, most likely reciting biblical verses, then explaining the scriptures to them. Just like the Liturgy of the Word. Then a most important phenomenon took place. THEY INVITE HIM INTO THE PLACE WHERE THEY WERE GOING and recognize him in the breaking of the bread. Just like our Liturgy of the Eucharist. When we step up to the Eucharistic minister, presenting ourselves to receive Christ and say a strong AMEN. What follows should be our response to this celebration of ours. Our hearts burning within us and the desire to share the gift we have received with others.

Thus the reason for the Prayer after Communion. It is a way for us to thank God for the Incarnation. It’s a way to thank Christ for coming into our hearts and into our lives. It’s a way for us to pray for each other that what we have received will overwhelm us and sustain us as we leave the sacred sanctuary of the church and go off to extend God’s Kingdom into this world. A tough task before us, given the world the way it is today. In a sense we must allow our hearts to burn within us and allow our Lord and Savior within us to motivate us and be like him. It’s free will. It’s up to us.

But, I ask, if the entire Mass is a prayer, why do we have individual prayers like the Prayer after Communion? In some ways I see the liturgy teaching us to pray as we go off to the ministry God has called us to perform.

My wife Marie and I visit the hospital on Friday afternoons. Our intention is to visit, pray with the patients and offer them the Eucharist. When it comes to praying, a few say, “It’s been a while since I’ve been to Church,” “I don’t know how to pray,” or a very few will say, “What is prayer.” Yet when it comes time to say Our Father, they all pray along and I remind them, joyfully, that they can pray. You may find yourself in the same situation which is why I included the Prayer after Communion in this discussion. And I simply ask, Do you know how to pray? Could you lead a group in prayer? Just a few years ago I myself said to myself, “Help me God! I will need to lead a group of people in prayer?”

And for this important lesson I turn to John Paul II’s “Letter to Families” presented on February 2, 1994:  Prayer makes the Son of God present among us: "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them" (Mt 18:20). This Letter to Families wishes in the first place to be a prayer to Christ to remain in every human family.

It is significant that precisely in and through prayer, man comes to discover in a very simple and yet profound way his own unique subjectivity: in prayer the human more easily perceives the depth of what it means to be a person. This is also true of the family, which is not only the basic cell of society, but also possesses a particular subjectivity of its own. This subjectivity finds its first and fundamental confirmation, and is strengthened, precisely when the members of the family meet in the common invocation: "Our Father". Prayer increases the strength and spiritual unity of the family, helping the family to partake of God's own strength.   

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “The family that prays together, stays together.” So the Church offers us the opportunity to pray as a family during the Mass and at the conclusion. The priest, In persona Christi, in the person of Christ, sends US, his family, transformed by the Sacrament of the Eucharist.   But I know there are some who are full of faith, those who expect God to answer their prayers. A word to the wise: Be careful what you pray for!! Like the man in this story who has a home on the shore of the river.

The man is in his home when the waters of the river start to rise. A police van drives by the house. There is a loudspeaker on the roof and the person inside the van is yelling: “The river is rising! There is much danger! Evacuate your home now and come with us!”

The man runs out to his front porch and yells back, with confidence, “I’m not worried. God is going to save me.”  The waters of the river continue to rise, covering the street and the man’s front porch. A man in a boat comes by and yells through a loudspeaker: “The river is still rising! There is much danger! Evacuate your home and come into the boat with me!”  The man yells from his second story window, “I’m not worried. The Lord will save me!”  The waters continue to rise and the currents become dangerous. The man climbs to the roof of the house just to stay dry. A helicopter comes by with a ladder dangling. A man with a loudspeaker yells, “The river is still rising. If you don’t grab the ladder and come with me, you will surely perish. Come into the helicopter with me!”  The man yells from the roof, “You don’t understand. I have faith in God. God will save me!”  A short time later the currents of the river carry the house and the man downstream. The man tosses and turns and flips upside down. Unable to catch his breath, the man drowns.

Soon the man is standing in line to be judged and he begs the angels, “I demand to see God.” In a short while, the Almighty is standing in front of the man. “God, I had faith in you. I knew you were going to save me and yet I still died. Why?”  “Why? You ask,” God said. “I sent you a van and a boat and a helicopter. What else was I supposed to do?”

Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, this man could not recognize the hand of God. The man had tremendous faith, but he was blind. I wonder how many of us are the same. We can believe that Jesus Christ is physically present in the Eucharist, but if we don’t recognize him, we too are lost.

Yes, Christ is truly in us. We should recognize this and keep him with us in all of our activities. What particular activities? Those mentioned in the bulletin and in the announcements. We should maintain an interest in the activities of our Church. Some of them are good for the parish organizations. Some of them are good for socializing. Some of them are good for us and our relationships with God and with our neighbors. Some of them may seem unimportant or “not for me.” But I will tell you that God calls us in ways many of us do not expect.

As a community we should be seeking ways to help one another. A lot of times, the Church provides the activities to do this. We should listen attentively to the announcements. There could be an opportunity for you to serve others. Just as God speaks to us through his body and blood which we receive, just as he speaks to us in prayer, so too does he speak to us as the priest or pastor or deacon announces the activities of the parish.

Many parishes have a problem with where to put the announcements. Some do it at the beginning of the Mass so that more people will hear, but there are those who come to Mass late. It is not proper anywhere else during the Liturgy, except at the end.

When you have family or friends come to help you, you don’t give them directions on what to do, then give them a meal or drinks. You provide the meal and drinks first, then when they are filled and satisfied, you direct them on what to do; you teach them what you want them to do, then you send them out and accompany them if necessary. It’s the order of life. It’s the order of the Liturgy of the Mass.

So, after the short presentation of the announcements have been given, the priest says, “The Lord be with you.” And we answer, “And also with you.”

If there is a Deacon present he may say, “Bow your heads and pray for God’s Blessing.”  We’ve got all the information we need. We should recognize God’s voice speaking to us as, during the Mass he has told us what to pray for, who to pray for, and how to improve our relationship with God and His Church.

There are several prayers to acknowledge the Liturgical Season. And the prayers always end with a blessing.

One of the greatest and probably the most confusing gifts we have are blessings. We are always asking the Priest or the Deacon for a blessing.  One of the greatest gifts I have received in ordination is the giving of the public blessing, and to bless families and individuals, particularly the young children who have not yet received their First Communion.

The Church reserves public blessings for the ordained. But have you ever listened to the words? “May Almighty God bless you…” “May the blessing of Almighty God… descend upon you and remain with you forever.” The blessing does not come from us! The blessing comes from God, through us. As the Lord states to Moses and his brother Aaron in the Book of Numbers, “The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace. So shall they invoke my name and I will bless them.”

I WILL BLESS THEM. The blessing is God’s desire to be with us. The blessing is our desire that the Lord be with you, but the Catholic blessing is more than words, the Sign of the Cross is also a part of our actions.   By virtue of our Baptism, the Church teaches that anyone can bless themselves as a reminder of our Baptism.

The most spirit filled action I have ever witnessed is a dad or mom entering the church with their young child, taking them to the Baptismal or Holy Water font, dipping their tiny fingers into the water and teaching the child how to bless himself.  Then watching the look on the child’s face as they desire to do it for themselves.

Yes, WE CAN BLESS OURSELVES, but we bless ourselves in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. During the rite of Baptism, the celebrant traces the Sign of the Cross on the child’s or adult’s forehead and invites the parents and godparents to do the same. We want the parents and godparents to continuously bless their children. The blessing can simply be the sign of the cross with the words, I LOVE YOU.

In our grace before meals, we ask that the Lord bless us and the gifts we are about to receive. We thank God for the gifts he has given to us to sustain us in this life. FOOD and the Eucharist!!

When someone sneezes what do we say? We say “God bless you.” It was thought that during a sneeze, the good spirits escaped the individual. By saying “God bless you,” the good spirits returned to the individual. Very simple, done by anyone, but again, it’s testimony that the blessing does not come from us, but from God. It also testimony that Emmanuel, God is with us.

Jesus loves the little children who anticipate and hunger for love. That is why Christ, when his apostles bickered over who was greatest, placed a child in their midst, placed his arms around the child and said, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the one who sent me.”

And so we are dismissed to do God’s work in the world with the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to us in Confirmation: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude or Courage, Knowledge, Piety or Holiness, and Fear of the Lord or Respect. We use these gifts to perform the Corporal Works of Mercy: To feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, give a home to the homeless, visit the sick, ransom the captive and bury the dead. We use these gifts to perform the Spiritual works of Mercy: To instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish sinners, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offences willingly, comfort the afflicted, pray for the living and the dead.

And are we sent with the words, “Good luck! Hope you make it! Being a follower of Christ isn’t easy, but you’ll do it, or else!!”  No! The priest or the Deacon if he is present, says, “The Mass is ended, Go in Peace” or “Go in the peace of Christ.”  Christ told us, “My yoke is easy, my burden light.” The Church tells us that this is true if we do it in the peace of Christ.  And here is the amazing thing: How did Mass begin? It began with the sign of the cross and the priest’s words, “May the grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” In other words, May the Holy Spirit be with you.  May God’s peace be with you.   And the word “peace” is echoed throughout the Mass. Have you paid attention? Have you heard the word? “Let us offer each other the sign of peace.” What is the sign of peace? “May the peace of the Lord be with you always?”  What peace to we offer?  What peace do we share? It’s the faith and peace expressed in this story:

After a long day at work in his cubicle, the young man simply wanted to go home, relax and prepare for his next day at work. As he made his way toward the elevator, he heard screaming and saw black smoke and flames billowing out of another office, into the hallway.  Panic gripped him as a succession of thoughts flew through his mind. I’m on the sixth floor. I’ll never make it down. I’m going to die! What he had considered his only means of escape, the hallway, was engulfed in flames and impossible to navigate.

As his mind continued to race, he heard fire engines and remembered that the offices were lined with windows all across his floor. He coughed and staggered to a window in hope of a swift rescue. Instead, when he looked down, he could see nothing but a curtain of smoke covering the area. If anyone could see him, they would simply watch him die. Through the smoke and flames, he realized that a crowd had gathered and, along with the firemen everyone was yelling “JUMP!”  The young man felt a cloud of fear envelop him. Over a loudspeaker he heard the voice of what he assumed to be that of a fireman. “The only way you’ll survive is if you jump! We’ve spread out a safety net. You’ll be perfectly safe!”

As the crowd continued to yell, the young man discovered that he did not have the courage to make the leap without being able to see the net. His feet were cemented to the floor. Then, over the loudspeaker came the voice of a familiar and trusted friend. “It’s okay, Dave! You can jump!” As the familiar voice reached the young man, he felt his fear lift. The trust that he had gave him the courage to jump safely down, into the net.

I told you two stories about men of faith. They both feared what would happen if they exercised that faith. They would be leaving their comfort zone. But it was a comfort zone that was about to perish.

Similar to Christ, the Good Shepherd, we read about and talked about this past Sunday. Sometimes we are directed by the Shepherd outside of our comfort zone. Oh yes, all of us have our comfort zones. For some it’s society. For some it’s the friendship of their children. For others it is in those things that give them pleasure. All of us should question our faith, like Saint Thomas did when he heard that Christ was with the apostles and said that he would not believe until he saw the nail marks in Christ’s hands and placed his hands in Christ’s side. We should question our faith because we could eventually perish, clutching our comfort zones.

And I can almost guarantee that the warning or message will not come from a man with a loudspeaker. Like St. Thomas, it may come in a moment.

For you children, it may come from a stern “NO!” from your parents, no matter what your friends are doing.  It may come from a sudden awakening at three o’clock in the morning.  It may come from a ticket being issued by a police officer.  It may come from the words of a perspective employer.  It may come during a silent drive to work.  It may come from a reading of scripture or a homily. It may come from a blessing or after receiving Christ in the Eucharist.  It may come from a talk being given by an ordained minister.

This is what we should seek from the Mass. This is what this series of talks is all about. And, like me, it may not come to you right away. The answer may come to you after 42 years. You must be patient with the Lord because God does things in his own time.

May the Risen Lord’s peace be within your hearts and rest in your relationships. May you recognize the Spirit flowing in your words and actions.   May God always guide you in Faith.

The Lord be with You. And also with you.

May Almighty God bless you, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Then the Liturgy ends with a hymn.

How many times have you listened to the radio on the way to work. A song comes on and stirs something in you. Then for some unknown reason, the song sticks with you through the entire day. In your quietest moments that song will return and you find yourself humming the tune at the oddest times during the day.

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if that song were the hymn you heard at the end of Mass? It would be like reliving the Mass. It should remind you of the peace and security of God. It should help you pass through the next odd minutes of having a serious discussion with your boss or a fellow worker. It should fill your heart with a burning to go home and greet a family member who’s had a harder day than you.

That’s what the Mass is all about.

Others should recognize Christ in you by the breaking of the bread.

 

News from the District Deputy:  Larry Donnelly, SK                               “Living our Faith”

District Deputy's Report:  

 

It is that time of year that I will be installing our new officers.  This is a great time for us.  Establishing our leadership is the start we need to achieve all if our goals for the coming year.  Those in office need to take our newly acquired positions and strive to accomplish all of our duties with energy and enthusiasm and work hand in hand with our new Grand Knights. Members of the Councils need to step forward and volunteer to either chair a program or work with a chair for the success of the program. 

 

There is a lot to accomplish in these first months of our fraternal year.  Our membership drive has started so we all need to get out and talk to the men of our parishes; especially those new parishioners.  They will be looking for new friends and ways to help the Church.  What better way than to be a Knight!  Our Worthy State Deputy, Edgar Haynes, has challenged all the incoming officers to bring in two new members by September.   We have a First Degree ceremony on 8/22/06 at 7:00 pm at Calvert Council no 7870 in North Beach, so let’s get out and let the men know of the benefits of being a member of the Knights of Columbus. 

 

Other events that need our membership support are the annual truck raffle and the tootsie roll drive.  Let’s get to the meetings to get information and step up to support these worth while drives.  The week of Aug 12th to Aug 19th is Family week.  Invite members of your parishes to come to your picnics. 

 

The membership programs are initiated throughout the month of August.  Your Grand Knight has these dates and should be encouraging our program directors to attend.  There is a wealth of information that is up to date to be attained about the programs, so plan to attend the meetings to get the latest information. 

 

I wish you all good luck in the coming year, and if there is any way I can assist do not hesitate to call me. 

 

God Bless.

Vivat Jesus

Larry Donnellly

District Deputy District 9

        Fourth Degree

 

The installation of the officers is tentatively scheduled for Sept 23 at St. Anthony’s in North Beach.  Program and dinner will follow at Padua Hall.  Details will be sent out as the plans are firmed up.

 

Our Color Corps has been busy this month with installations.  The Flag team presented the Colors for the Cardinal Hickey Prince of the Church Assembly No.2534 and for our own Assembly Installation.

 

 

        Pro-Life

Sanctuary of Life

“From within the heart of the world, the family has a decisive and determinative relationship with life. As a Sanctuary of life, the family must welcome it, defend it, accompany it during its development, especially during the whole process of its education….The family lovingly bears witness to the uniqueness of new life….The instruction of the Didache, “Thou shalt not kill the child in its mother’s womb” (2, 1), incorporated into the living tradition of the Church, must resound even today from the heart of every household. Only God is the Lord of life!" (Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, President, Pontifical Council for the Family, Homily to Pontifical Academy for Life, February, 1997).

The Didache, while not Sacred Scripture, is a short treatise on the Doctrine of the Twelve Apostles.  It was the Catechism, if you will, of the early church.  Besides the reference to abortion above, there also appears in a letter attributed to St. Barnabas (a companion to St. Paul and who was probably a disciple of Jesus) the following:  “Love your neighbor more than your own life.  Do not kill an unborn child through abortion, nor destroy it after birth.”

This idea of the family as being the basic relationship of life is nothing new then; it has been the Church’s teaching from the time of the Apostles until now.  If the family is the Sanctuary of Life, then abortion and contraception destroys that sanctuary. 

Pope John Paul II spoke of the Trinity as being a family in its truest sense.  He did not say the Trinity is like a family, he said the Trinity is a Family.  As a family, then, in imitation of the Trinity, we must be that Sanctuary of Life. 

Until the mid 1930’s, all major Protestant denominations understood abortion to be morally wrong.  It is time to remind our Protestant Brothers (and some Catholics) of the teachings of the Early Church Fathers and of the connection between Family, Life, and the Trinity.


 

        INSURANCE

 

As everyone gets ready to go off into vacation season, and we have some time to think about our situations and the care for our family, I urge you not to forget me!  Give me a chance to help you.  If you want to know more about what I can do for you, just call me at 301-262-4300  Cell:  301-335-7939   Fax: 301-262-6304. 

God Bless!  William Guinane

        USEFUL WEBSITES

 

Site

Address

Site

Address

Calvert Kids news

www.calvertkids.net

Priest for life

www.priestsforlife.org

State K of C site

http://www.kofc-md.org/

Supreme Council web site

http://www.kofc.org

Seat of Wisdom Council site

www.kofc11259.us

Vatican website

www.vatican.va

 

        Did You Know That??

Trivia Question

Editor’s note: Again SK Larry Smialek has come through with a rather interesting bit of history

 

Who was the first president of our Country?

I'm sure that George Washington was your best guess. After all, no one else comes to mind.  But think back to your history books - The United States declared its independence in 1776, yet Washington did not take office until April 30, 1789.

 
So who was running the country during these initial years of this young country? It was the first eight U. S. Presidents. In fact, the first President of the United States was one John Hanson.  The new country was actually formed on March 1, 1781 with the adoptionof The Articles of Confederation. This document was actually proposed on June 11, 1776, but not agreed upon by Congress until November 15, 1777.

Once the signing took place in 1781, a President was needed to run the country. John Hanson was chosen unanimously by Congress (which included George Washington). In fact, all the other potential candidates refused to run against him, as he was a major player in the revolution and an extremely
 influential member of Congress.

 As the first President, Hanson had quite the shoes to fill. No one had ever been President and the role was poorly defined. His actions in office would set precedent for all future Presidents.  He took office just as the Revolutionary War ended. Almost immediately, the troops demanded to be paid.   As would be expected after any long war, there were no funds to meet the salaries. As a result, the soldiers threatened to overthrow the new government and put Washington onthe throne as a monarch.

 All the members of Congress ran for their lives, leaving Hanson as the only guy left running the government. He somehow managed to calm the troops down and hold the country together. If he had failed, the government would have fallen almost immediately and everyone would have been bowing
to King Washington.

Hanson, as President, ordered all foreign troops off American soil, as well as the removal of all foreign flags. This was quite the feat, considering the fact that so many European countries had a stake in the United States since the days following Columbus.  Hanson established the Great Seal of the United States, which all Presidents have since been required to use on all official documents. President Hanson also established the first Treasury Department, the first Secretary of! War, and the first Foreign Affairs Department. Lastly, he declared that the fourth Thursday of every November was to be Thanksgiving Day, which is still true today.  The Articles of Confederation only allowed a President to serve a one year term during any three year period, so Hanson   actually accomplished quite a bit in such little time. Seven other presidents were elected after him: Elias Boudinot (1782-83), Thomas Mifflin (1783-84), Richard Henry Lee (1784-85), John Hancock (1785-86), Nathan Gorman (1786-87), Arthur St. Clair (1787-88), and Cyrus Griffin (1788-89) all prior to Washington taking office.

So what happened?  Why don't we hear about the first eight presidents? It's quite simple - The Articles of Confederation didn't work well. The individual states had too much power and nothing could be agreed upon  A new doctrine needed to be written - something we know as the Constitution.  And that leads us to the end of our story.  George Washington was definitely not the first President of the United States. He was the first President of the United States under the Constitution we follow today.  And the first eight Presidents are forgotten in history.

        IN CLOSING

As most of you know, our Knights of Columbus Council worked very hard last year to help get Eucharistic Adoration started at Jesus the Divine Word.  Many of our Knights signed up initially to spend time before the Eucharist and are still spending time in adoration at Divine Word.  St. John Vianney is trying to get Eucharistic Adorers to sign up to participate in adoration on Thursday each week.  St. John’s opened Thursday as a new day and while they have had a number of people sign up, they still need adorers for some of the day time slots to ensure adequate coverage.  If you are retired and can spare some time before Our Lord, I am sure they could use you.

 

I recently read a book on the Eucharist by Father Robert DeGrandis, a Josephite Father who has traveled the country in his work as a priest.  In his book he notes that there today there are some Catholics who do not believe that Jesus is the Consecrated Host.  One survey taken about 6 or 7 years ago found that 80 percent of Catholics do not really believe in the “Real Presence” of Jesus.  Father DeGrandis speaks to the Real Presence of Christ in the following:  “The best talk I ever heard on the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist was at Glorietta, New Mexico, by an ex-witch.  She spoke to a group of priests.  Being very high in witchcraft she knew the ways of the occult.  She said that when the devil wants to insult and blaspheme the Trinity, he does not send his emissaries to and Episcopal church, to an Assembly of God church, to a Methodist church, or to a Baptist church.  The emissary is sent by Satan to the tabernacle of a Roman Catholic church to get the Eucharist consecrated by a Roman Catholic priest.  She says that Satan believes in the real presence and knows that the best way to insult Jesus is to insult Him in His real, and authentic presence.” 

 

Father DeGrandis goes on to ask, “Isn’t it astounding that there are some Catholics who do not believe in the Eucharist, but Satan and Satanists believe?”

 

If you are not spending some time each week before the Eucharist, you should consider signing up at St. John’s or at Divine Word.  Jesus is calling you to a few moments of peace before Him in Eucharistic Adoration.  

 

Vivat Jesus

SK Jim CaldwellOur Lady Seat of Wisdom Council No.  11259

      Officers 2006-2007

           

Chaplain (appointed)

Rev. Daniel Leary

Associate Chaplains

S/K Rev. David Russell

S/K Rev. Salverio Vitturino

Fr. Peter Daly

Ed Chrzanowski

Grand Knight

Doug Wood

Deputy Grand Knight

John O’Conner

Chancellor

Chuck Knapper

Warden

Anthony Migliaccio

Recorder

Joe Mills

Lecturer (appointed)

Scott Flynn

Treasurer

John Harper

Advocate

Charles Smallwood

Financial Secretary

Larry Smialek

Inside Guards

Charles  Caplins

Robert Hirschbert

Outside Guards

James Clement

Michael Redshaw

Trustees 3rd year

Stephen Bayliff

               2nd year

Elroy McCleod

               1st year

Eugene Gonzales

 

 

 

 

 

 

SK Joseph Mills

4825 South Lane

St. Leonard, MD 20685

 


Father Daly's 20th Anniversary Celebration

Saturday, September 2, 7pm

Recognition Dinner

Catered sit down dinner and roast of Father Daly

Family Life Center
$25 per person
Money collected will be used to establish a retirement fund for Father Daly.

More Details

For tickets and donations, call George Sullivan
410-414-9099
Make checks payable to: Fr. Daly Retirement Fund

Sunday, September 3, 10am

Anniversary Mass and Parish Picnic

Formal Mass celebrating Father Daly's 20 years as a priest, followed by parish picnic

 

This year marks the 20th commemoration of the ordination of Father Peter Daly.  In tribute of this event Saint John Vianney will be hosting a sit down dinner/ roast to honor Father Peter Daly.  Suggested price for dinner is  $ 25.00 a person (but if in your heart you want to give more it will be greatly appreciated) and will be served at the Family Life Center on Saturday, September 2nd at 7:00pm.    All proceeds from this event will go to the Father Daly Retirement Fund.  No, Father Daly is not retiring at this time but the funds will be there for him when he does retire.  Our goal is to present Father Daly with a substantial check at this event.   Don’t miss this opportunity to witness Father Daly being roasted by his family and friends.  It will be a night to remember.

 

If you are unable to attend and wish to make a contribution, or you wish to purchase tickets, make checks payable to the Father Daly Retirement Fund and send to the above address. Please write on the check how many tickets you desire.  Seating is limited and is expected to fill fast so do not procrastinate.

 

If you need any more information or directions to the building, you can contact me at the above address and phone number.  Look forward seeing you at this memorable event.  Show Father Daly how much he is loved.

 

Yours in Christ,

 

George W. Sullivan