april 2016 voice of the spirit
DESCRIPTION
Monthly Publication for the Ohio State Council of the Knights of ColumbusTRANSCRIPT
1
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS APRIL 2016
www.kofcohio.org Monthly Publication of the Ohio State Council
Brother Knights,
A little about membership…
We are back! We are off and running again in
new members. We finished March with an
intake of 282 members for a 12.53% intake.
We ended up in second place for the month in
Division 1. To date we stand at 74.00% of our
Supreme Council membership requirements.
We rank 22nd of the 74 K of C Jurisdictions
worldwide and we rank 3rd among the
Division 1 State Councils still slightly behind
Florida and Texas.
The best news is that we are continuing to
grow. I don’t like to get too far ahead of
myself but we are at +261 Net/Net (intake
less suspensions, withdraws, deaths, and out
of state transfers) and we are beginning to
show new growth in Ohio. This places us 2nd
in the Order slightly behind Louisiana. With
another couple of good recruiting months
Ohio could be over the 58,000 member mark.
Today we stand at 57,999 members strong.
Thank you to everyone who is working to
make this happen.
We would like to welcome Brothers Michael
Felerski and Michael Freil to the membership
team. Brother Felerski will assume the role of
Diocesan Membership Chairman for the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Brother Freil will
take on a newly created position as an
Assistant State Membership Director. Brother
Freil will comb through the vast number
knights living in Ohio and holding
membership in another state. It will be his job
to convince that Knight to transfer
membership to a local council near his home.
Grand Knights and Membership Directors
please keep membership the foremost priority
in every one of your councils throughout this
great state of Ohio. We have begun to show
an increase in the number of councils
recruiting and bringing in new members. To
date about 85% of the Council's around the
state have recruited a new membership and
are working to place Ohio in the Circle of
Honor. If the State of Ohio is to improve our
membership status and grow as a jurisdiction
we need the other 15% or roughly 70 councils
to step up and begin recruiting. A new
member from each of those councils would
make a significant impact on our bottom line
today. We are all on the same team and all in
the game together. I need a firm commitment
from all involved to make this happen.
We are again looking for some opportunities
again in April. There are still a lot of
prospective members just waiting to be asked
or need to be contacted. Inspector
Membership has some incentives in April for
Councils that bring back into the Order three
reactivated members.
There is no rumor anymore. The State Deputy
and Inspector Membership have issued an
additional three month Membership Program
Contest for March, April, and May. Many of
you have seen it on the Super Cash Bonanza
Road Show Meetings. It’s called “The Land
of 1,000 Members”. Watch us on Facebook
or get signed up for our social media blitz for
this new membership incentive.
Supreme Council has announced the
requirements for earning VIP Bonus Points
for the second half of the Fraternal Year. See
your Grand Knight, District Deputy, or State
Membership Director Nick Gresko for details.
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson by a
unanimous vote of approval from the State
Deputies gathered in San Antonio approved
the Supreme Per Capita Star Council
(Continued on page 2)
CHARITY - UNITY - FRATERNITY - PATRIOTISM
2
Incentive Plan for another year. Achieve Star
Council status at your council and be exempt
from Supreme Per Capita payments for one
year.
Growth in new membership brings new
Brother Knights, new ideas, and new energy
into your councils. Please get on track with
your councils membership program and sign
up a new member today. If you haven’t
brought in a new member this year please
take a moment and ask yourself why.
Congratulations to the February Membership
Contest winners and all who brought in a new
member that month. Contest winners should
be listed in State Membership Director Nick
Gresko’s column.
New Council Development…
Brother Knights please welcome Wright State
University Council #16425. We cannot thank
District Deputy #4 Brother Frank Carchedi
enough for the work on instituting this new
council. With the addition of Wright State we
now have satisfied the number of new
councils required by the Supreme Council.
Just in case you’re wondering…we’re not
done yet.
Some thoughts on degree work…and its
working!
Please continue to schedule frequent degrees.
Our requirement is one Admission (1st)
Degree per District per month, statewide. I
see the results of these frequent degrees
already paying off in our membership
numbers. Every District Deputy is required to
schedule and conduct an Admissions (1st)
Degree in his district every month. Today
Ohio scheduled for April. I don’t believe
there are enough posted to handle the
expected new membership load across the
state. Plan out your degree schedule, the
candidates will come.
Please post all (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) degrees on the
State Website. The degree posting page
should be overflowing with scheduled
degrees. There should be a minimum of 80 1st
Degrees per month posted on the State
Website. District Deputies you need to post
degree work in your district. If you schedule
them they will come. If you post them others
can see them and they will come too.
District Deputies and Grand Knights please
continue to file the Degree Exemplification
Report Form 450 and Form 450C. This form
enables the State Council to track a new
members progress throughout Ohio and
insure that new member has been recorded
and credited for your council at Supreme
Council.
Please continue to remind your candidates
about the proper attire when they come to
take any of the degrees. A candidate in t-
shirts and shorts is just not an acceptable
dress for a candidate making a degree. They
should be dressed at the very minimum some
type of Dockers or dress pants and a polo
shirt or dress shirt.
Again more Squires Congratulations...
Congratulations to our State Squire Circle.
We would like to welcome Circle #5823 in
Canton under the sponsorship of Council
#4733 and Grand Knight Donald J. Boron.
The Squires continue to gain in membership
throughout Ohio and are ranked second in the
Order. They are 3rd stateside with a 72
member intake and a net intake of 62 new
members.
Circle of Mary…
Marysville Council #5534 will invest a
“Circle of Mary” for young women at their
council this coming May 15th.
Congratulations to those Brother Knights and
District Deputy #49 Duane Lord in making
this possible for the young women of Our
Lady of Lourdes Parish.
Supreme Council Icon Program…
The Holy Family Icons are now circulating
and we have begun the Icon Tour through
Ohio. Hopefully the four icons will circulate
through the State of Ohio as planned.
Look further to the State Website for the
schedule and when the icon will come to your
district. Please take full advantage of this
prayerful opportunity within your council and
parishes.
Euclid – Immaculata Council Merger…
Congratulations to the Brother Knights of
Euclid Council #3164 and Immaculata
Council #3767 upon the approval of a merged
council by the Supreme Council Board of
Directors. Immaculata council was a spinoff
of the Euclid Council in the early ‘50s.
Economic times and the closure of parishes in
the city of Euclid have made it difficult to
stay solvent. The new merged council will be
known as Euclid Council #3164.
Congratulations and best wishes for the future
of the Knights of Columbus in the city of
Euclid.
State Council Financials…
State Secretary Brother Kevin Miller, State
Treasurer Robert Byers, and myself are
working on preparing the State Council
Financials for audit by Blue & Company,
LLC to be ready for the State Convention.
The State Council fiscal year ends April 30,
2016 and will have limited time for auditing
due to the date of the convention.
Paperwork and more paperwork…
We are just a little behind in filing some of
the Supreme Council paperwork. To date 39
Councils have yet to file Report of Officers
Form 185. This was due last summer right
after your council elections. The Report of
Service Personnel Form 365 was also due at
this time. To date there are 53 Council who
have yet to file that report. The Fraternal
Survey Form 1728 was due the end of
January and 45 Councils are now late in filing
this report. The Council Audit Form 1295 for
the 2nd half of the Fraternal Year is now
overdue to Supreme Council.
The six Diocesan Coordinators along with the
District Deputies have been instructed to
clean up this backlog of paperwork by months
end. Please make every effort to work with
these Brother Knights and assist them in
completing this task.
“Town Hall” Meetings…
The State Deputy “Town Hall” meetings are
over for this fraternal year. These meeting
have proven to be a great place to learn about
the working of our Order, Church Drives,
(Continued from page 1)
(Continued on page 3)
3
programming and membership
recruiting. Look for another round of
“Town Hall” meetings statewide to
begin this August sometime after we
return from the Supreme Convention.
Special Lapel Pin…
I have been working with Vice Supreme
Master Donald Hall to produce a special
lapel pin for any 4th Degree member who
brings in a new member and get him
through his first 3 degrees. Our 4th
Degree Sir Knights are always looking
for ways to increase not only their
membership but the State Councils as
well. The final details of the pin have
been finalized and are in production. It is
an attractive pin that I believe any
Brother Knight would be proud to wear.
Look for a form here in the “Voice of
the Spirit” that will enable to you obtain
this pin provided the requirements have
been met.
WWW.KOFCOHIO.ORG
The State Website is up and running for
the first four General Program grading
periods. Yes we have had some web
issues but to my knowledge they are
minimal. All problems to my knowledge
have been worked out with Webmaster
Brother Gilliland on a person to person
basis. Remember our website is still a bit
new and not everything it is capable of
doing is in place.
With this said and confident in the
working of the Website thus far Brother
Gilliland has given District Deputies the
ability to view all of their respective
councils programming. Brother Gilliland
is also working on the State Chaplain’s
Page, the State Deputy’s Page, links to
video productions on the Supreme
Website, State Council Website tutorials,
and better information to our
Membership Inquiry Page.
We have added the ability of the District
Deputies and Grand Knights to use a
fillable 450 and 450C Degree Report
Form on the Website. Filing of this form
on the State Website will generate a
copy to the Supreme Council, State
Membership Director Nick Gresko, and
to me. Look for this form under the
“Forms Tab” at the top of the Website
page. If this proves successful and
reliable it is just a precursor to a fillable
From 185 and Form 365 this June.
Please be patient. Look for a more
complete and informed website this
month. I will be personally meeting with
Webmaster Gilliland to go over every
aspect of the site to see where we can
make an improvement. If you have any
issues please address them to me and I'll
get with you and Brother Bob to get
them resolved.
Super Cash Bonanza…
The 2016 Super Cash Bonanza
Campaign is underway. State Treasurer
“Farmer Bob” Bob Byers and his “Road
Show” Team did a great job of
presenting the campaign to the
membership. Nearly 600,000 tickets
were distributed at nine “Road Show”
stops in Ohio. Look for more in the State
Treasurer’s article.
State Convention 2016…
Grand Knights and State personnel
please be on the lookout for the 2nd call
to convention. It will be taken to the post
office for delivery on Thursday, April
7th. The 117th State Convention will take
place the weekend of May 20, 21 and 22
a week prior to Memorial Day weekend
at the Kalahari Resort and Convention
Center in Sandusky, Ohio. Please take
the time to read and look through the
information provided. Many of the
enclosures are date sensitive.
There is an invitation and some
instruction from the State Secretary. The
Cleveland Convention Committee has
some instructions regarding the
convention weekend. Look for
information on Registration, In
Memoriam, Program Book Ads,
Babysitting, Msgr. Krispinski Golf
Outing, Lake Erie Fishing Charter, and
the Friday Night Party and Night at the
Races.
We are fortunate and pleased to learn the
Brother Lou Barbour, Supreme Council
Vice President of Membership Growth
has been assigned to attend our state
convention. We look forward to meeting
with Brother Lou and wife Celia next
month.
In closing…
May God continue to Bless you as you
continue to the work you do in Jesus
name. Dedicate everything you do for
Him to the honor and glory of God and
see what changes it will make in your
life.
Bob Collins
State Deputy
(Continued from page 2)
April DD
Requirements George Metz, State District Deputy
Director
Worthy District
Deputies,
The requirements
for April are
summarized below
and listed in the
District Deputy
Manual.
Remember the
monthly reports are
due by 11:59PM on
the 5th of every
month. We need a
100% on-time turn
in. These reports
are to be done on
line using the link to the monthly report form. If
you are having trouble contact your diocesan
coordinator for assistance. The numbers for this
report should be for March ONLY.
April Requirements
Pennies for Heaven is due by April 15.
Register for State Convention.
Follow up with Councils on
membership. April 15 is the last day to
qualify for awards at the State Convention.
Submit the Supreme Form 450 for all
Degrees in your district to Supreme and the
State Membership Director .
Urge all you councils to continue to work towards
Star Council
Thank you for all the great work you do.
George Metz
District Deputy Director
4
Reflections from State Chaplain Father Edward Janoch, State Chaplain
One thousand nine hundred eighty-three years ago, the God-Man, Jesus the Christ, rose from the dead.
From that moment on, the world has never been the same. Throughout the centuries the Saints of God have
tried to express this wonderful mystery in words to help us to share in this mystery. I have found that one of
the most descriptive expressions to express the joy of God’s marvelous love and mercy for the human race,
especially of the Resurrection of Christ, is in the Easter Proclamation: The Exsultet. Instead of me trying to
express this joy in my own feeble words, I have chosen to print The Exsultet for our own personal
reflection, meditation, and prayer. A Blessed Easter to All!
Vivat Jesus!
Fr. Edward J. Janoch, Worthy State Chaplain
Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven,
exult, let Angel ministers of God exult,
let the trumpet of salvation
sound aloud our mighty King’s triumph!
Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her,
ablaze with light from her eternal King,
let all corners of the earth be glad,
knowing an end to gloom and darkness.
Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice,
arrayed with the lightning of his glory,
let this holy building shake with joy,
filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.
(Therefore, dearest friends,
standing in the awesome glory of this holy
light,
invoke with me, I ask you,
the mercy of God almighty,
that he, who has been pleased to number me,
though unworthy, among the Levites,
may pour into me his light unshadowed,
that I may sing this candle’s perfect praises).
(V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.)
V. Lift up your hearts.
R. We lift them up to the Lord.
V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R. It is right and just.
It is truly right and just,
with ardent love of mind and heart
and with devoted service of our voice,
to acclaim our God invisible, the almighty
Father,
and Jesus Christ, our Lord, his Son, his Only
Begotten.
Who for our sake paid Adam’s debt to the
eternal
Father,
and, pouring out his own dear Blood,
wiped clean the record of our ancient
sinfulness.
These, then, are the feasts of Passover,
in which is slain the Lamb, the one true
Lamb,
whose Blood anoints the doorposts of
believers.
This is the night,
when once you led our forebears, Israel’s
children,
from slavery in Egypt
and made them pass dry-shod through the
Red Sea.
This is the night
that with a pillar of fire
banished the darkness of sin.
This is the night
that even now, throughout the world,
sets Christian believers apart from worldly
vices
and from the gloom of sin,
leading them to grace
and joining them to his holy ones.
This is the night,
when Christ broke the prison-bars of death
and rose victorious from the underworld.
Our birth would have been no gain,
had we not been redeemed.
O wonder of your humble care for us!
O love, O charity beyond all telling,
to ransom a slave you gave away your Son!
O truly necessary sin of Adam,
destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!
O happy fault
that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!
O truly blessed night,
worthy alone to know the time and hour
when Christ rose from the underworld!
This is the night
of which it is written:
The night shall be as bright as day,
dazzling is the night for me,
and full of gladness.
The sanctifying power of this night
dispels wickedness, washes faults away,
restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to
mourners,
drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings
down
the mighty.
On this, your night of grace, O holy Father,
accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of your servants’ hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise,
this gift from your most holy Church.
But now we know the praises of this pillar,
which glowing fire ignites for God’s honor,
a fire into many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light,
for it is fed by melting wax,
drawn out by mother bees
to build a torch so precious.
O truly blessed night,
when things of heaven are wed to those of
earth,
and divine to the human.
Therefore, O Lord,
we pray you that this candle,
hallowed to the honor of your name,
may persevere undimmed,
to overcome the darkness of this night.
Receive it as a pleasing fragrance,
and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.
May this flame be found still burning
by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets,
Christ your Son,
who, coming back from death’s domain,
has shed his peaceful light on humanity,
and lives and reigns for ever and ever.
R. Amen.
5
The Saint of the Month St. Bernadette Soubirous April 16th
St. Bernadette was born in Lourdes, France
on January 7, 1844. Her parents were very
poor and she was the first of nine children.
She was baptized at St. Pierre's, the local
parish church, on January 9. As a toddler,
Bernadette contracted cholera and suffered
extreme asthma. Unfortunately, she lived the
rest of her life in poor health.
On Thursday, February 11,
1858, fourteen-year-old
Bernadette was sent with her
younger sister and a friend to
gather firewood, when a very
beautiful lady appeared to her
above a rose bush in a grotto
called Massabielle.
The woman wore blue and white
and smiled at Bernadette before
making the sign of the cross
with a rosary of ivory and gold.
Bernadette fell to her knees,
took out her own rosary and
began to pray. Bernadette later
described the woman as "uo
petito damizelo," meaning "a
small young lady. Though her
sister and friend claimed they
were unable to see her,
Bernadette knew what she saw
was real.
Three days later, Bernadette, her
sister Marie, and other girls
returned to the grotto, where
Bernadette immediately knelt,
saying she could see "aquero"
again. She fell into a trance and
one girl threw holy water at the
niche and another threw a rock
that shattered on the ground. It
was then that the apparition
disappeared.
On February 18, Bernadette said "the vision"
asked her to return to the grotto each day for a
fortnight. With each visit, Bernadette saw the
Virgin Mary and the period of daily visions
became known as "la Quinzaine sacrée,"
meaning "holy fortnight."
When Bernadette began to visit the grotto, her
parents were embarrassed and attempted to
stop her, but were unable to do so. On
February 25, Bernadette claimed to have had
a life-changing vision.
The vision had told her "to drink of the water
of the spring, to wash in it and to eat the herb
that grew there" as an act of penance. The
next day, the grotto's muddy waters had been
cleared and fresh clear water flowed.
On March 2, at the thirteenth of the
apparitions, Bernadette told her family the
lady said "a chapel should be built and a
procession formed."
During her sixteenth vision, which Bernadette
claims to have experienced for over an hour,
was on March 25. Bernadette claimed she had
asked the woman her name, but her question
was only met with a smile. Bernadette asked
again, three more times, and finally the
woman said, "I am the Immaculate
Conception."
Though many townspeople believed she had
indeed been seeing the Holy Virgin,
Bernadette's story created a division in her
town. Many believed she was telling the
truth, while others believed she had a mental
illness and demanded she be put in a mental
asylum. Some believed Bernadette's visions
meant she needed to pray for penance.
Church authorities and the French
government rigorously interviewed the girl,
and by 1862 they confirmed she spoke truth.
Since Bernadette first caused the spring to
produce clean water, 69 cures have been
verified by the Lourdes Medical Bureau, and
after what the Church claimed were
"extremely rigorous scientific and medical
examinations," no one was able to explain
what caused the cures.
The Lourdes Commission that
initially examined Bernadette, ran
an analysis on the water but were
only able to determine it contained
a high mineral content. Bernadette
believed it was faith and prayer that
was responsible for curing the sick.
Bernadette asked the local priest to
build a chapel at the site of her
visions and the Sanctuary of Our
Lady of Lourdes is now one of the
major Catholic pilgrimage sites in
the world. Many other chapels and
churches has been built around it,
including the Basilica of St. Pius X,
which can accommodate 25,000
people and was dedicated by the
future Pope St. John XXIII when he
was the Papal Nuncio to France.
Following the miracles and
constructions, Bernadette decided
she did not like the attention she
was getting and went to the hospice
school run by the Sisters of Charity
of Nevers, where she was taught to
read and write. Though she
considered joining the Carmelites,
her health was too fragile.
On July 29, 1866, Bernadette took
the religious habit of a postulant
and joined the Sisters of Charity at
their motherhouse at Nevers. Her
Mistress of Novices was Sister
Marie Therese Vauzou and the Mother
Superior at the time named her Marie-
Bernarde, in honor of her grandmother.
Bernadette spent the rest of her life there
working as an infirmary assistant, and later a
sacristan. People admired her humility and
spirit of sacrifice. Once a nun asked her if she
had temptations of pride because she was
favored by the Blessed Mother. "How can I?"
she answered quickly. "The Blessed Virgin
(Continued on page 6)
6
chose me only because I was the most
ignorant."
Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with
tuberculosis of the bone in her right knee and
was unable to take part in convent life. She
died in the Sainte Croix (Holy Cross)
Infirmary of the Convent of Saint-Gildard at
the age of 35 on April 16, 1879, while praying
the holy rosary.
Even on her deathbed Bernadette suffered
severe pain and, keeping with the Virgin
Mary's admonition of "Penance, Penance,
Penance," she proclaimed "all this is good for
Heaven!" Bernadette's last words were,
"Blessed Mary, Mother of God, pray for me.
A poor sinner, a poor sinner."
The nuns of Saint-Gildard, with the support of
the bishop of Nevers, applied to the civil
authorities for permission to bury Bernadette's
body in a small chapel dedicated to Saint
Joseph, which was within the confines of the
convent. Permission was granted on April 25,
1879, and on April 30, the local Prefect
pronounced his approval of the choice of the
site for burial. On May 30, 1879, Bernadette's
coffin was transferred to the crypt of the
chapel of Saint Joseph, where a very simple
ceremony was held to commemorate the
event.
Thirty years later, on September 22, two
doctors and a sister of the community
exhumed her body. They claimed the crucifix
and rosary she carried had been oxidized but
her body remained incorrupt. The incorruption
was cited as one of the miracles supporting her
canonization.
In 1925, Bernadette's body was exhumed yet
again. This time relics were sent to Rome and
an imprint of her face was molded, which was
used to create a wax mask to be placed on her
body. There were also imprints of her hands to
be used for the presentation of her body,
which was placed in a gold and crystal
reliquary in the Chapel of Saint Bernadette at
the mother house in Nevers.
Saint Bernadette is often depicted in prayer
with a rosary or appealing to the Holy Virgin.
She was beatified in 1925 and canonized by
Pope Pius XI in December 1933. Saint
Bernadette is the patroness of illness, people
ridiculed for their piety, poverty, shepherds,
shepherdesses, and Lourdes, France.
catholic.org
(Continued from page 5) St. John’s Villa and Local Knights Kick-off Charity Campaign Our Lady of Carroll County Council #15401
Carrollton, Ohio – Apr. 4, 2016 – St. John’s
Villa and Our Lady of Carroll County
Knights of Columbus Council 15401 are
joining hands in 2016 Super Cash Bonanza
Charity Campaign, which they kicked off
with the mailing of 15,940 $5.00 Charity
Tickets. With the purchase of each ticket,
the donor is entered into the drawing for a
piece of the $108,000 in cash prizes, but
most importantly, the Villa gets at least
$2.00 from each ticket to use to further their mission helping the developmentally disa-
bled in Carroll County.
The bible Study group from Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church provided the manpower.
They worked for 3 days to collate the material and stuff the envelopes for the mailing. In
addition to those pictured, the team included, Chris and Rose Rombough, Debbie Lum-
ley, Cynthia Bailey, Linda DeSimone and Cliff Calvert. If you would like to purchase any
tickets to help the St. John’s Villa family, please call Susan DeChiara at 330-627-9789.
The annual drawing, sponsored by the Ohio State Council of the Knights of Columbus
will be held on May 21 at the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. All proceeds go to
charity. It features 25 pr izes ranging from $500 up to a grand pr ize of $49,680, pay-
able at $414 per month for 10 years. Last year’s winner was, Isaac Valle of Defiance,
Ohio.
There is still time for your charitable organization to participate and reap the benefits.
For more information, call Fred Kungl at 330-495-3863 or Dan Hitchcock at 330-324-
7635.
St. John's Villa is committed to living out the healing ministry of Jesus by providing ex-
ceptional and compassionate service that promotes dignity and well-being for the people
they serve, particularly those who are developmentally disabled.
With more than 1.8 million members, the Knights of Columbus is the world's largest
Catholic lay organization. It provides members and families with volunteer opportunities
in service to the Catholic Church, the community, families and young people. Last year,
the knights of Columbus at all levels of the organization raised and distributed $174 mil-
lion to charitable and benevolent causes and rendered 71.5 million hours of volunteer
service. At the local level, Council 15401, currently with 45 members, raised and distrib-
uted $3758 to charitable causes and rendered 2,687 hours of volunteer service.
FIRST CROP OF SUPER CASH BONANZA
RAFFLE TICKETS HARVESTING ON
APRIL 15,
2016!!!
7
Membership Nick Gresko, State Membership Director
Can You Smell Circle of Honor
We are at the home stretch of this fraternal year. Once this article
comes out we will have a little under 3 months left in this fraternal
year ending June 30, 2016 to achieve Circle of Honor as a State with
the 10% bonus, the highest honor a State Council can get from
Supreme Council. We need to bring in 810 members before June 30th
to accomplish this. We are right where we need to be and it has been
7 years since we have achieved this award under past State Deputy
Larry Moegling in the 2008-2009 Fraternal Year. Let’s break this 7
year drought and make this happen this year!!! Below I’m going to
focus on non-recruiting councils, Land of 100 Members, Star Council
requirements, where each council is at and the Form 450C, Form 450
and Form 100’s
I need HELP From Non-Recruiting Councils
Each month I put into my monthly update with all the winners, top
diocese and top councils the following statement, “Remember the
goal is +359 for the month. Inspector Membership knows we can do
it! What are you going to do for April - keep the same from last or go
out pound the pavement helping Team Ohio be #1 again? Will your
diocese make a leap towards being #1? That is all up to you! Well
there is still 76 councils that have done the same thing month after
month since July 1st. Do you know what the same thing they have
done? If you said they have not recruited a new member yet you
would be 100% correct. Our Worthy State Deputy and I need these
councils to jump on board and bring in a new member. If they did
just think what our numbers as a state would look like. A lot of times
getting that first member in is all you need to get a few more
especially if you promote the Shining Armor Award. This
encourages the new members to bring in a new member and if you
make a big deal at your council about it trust me the new members
will come!!! March, April and May with the land of 1000 members
incentive there is not a better time than to bring in a new members
because recruiters and councils all can bring in some serious cash.
The state could give out $10,000 + in these 3 months. This could be
some great extra cash to spend on vacation or make a home
improvement that you have been putting off. I’m hoping that we can
have this list down to less than 35 by June 1st. Below you will find all
of the Councils that have not recruited a new member as of 4/1/2016
(Continued on page 8)
Cincinnati (8 of 82)- 9.76%
Mike Felerski - DMRD
Larry Droesch – State Warden
Mother Seton 3376
Fr. Wm. P. O'Connor 3730
Archbishop Moeller 3861
Msgr. Kuenle 5239
Lasalle 5621
A.J. Schulte 6144
St. Lawrence - Price Hill 14545
Msgr. Robert J. Von Kaenel 15424
Columbus (9 of 71)- 12.68%
George Jones- DMRD
Kevin Miller- State Secretary
Columbus 400
Discovery 1341
Santa Maria 2898
Ascension 4324
Fr Holtzapfel 10284
Saint Elizabeth 11193
Saint Leonard 12641
Holy Trinity 13081
Our Lady of Peace 14282
Cleveland (14 of 72)- 19.44%
Jerry Nowesnick- DMRD
Bob Collins- State Deputy
Painesville 947
Lakewood 2643
Newburgh 2816
Heights 3087
Bishop Hagan 3126
Southeast 3222
Fr. Mahon 3541
Saint Pius X 3822
Medina 4168
Magnificat 4498
John F Kennedy 5506
Fr. Mitchell Cieslik 8369
Fr. Maruskin 10936
St. Cyprian 14714
Steubenville (10 of 26)- 38.46%
Tomm Offenberger- DMRD
Bob Byers- State Treasurer
Bellaire 1246
Mother of God 1421
Fr. Frank Patala 1716
Toronto 2187
Saint. Anthony 2262
Saint Catherine 4590
Saint Mary's 5174
Pieta 5583
Saint Gabriel 11380
Our Lady of Carroll County 15401
Toledo (21 of 69)- 30.43%
Jim Collins-DMRD
Mark Siracusa- State Advocate
Fremont 591
Msgr. Lang 1039
Saint John Neuman 1117
Fostoria 1197
Edgerton 1494
New Washington 1718
Port Clinton 1750
Bryan 1915
Ottoville 2238
Msgr. Leo W Frye 2642
Sacred Heart 2850
Our Lady of Fatima 3564
Blakeslee Fr. Deveaux 3883
Holgate 4790
Montpelier Sacred Heart 5226
Saint Anthony 10299
Saints Francis/Gasper 10749
Saint Aloysius 11287
Saint Jerome’s 11450
Saint Clement 13636
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cathedral 16264
Youngstown (16 of 58)- 27.59%
Mike Jordan- DMRD
Ken Girt-State Deputy
Canton 341
Wellsville 507
Carroll 509
Warren 620
Conneaut 627
Louisville 2530
Newton Falls 3350
Mantua 3766
Fr. Lambert J Andrews 4433
Msgr. Lavelle 4571
Fr. Coan 4658
Saint Peter's 5173
Saint Mary's 5589
Saint Dominic Fenwick 13586
OLPH Aurora 14186
St. James 14491
8
4 MORES: MORE Knights bring MORE hands & hearts, to raise MORE
funds and to evangelize, doing GOD’S good works helping MORE
people in need!
Form 450 and Form 450C is like
GOLD!!!
District Deputies please make sure within
3-7 days of holding a degree in your
District the Form 450 is turned in. Grand
Knights and Financial Secretaries the
Form 450C should be sent in within 3-7
days of doing a degree. This is extremely
important because this allows us to track
if Supreme actually processed your Form
100’s! If you took the time to bring in a
new member the State Membership Team
wants to make sure you get credit for
your hard work and effort.
These can be filled on line now at the
State Website and then it
automatically sends it to who it needs
to go to.
Take advantage of this!!!
Form 100’s
Within 3-7 days of a degree any Form 100’s should be emailed to the Supreme Council at
[email protected] or to [email protected] Supreme is able to process
the Form 100 much quicker this way and you have a receipt that they were sent in your
sent mail. Plus this saves your council the cost of a stamp every time new members are
brought in.
and how your diocese and Council are doing
with one month down in the Land of 1000
Members contest.
Star Council Requirements and How is
Your Council Doing
The Star Council Award is Comprised of the
following 6 items:
Father McGivney Award for membership
growth by June 30th
Founders’ Award for insurance growth by
June 30th
Columbian Award Report Form #SP7 for
well-rounded council service programs and
activities by June 30th
Your council must submit the Annual Survey
of Fraternal Activity (#1728) by January 31st
If not done still turn in and it will count.
The Service Program Personnel Report
(#365) by August 1st If not done still turn in
and it will count.
Remain in good standing with Supreme
Council assessments paid by June 30th
Only requirements numbers 4 and 5 can
be turned in late to Achieve Star Council.
The other ones must be done on the date
given or earlier. How is Your Council
Doing?:
(Continued from page 7)
STATEWIDE TOTALS
78 OF 378 COUNCILS NOT RECRUITING
20.63%
COUNCILS NOT SUBMITTING ANNUAL SURVEY
OF FRATERNAL ACTIVITY
Form 1728:
00360 00400 00554 00620
00627 01272 01411 01716
01747 02661 03126 03350
03891 04498 04533 04590
04658 04790 05621 05834
07491 09804 10765 11354
11828 12756 13081 13379
13586 13636 14342 14491
14545 15036
COUNCILS NOT SUBMITTING SERVICE
PROGRAM PERSONNEL REPORT
Form 365:
00360 00400 00620 00627
01716 02050
02072 02935 03350 03564
03737 03891 04049 04169
04180 04224 04433 04437
04558 04590 04658 04790
05371 05483 05621 05674
05764 05834 06426 08064
09804 10149 10299 11150
11369 11551 11626 11649
11650 12310 12539
13081 13289 13614 14342
14545 14603 15573
9
Mission #10: Calling the IRS!
TO: Great State of Ohio
FROM: Inspector Membership
Worthy Brothers Across the State of Ohio:
Do you have members that are inactive?
Can these members be reactivated, reinstated or
reapply?
Who Are You Going to Call?
THE INTERNAL RETENTION
SERVICE !!!
This is a special division of Inspector
Membership's department that handle the tough
cases. They are out there looking for those
members that want to come back and add to the
service and fellowship that our Order has to
offer.
And...Inspector Membership is making it worth
your wild to help the IRS out. Checkout the
flyer and linked video below for your Mission
with the IRS and continue to help to grow our
Order. To claim to your share of the mission
rewards, the three Form 100s that complete the
mission MUST be, either, emailed or US mail to
the Inspector by April 30, 2016.
New Council ALERT!
Congratulations to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for the latest new council. The latest
council in Ohio is the Wright State University Knights of Columbus. Thank you to
Brothers Frank Carchedi, Mike Felerski and State Warden Larry Droesch for their
hard work and a job well done!
This has been a productive fraternal year thus far. This brings us to six new councils
for the year. We have achieved the Supreme goal, but we’re only half way to our state
goal. Let’s end this fraternal year on an upswing. A new council begins in much the
same way a new Brother Knight does. Someone asks.
If you’re a member of a parish without a council, take a few minutes to ask your pas-
tor if he is aware of the good that Knights are doing in other parishes. Take a few
minutes to tell him what your council is doing in other parishes. Don’t chew his ear
too long – he’s a busy man. Just ask. Not every pastor is interested. Some have men’s
groups that are very involved. Just ask if that group is doing everything he wants and
needs done. If the answer is yes, thank him for his time and move on. If he doesn’t
answer yes, there’s an opportunity there. Contact either your diocesan membership
director or me.
We have done great things thus far this year – don’t stop now.
Ceremonials Ray Darr, State Ceremonial Director
Ceremonials are a very important part of our traditions as Knights of Columbus. They
are the core of our Order. Father McGivney established the first three degrees as a
way of instructing our members in the lessons of Charity, Unity, and Fraternity.
McGivney’s goal was to help members live by the rules of the Catholic Faith. Sched-
uling and Publicizing upcoming degrees is important particularly the Knighthood (1st)
Degree. Use of the State website is one of the best ways to do this. Any member can
access information on degrees as well as other state programs on the state website
(kofcohio.org) with a simple registration process. The tools are there for your bene-
fit. Take advantage of this information for you and your council!
Retention Now, Retention for Life Mike Jordon and Bill Wirtz, Retention Directors
Life of the individual council, as well as the much wider Order, is dependent on
retention of our members; therefore, it is never too late to start those Retention
Program activities. Start with one and ease into the rest. Three of six is all that is
required, but please try them all…it will change life.
All our retention related activities involve personal contact and the impact of that
contact will be felt for years to come. Retention is Fraternity and Fraternity is one of
our four basic principles. Subsequently, retention will certainly extend the life of the
council and may even extend the active “membership” life of the individuals within
the council.
As always we recommend the councils get way out in front of retention by contacting
every member of your council on a regular basis. Retention is separate from the
billing process, so if we wait too long our members may become hard to reach and
even harder to recover. Call them several times a year and let them know they are
needed and important to the mission of the Knights of Columbus. They joined the
Knights to make a difference, so let them.
For questions and assistance contact your Ohio State Council Retention Directors.
10
11
General Programs Bob Walsh, Director
Worthy Brother Knights from Ohio the 2015/2016 State program is almost over, your Council has until April 15 th to turn in your program
for this reporting period and for the program year. If your Council has not reported any programs this year please consider doing so. Alt-
hough the program year is almost over please continue on with doing programs to benefit your council, church and community.
Just a reminder of what you need to max out the State program. The eleven (11) Administration requirements found on page 20 of the
program book. 100 points in the six program areas, 200 points in Membership, and 120 points in retention. Please review your program-
ing, membership, and retention programs. If you have any questions I can be reached at [email protected].
Your Council has worked hard on its programing during the year, why not let Supreme see the results. All that is needed is the SP7 form
filled out and sent to Supreme by June 30th, and you will receive the Columbian Award. You will need to have four (4) programs in each
of six reporting areas. If you did a Supreme featured program to their requirements that would fulfil that requirement.
Check on page 25 of the program book to see the requirement for the “Through Him, With Him, In Him” programing awards. I would
like to see as many of these awards given out as possible.
There are some dates to remember. All programing report due April 20th. Measure Up Checks due June 1st. Due at Supreme by June 30th
Form SP7, RSVP Refund and Plaque Application Form #2683, and Form #2630 Annual Round Table report.
Culture of Life Gary Anderson
It has been most gratifying to see how many councils held World
Marriage Day events in February (Culture of Life Activity #51).
With the ongoing assault on the true essence of marriage as the union
of a man and a woman, the need to stand up in defense of marriage
increases evermore. Thanks to all who held council/parish events
centering around the World Marriage Day celebration on February
14.
As we draw closer to the end of the program year, keep in mind that
the reporting deadline is April 15, not April 30. Many councils are
now in the process of "maxing" the state Culture of Life program,
along with the other programs, and are well on their way to attaining
the Columbian Award (Form SP7 due to Supreme by June 30) and
the prized Star Council Award. Congratulations to those councils for
their hard work and dedication.
One way to "max" a program is to complete a Supreme Council
Featured Program. By completing them exactly as specified by
Supreme, a council can "max" the respective program area for the
Columbian Award. In other words, councils that complete either the
March for Life or Ultrasound Initiative activities exactly as outlined
by Supreme, will thereby "max" the Culture of Life component of
the Columbian Award. Not only that, but they will also "max" the
state Culture of Life program. It is extremely important that the
activities adhere to Supreme's requirements exactly as specified in
order to qualify for the Featured Program status.
We have recently learned that the form Supreme has required to be
completed for the Featured Programs-the Featured Program
Worksheet-is no longer being used. In order to submit for a Featured
Program, that particular activity should be noted on the Columbian
Award application, specifying that the council has met the criteria
for Featured Program status and that it requests that Supreme
consider the council having fulfilled all four of the required activities
for that particular program area (Church, Community, Council,
Culture of Life, Family, Youth).
Church Jeff Kiliany
From the recent reports that I have been seeing, I am sure that
everyone had a very meaningful Lenten experience and a most
Blessed Easter. I really appreciate all of the reporting from
councils across the State of Ohio. Lately I have been seeing a
lot of reports on Religious Devotions during Lent, especially
Rosaries, Corporate Communions, and Stations of the Cross
services.
As men of Faith and part of a CATHOLIC men’s organization,
we should plan activities that stress and nurture our Faith as
Catholic gentlemen. I would like to remind members in the
Cleveland and Youngstown areas that Catholic Man night will
be held in the Youngstown Diocese at Little Flower Parish in
North Canton on April 29th. Dr. Ray Guarendi, who always has
an enjoyable lecture, is the featured speaker. The Catholic
Men’s Fellowship of North East Ohio will hold their conference
April 9th at the Rockside Holiday Inn in Independence. Father
Larry Richards, another interesting and well know speaker is
featured. You can still register at www.cmfneo.com or call 877-
208-5585
The deadline for submitting Chaplain and Religious of the year
nominations has passed. I am still taking In Memoriam submis-
sions from councils who had deceased members in the period
from April 1, 2015 to April 1, 2016. I must receive your form
by May 6th In order to list your members in the Convention list-
ing.
If you have any concerns about receiving credit for all of your
Church Activity reports, please call or email me ASAP. We
want to be sure that all councils who have done the required 5
activities and maxed the Church Program receive the proper
credit. More importantly, we want to be sure that your council
has 4 qualifying Church activities to list on your Supreme Co-
lumbian Award Form #SP7 which will go towards achieving
Star Council.
12
Community Tom Forsthoefel As we head into the month of April spring
has finally come and is all around us. The
time has come for us to clean up what the
winter months have left behind after a long
grueling 3 months. There is the checking on
our spring flowers, putting away our winter
tools of snow shovels and snow blowers.
We will need to check out our deck furniture
and our spring and summer tools as well. It
is a time to assess what our yard and garden
will need for the coming seasons.
Likewise it is a time to assess what our coun-
cil has done for the past 9 months. Has your
council met all of its goals for the fraternal
year? Has your council completed all the
projects you set out to do at your planning
meeting in early to mid-July of 2015? Some
of the councils have had a bang-up year of
helping the less fortunate within the commu-
nity, helping our veterans both near and far,
helping to support the local food pantries
whether with financial help or manpower to
feed those in need. Have you completed all
the projects totally by reporting them to the
state web site as well? It is not too late to
report all the good works and hard work in-
dividuals and groups of council members
have completed. If your council has projects
that will be completed after the final report-
ing period of April 15th, but prior to the close
of the fraternal year of June 30, 2016 you
can still report them. Case in point is your
annual Measure Up Program to help those
that are developmentally handicapped. Even
though your council will not complete the
project until the 1st weekend in May 2016
you can report them now. This as well as any
other council activity can be reported prior to
the actual activity. Go through a final check
list to see if your council is ready to com-
plete the fraternal year. Your council needs
to spring into action to complete their final
push as we enter into the month of April.
Family Stewart Vetter
Last month I asked you guys
to recognize those outstanding
Catholic families by nominat-
ing them for Family of the
Year and WOW did you guys
deliver. I have been inundated
with amazing families. Thank
you brothers for recognizing
all these fantastic Catholic
families and acknowledging
their hard work and commit-
ment to our Holy Church, our
brotherhood, and all the great
communities around the state.
We are closing in on the end of
the program year but there is
still time to finish strong.
So...report early and report
often!! All reports for the state
program MUST be in by 11:59
pm April 15. So what I'm say-
ing is, it's not too late to max.
If you forgot to report your
summer family picnic, report
it. Nobody reported the Christ-
mas party, report it. You are
planning an annual Father's
day breakfast, report it. Just
make sure you get all those
incredible family activities
reported by April 15.
Just a reminder, your council
needs 4 activities in the family
program to qualify for the Co-
lumbian Award and Star
Council. Every council should
be striving for Star Council not
because it makes the state look
good but because it is an indi-
cator of the health of your
council. Everybody wants to
be associated with a winner
and by reaching Star Council
your council joins the ranks of
exceptional councils who are
winning in every way.
Finally, have you made your
reservations for conventions
yet? I'm looking forward to it
and I'm pretty sure my kids
have had their swimsuits
packed for a couple weeks
now. Convention is always a
great time for families espe-
cially at Kalahari. Help out the
Cleveland convention commit-
tee and got those registrations
in early. We always need vol-
unteers to service the vital role
of committee members for the
convention too. It doesn't take
much time and you meet other
great Brother Knights from
around the state. In short, con-
vention is an experience that is
well worth the expense and it's
our only opportunity to com-
plete some of the vital work of
the State Council. Why not
reward an outstanding brother
Knight by sending him as a
delegate to this year's state
convention?
From the Ohio Former Masters Association Ray Darr
Have you submitted a Council Level Patriotic Activity under the State
Community Program Activity #16? We live in the greatest Country
in the World. Patriotism is not just something for the Fourth Degree,
the Patriotic Degree. As Knights of Columbus we all need to show
our community what the Order is about. For many years the Ohio
Former Masters Association has presented an award to the best
Council Level Patriotic Activity in each Diocese with an overall top
winner in the State. Submit your detailed report to the State
Community Director prior to April 15 for consideration. The entries
will be submitted to the Ohio Former Masters for judging.
13
14
Fishy, Fishy In The Lake Do We Fry or Do We Bake? Ah, spring, when a young man’s fancy turns to WALLEYE – or something like
that. This will be your last notice about the upcoming Ohio State Walleye Ex-
travaganza. If you’re coming to the State Convention any way, why not go home
with a cooler of fish? Pass this message to your friends and family, to your fish-
ing buddies, to your kids, to prospective Knights and their families.
May 20 is the day. Sandusky, Ohio is the target. Walleye is the goal. We’ll be fishing aboard the Cleveland II, captained by one of the most
experienced captains on Lake Erie. The day promises to be a great opportunity to share some fraternal good times while pursuing the wily
and elusive Walleye in its native habitat. We will leave the dock at 9:00 sharp and return by 3:00. That gives you plenty of time to get
checked in and registered for the convention and even time for a short nap before Friday night’s festivities.
The cost is $45 per angler. Here is what that gets you:
A day aboard the Cleveland II Rod and reel (if necessary)
Bait Box lunch
Soft drinks Fish cleaning
Fish storage (‘til Sunday)
Here’s what to bring with you
Valid 2016 Ohio Fishing License Sun screen
Hat Boat shoes (tennis shoes)
Cooler to take your fish home Weather appropriate clothing
So, don’t delay. April 15 is coming quickly and this is too good of an opportunity to miss.
Send your registration form along with a check made payable to Cleveland Convention Committee to:
John Brown
212 Boston Lake Drive
Valley City, OH 44280
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to call or email me at: 330-610-0308 or [email protected].
Good fishin’!
You’re Only A Click Away Robert Gilliland
WWW.KOFCOHIO.ORG Is Going Mobile!!!
This month, users with mobile devices will see a mobile friendly version of
the State website.
I will need your help and feedback to make sure
that everyone’s mobile device is able to display the website properly.
Please click on this link to provide feedback on your mobile device.
Please feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have any ques-
tions or trouble with the feedback form.
Thank you.
Robert Gilliland
State Webmaster
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24