Our
Lady Seat of Wisdom
Council No. 11259
Sept and October 2006
For The Good of the Order!
Editor’s
note: Since this is going out so late, I
thought I would make it for both months and get it back on track for
November. 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.
August and
September have been busy months. We are
well into the Car Raffle ticket sales and despite a slow start and a hurricane,
have managed to pick up the pace. Sales
at local merchants continue on the week ends and we at the Jesus Divine Word
picnic over the weekend. Since the
Tootsie Roll drive overlaps the car raffle, we have combined the two in some
areas. Check the web site or call a
fellow Knight for the latest information on where sales will be taking place.
Don’t forget the "Keep
a Priest on the Pulpit” drive! Get a
jar, box, collection plate or whatever now and start saving that loose change
daily. We will collect whatever you accumulate for the support of seminarians
after masses the weekend of September 23 and 24th. We need everyone's
support."
There is
still time to sign up for the Council’s Golf Tournament at the Wicomico Shores
Golf Course on Wednesday October 11th.
The arrangements are being made by Charles Knapper and Steve
Pedone. The proceeds of the tournament
will go towards the benefit of the Archdiocese of Washington seminarians. Please see the flyer that is attached to
this newsletter for details.
For
those who wish to play another round, Council 8159 at Immaculate Conception Parish is
holding its annual tournament at Wicomico the day after ours. If you are interested in playing please
contact Dave Adams at (301)884-2517 for details.
The
annual membership blitz was held after all the masses last Sunday, and several
new applications were received. Thanks
to all who showed up to answer questions about the Knights after the masses.
The
Saint John Vianney Picnic went off as scheduled despite Tropical storm Ernesto
which blew in the Friday before the picnic.
In attendance were some of the parishioners from Our Mother of Mercy
Parish in Pass Christian. The weather
cleared up for the picnic (barely), and all had a great time.
Father
Daly was treated to a dinner roast on Sept 2nd by his parishioners in
honor of the 20th anniversary of his ordination. Guests came from all over the country to
throw some good natured barbs at Father.
Deacon
Gene, Bill Stanton, Jan Pedone, Maury Mattingly, as well as members of Father’s
family all got in on the act. Guests
were also treated to a couple of songs by the choir of Our Mother of Mercy
Parish and an unforgettable performance by the “Parish People” (see the SJV
website). Chuck Knapper was superb as
the Roast Host, and Larry Donnelly and his staff did a fantastic job with the
dinner.
On a sad
note, Brother Knight Scott Flynn’s Mother passed away on August 18th. Please keep him and his family in your
prayers.
Finally,
the roof repair at St. Francis DeSales Parish Hall is scheduled for Saturday
Sept 23rd. Chuck Knapper will be heading
up a crew to make the repairs. Please
get in touch with him at (410)535-1338 if you wish to help.
SK Joe Mills
Grand
Knight’s Report
The Quiet Knight
It’s Saturday September 8, 2006 and I’m helping to sell car
raffle tickets outside Giant with a small group of the faithful. I needed a
favor from a very good friend and knight so I called him. He was on the way to
O. C. He said ok to what I needed then
added you know that I’m a knight too even though I do not come to the meetings.
That remark started me thinking. Then on Sunday I asked a
gentlemen helping Larry (pops) with the Sunday breakfast if he would like to be
a Knight. His remark was he didn’t have enough time because he was always
helping out at the church. I told him he was already doing what knights do and
he should join us.
We have a lot of knights out there who do not show up at
meetings or to sell tickets but they are true Knights. They are like my very
good friend that I talked to last Saturday. They give a lot of their time to make our church, community and
the knights better.
So to you the Jacks, Stevens, Jimmies, Mikes, Larrys and you
George THANK YOU FROM THIS VERY grateful Grand Knight
I got a email from my cousin in Pa. Who told me of the shortest sermon she
had ever heard.
1 Cross
3 Nails
____
4 Given
Douglas C Wood
Your Grand Knight
Chaplain’s
Corner
I recently heard a Christian Preacher on the radio
denouncing the Catholic belief in faith and works. His main point seemed to be that Catholics
believe that they can “buy” their way into heaven. Since this wasn’t a call in show, I could not
defend our Faith, but it did get me thinking about what my response would be. So, I thought I would use this forum to give
my response
For the moment let’s leave aside the Letter of St. James
that is the definitive answer on faith and works, and concentrate on what lead
St. James to that conclusion.
St. John’s
gospel depicts the events of the Lords Supper and the agony in the garden in a
way that is totally different than the synoptic gospels. In the other three gospels, there is only a
part of one chapter that speaks to the events of that supper and the subsequent
events in the garden on the Mount of Olives.
John, on the other
hand, devotes five chapters to these events (Ch 13-17). Christ’s teachings contained in these five
chapters are what I believe led St. James and the other apostles to their
conclusion on faith and works.
John begins by describing Jesus washing the feet of his
disciples and commanding them to wash each other’s feet. What an example our Lord gives us of the
meaning of works! But Jesus does not
stop there, later in chapter 13 he reinforces the lesson by giving the apostles
a new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Just how did Jesus
show his love for us? I am sure St.
James and the others reflected back on Christ’s ministry for this answer. What was Christ ministry other than one of
continual work based on his great love for us?
Still later, in Chapter 14, Jesus, in describing himself as
the way to the Father says that “whoever believes in me will do what I do-yes,
he will do even greater things, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask for in My name
so that the Father’s glory will be shown through the Son.” Just what is it that
Christ did? Once again, just a cursory
glance of the gospels will give you plenty examples of the works that Jesus
did. Feeding the hungry, curing the
sick, forgiving the sinner, even raising the dead, all were works of
Christ. St. James certainly had a lot of
food for thought with this message.
But, Christ is still not through with the lesson. He knows that all of his works must be done
with love. Jesus says in Chapter 4 of
John’s gospel, “Whoever is without love does not
know God, for God is love.” Remember, also, his commandment to love one
another as I have loved you? He knows of
our weakness with love. While it is easy
to show love toward our family and our faith community, how difficult it is for
us to show that same love for those that hate us and revile us and who are so
unlike us! For this reason Jesus
promises, in Chapter 14 to send to his disciples a Helper that “will stay with
you forever.” That Helper, whom we know
as the Holy Spirit, is the one who gave Mother Theresa the strength to show
great love to the “poorest of the poor”. The same Helper that gave Anne Drexel the
will to open and support sixty schools and missions dedicated to helping Native
and African Americans throughout the United States, and the same Helper that fortified
St Catherine of Alexandria to convert many of the enemies of the church to
Christianity. The list of Catholic
Saints that heeded the message of Christ concerning the relationship between
love and works is long and spans the centuries.
Still Jesus was not through!
He continues his lesson on work in the 15th Chapter of John. The opening verse states “I am the real vine
and my Father is the gardener. He breaks
off every branch in me that does not bear fruit and He prunes every branch that
does bear fruit so that it will be clean and bear more fruit. Jesus
goes on to say “I am the vine and you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will
bear much fruit. How do we bear
fruit? He answers this almost in the
next verse “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I
obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in His love.” What does Jesus command? He has told us earlier in Chapter 13; “Love
one another as I have loved you.” How
did Jesus show us His love? He showed
the apostles and all of humanity the following day with the greatest work of
His ministry.
This then, is the Catholic answer to the Faith alone
theory. Faith and works are so
intricately bound together that it is impossible to separate them and still
have salvation. It was the only
conclusion that St. James and the apostles could make after reflecting on the
words that Jesus spoke out of His and the Fathers great love for us that night
2000 years ago and after witnessing the events of the Crucifixion the following
day.
Faith and works are two sides of the same coin. They are bound
together by that precious metal that is God’s love for us and ours for
Him. It is with this coin that we
“purchase” that “pearl of great price”; our salvation.
SK Joe Mills
News from the District Deputy: Larry Donnelly, SK “Living our Faith”
District
Deputy's Report:
It was with great pleasure that I was able to present the
Star Council award for the 2005 fraternal year to PGK Steve Bayliff during your
September business meeting. Star Council
is not an award that is easy to attain and thanks to the hard work of Steve and
the members of Council 11259, once again Our Lady Seat of Wisdom was able to
attain the goals necessary to win the award.
I also had the pleasure of presenting a Certificate of Appreciation
from the State Deputy for Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Council’s support of the
Family of the Month Program.
Now for a little bad news, the State Deputy’s report shows
that the statewide membership goals are not being met. With the roles being cleared of inactive
members, we need to replace those men as well as increase our numbers. This means that all Councils need to get out
and talk to the men of the parishes and get them to see the benefits of being a
Knight. Many men in the parish donate
their time and talent to the church, and that is great. However, they may feel they cannot take on
more that what they are doing. Get them
to realize that the Knight membership is not an addition to their volunteer
work, but an enhancement of it. So,
don’t wait for your membership blitz to think about new members. Talk to your friends about the Knights during
the social time after and before Mass or during lunch or coffee at work. Wear you pins at any time, and your name
badges at church functions. If you need
a name badge contact your Grand Knight on how to obtain one. Be proud of being a Knight.
Keep up the effort on the car raffle and the tootsie roll
drive. Those programs are doing well but
we need a strong finish.
There is a McNamara Chapter meeting next Wednesday Sept 20th
at St. Anthony’s hall. The meeting
starts at 8:00pm with a crab and shrimp feast to follow.
The State Chairman for this years Soccer shootout needs to
have the local and district shoot outs completed in October so that the State
competitions can occur in November. So, plan
your shootouts to complete by the second or third week (at the latest) in
October.
There is one last thing for you to think about during this
election year. Do you know that 50% of registered
Catholics are not registered to vote?
What this means is that Catholics will have less of a voice in the
legislative process when it comes to issues such as pro-life, immigration, fair
wage laws, housing, and the like. So
take the time to get to know the issues and the candidates. Talk to your fellow Catholics about getting
registered. With Catholicism being the
largest religion in the US,
even a small increase in the percentage of Catholic voters can make a
difference.
God Bless.
Vivat Jesus
Larry Donnellly
District Deputy District 9
Fourth
Degree
The installation
of the officers for the Lord Baltimore Assembly is scheduled for Sept 23 at St.
Anthony’s in North
Beach following Mass at
5:30pm. Program and dinner will follow
at Padua Hall.
The weekend of
October 6-8 will be busy. Starting on
Saturday night Oct 7, there is the Columbus Day Ball at the LaFountaine Bleu
Hotel in Glen Burnie MD. If you haven’t
got tickets by now it may be too late but if you want to attend, please call
Jean Dominque at (410)798-7177 or George Floria at (301)627-3923.
There are
three events on October 8th that need Color Corps members.
·
There will be a Christopher Columbus
Memorial Mass at Most Holy Rosary Parish on 595 Third Street, N.W. in Washington, D.C. This will be full regalia without
swords. Report time is 11:00 am
·
The annual Blessing of the Fleet will
take place on St. Clements Island.
Report time (Full regalia plus swords) is at 11:00 am.
·
Lastly, there is the annual Columbus Day
Parade in Baltimore at the Inner Harbor. Pre-staging is at 11:00am. Again this will be in full regalia with
swords.
On October 9th
we need ALL of the Color Corps at Union Station in DC at 9:15 am for the annual Civic Ceremonies at the national Columbus
Memorial. The Color Corps serve as flag
bearers as well as escorts for the wreath presenters. Members are also needed to help form the
sword arch for the wreath presenters.
This moving ceremony is held in high regard by Knights who have
participated, and few who have attended before will miss it. Please plan on coming. Your help is needed and it will be
memorable. For more information on this
event, visit the following web site. http://www.columbuscelebration.org/celebrations.htm
October
14th is the date for the installation of SK Joseph E. Murtha, Master
and his District Staff. Mass followed by
the Installation is at 8:30 am at Mt. Calvary in Forestville, MD. Please see the invitation attached to this
newsletter and remember, reservations are needed by Oct 7th.
For
information on any of the above events and for your reservations for the
Masters Installation, please contact SK Charles Smallwood, DM, PGK, PFN at
(410)535-2154 or SK Earl Thorne CCC at (410)535-1364.
Pro-Life
Learning to Love
In Washington, DC in
1994 Mother Teresa said that we fight abortion by teaching the mother what love
really means: "to be willing to give until it hurts...So, the mother who
is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love, that is, to give until it
hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child."
Gustave Thibon has said
that the true God transforms violence into suffering, while the false god
transforms suffering into violence. The woman tempted to have an abortion will
transform her suffering into violence unless she allows love to transform her,
and make her willing to give herself away. The Eucharist gives both the lesson
and the power. Mom is to say "This is my body, my blood, my life, given up
for you my child." (from Priest for Life website)
Safe Haven for babies
At Church last week end I was speaking to SK Elroy McCleod
and Mary Ann McCaffrey about both the Gabriel Project and the Safe Haven law
that was passed in Maryland
several years ago. I had not heard of this law and Mary Ann said she was not
surprised as it is not promoted very well.
Maryland was the 38th state to institute a Safe Haven law, allowing
a parent to anonymously abandon a newborn baby without fear of prosecution, as
long as the baby is left with a responsible adult, such as a priest, lawyer, or
physician, or at an appropriate place, such as a hospital or firehouse. Citing the guidelines of this law on July 8th,
2003, the University of Maryland Hospital for Children declared itself a “Safe
Haven,” a place where parents can safely abandon their babies.
While
there may be some issues with the law (it does not address the rights of the other
parent, for instance, if that parent does not agree with the decision to
abandon the baby), the law can be helpful in saving lives IF it were known to
the parents considering abandonment. Please take the time to educate yourselves and
others about this law. A good place to
start would be the following web site. http://www.safeplacefornewborns.com/info.html
INSURANCE
Life is full of changes, and with change, a families insurance
needs may be affected. 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
Did You Know That??
Did you know that President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as
president on a Catholic Missal and not a Bible?
After Kennedy was killed, the vice president went on board air force
one. The judge, a woman known to Johnson from his Texas days, hurried to the plane
immediately. She did not have a bible with her. As it came time to swear in the
new president aids looked for a bible and the only one they found was in
President Kennedy's nightstand on air force one. Leather bound with a cross
embossed on the front it was assumed it was a bible (Catholic version). It was lost as the judge gave it to a known
local reporter she left. Years later it was discovered from photos of the
inauguration that the book was in fact Kennedy’s Missal.
(From
'Death of a President')
Would this make President Johnson
the second Catholic President?
Did you know that throughout the eastern portion of the United States
there are numerous ancient rock carvings, known as petroglyphs. One petroglyph,
which has been dated from around the 6th century, was found in West Virginia. The
carving on the rock is written in a particular form of Old Irish used during
the 6th to 8th centuries. Known as the "Horse Creek Petroglyph," it
reads:
"A happy season is Christmas, a time of joy and
goodwill to all people. A Virgin was with child; God ordained her to conceive
and be fruitful. Ah, behold the miracle! She gave birth to a Son in a cave. The
name of the cave was the Cave
of Bethlehem. His name is
Jesus, the Christ, Alpha and Omega. O festive season of prayer."
This petroglyph, and another at Bears' Fork in Fayette County
(also written in Old Irish) can be seen on a visit to West Virginia. There are other such rock
carvings in places like Kentucky, New Hampshire and Connecticut.
These carvings reveal that Catholic Irishmen, possibly missionary monks, came
to America long before Columbus to spread the
Catholic Faith.
(From the
website http://www.geocities.com/adam_todm/USCatholic_History/MDVA.html)
My guess is that if
this tidbit of history was ever well known, we might have to be called the Knights
of Ireland. How about that Sir Larry Donnelly?
IN CLOSING
The Practical Christian
Each of us when we decided to join the Knights of Columbus
was interviewed by members already admitted to the Order. One of the focuses of the questions asked
during the interview was whether we were a “practical Christian.” In fact, the three or four interviewers we
came before had to be assured through our answers that we were, indeed,
practical Christians before they made their decision about whether we would go
on to become a Knight and take our First Degree.
I have sometimes wondered whether the times we live in are
less Godly or more evil than say the Middle Ages, or when the first Christians
began to gain converts. Of course, there
is no answer to such wonderings because you can find in all ages wars,
instances of great evil, people focused on money, sex and power, and whole
societies mired in material world to the exclusion of God. The Arabs and the Jews have been fighting for
thousands of years, with the only difference today being that the weapons used
are much more destructive and the potential for massive causalities is greater.
How does a practical Christian respond to a problem as massive as peace in the Middle East or say ending abortion? We know we should do something, but
what? How do we contribute to a solution
to such large and evil problems? How do
we combat our inadequacy when we feel anything we can do will have no effect,
or be only just an alleviatory drop in the ocean of suffering that most the
world seems mired in everywhere?
As most of you know, Mary has been appearing at Medjugorje
for over 25 years. As Catholics, we are
not required to believe in the messages received in visions, but we can afford
to ignore such Divinely inspired persistence?
I would suggest no. Over the
years we have received the messages of Medjugorje, Mary had given us a roadmap
of what God expects of a practical Christian when approaching big problems
beyond our efforts.
Mary’s Roadmap Concerning God’s Weapons Against Satan and
The Large Problems We Face in the World
Mary’s messages at Medjugorje focus on Five Weapons given by
God to combat Satan and the evil we face in the World. These weapons are not new, but they are
forgotten by most Christians. Not enough
can be said about each of these important tools in a short article, but Mary
has called our attention to them in many of her messages over the last 25
years. The first weapon is Prayer and
lots of it. Mary has asked at Medjugorje
that we pray at least three hours a day.
So you say you can’t do three hours a day? Like anything worthwhile it takes sacrifice and
you have to make time to pray just like you make time to work out, go to work,
or enjoy a movie. Prayer opens your
heart to God. If you give Him only a few
minutes a day or none at all, you are not giving Him enough time to make you
the instrument of light and grace He intends you to be. Pray more frequently and more intently and
for a longer time each day. You will not
believe the graces you will receive.
The second weapon against Satan and the evils of the World
is Fasting. In the Old Testament and New
Testament, we see many examples of Fasting.
Jesus fasted frequently.
According to Church teaching and tradition, fasting is encouraged in
times of great temptation or severe trials.
As Jesus said in Mark 9:29, certain devils, “can be cast out in no other
way except through praying and fasting.”
It is no different for large evils such as war, euthanasia or
abortion. A little known fact coming out
of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki
is that in this town there was a monastery where fasting was practiced as a
regular part of the community’s prayer life.
This monastery and all who were in it, so close to the center of the
explosion, should have been obliterated.
Miraculously, the monastery and everyone in it were untouched by the
destructive and radiation forces unleashed by the bomb. Fasting reduces temptation and opens us to
non-miraculous and miraculous intervention by God in our lives. If you are not fasting now, start, and watch
the graces unfold in your life.
The third Weapon is reading of the Bible. The canonical books of the Bible were written
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
In effect, God is the author. Reading and meditating on
the Divinely Inspired Word of God found in the Bible, like prayer, provides
another opportunity for God to work in your life and open your heart. Mary has asked us to place the Bible in a
prominent place in our homes so that we will be constantly reminded to read it
and not forget this important weapon in our battle with the World and Satan.
The fourth Weapon against Satan and the World is
confession. Our Lady at Medjugorje has
asked for us to go to confession at least once a month. Many Catholics who consider themselves good
practicing Catholics disregard confession and its importance to our salvation. We even have priests who deemphasize the
value of confession. Confession is a
valuable tool because to make a good confession, you must examine your
conscience, which causes you to be very aware of your failings, but it also
opens you to God’s merciful graces to work on these failings. It is a call to transformation and assists
each Christian greatly in their responsibility for seeking perfection in God.
The fifth Weapon is the Eucharist. Every time you receive the Eucharist, each
time you sit in adoration of the Eucharist, each time you come into Church and
sit before the Tabernacle, you are exposed in a special way to God’s infinite
graces. If you enter a room that has
Uranium in it, you are exposed to unseen radiation emanating from it. Like Uranium’s radiation, which is unseen,
exposure to the Eucharist and reception of Holy Communion places us in a
special way in the presence of God. We
are suffused with the unseen graces that emanate from the Sacred Host.
You ask what can I do as a practical Christian about such
large problems as the war in the Middle East, war in Iraq, the nuclear threat
growing in Iran and North Korea, the terrorist threat the Al Queda represents,
the threat of Communism, abortion, euthanasia, and the growing materialism in
the World? The answer is Pray daily,
Fast at least twice a week, Read the Bible daily, Go to Confession at least
once a month, and receive the Eucharist frequently and visit Christ in the
Eucharist at least once and possibly more times each week. It is our responsibility as practical
Christians to do these things. Get
busy!
Vivat Jesus
SK Jim
Caldwell
Worthy Sir Knights
The Master of the Archdiocese of Washington District cordially invites
you, your family and guest to attend a Mass and the annual Investiture of the
Master and his staff on October
14, 2006. Also
following the Investiture you are invited to attend the Annual awards
ceremonies. The Mass and Installation of
the Master’s Staff will be held at Mt. Calvary Catholic Church, 6700 Marlboro Pike, District Heights, MD 20747. Following the Mass the Annual Awards Luncheon
beginning at 10:30 am will
be held at Pius X Council Home in Forestville, Md. The following identifies a planned itinerary
that will be followed for that day:
8:30
a.m. Mass
9:30
a.m. Installation of
District Staff
10:30 a.m. Break - Coffee, Juice, & tea. - District Announcements
11:15 a.m. Begin Awards Presentations
12:00 noon Lunch
I am most impressed with the selection of fine Priest and Deacons the
Assemblies have chosen this year as their Faithful Friars and Associate
Friars. To honor these wonderful men, it
is my pleasure to make all Faithful Friars and Associate Friars honorees for
the Awards Luncheon. I ask each of you
to work hard to get all of our Faithful Friars and Associate Friars to come to
be recognized by the District.
It would be great to put on this event at no cost to anyone, however
due to limited funds we have to charge a minimal fee for the luncheon. The cost for the luncheon will be $14.00 per
person, $24.00 per couple or $30 per family.
To ensure we have an accounting of who will be attending, please
complete the attached form and mail the form plus the fees for the event. To make it simpler for record keeping, I am
asking that the Assembly receive reservations through the Captain, make a list
of all those who have paid the fees coming from their Assembly and send one
check covering the cost for all members who will be attending to SK Charles H.
Smallwood, Secretary to the Master not later then October 7, 2006. Do not include a fee for the Friars and
Associate Friars; just give us the names of who will be coming. They are to be our guest. Should you have any questions, please
contact SK Smallwood at 410-535-2154.
SCHEDULE
OF FEES
Faithful
Friars & Associate Friars Free Please use the first two or three
lines for the Friars
Individual ..................................................................... $14.00
Couple......................................................................... $24.00
Family (3 or more) ....................................................... $30.00
Assembly Name:______________________________ Assembly #______________________
Faithful Captain:___________________________ Date
Sent:_______________________
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