SWEETWATER KNIGHTLINE
SWEETWATER COUNCIL 10821
Volume 6, Number 5May 1998
P.O. Box 5014, Douglasville, GA 30154 (770) 920-0801
Visit us on the World Wide Web:
OFFICERS FOR THE 1997-1998
FRATERNAL YEAR
ChaplainFather Stewart Wilber
Grand KnightDan Baker
Deputy Grand KnightAl Rossie
ChancellorJoe Schival
Recorder Dan Cain
Financial SecretaryPaul Bleess
Treasurer Frank Moran
LecturerDan Marnell
AdvocateLanny Howard
WardenDave Zalesky
Inside GuardNoel Daniell
Outside GuardPaul Lipari
Program DirectorMike Sorrells
Council DirectorRon Starnieri
Church DirectorJim Maier
Community DirectorJohn Romanelli
Family DirectorTony Oliveri
Youth DirectorCary Gagnon
Membership DirectorGeorge Gagnon
Trustee 95-98Bill Hansman, Pgk
Trustee 96-99Duane Harings, Pgk
Trustee 97-2000Larry Connors
PublicityMike O’Dell
Newsletter EditorRon Kraynik
Council Meetings are held on the second and fourth Thursday of the month, 7:30 PM, in the Parish Hall at St. Theresa Catholic Church, 4401 Prestley Mill Road, Douglasville, GA. Officers and Directors meetings are held the first Thursday of the month at St. Theresa’s. First Degree team practice held the third Thursday.
All Brother Knights are encouraged to attend 7:00 pm Mass together at Saint Theresa’s before each monthly business meeting.
Council Voice Mail Phone number: 920-0801
GRAND KNIGHT’S MESSAGE
May is a month of memorials. A time of remembering and honoring those who have made it possible for us to be who we are. Who have made it possible for us to enjoy the lives we have. Of course, first and foremost among these is our patroness, Mary. A young girl who gave herself freely and without question to her God. A young woman who accepted the responsibility of being the means of providing salvation for the rest of us. A wonderful, powerful intermediary for us with God. She has provided us spiritual nourishment. Through her intervention, we will have eternal life. Next, we remember and honor our mothers. Their impact on our lives is immeasurable. Without them, we would have no life on Earth. They formed our personalities, they taught us right from wrong, they gave us nourishment to grow to become the men we are. They even put up with us and our growing pains. As those who are parents now know, that in itself is worthy of honor. Finally, we remember and honor those who have made the ultimate human sacrifice, giving their worldly lives so that others may live in freedom. The prosperity and freedom we enjoy today is directly due to those who have gone before, blazing the trails and fighting to free the oppressed. No greater act of love can a man make than to give his life for another. Truth be told, all of these, Mary, our mothers, and those soldiers we honor, have given their lives to help us succeed and live. And we are thankful, and right to honor them this May.
I’ll close this message with the words of an old Army hymn:
They are here in ghostly assemblage,
The men of the Corps long dead,
And our hearts are standing attention
While we wait for their passing tread.
We, sons of today, we salute you—
You, sons of an earlier day;
And we follow close order behind you,
Where you have pointed the way.
Let us remember, honor, and follow those who have given so much so that we may live!
Vivat Jesus, Dan Baker
Sweetwater Council is a STAR Council
After many months of correspondence and other communications up and down the chain to Supreme Council, Sweetwater Council was finally granted the distinction of Star Council for the 1996-1997 Fraternal Year. State Deputy Herb Broughton presented the council its award at the First Degree Exemplification on April 23rd.
Sweetwater was denied the award initially for falling one member short of its insurance quota for 1996-1997. However, after being confronted with the activity of the Council and its contributions to the Order, as well as the fact that there was no Insurance agent representing Sweetwater Council for 6 months of that year, Supreme Council decided to grant an exception to the insurance quota this one time.
We appreciate the efforts of our District Deputy, Monte Moon, and our State Deputy, Herb Broughton, in recognizing Sweetwater's contributions and making the case to Supreme which resulted in Council 10821 receiving the recognition it deserves.
New Advocate Elected
Due to personal reasons, our Worthy Advocate had to resign from that position. On April 16th, Sweetwater Council elected a new Advocate, Lanny Howard. Lanny is no stranger to Sweetwater, being an active participant in all our activities as well as a driving force at St. John Vianney. You may recall that Lanny also won the chili cookoff in January. There may be a connection there, somewhere. Congratulations, Lanny; we're looking forward to your participation as an officer of Sweetwater Council!
Bowling Night:
Please mark your calendars for our May Social Meeting. Instead of Thursday, it will be Friday night, May 29 at the Douglasville Bowling Lanes at 7:30 P.M.. The charge is a nominal $10 per person for 3 hours of bowling. That even includes shoe rental if you need them ( but not BenGay for the next day). Come on out and have some fun. Contact brother Ron Starnieri if you need further details. See ya there!
Installation of Officers Dinner
The annual Sweetwater Council installation of officers for the upcoming calendar year will be celebrated at the 5 o’clock Mass on Saturday, June 27th at St. Theresa’s followed by dinner in the parish hall. All food and drink will be provided from a surprise menu. Please don’t bring a covered dish.. Come; show you’re an enthusiastic member of the council by witnessing this interesting and exciting ceremony. And it’s all free to boot!
Knight of the Month:
This month we honor a man who has given much to the Knights of Columbus and his Church. Originally from Minnesota, and still a Vikings fan (although no one knows why...), this brother spent much of his life in Texas, rising to the position of District Deputy. He still visits there regularly, having left his children in the Lone Star State. But he always returns to Georgia and St. John Vianney parish. A pillar of Parish X, this knight is called upon to assist in all matters of parish life. When a job needs to be done, Father Dan knows he call rely on this man to make it happen. He even calls on him whenever he just needs someone to banter with... For the past three years, our honoree has been Financial Secretary of Sweetwater Council, ensuring our funds are properly maintained, keeping close watch on our expenditures, and providing sound advice to the leadership of the Council. Always ready to assist, always ready to advise, and always ready to participate, Paul Bleess has been, and remains, a model Brother Knight. Paul, thanks for being one of us!
Family of the Month
Our Family of the Month is new to Sweetwater Council, but they are no strangers to St. Theresa Parish. From taking part as leaders of the Building the Church of Tomorrow Capital Campaign, to sponsoring candidates in the OCIA program, from leading the musical rejoicing at several masses each weekend to providing baked goods for parish celebrations, to even writing songs of praise for the recent parish mission, this is a family of participants, not onlookers. Mick and Theresa Butorac are contributors, participants, and a great addition to the Sweetwater Council family. Mick and Theresa, welcome to Sweetwater, and thanks for everything you do for the Parish and Council!
Sweetwater Hosts Special First Degree
April 23d was an exceptional day in the history of Sweetwater Council. On that day, we initiated 11 new Brother Knights into the Order. Rev. Dan Fink, Michael M. Moore, Jr., Ronald A. St. Michel, Timothy C. Wheeler, Anthony O. C. Omeaku, Leslie Choo, Jose L. Trenti, Tommy J. Smith, Benjamin R. Reagan, John P. Broderick, and Frederick W. Bodkin all became members during the exemplification held in honor of Dan and Flo Cain. Several of these new members are also new Catholics, joining the Church during the recent Easter Vigil!
The evening was made more special by the attendance of State Deputy Herb Broughton, State Secretary Sal D'Ambrosio, and State Warden Dan Jindrich. The State Deputy presented the new Brothers with their Certificates commemorating their induction in the Order.
Congratulations to these new Brother Knights. Let's welcome them wholeheartedly, and get them involved in our many programs!
Fifth Sunday
May is another month this year which has 5 Sundays. It is a tradition of Sweetwater Council for the Knights and their families to attend Holy Mass as a body on these occasions. Please plan to attend the 9:45 A.M. Mass at St. Vincent DePaul Mission on Sunday, May 31st. The ladies guild of the parish will provide breakfast immediately following. Contact Brother Jim Maier @ 941-1490 for directions and any additional information.
Blood Drive and Pancake Breakfast
Mark your calendars. The Sweetwater Council will hold it’s next Red Cross Blood Drive on Sunday May 24th at 8:00 A.M. Plan on attending and contributing to this worthy cause. In the summer, donations tend to drop off, so let’s try to help amass a stockpile for those who will need the blood. Contact brother Rick Cremering @ 942-2615 for further info and/or to offer assistance.
The Knights will also be serving a delicious, inexpensive pancake breakfast during the drive. Bring the family, give a little and get a lot of food and friendship. Brother Ron Starnieri @ 942-8304 could use a lot of assistants and assistance. Give him a call. He will personally instruct you in the art of making pancakes and sausages. (or a least how to set a table!) It’s a lot of fun and it’s for a good cause.
St. John Vianney Building Fund Golf Tournament
St. John Vianney will host a golf tournament on Monday, July 20th at the Dogwood Golf Club in Austell. All proceeds will benefit the parish building fund for the new church. The tournament will use a 90% handicap, best ball or scramble format. Admission is $75.00 per person.
First prize -----$200.00
Second Prize--$100.00
Third Prize-----$60.00
Longest Drive--$60.00
Closest to pin--$60.00
A fabulous lunch will follow in the St. John Family Room. Contact Brother Larry Connors @ 944-1232 and sign up for a great day of fun.
Membership Drive
The council will hold a drive for new members at St. Vincent DePaul Mission on Sunday June 7th, after the 9:45 Mass. If you’d like to help, please plan on attending and let some other men know why you enjoy being a Knight of Columbus.
Second & Third Degree Exemplification
The next 2nd and 3rd degrees in the area will be bestowed at St. Joseph’s Church in Marietta on Saturday, June 6th at 9:00 A.M... This would be a great opportunity for all 1st degree Knights, recently exemplified, to become full fledged Knights by participation in this solemn ceremony. There are no time requirements necessary. If you’re a first degree brother in good standing, you’re eligible. Contact brother Joe Schival @ 948-8842 with any questions.
Adopt-a-Street Program
For the information of the new members. Sweetwater Council is an active participant in the Adopt-a-street campaign to help keep our roads clean. Once a month a group of your fellow Knights led by our Family Director, brother Tony Oliveri, gather to police the area along Prestley Mill Road from the front of St. Theresa Church east for a 1/2 mile. He can always use all the help he can get. If you can, let’s help by meeting him and his group on Saturday June 6th at 9 A.M.. Get involved....
A Brother Needs Help
Fellow Knights. One of our brothers from Council 8376 in Marietta has contracted cancer. He’s a young man; a construction laborer by trade, and, as such, has no medical insurance. His medical debt currently exceeds $16,000.00. Statewide, 16 councils have collected a total of $3259.61 to assist him. At our last business meeting, the hat was passed and with a motion to donate $199.00 from the treasury, $372.00 was raised by our council. If you were unable to make the meeting for some reason and would like to make up for it; or if you you’d like to contribute because it’s the Christian and Knightly thing to do, get your check book out right now. Send your check to our financial secretary Paul Bleess and mark it for the cancer victim in Council 8376. You’ll be helping a lot and you’ll feel better about yourself. Thanks.
Election of Officers to take place
At the next Business Meeting , June 6th at 7:30 P.M., the election of officers for the next fiscal year of Sweetwater Council will take place. The following slate of officers is presented to the membership for consideration:
Grand KnightAl Rossie
Deputy Grand KnightRon Starnieri
ChancellorJoe Schival
RecorderMarty Weideman
TreasurerFrank Moran
AdvocateLanny Howard
WardenDave Zalesky
Inside GuardNoel Daniel
Outside GuardPaul Lipari
Third Year TrusteeDan Baker
Nominations from the floor for other individuals to fulfill these positions will be honored. In deference to your nominee, and to move matters speedily, please allow him to know you intentions beforehand.
New Insurance Agent
Our new insurance Field Agent will be brother Ted Viator of Council 4599, effective July 1st. His phone number is 770-943-0232.
In Memorial
It is with sad heart that we announce the passing of our previous District Deputy, Joe Smrekar of LaGrange. Joe suffered a massive heart attack in March in the Atlanta Airport. Our prayers and condolences go out to his family. He was a great friend and advisor of Sweetwater Council.
Georgia State Council Annual Convention
GK Dan Baker, DGK Al Rossie, PGK Duane Harings, and Chancellor Joe Schival attended the 96th Annual Meeting of the Georgia State council in Albany, GA, May 16-17, 1998. The State Deputy announced that this fraternal year the State of Georgia recruited 538 new members, as of the April 1998 membership report. One new council, Blue Ridge Council 12126, was formed in Georgia this year. The Georgia State Council will celebrate its centennial in 2002. Each council was asked to appoint a centennial chairman to help in the preparations for this celebration, and to organize a council history to be joined with other council histories. All councils were also encouraged to hold voter registration drives in their parishes. These drives would have the effect of increasing the Catholic, pro-life voter base.
Sweetwater Council again was Number 1 in the state for amount of donations collected during the annual Tootsie Roll Drive. Our $7200 represented 1/12th of the total for the state! Not bad for one council out of 66 in the State! Within the state, we will continue to refer to this fund drive as the Tootsie Roll Drive because of the identification we have developed with that name since 1975.
The State Associate Chaplain reported that the Archdiocese of Atlanta currently has 62 seminarians preparing for the priesthood. Ten of these are to be ordained this year. The Diocese of Savannah has only 10 seminarians total. One Squires Circle was formed this year, in Conyers. This brings the total to 3 Circles in Georgia with this Circle joining those in Fayetteville and Savannah.
Program awards were presented as follows:
Church program: Council 11768, Woodstock, for converting a gymnasium to a sanctuary for 900 parish families every Sunday and Holy Day.
Community Program: Council 7601, McDonough, for donating a minibus for transporting handicapped parishioners
Council Program: Council 6352, Jonesboro, for remodeling a flood victim's home.
Family Program: Council 11458, Fayetteville, for providing First Communion prayer books and rosaries to 41 First Communicants.
Youth Program: Council 4599, Marietta, for sponsoring the Altar Server program in the parish, revitalizing it.
The State Charities Drive raised nearly $17,000 from contributions and the sale of raffle tickets. The proceeds will be distributed to the Nazareth Home, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, The Pregnancy Problem Center, and Catholic Social Services. To ensure the impact of awards from this drive on the benefiting programs, the State Council voted to limit the recipients next year to just two, The Nazareth Home and The Pregnancy Problem Center, both of which support right-to-life programs.
The State Council voted to reject the proposal to change the effective date of membership numbers for per capita assessment purposes, and to reject the proposal to grant Honorary Life membership to members attaining the age of 100.
State officers were elected by the State Council. All current state officers were selected for a second term:
State Deputy: Herb Broughton
State Secretary: Sal D'Ambrosio
State Treasurer: Don Martin
State Advocate: Tom Gissy
State Warden: Dan Jindrich
State Softball tournament sites were confirmed as follows:
1999: Athens
2000: Gainesville
2001: LaGrange
2002: Savannah
2003: Peachtree City
The State Annual Meeting (Convention) will be held in these locations:
1999: Conyers
2000: Columbus
2001: Valdosta
2002: Savannah (Birthplace of the Knights of Columbus in Georgia)
2003: Marietta
The Master of the Fourth Degree in Georgia, PSD Charles P. Federico, announced that 23% of the membership of the State of Georgia are Fourth Degree members, compared to the national average of 16%. The next Fourth Degree exemplification will be held in Savannah on June 27th. The next Fourth Degree Exemplification in the Atlanta area will be October 24th. Second and Third Degree exemplifications for the first six months of the next fraternal year will be:
September 19, Bishop Gross Council 1019, Columbus,
October 10, All Saints Council 11402, Dunwoody
October 18, Henry T. Ross Council 1939, Brunswick
November 14, Holy Family Council 9792, Marietta
December 6, Savannah Council 631