TheLancer
“Strong in Faith and Service”
June 2014
The Monthly Newsletter of the Knights of Columbus
St. John the Baptist Council No. 10232
P.O. Box 252
Madison, AL 35758
Website:
Grand Knight’s Message
Dear Faithful Brother Knights and Families:
It is hard to believe we have reached the end of anther Fraternal Year.I would like to thank all of the Brothers who have helped me through the year. It is easy to call out the men we see regularly at our events, helping out in whatever way is needed. However, it is just as important for me to thank our Brothers who may not always be able to be physically present with us. Most of us have experienced times in our lives when we just couldn’t dedicate much timeto the Order, due to family or work obligations or health reasons. However, even in such times, we remained valuable members of the Order and I am convinced that your prayers are a primary reason for the continued success of our council. In fact, prayers from our Brother Knights are one of the greatest benefits of membershipin our Order, and one that we should all cherish. A special thank you to all of our members who take the time to maintain their membership in the council and who take the time to keep our Council in their prayers.
As in all things, God’s ultimate purpose for us is to grow more and more into the image of His Son. We must continue to embrace all of the challenges that come our way because all challenges come with both a purpose and a reward. Challenges develop character, struggles endured as a result of our challenges produces perseverance and character, which produce the man of virtue and faith. Our council has a great uniting power: it both discovers and creates relationships among us, binding us with the bonds of true fraternity. I welcome you to continue this journey of discovery supported by your brothers.
This past month two of our brothers, Ed Blancarte and Travis Bailey lost 2 very special people in their lives – their fathers.
Ed’s father, Manuel Blancarte passed away peacefully on May 1st in his home. I hope all of your had a chance to go and read his obituary as I was struck by the beauty of a life well lived, and by these words, “Manuel worked hard to provide for the needs of his family, he never faltered. So for the next 50 plus years with his faithful and loving wife at his side he raised a family, experienced joy and pain, sickness and health, good times and bad, but never did their faith in God or their love for each other and their family waver.” Manual was a 4th Degree Knight and a 54-year parishioner of St. Patrick Catholic Church.
Travis’s father, Jerry Bailey, passed away peacefully in his sleep on June 1st. Travis called me on his way to Houston on Monday to tell me the news. I must say that I was struck by the calmness of his voice and the quiet strength in his words as he spoke about his father’s passing. About a month ago, Travis sent me an email apprising me of his father’s condition and how time was limited and mentioned that his father wanted to have as much quality of life so that he could enjoy what time he had left with family and friends.
I will let you draw your own conclusions from these two stories, but what I take away is love. They serve to remind us of how the most important things in life are family and friends. May they and all of our loved ones who have gone before rest in peace.
The council welcomes our newest Brother Knights, Andy Haq and Wesley Robeckin a special way. Both joined the council in an exemplification held in May and in honor of St. John Paul II. Also a very special welcome to our newest 4th Degree Knights, SK Philip Lewis, SK Gary Suckow, and SK Chris Major.
In other good news, Brother Chris Green will be entering the seminary this August. He will be attending the Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. Togetherwith our prayers, financial and spiritual support coupled with Chris’s hard work, he will do well in the seminary and will one day return a priest in our diocese. Our councilwill continue to pray to Our Lady, who submitted her entire being to that of her Son, that he may be successful in his journey ahead.
We will be holding the election of officers during our meeting. I am confident that all who choose to serve our council will do so with love, generosity, and vigor to benefit us all.
Finally, I would like to thank my wife for her support. I would not be able to dedicate my time or efforts to the Council were it not for my wife’s understanding. I can’t say enough to thank her for this great gift.
Fraternally,
Danny Garcia
Important Council Announcements
- Bunco, Sunday June 8th, Church Basement
The June Bunco game will occur on Sunday June 8th beginning at 6:30pm. Bunco is a fun dice game for adults, which permits fun adult fellowship. No skill is required, only $5 a person and a covered dish to share.
- Council 10232 Fraternal Meeting Scheduled for June 19th at 7:30pm.
- Knight Alert Letters To Be Mailed. The council is ready to mail Knight Alert Letters to all members who have not paid their dues for the fraternal year. Failure to pay your dues will result in the start of suspension procedures for all delinquent members. Please contact the Grand Knight or Financial Secretary if you are facing financial or medical hardships as a waiver can be arranged.
Council 10232 Service Activities
Church Activities
Council Prayers for Priests Team Being Formed
The purpose of this program is to pray for our priests by name on a daily basis for his priestly intentions andhis personal sanctification. This is accomplished through a team concept. When a priest is selected, a TeamLeader is identified to recruit six other team members thus forming a seven-member team. Each Team Member attends Mass on his designated day of the week, recites at least one decade of the Holy Rosary daily, also recites the Chaplet of Divine Mercy daily, and says the Daily Commitment Prayer daily. Participation in this program is not restricted to members of the Knights of Columbus, but would be open for participation to any Catholic desiring toparticipate. I hope you will offer your full support to this program and will be an active participant. Please contact Brother Joe McCarty to volunteer at .
Baccalaureate Sunday A Success!
Thanks to all of the men who showed up to help with another successful breakfast in honor of the graduates form our parish and their families. It was our 20th year of co-sponsoring this event. Two scholarships were awarded by the council to deserving high school students.
Parish Picnic June 22nd
St. John’s will conduct a parish wide picnic on Sunday evening after the 5:30pm Mass. The St. John the Baptist statue will be dedicated and a picnic will immediately follow. The council has been asked to undertake this important event for the parish and many volunteers will be needed in order to make this a success. A separate email will be sent to the council with details on the event. However, please put this on your schedule of upcoming activities.
Council Activities
Council Membership Recruitment Opportunities
We are currently working towards meeting our membership quota of 17 eligible men into the council this fraternal year. Please encourage eligible practical men to join the council. It is imperative that we make itour business to offer every eligible man at St. John’s the opportunity of brotherhood in our council.
Council Provides Seminarian Support
The council is planning on providing a $500 stipend to Jonathan Howell, a seminarian from the Diocese of Birmingham studying at the Josephinum Seminary in Columbus Ohio.
Knights of Columbus/Red Cross Blood Drive June 21st
This important event will be held on June 21stat the church. The blood drive runs from 9:30am to 2:30pm. Please recall the importance of blood donations that could one day save your life. From organ transplants to heart surgeries; today’s advanced medical care relies on blood transfusions.When one person donates a unit of blood, it can be separated into individual components to save multiple lives.
Council Apparel Being Ordered
The council is once again taking orders for shirts and caps. It is not to late to place an order. Though the cutoff will be at Thursday’s meeting. Please contact Danny Garcia if you would like to place an order for a shirt or cap.
Refreshment Dues Are Being Collected
The council is collecting annual refreshment dues. Recall that when we ordered the beer mugs we collected $40 from those members that wanted to participate. The $40 got you an engraved mug and paid for a year’ supply of beer. Well its time to collect for the coming year. If you already have a mug the dues will be $20 for the year. It is important that we collect these dues in order to pay for the privilege of keeping the beer flowing. For those wanting mug, the cost is $40 which includes a year of beer. Please let me know if you would like a mug by sending me an email at and we can order you a mug.
Youth Activities
Council Academic Scholarships
Council 10232 once again offered scholarships to graduating St. John’s 8th graders to Catholic High and to graduating high school seniors. The council awarded four $500 scholarships in total this past year.
Pro-Life Activities
2nd and 4thSaturday Rosary at Huntsville Abortion Clinic
The council is actively supporting the Rosaries being led by Father Alan Mackey at the abortion clinic located on Madison Street in Huntsville at 9:00am on each Saturday of the month. We have had a tremendous response thus far and would like to encourage all knights to turn out to support this event. Anyone wishing to attend can meet in the lower parking lot at 8:00am and carpool down with brother Juan Benjamin.
Council 10232 Meeting Minutes For May 1, 2014
Opening:
Grand Knight Danny Garcia called the Knights of Columbus May Business meeting to order at 7:30 PM on 05/1/2014. The meeting was held in the KOC room in the basement of the church.
Officers Present:
The roll of officers was called and noted as follows (P-Present; A-Absent, E-Excused):
Chaplain -Fr. Phil O’Kennedy / P / Financial Secretary -
Ron Belz / A / Inside Guard -
Mickey Cook / P
Grand Knight -
Danny Garcia / P / Treasurer -
Tom Hart / P / Outside Guard -
Joey Cook / P
Deputy Grand Knight -
Jerome Villareal / E / Lecturer - / Trustee (3rd yr.) - / P
Chancellor - / P / Advocate - / P / Trustee (2nd Yr.) - / P
Recorder - / E / Warden - / P / Trustee (1st Yr.) - / P
Total present at meeting = 36 members + GK
Quorum Validation:
100% of the members in attendance were with valid ID cards.
Prayers of the Faithful
Grand Knight Danny Garcia went around the room asking each member if they had requests for prayers.
Rosary
Joe McCarty led the group in the Divine Chaplet.
Pledge of Allegiance
Grand Knight Danny Garcia led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Meeting Minutes
Minutes of preceding meeting were: The reading of the previous meeting minutes was dispensed. They were posted on the website and distributed by e-mail.
Recognition
Grand Knight Danny Garcia presented the certificates to newly inducted 2nd and 3rd degree members. He presented John Beck as the Knight of the Month and Seth and Amy Tolsen as the Family of the Month. He thanked everyone for help with the fish fry events. It was announced that Grand Knight Danny Garcia would be the next State Warden.
Grand Knight read applications for membership approved by the Admissions Committee: None.
The results of voting were: None
The following notices of applications in other councils were read: None
A)Chaplains Report: None
B) Financial Secretary Report
Ron Belz gave the Secretary report. The council paid $24.47 to Supreme.
B) Treasurer Report
Tom Hart gave the Secretary report. The council currently has $5,851 in the general fund, $175 in the MR fund, and $258 in the charity fund. Trustees verified that they had reviewed the Treasurer Report and all was in order.
C) The Chancellor reported on Vocations: None
D) The following Service Program Committees reported:
The Program Director is Br. Jerome Villarreal.
Family Director –Tom Hart /
- No Report. Family of the month award.
Church Director – /
- No Report.
Community Director –
John Phillip /
- No Report.
Council Director –
Dan Mellen /
- Good of the order drawing
Youth Director – /
- No Report.
Pro-Life –
Juan Benjamin /
- Rosary at the abortion clinic on Saturday 9:00am.
The following Standing Committees reported:
Charity Committee-Tom Hart / -No Report
ID Campaign -
Rich Webber / - No Report
E) The Insurance Agent reported as follows: None
F) The Worthy District Deputy (WDD) reported as follows: Br. Pat Jackson: N/A
G) Faithful Navigator 4th Degree: Blood Drive went well. 4th Degree exemplification will be held on May 17th, 2014. The council currently has 3 applications.
H) State Officer’s report: None
I) Old Business
Scholarship forms are due; the council has only received one so far. The annual Baccalaureate Breakfast is scheduled for May 18th, 2014. A 2nd and 3rd Degree will be held on May 10, 2014 in Gadsden, AL. The council was awarded six awards from State: State Deputy Award for Culture of Life, Youth Activities, Community, Council Activities, Family Life Activities, and Council of the Year Runner Up.
J) New Business
The Financial Secretary Ron Belz presented a new slate of officers for the 2014-2015 year.
Grand Knight: Danny Garcia
Chaplain: Rev. Phil O’Kennedy
DGK: Jerome Villarreal
Treasurer: Tom O’Donnell
Advocate: Pat Haas
Warden: Dan Coltey
Recorder: John Beck
Inside Guard: Mickey Cook
Outside Guard: Joey Cook
1st Year Trustee: Tom Hart
2nd Year Trustee: Kevin Rodriguez
3rd Year Trustee: Juan Benjamin
F) Next Meeting Dates and Time
The next business meeting will be held June 5th, 2014.
G) AdjournmentClosing Prayer was said by: GK Danny Garcia. At 8:40 PM, the meeting was adjourned.
Devine Mercy Chaplet
1. Make the Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. Optional Opening Prayers
You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!
3. Our Father
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.
4. Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
5. The Apostle's Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
6. The Eternal Father
Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
7. On the Ten Small Beads of Each Decade
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
8. Repeat for the remaining decades
Saying the "Eternal Father" (6) on the "Our Father" bead and then 10 "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion" (7) on the following "Hail Mary" beads.
9. Conclude with Holy God (Repeat three times)
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
10. Optional Closing Prayer
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.
Mass Schedule
Parish/Pastor / Masses / Reconciliation (Confession)Saturday / Sunday / Weekday / Holy Day / Saturday / Sunday
Good Shepherd
Fr. Louis Giardino
13550 Chaney Thompson Road
882-1844 / 8:30 a.m.
5:30 p.m. / 8:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m. / M, W, F
8:30 a.m.
. / 8:30 a.m.
7:00 p.m. / 4:30 – 5:15 p.m. / None
Holy Spirit,
Reverend Michael MacMahon
625 Airport Road
881-4781 / 5:00 p.m. / 7:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 11:40 a.m. / M-F 7:30 a.m.
M, T, TH 12:00 p.m.
W 7:00 p.m. / 6:30 a.m.
9:00 a.m.
12:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m. / 4:00 – 4:45 p.m. / None
Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Military Chapel (Redstone Arsenal)
Rev. George Rzasowski
Bldg 376
876-2409 / 5:00 p.m. / 9:30 a.m. / M-F 12:00 p.m. / 12:00 p.m.
5:00 p.m. / 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. / 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Our Lady Queen of the Universe,
Fr. Joy Chalissery
2421 Shady Lane Drive
852-0788 / 5:00 p.m. / 9:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. / M None
W–F 12:00 p.m.
T 6:30 p.m. / 12:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m. / 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. / None
Saint John the Baptist,
Fr. Phil O’Kennedy,
1055 Hughes Rd Madison
722-0130 / 5:30 p.m. / 7:00 a.m.
8:30 a.m.
11:30 a.m.
5:30 p.m. / M,F 8:30 a.m.
T 6:15 a.m.
W 6:30 p.m. / 7:00 p.m. Vigil
8:30 a.m.
7:00 p.m. / W-Th 6:00 – 6:25 p.m.
S 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. / None
St. Joseph,
Rev. Gary New
2300 Beasley Avenue
534-8459 / 8:00 a.m.
5:00 p.m. / 8:15 a.m.
11:15 a.m. / T, W - F 7:00 a.m. / 7:00 p.m. Vigil
7:00 a.m.
8:45 a.m. / 4:00 – 4:45 p.m. / None
St. Mary Of the Visitation
Rev. Glen Sayers
222 N. Jefferson St
536-6349 / 5:30 p.m. / 8:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. / M-F 8:00 a.m. / As Announced / 4:00 p.m. / None
Our Lady, Help of Christians
Fr. Alan C. Mackey
1201 Kingsbury Ave.
256-479-5322 / Low Mass 8:00am / Low Mass 7:00am
High Mass 12:00pm / M: 9:00am
W: 9:00am
Th: Benediction 6:15pm / 10:00am
6:00pm / 7:30am – 7:50am / None
St. John the Baptist Council No. 10232