Knights of Columbus Council 12408 News Letters

Recently it has been brought to my attention that there have been some lapses in communication within the council. We all must work on our efforts to communicate dates, times, and details about specific events as clearly as possible.

If you are heading up a committee, and require help, please let us know how many people you need to perform the task required, and the time and date that you need help.

Personal experience, being married for almost 12 years, has shown me that, just because you think you know what is going on, you probably don’t. It’s better to ask questions when you think you know the answers, than to do something and end up not quite right.

If you have questions about any events or activities within the council, don’t hesitate to contact me. I may not have the answers right away, but I will get you the information as quickly and as accurately as I can.

If I am not communicating information clearly, please let me know. I would rather hear that I’m not doing a sufficient job in delivering information, and try to correct it, than to have holes in our communications.

“The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.”

Congratulations to the new Brother Knights of our council and our order, who participated a first Degree by members of your First Degree team Monday, October 8 2007.

If you have not been to a meeting in a while, here’s an opportunity to have a say so in the operations of the council. Our meetings are held the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. A listing of meetings for the following months follows:

Meetings are held in the Conference Center located in the Plaza with YaYa’s Chicken, on Woodward Ave. Just North of the Church. Park in the Northwood Church Parking lot and enter through the rear of the building. It is mandatory that you present a current membership card to enter the meetings.

Thank you to all who participated in the Right Life march on Woodward, and those who came out to help set up and take down the Crosses on the front lawn.

Depart by Trailways Bus, Monday January 21, between 6-8:00 AM from St. Mary’s of the Hills, in Rochester Hills. $92.50 per person, and must be paid separately to Michigan State Council Bus Trip.

1st stop will be Council 3774 in Allen Park to pick up more participants. There will be a couple of stops along the way to D.C.

Lodging will be at Old Town Hampton Inn in Alexandria Virginia. $135.16 per night, Single, Double, Queen or King. Up to 4 people per room.

Tuesday Jan 22, 1:00 – 2:00 PM RTL March and Rally. Early in the evening of Jan 22, the buss will be leaving back to Detroit.

Just because you have a ticket on the Bus Doesn’t mean that you have a place to sleep and vice versa. You need to make room reservations on your own. Room reservations and Bus reservations are separate.

Friday October 5, 2007, 7:30 PM. Most Rev. Bishop John C. Nienstedt Celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with Bishop Flores and around 30 other priests. Following mass, Bishop Nienstedt dedicated Heritage Hall, and the artist who created the St. Therese sculpture, Timothy Schmaltz, answered questions about his masterpiece. Bishop Nienstedt extended his personal thanks to all of his Brother Knights at the National Shrine of the Little Flower.

Knights of Columbus Councils 12408 and 4188 team up on Fridays in 2007 November 9 and December 14.

Baked Cod, Fried Cod, Crab Cakes, Baked Potatoes, French Fries, Coleslaw, Vegetable, Roll, Coffee Tea or Pop, Dessert

Please make an effort to attend the Fish Fry’s. Bring your family, or just get a carry out order. Our council receives half of the profit from these events, so every dinner we sell goes to help our bottom line.

Thank you for all who helped with the Backpack for Kids Project. While we did not receive as many backpacks as in years past, those that we did receive were greatly appreciated.

By now you should have received your packet of tickets containing this years State Raffle. The list of prizes this year is well worth the small investment of a ticket. You will notice that the format for the tickets this year is different than years past. By providing the tickets on perforated sheets, as opposed to booklets, the Michigan State Council was able to achieve a substantial savings. Another change you will notice, each ticket is bar-coded. In that barcode is the council number, removing the need for people to write it on the ticket. The barcode ensures that an accurate count of the number of tickets sold by each council. Just as in years past, each council will be reimbursed $1.00 for each $5.00 dollar ticket sold. Additionally, the seller of the Grand Prize ticket will win $1,000.00. If you did not receive your tickets, or if you need more tickets, I do have a few extra sheets of 8.

On behalf of your council I want to inform you that we have made a donation to Special Olympic of Michigan. At the September 25^th meeting, a motion was made to make a donation of $25.00 from the council funds. At the October 9^th meeting, a check was written for $125.00 which included the $25.00 from the council general funds and contributions from your Brother Knights. The Knights of Columbus are a proud Sponsor of Special Olympics, and your council has supported this fine organization in a small way as well.

Any member of the council who has any interaction with youth are required to attend the Protecting God’s Children workshop. There are several opportunities to take the workshop. Please visit the Protecting God’s Children web page, at the Archdiocese of Detroit Website below to see a list of available classes and instructions on how to register:

If you do not have access to a computer or the internet, please feel free to contact me and I will assist you in getting signed up for a workshop.

Pizza Hut Fundraising night is scheduled for Wednesday November 14^th. Please join us for Dinner at the Clawson Pizza, on the North-West corner of 14 Mile and Main St. from 5-8 PM. Your council will receive a portion of the proceeds for each Buffet Dinner. Flyers will be available at the next meeting, and will be emailed. You must bring a flyer for the council to receive our portion of the proceeds.

Our Councils participation in the annual “Sweatshirts For Kids” project will begin November 10 through December 9th. Sweatshirts must be new and have a college or pro sports logo on it. Sizes needed are Large and up. Barrels are out in the Church lobbies on weekends. You may also drop off your sweatshirts to the Rectory during the week. On Sunday December 9th in the Conference Center, we will have our “wrapping party” for the sweatshirts. Boxes, wrapping paper, tape and help is needed. The party will begin around 12:30.

The 3^rd Annual Parish Turkey dinner is being held Saturday December 15^th, from 4:00 – 7:00 PM in the Grade School Gymnasium. As in years past, we will begin setting up around 12:00 PM and clean up will follow. $7.00 for Adults and $6.00 for Seniors and Kids under 12. The dinner is open to anyone, so bring your whole family. Please contact PGK John Iannotti at (586)731-1779 or email gmiannotti@comcast.net if you would like to help. Proceeds from this years dinner will benefit the Master Plan.

If you periodically give blood, contact Mark Palmer and let him know your schedule. Every time a member of the council donates blood, it needs to be recorded so reports can be submitted quarterly to the state. When you come back from giving blood, contact Mark and let him know. You can contact Mark at 248-588-3469 or mark_l_palmer@hotmail.com

February 26, 2008, your council will be hosting one of four icons of Our Lady of Charity, the patron Saint of Cuba as dedicated by Pope John Paul II. We will be holding a Marian Hour of Prayer in place of our 2^nd monthly council meeting. More information will be made available as we get closer to the date.

On Thanksgiving Day, November 22nd, Council’s #12408, and #4188 will be teaming up with 5 Clawson area Churches to provide a Thanksgiving lunch to Clawson residents that do not have families to share Thanksgiving with; at Fr Lynch Council in Clawson. The five area Churches are: Guardian Angels, Grace Apostolic, Clawson United Methodist, Trinity Lutheran and Heritage Church of Christ. The lunch menu will include: Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Sweet Potatoes, Dressing, Vegetable, Cranberry Sauce, Salad, Rolls and Butter and Pumpkin Pie. Serving time is from 11:00 am until 1:00 PM. If you would like to volunteer to help, contact PGK John Iannotti at 586-731-1779 or email gmiannotti@comcast.net

Friday January 18, 2008 we will once again be holding the annual District Vocations Recognition Dinner at the Fr. John M. Lynch Council 4188 Hall in Clawson. Tony Recchia will be coordinating our councils involvement. Additional details will be made available as we get closer to the date.

On Saturday November 3rd 2007 District #65 is proud to host a Major Degree at Bishop Gallagher Council in Royal Oak. The First Degree begins at 9:00 am followed by the Second and Third Degrees. If you have not taken your Second or Third Degree, this is your opportunity to complete them. Also, if you have not attended a First, Second, or Third Degree since you have made yours, this is an opportunity to observe and reconnect with the principle lessons of those degrees.

Our Council Christmas party is scheduled for December 11th beginning at 7:00pm. Please contact Matt Kennedy at 248-302-4511 if you would like to bring something to share. Santa will be arriving around 7:45 and he could use help with a gift for your child or grandchild costing $15.00 or less.

Regina Angelorum 1426
Two years ago the doors were opened up locally by the Knights of Columbus to a new and different kind of boys’ youth group. The Columbian Squires program strives to assist in all possible ways, Catholic charities which serve the lowly and forgotten among us. Only in service to these individuals can a person truly appreciate the many blessings we have been granted in our own lives. Adolescent Catholic boys are at risk of being distracted away from their faith because they lack opportunities to reinforce its foundations.

The Squires bring young men together with people who are truly in need. While the Knights of Columbus cook and supervise, the Squires deliver hot Easter meals to the poor and homeless of Detroit. While the Knights collect sweatshirt donations and chauffeur to Boysville (beyond Ann Arbor), the Squires meet, mingle, and hand a Christmas gift to each of the teenage men who are temporarily isolated from their loved ones as they “do their time” as an alternative to prison. The Squires visit and pray with the handicapped of Mary’s Children Family Center on a regular basis, and they put their muscle into their support of the Southfield Crisis Pregnancy Center by cleaning carpets at their clinic, and through good old fashioned fundraising.

The Squires program offers boys opportunities not only for participation in Knights of Columbus charities, but for leadership and mentoring of their peers. This coming Sunday, Oct. 28, Jacob Halkey and Ted Chase will hand over a large donation of winter coats to the Detroit AIDS shelter – a project they initiated and implemented themselves. Monthly planning meetings are run by duly elected Chief Squire, Kevin Palmer.

The 2007 Prep Bowl was held at Ford Field, Saturday October 20, 2007. For those of you who have not had the opportunity to attend, the Prep Bowl consists of an entire day of honoring a wide spectrum of student-athletes, teachers and administrators. It's a day to recognize a great many accomplishments throughout the Archdiocese of Detroit. It acknowledges the Grand Knight from each Council in attendance, District Deputies and the State Officers, hands out kudos to homecoming queens, provides the ultimate place for marching bands to perform, and shows just how many ways Catholic education works. And of course, it's about football, too. Six teams play for the right to win championships in a trio of deciding games, two high school championship games and one Catholic Youth Organization championship game. If you have never been to Ford Field, it’s an opportunity to visit the Stadium for a very reasonable price, $3.50. Please make plans to attend next years game.

Statements will be coming out soon for dues for 2008. Representatives from each council voted at the 2007 Michigan State Convention to increase the per capita taxes by $2.00. What that means to the council is that we now must send $10.00 per member to the state to offset the operating expenses they incur. The council is responsible for paying the per capita for each member, even if that member has not paid their dues. As you can see, we can quickly run into a financial difficulty if we continue to cover those members who have not paid there dues. It is imperative that you return your statements with your payment to the Financial Secretary on time and as soon as possible. Please remember, that you need to be current in your 3^rd Degree Dues to be an active member in the 4^th Degree.

Mother and Unborn Baby Care crisis pregnancy center needs our help. The center, run by Sam and Juliana Mannino, provides ultrasounds and support services to Mothers who are facing an unexpected pregnancy, in an effort to encourage them to keep their babies instead of killing them.

Please support our Brother Knight and the lives of those babies his organization saves each day. (248) 559-7576

Our District, 65, will be holding a fraternal Benefits night Monday November 5^th7:30 PMat the Queen of the Holy Rosary Council #3830 Hall, 2299 W. 12 Mile Rd., Berkley 48072. The Hall is located on the South Side of 12 Mile rd, between Woodward and Coolidge. Retirement and Investment planners, as well as representatives from the Knights of Columbus Insurance Agency, will be providing information about how to prepare ourselves for the future, and answer any questions. Along with the Fraternal Benefits night, we will be holding a Corporate Communion and Memorial Mass to remember our Brother Knights who have gone on ahead of us.

Sunday December 9^th, 4:00 PM mass we will be celebrating the feasts of St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe. Please come and share in the culture of our Latin American community and honor these two great feast days.

In an effort to reduce the councils expenses, we would like to distribute the newsletter by email to as many people as possible. Please send an email to mark_l_palmer@hotmail.com if you would like to receive this in an electronic form.

North of the church in the commercial strip center, across Northwood Blvd. Near Ya-Ya’s Chicken.

When you visit www.kofc.org, our official website, spend some time on the insurance portion of the site. This will help keep you well versed on this fraternal benefit offered to all members.