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St. Joseph Council #8954

kofc8954.org August 2019 Volume 35, Issue 2

From the Grand Knight Will Quintanilla

Brothers,

July was a bit of a quiet month for our council. I hope you have had an opportunity to travel, spend time with your loved ones, and enjoy the heat.

This month we have a few activities, but we will be hitting Autumn quite hard.

Before you know it, we will be helping the school with their back to school picnic, cooking burgers for the youth, setting up crosses in the courtyard, shuttling parishioners to the abortion clinic, and doing everything we do for the fall festival.

So I hope you’ve enjoyed the relaxation of the summer, and you’re ready to roll your sleeves up this Fall !

Thank you,

Grand Knight Will Quintanilla

Major DegreeSaturday, Aug 10 7 am Our Lady of Angels Allen

K of C #8954 Leadership Mini-Retreat Saturday, Aug 10 9 am TBD

Council Calendar

From our ChaplainFr. Jason Cargo

Brother Knights,

Every August 15, we celebrate the special festival of the Assumption of Mary. We see as one of the main feasts of the Church and ask all Catholics to come to Mass on this day to give honor to the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary. Thus, we call it a Holy Day of Obligation. Below are some questions and answers that you might find helpful:

1. What is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary?The doctrine of the Assumption is defined as the

teaching that “The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory

[Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus 44].

2. Did the Blessed Virgin Mary die?The short answer is probably. We do not hold as

doctrine that Mary did die. In fact in the Eastern Catholic Churches the predominant view is that Mary went to asleep and was assumed into heaven prior to dying. However, the prominent opinion is that if Jesus Christ in his human nature died, then it would be fitting for Mary also to experience death prior to her assumption.

3. What are the earliest surviving references to Mary’s Assumption?

The earliest references to Mary’s assumption occur within the 2nd and 3rd centuries in writings called “The Crossing Over of Mary.” These are not authoritative documents but do show that this belief was widespread in the early church.

4. How can we apply this teaching to our lives?The Blessed Virgin Mary shows us the way and gives

us definite hope for what is to come. Pope Benedict XVI said, “By contemplating Mary in heavenly glory, we understand that the earth is not the definitive homeland for us either, and that if we live with our gaze fixed on eternal goods we will one day share in this same glory and the earth will become more beautiful”

(General Audience, August 16, 2006).

This month, lets reaffirm our commitment to praying the rosaries that we keep in our pockets.

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Fr. Michael McGivney’s BirthdayMonday, Aug 12

Feast of the Assumption of MaryThursday, Aug 15(Holy Day of Obligation)

VA Hospital Visit & BingoWednesday, Aug 21 5:30 pm Meet at Flagpole (Depart at 6:00 pm)

Special Olympics Aquatics CompetitionSaturday, Aug 24 8 am Rockwall ISD Aquatic Center

Marian Prayer Service Our Lady Help of Persecuted ChristiansSaturday, Aug 24 3 pm SanctuaryIce Cream Social to follow Dining Hall(

Labor DayMonday, Sept 2

Leadership Meeting Tuesday, Sept 3 6:30 pm TBD

Business MeetingThursday, Sept 5 7:30 pm Upper Room

4th Degree ExemplificationSaturday, Sept 7 8 am St. Anthony CC Wylie

Back to School Cookout for Youth Sunday, Sept 8 6 pm Parking Lot

ACTS RetreatThursday, Sept 12 -Sunday, Sept 15

K of C & Women’s Guild Bingo NightSaturday, Sept 14 7 pm Cafeteria

VA Hospital Visit & BingoWednesday, Sept 18 5:30 pm Meet at Flagpole

Hike for LifeSaturday, Sept 21 8 am John Paul II HS

Leadership Meeting Tuesday, Oct 1 6:30 pm TBD

Business MeetingThursday, Oct 3 7:30 pm Upper Room

Take a Stand for Life Sunday, Oct 13 All day Greenville Rd Abortion Clinic

Council Calendar cont’d

Sally Montemerro Patti Kromback Phyllis Tooley Kristi Lyons

Shane TurnerAngela BieraMark UngerRudy CarilloDavid DalePaul BrayIkechukwu ChiazorCurtis SwintTheresa DillonJohn ProcsalTawanna BellDon EagleKaren DehlerLaurent DavidJim NorrisEmil Bolcik

Pray for the Sick and Distressed

Joe Horan David Horan Bridget Horan Nancy Perry Norma Basit Janet Stevens Caitlyn Stevens Steve Ducote Viviennee Ducote Simone Ducote Rick Nelson Pat Hansen June Hansen Kathy Zonk Wes Miller Gary Olson Peter Genera Johnson Family in SC

Please remember them in your prayers

Recorder’s Report

Business Meeting Recap

Community: Program Director - Joe Unger

SPECIAL OLYMPICS AQUATICS COMPETITION

Volunteers Needed

The Dallas Diocesan Knights of Columbus will host the competition on Saturday, August 24 at the Rockwall ISD Aquatic Center. There are two shifts:

Shift 1: 8 am - 12:30 pm Shift 2: 12 pm - 5 pm

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Knights and their spouses, children and friends will assist Mr. Dwayne Lovell in awarding the medals and ribbons to each of the athletes. Assisting the athletes of the Special Olympics is entertaining, worthwhile and a very rewarding experience.

For any questions or to sign up to volunteer, please contact Brother John James at 972-589-1130 or johnrjame3321@outlook.com or the Diocesan Coordinator for Special Olympics, Phil Coup at 972-966-3773 or philcoup1@gmail.com .

Safe Environment cleared Knights are needed; if not cleared, volunteers will be paired with others that have been cleared.

Thanks in advance from all Special Olympic athletes.

NUNS OF ST. JOSEPH

Last year, at the request of Fr. Jason, several Knights from Council #8954, led by GK John James, along with Brother Rafael Rivera from St. Thomas Aquinas Council #11937, converted the garage at Nuns of St. Joseph’s house into a chapel.

Our next project for the Nuns will be to build a stone paver patio. Brother Johnny Tejada will lead the work while Brother Milton Catalina has developed a cost estimate. Donations for the patio will be collected via ‘Pass the Hat’ at our next business meeting with a goal of $1000!

If you are unable to attend the next meeting and would like to donate, please contact Brother Joe Unger at 214-870-8512 or ungerjoseph604@ gmail.com .

Faith: Program Director - Brian Tooley

1st SATURDAY MASS

Please remember that our council prays the Rosary after the 8 am Mass each 1st Saturday of the month. Brother Derek Storey places the Our Lady of Fatima figurine and leads the prayers. Please join us to demonstrate our Council’s devotion to Mary. Brothers also gather for breakfast afterward.

MARIAN PRAYER PROGRAMOUR LADY HELP OF PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS

Since its inception in 1979, the Knights of Columbus’ Marian Prayer Program has held more than 166,900 local council and parish prayer services with some 20 million participants.

Please plan on attending the Marian Prayer Service on Saturday, August 24, 2019 at 3 pm for a special devotion to Our Lady and pray for our brothers and sisters of faith who are at risk around the world. The program is intended to raise awareness of the plight of Christians persecuted for their faith and to stand in prayerful solidarity with them. An Ice Cream Social will follow the service.

Thanks to Brother Kevin Daigrepont for taking over the Rosary Program. Please watch for updates and participate when possible.

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As Knights of Columbus, we are asked to keep our Rosary with us always and pray it often.

Please bring your families, and remind your friends, to come to mass early each last weekend and join the Knights of Columbus in this devotion to

Our Lady, Mary – the Mother of God, Mother of Mercy and Queen of Heaven.

If you would like to join the Rosary Program team, please contact Brother Kevin Daigrepont at 214-202-8138 or daigrepont2001@sbcglobal.net (Note: additional Spanish speakers needed)

Left:

Brother Kevin Daigrepont leads the Rosary before 5 pm Mass on July 27, 2019.

Right:

Brother Bill Button recites the 3rd Glorious Mystery

during Rosary Prayers before 7:30 am Mass on

July 28, 2019.

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Family: Program Director - TBD

The Council is in need of a Director for the Family Program. Currently, our GK is filling this role.

Some of the initiatives of the Family Program are:

● Consecration to the Holy Family● Family Fully Alive● Family Prayer Night● Keep Christ in Christmas

To learn about the Family Program, visit www.kofc.org and click on Programs, then Family.

If you are interested in leading this program, contact Grand Knight Will Quintanilla.

BACK TO SCHOOL COOKOUT

Please plan on joining Brother Knights to cook hamburgers and hot dogs for the Youth as they return to school on Sunday, September 8. More info will be sent as the date approaches.

INTO THE BREACH

Into the Breach is a call to battle for Catholic men which urges them to wholeheartedly embrace masculine virtues in a world at crisis, based upon the apostolic exhortation of Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted.

Brother Johnny Tejada will lead a series of prayer discussions, likely to kickoff in October. For more info or to participate, contact Johnny at 469-628-6105 or jtejada314@gmail.com .

Life: Program Director - Don Delorenz

CROSSES FOR LIFE

Our council will be installing our cross display in the courtyard on Thursday September 19. Please contact Brother Bob Procsal procsal@tx.rr.com for more information or if you would like to help.

HIKE FOR LIFE

On Saturday, September 21 Brothers and their families are encouraged to participate in the 5K Annual Hike for Life at John Paul II High School in Plano.

The hike raises money for area pregnancy resource centers and awareness of the dignity of all human life from conception to natural death. Fr. Jason will be the keynote speaker and there will be a St. Joseph team!

Registration starts at 8 am with the hike beginning at 9 am.

For more info or to sign up, please contact Brother Isaac Sandoval at 214-733-7465 or at isaac.sandoval@verizon.net .

TAKE A STAND FOR LIFE

St. Joseph’s assigned day to pray and witness during this year’s 40 Days for Life campaign is Sunday, October 13 from midnight to midnight.

You and your family can protect mothers and children by joining this worldwide mobilization to pray and fast for an end to abortion! Through prayer and fasting, peaceful vigils and community outreach, 40 Days for Life has inspired 1,000,000 volunteers!

With God’s help, here are the proven results in 24 coordinated campaigns:

● 16,004 babies saved from abortion● 190 abortion workers converted● 100 abortion centers closed

Please make every effort to join your fellow parishioners on Sunday October 13 in prayer on the public right-of-way outside the Southwestern

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abortion facility, 8616 Greenville Ave in Dallas (near Royal Lane)(about a 20 minute drive from St. Joseph’s in Sunday traffic).

For those who prefer not to drive, a Knights of Columbus’ sponsored free shuttle service will leave the main parking lot 10 minutes after the end of each Sunday Mass. Shuttles will leave the clinic for the return trip about an hour after they arrive. We need volunteers to stand vigil throughout the entire 24 hour period and to help shuttle parishioners to and from the site.

Stay tuned for more information or contact Brother Don DeLorenz at 972-672-6633 or at don.delorenz@yahoo.com .

Vivat Jesus!Viva Cristo Rey!

District Deputy’s Report

The Knights of Columbus is not a parish ministry. This is a startling fact to some. Yes, in Texas we intentionally align Councils with parishes and yes, the Supreme Council is pushing for Councils to align that way in all jurisdictions and yes, this can cause confusion as to what the KofC really is.

Because our members are passionate about supporting their parishes and their priests important aspects of the KofC are often misunderstood or not known. In this vein, here is a summary of important facts every Knight should know.

INSURANCE

The Venerable Father Michael McGivney founded the Order explicitly as a “lay organization, the goal of which would be to prevent Catholic men from entering secret societies whose membership was antithetical to Church teaching, to unite men of Catholic faith and to provide for the families of deceased members.”

The KofC was founded to provide life insurance for members. Too often members are heard uttering a variant of “all the Knights want to do is sell

insurance”. That is not all the Knights want to do although it is at the core of what we do.

In 2018, Knights of Columbus donated more than $185,000,000 to charity. In the last decade over $1 billion has been donated to charity by the Knights of Columbus.

The truth is our insurance program is why we were founded and is the engine that fuels our charitable giving.

Approximately 38% of members have life insurance, long term care, disability insurance or an annuity with the Knights. Just imagine what we could do if that number were higher!

Yes, the KofC does want to insure members.

MEMBERSHIP

The Knights of Columbus is the largest Catholic Fraternal Organization in the world. As of June 30, 2019 total membership stands at 1,989,016 with Texas accounting for approximately 108,000 members.

Pretty good numbers, right? Maybe, because another often heard utterance is “you can’t drop members therefore the numbers just grow unchecked”. Not so. There is a proscribed process that must be rigidly adhered to before a member can be dropped. The process is based on doing everything possible to retain members before dropping them. If the process is followed, members can be dropped from your roles. I hear from other District Deputies and other State Leaders every year stories of Councils trying to drop members and not doing it the proper way. This is where stories are heard about Councils trying to drop the 99 year old who has been a member for sixty years because he hadn’t paid dues in two years (he was in assisted living but the Council didn’t keep up with him), the member who had been deceased for five years, but again the Council didn’t keep up with him, or the Council who turned in a list of drops which

included their Financial Secretary.

So, take another look at the membership totals from the Supreme Secretary’s report. In the 2018-2019 fraternal year Order wide membership grew by 80,759. However, 19,994 members were suspended (dropped), 8,428 withdrew, 29,768 died and there were 1,138 miscellaneous deductions. Net membership gain was 21,434.

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In Texas 3,829 new Knights were recruited and 1,936 were dropped (does not include deaths). Texas net gain was 1,893. In the Dallas diocese 564 new Knights were recruited and 212 were dropped (does not include deaths) for a net increase of 352. In this District which includes, St. Joseph’s in Richardson, Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Garland, St. Michael’s in Garland and Our Lady of the Lake in Rockwall there were 51 new members, ten drops and one withdrawal. One hundred percent of the members a Council asked to drop were approved.

eMEMBERSHIPObviously if the Order is going to continue to grow and thrive membership recruitment is going to have to increase. One big way Supreme has chosen to address this is eMembership. This is the process by which a man can join on line. When doing so he has a choice of selecting a Council to become a member of or remain in the State ‘at-large’ Council.

The process is designed such that if he goes into the State ‘at-large’ Council, the Insurance General Agent is notified and he sends a Field Agent to meet the man, make sure he is who he says he is and to explain more about the Knights. And yes, if he is eligible, to “sell him insurance”. Remember, Father McGivney’s vision was to provide insurance to Catholic men.

If the man chooses a Council, the Grand Knight and District Deputy are notified. The Grand Knight should have his membership director go meet the man, interview him, and present his application for membership to the Council to be voted on and get him to an Admissions Degree.

When a man joins via eMembership he is sent a Blue membership card and is allowed to attend Council meetings as long as degree work is not being discussed – this is the rule given by Supreme. If a man shows up to a Council meeting showing a Blue membership card and you don’t know him it would be a good idea to quickly learn more about him.

So, how is eMembership working? Since its launch January 16, 2018 through June 30, 2019 Texas had 747 men join on line with an average age of 44. 33% have joined a local council. In the same time frame over 1,900 joined Order wide. Fifty five percent were referred by a

member of the Knights. Forty five percent came from on line marketing or other sources.

It has been made clear that this is the future direction. At the State kickoff meeting in July the talk from the Top was Form 100’s will be going away. State Leadership definitely wants Councils to use eMembership to sign up new members instead of using Form 100’s.

SUMMARYBrothers, each of you joined the Knights of Columbus for your own reason. As in any organization there are things each like and don’t like.

Please embrace the vision of Father McGivney to protect Catholic families, continue to be in the words of Saint John Paul II “The Strong Right Arm of the Catholic Church”, grow and promote the Order and have fun along the way.

Vivat Jesus!

Kevin QuinnDistrict Deputy 103

Field Agent’s Report

Each August we look forward to the Supreme Convention and all the news about the prior FraternalYear. This year is no different.

Although this message has been prepared prior to the convention, here are some predictions:

● The Order will set a new record in the amount of money we donated to charities.

● The Order will set a new record in the number of hours volunteered.

We already know that our insurance program had another record year ending in December 2018; 18 consecutive years of growth! (And congratulations to the many of you who protected your families last year and helped set that record!)

● We will have given a substantial amount of money to Pope Francis from the Vicarius Christi fund.

● Our Asset Advisors will have more dollars under management; managed, of course using the investment guidelines from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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● We will add to our surplus, which means our strength to pay claims and weather poor economic times will improve.

I predict that the Supreme Knight will report that the Order will have provided more money to rebuild homes for persecuted Christians in the Middle East. Donated more money to disaster relief in the wake of hurricanes, flooding and typhoons. Placed more ultrasound machines in service to save lives. Given more support for religious freedom.

This organization, started by a simple, humble parish priest with men at St. Mary’s Parish in New Haven, Connecticut in 1882, has grown to spectacular heights. All of these efforts and worthwhile projects are a source of pride for us members!

But here’s the reality: For the Catholic folks in this council and in these parishes here—you, my brother knights…you, are the Knights of Columbus. When locals think about the Knights, they may havesome general notion about all these good works we do and the Order’s amazing impact around the world. But to the local parish and the community, you represent all that is good in this Order. When you are volunteering at a Special Olympics event, when you are visiting the sick, helping your pastor, handing out coats for kids, selling Tootsie Rolls, raising money for a charitable cause right here in your own backyard—this is what people see, they see you; to them you are what it means to be a Knight of Columbus. When you lead with faith, protect your family, serve others and defend your values, you are a witness inspired by our founding principles.

Congratulations on another record-breaking fraternal year! I look forward to helping protect your families and reaching Star Council this next fraternal year!

Vivat Jesus!

Charlie Minjares

FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION

August 15th

For the Good of the Order byLecturer, Brother Ken Ducote

The Feast of the Assumption, a holy day of obligation, is the feast celebrating Mary being taken up to Heaven, body and soul.

A month ago, I visited Jerusalem with my granddaughter Danielle, and one of the sites we visited was the Church of the Dormition, dormition meaning “falling asleep.” It is the site identified in Christian tradition where the Virgin Mary died or fell asleep as the name suggests. and was taken into Heaven after her death. The church sits on the hill of Mt. Zion, the highest point in ancient Jerusalem.

The land on which the church stands was given in 1898 by the Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid II to Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, who presented it to the Catholic Church. The church was completed in1910.

It’s interesting to note that two cities, Jerusalem and Ephesus in Turkey, claim to be the place where the Virgin Mary died. The Ephesus claim rests in part to the Gospel account that Christ on His cross entrusted the care of Mary to St. John, who later went to Ephesus. But the earliest traditions and writings all locate the end of Mary’s life in Jerusalem, where the Tomb of Mary is venerated. Accounts of Mary’s death appear in early sources such as apocryphal books and early documents written within the church in Jerusalem during the 2nd century and composed for liturgical use at the Tomb of Our Lady.

The belief that the Blessed Virgin Mary was bodily assumed into Heaven is mentioned in those books and is also authenticated in sermons by Eastern saints such as St, Andrew of Crete and St. John of Damascus. The feast day was made a public holiday in England by King Alfred the Great in the 9th century. The Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God on August 15th, the same day the Catholic Church and some Protestant faiths celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. The Feast of the Assumption was defined as a doctrine of the Catholic Church by Pope Pius XII in 1950.

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Road to Sainthood

The Venerable Michael J. McGivney

Michael J. McGivney was born in Waterbury Connecticut on August 12, 1852 to Irish immigrant parents Patrick and Mary McGivney. He was the eldest of 13 children, six of whom died in childbirth. Michael left school at the age of 13 to work in the brass mills and at the age of 16 he entered the Seminary in Quebec. He continued his studies in several seminaries including the Jesuit’s at St. Mary’s in Quebec. He returned home after his father’s death to help finish raising his siblings but resumed his studies and was ordained a priest in 1877.

McGivney recognized the devastating effect of death on immigrant families and while an assistant pastor at St. Mary’s in New Haven Connecticut, he founded the Knights of Columbus with a small group of parishioners as a mutual aid society to provide financial assistance to widows and orphans. The organization developed into a fraternal society.

McGivney worked tirelessly with the parishioners and he died from pneumonia on the eve of the Assumption on August 14, 1890. He was 38 years old. The Knights of Columbus today has almost 2 million members in over 15,000 councils. In 2017 the Knights donated almost $200 million to charity. In 1996 the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford opened the caused for canonization.

On March 15, 2008 Pope Benedict XVI approved a decree recognizing McGivney’s heroic virtue, thus declaring him “Venerable”. As of August 6, 2013 (Lots of August events in his life!) a miracle attributed to McGivney’s intercession is under review by the Vatican. He has many churches and schools named in his honor.

Fourth Degree Report

St. Joseph’s Council Leads March into the Fourth Degree

At the September 7th Exemplification ceremony, at least 8 or 9 members of our Council 8954 will be initiated into the highest level of membership of the Knights of Columbus…..the Fourth Degree. This is an AMAZING accomplishment for our Council. Thanks to the support of our St. Joseph members, we will have the largest number of Knights in our Assembly represented to enter this wonderful Patriotic Degree. Thank you!

There is still time for you to join this initiation on September 7th. Please call Ken Myres (214-912-5725) or email him at ken.myres@gmail.com or call Oliver Iheme at 214-738-2884 or email him at chika_iheme@yahoo.com. The only requirement for joining the Fourth Degree is that you be a member in good standing of the Third Degree. There is no interview or other requirement…..Very easy for you to join and I guarantee you will enjoy the joy and recognition of this wonderful brotherhood in your Knights of Columbus “journey”.

If you cannot attend the September 7th ceremony, there will be another Fourth Degree

ceremony on October 19th which you can join. Thank you!

Worthy ChancellorSK Ken Myres

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Business Meeting Recap cont’d

Recorder, Brother Derek Storey noted Fr. Jason’s remarks at the meeting:

“We are men of Faith and Light. Please remember that during this upcoming political season, we are Catholic men of God - First.”

Knight of the Month recipients were:

May Brother Manuel Villela

June Brother Joe Unger

July Brother Ojas Inimar

Family of the Month recipients were:

May The Milton Catalina Jr, Family

June The Don Delorenz Family

50/50 Drawing: Brother Art Perez

$100 Member Drawing: Msgr. Don Fischer (must be present to win) (not present)

Miscellaneous News & Info

Did You Know: 23 Brothers have August birthdays (see Calendar on website; Click on ‘Show Birthdays’)

A Leadership mini-retreat will be on Saturday, Aug 10

at 9 am (after 1st Saturday Mass) to plan the next fraternal year. All are invited to attend.

Officer’s Meetings: 1st Tues of each month at 6:30 pm (room varies)

Business Meetings: 1st Thur of each month at 7:30 pm (Upper room)

COUNCIL #8954 NAME BADGES

Our Grand Knight has called on us to spread our service and our love out to the parish. One way to do this is for all Council #8954 Knights to wear their name badges to Masses each week, as well as to other council and parish events.

To foster this initiative the council is paying for one new badge (additional badges can be purchased by a member for $10.27). Name badges for the following Brothers have been ordered, received and are available for pick up:

Socrates Costa David GuerreroWalter Olieh Robert P. MaugaJohn R. Martinez Emmanuel C. Anih Matthew Wilson Ikechukwu ChaizorJohn J. Felderhoff Jesus Martinez-Arenas

SK Terry M. Thompson SK Sam l. DeneaultSK Leroy P. Brunner SK Daniel P. Dunn

If you have not yet ordered a new badge, please attend the next business meeting or contact the GK or myself. If you are a Knight in the 4th Degree at the time of order, your name badge will have SK (Sir Knight). If not, once you have obtain the 4th Degree, your assembly will provide a new name badge.

Vivat Jesus!SK Isaac Sandoval, Jr.Financial Secretary

Left:Brother Manuel Villela

receives Knight of the Month

award with GK Will Quintanilla and

Fr. Jason.

Right:Brother Joe Unger

receives Knight of the Month

award with GK Will Quintanilla and

Fr. Jason.

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Council #8954 Officers2019 - 2020

Grand Knight Will Quintanilla 214-458-0894 will.quintanilla@gmail.com Deputy Grand Knight Art Perez 469-269-7717 art.perez0718@gmail.com Chaplain Fr. Jason Cargo 972-971-7884 jcargo@stjosephcc.net Chancellor Ken Myres 214-912-5725 ken.myres@gmail.com Recorder Derek Storey 214-693-3643 dtstorey@garlandisd.net Treasurer Harold Hansen 214-674-5567 pnhhansen@yahoo.com Financial Secretary Isaac Sandoval 214-733-7465 isaac.sandoval@verizon.net Advocate Eric Lagneaux 337-263-1839 elagneaux29@yahoo.com Warden Manuel Villela 214-755-4725 msrollfactory@hotmail.comInside Guard Randall Smith 469-834-2364 smith.randallf@gmail.com Outside Guard Oliver Iheme 214-738-2884 chika_iheme@yahoo.com Lecturer Ken Ducote 972-414-7850 kenjun@aol.com 3 Year Trustee John James 972-589-1130 johnrjame3321@outlook.com 2 Year Trustee Don Delorenz 972-672-6633 don.delorenz@yahoo.com 1 Year Trustee Steve Snyder 972-496-4111 steve@visualapp.com

District Deputy Kevin Quinn 214-578-2662 kevin@thequinns.us Field Agent Charlie Minjares 214-642-3846 charlie.minjares@kofc.org

Why the motto Vivat Jesus'?

An article from the Knights of Columbus St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center Council #14987

Vivat Jesus - a greeting used between Knights

The phrase Vivat Jesus comes from the book , "With God's Help- Memoirs of Bishop Charles P. Greco”.

In the file, per Supreme Knight Virgil Dechant, Vivat Jesus was introduced around 1980 during the revision of the Ceremonials of the Order (1977-1978) as a method of greeting another Knight. It came from Bishop Greco's motto.

After a thorough search through the archives of Columbia Magazine we found on page 10 of the October 1978 edition of Columbia an article titled “Portrait of a Prayer: Vivat Jesus”, we found the following paragraphs:

The underlying theme Vivat Jesus of the 96th annual meeting of the Supreme Council in New Orleans made clear that the activities and programs carried on by the Knights of Columbus must be inspired and nourished by the Catholic faith.

This message was stressed emphatically by Supreme Knight Virgil C. Dechant in his report to the delegates and in his brief address at the States Dinner. It was underlined in the greetings sent to the delegates by Jean Cardinal Villot, writing as the Secretary of State for the late Pope Paul VI. It also comprised the substance of the message received from Archbishop Jean Jadot, apostolic delegate in the United States.

It recurred repeatedly in the homily delivered by Archbishop Philip M. Hannan at the opening concelebrated Mass and in the address of Bishop Charles P. Greco, supreme chaplain, at the States Dinner.

The theme received eloquent expression from Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux of Houma-Thibodaux as he spoke at the family hour of prayer during the Wednesday afternoon open session . The well-attended religious ceremony-an innovation at this year's convention-by itself dramatized the spiritual bedrock which supports all the projects and programs of the Order.

Dechant accented the spiritual motif in the first few words of his annual report by asking all the delegates to join him in placing the Order and his administration under the special protection of the Blessed Mother and by dedicating the convention to the theme Vivat Jesus (Long lives Jesus). The motto graces the episcopal shield of Bishop Greco.

Basically, these few paragraphs are saying that 1978 Supreme Convention's theme was Vivat Jesus; this was the Knights of Columbus' first official use of the phrase. The phrase has passed around from one place to another, and now is used all across the world as a universal greeting of the Knights of Columbus. The phrase is often used at the beginning or end of someone’s remarks. The response is always, Vivat Jesus!

Acknowledgement: Special thanks to the following pepole in their assistance in gathering this information: Kyle Gallien (College Council Associate, Knights of Columbus Supreme office), Alton Pelowski (Managing Editor of Columbia Magazine), Susan Brosnan (Archivist for the Knights of Columbus Supreme office) and Patrick Korten (Senior Vice President of Communications, Knights of Columbus Supreme office).

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For more information or to register, contact:

● Brother Don Delorenz 972-672-6633

● Brother Johnny Tejada 469-628-6105

Parable of the Prodigal Son

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is the theme of this year’s retreat. We pray that the Holy Spirit will especially act through this retreat to:

● Bring men whose faith and/or practice is weak to a greater relationship with God;

● Strengthen young men in their faith so that they can and/or will be better husbands and fathers; and

● Encourage men to attend with brothers, sons and fathers to spend time together and deepen their relationships with one another

The retreat begins on Thursday evening, September 12th with check-in at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Participants will be transported to and from the retreat center for the weekend. The retreat concludes at the 12:15 pm Mass at St. Joseph’s on Sunday, September 15th.

A reception for the retreatants, families and friends will follow Mass.

Take The Adventure!