February 2008

Grand Knights Message:

Brothers,

January is a recent memory. Your council has been busy, once again. Last month, your council played a major role in the success of the 2008 Vocations Recognition Dinner, participated in the joint Fish Fry Dinner with Council 4188 in Clawson, held a Recruiting Blitz and the Council Basketball Free-throw Competition.

February presents an opportunity to focus on our faith with the Our Lady of Charity Icon visit. What better way to increase our prayer, during Lent, than to spend some time in veneration of Our Lady. As we were reminded in one of our earliest lessons, Our Lady will intercede for us with her Son, Jesus. Love of the Mother is love of the Son. Our Lady, and prayers to Our Lady by recitation of the rosary, are a powerful weapon against evil.

Prayer is an important weapon against the evil of abortion. 40 Days for Life, is a program which places volunteers on the grounds of an abortion clinic, 24 hours a day, during the 40 days of Lent, to pray for an end to abortion. Please make time in your busy schedule to help defeat the evil that is abortion.

Vivat Jesus,

Mark L. Palmer

Grand Knight

More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

40 Days for Life

From February 6 - March 16, our community will be joining together for one of the largest simultaneous pro-life mobilizations in history -- the national 40 Days for Life campaign. 40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life effort that consists of, prayer and fasting, peaceful vigil, and community outreach. Please contact Sam Mannino at (248) 545-2410 or jsam@ameritech.net to volunteer.

For more information please visit:

www.40daysforlife.com/southfield

Council Recognitions:

January

Knight of the Month: Joe Chase

Family of the Month: Mike Mastantuono

Happy Birthday!!

February Birthdays:

Meeting Reminder

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.

Vocations Recognition Dinner

Friday January 18, 2008. The annual District Vocations Recognition Dinner was held at the Fr. John M. Lynch Council 4188 Hall in Clawson. Over 130 people attended the dinner, a considerable number were Clergy, Religious and Seminarians. Thank you for all who attended or helped to make this years event a success.

State Raffle – Time’s running out!!

Time is running out to get your raffle tickets in. All raffle tickets must be received before 1:00 PM Saturday February 23, 2008. Tickets and money should be mailed to Michigan State Council, 2184 Beech Daly, Dearborn Heights, MI 48127. The Drawing will take place at 1:00 PM on Saturday February 23, 2008 at Robert Jones Council #3078, 25160 W. Outer Drive, Lincoln Park, MI 48146. 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.

Friday Fish Dinner

Knights of Columbus Councils 12408 and 4188 team up every Friday in Lent from February 8 – March 21, 2008.

Knights of Columbus Hall
870 N. Main Street, Clawson MI, 48017
(248) 588-3547

 

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

Dinner is served from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM

Help is needed beginning at 12:00 PM to set up the hall and prep the food. Help is also needed to serve the food from 4:30 – 7:30 PM, and with cleaning up afterward. 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.

Basketball Free-throw Competition

The 2008 Council Free-throw Competition took place Saturday January 26, 2008 at the Shrine High School Gymnasium. Congratulations to all of the winners. The District Free Throw Competition run from 9:00AM – Noon, Saturday February 9, 2008 at the Shrine Grade School Gymnasium. Please contact Norm Brault, 248-298-1737 or normbro@sbcglobal.net to help .

Our Lady of Charity Icon

National Shrine of the Little Flower, Knights of Columbus Council 12408, is hosting a night of veneration of Our Lady of Charity.  The prayer service is scheduled for Tuesday February 26, 2008, 7:30 PM at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic Church, located at 2100 West 12 Mile Rd., Royal Oak, MI 48073, the Northeast corner of 12 Mile Rd. and Woodward Ave.   

The History and Papal Recognition

Our Lady of Charity is the patron saint of Cuba.  In about 1608, three boys were crossing a body of water in Southeast Cuba near the city of Santiago de Cuba.  They encountered a fierce storm that threatened to destroy their frail boat.  Suddenly, the storm calmed.  In the distance the boys saw a white bundle floating on a piece of wood that they mistook for a bird.  In reality, it was a small statue of Mother Mary holding the infant Jesus in her left arm and a gold cross in her right.  Inscribed on the wooden board were the words, Yo soy la Virgen de la Caridad (I am the Virgin of Charity).  According to recorded testimony, despite the motion of the ocean waves and storm, neither the image of Mary nor the white robes were wet. The boys returned to their village of El Cobre where a sanctuary was built.  El Cobre is about 12 miles Northwest of Santiago de Cuba.

In 1688, the Archdiocese of Santiago, Cuba initiated the first inquiry into the statue’s mysterious origins.  Our Lady of Charity was declared the patroness of Cuba by Pope Benedict XV in 1916.  In 1977, Pope Paul VI raised the prominence of the sanctuary in El Cobre to a basilica.  Pope John Paul II crowned the original image as queen and patron saint of Cuba on January 24, 1998 during his historic pastoral visit.  

The Knights of Columbus are sponsoring a tour of the Our Lady of Charity Icon throughout the United States.  This prayer program gives us an opportunity to pray in solidarity with Pope Benedict XVI whose first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, was dedicated to the theme of charity. 

Knights of Columbus & Squires feed the poor at All Saints

Please consider joining us for a very special charity project the day after Easter. The Knights and the Squires will once again pull their charity efforts together to bring a little warmth, cheer, and good food to the poor and homeless of S.W. Detroit. This is a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our brethren who happen to be down on their luck. We are looking for kitchen help (8:30am - 1:30pm) and serving help (10:30am - 2:00pm), and we invite not only Knights and Squires, but their families as well.

If interested, please contact Joe Chase at (248) 589 2448 or Josephrchase@sbcglobal.net

Dues

Thank you to those members who have paid there dues. Keeping your dues current helps your council with its operating expenses, assists the Michigan State Council with their operating expenses, and assists the Supreme council with their operating expenses. The optional charities, Take 5 (Michigan State Council Supported Charities), Boysville (Holy Cross Children’s Services) and The McGivney Fund (McGivney Chair for Life Ethics at Sacred Heart Seminary) also benefit when you choose to support those charities.. Second notice statements will be going out this month to those members who we have not received dues from. Please remember, that you need to be current in your 3^rd Degree Dues to be an active member in the 4^th Degree.

Visit our Web Site

Make sure to visit the council’s web site to keep track of our busy schedule.

http://www.kofc12408.com

2008 MI Drive

The 2008 MI Drive will be March 14, 15, 16. To volunteer, please contact Bill Edgar at (248) 880-3402 or bnibill@comcast.net. You can view the updated schedule any time, or volunteer via the council web site, www.kofc12408.com.

2008 Blue Mass

The 2008 Blue Mass will be held Sunday March 2, 2008 at 10:45 AM Mass. Please contact Blue Mass Committee Chairman Greg Bailey at (248) 399-6394 or ibisgbb@comcast.net to volunteer to help.

2008 Soup Supper

The 2008 Religious Formation Soup Supper is scheduled for Monday March 3, 2008. As in years past, this event will team up the Knights with Religious Formation to provide a Lenten Soup Supper. Assistance is needed in preparing and serving the food. Please contact Mark Palmer at (248)-588-3469 or mark_l_palmer@hotmail.com to volunteer.

24 Hour Knight

Being a member of the Knights of Columbus isn't as time consuming as you may think. We are asking for 24 hours of your time each year in the following manner :

12 hours a year reading the weekly church bulletin, the state and local council newsletters and the monthly Supreme Council magazine, Columbia.

2 hours a year volunteering at a council event of your interest.

2 hours a year attending two council prayer services with your family.

2 hours a year on a council sponsored family project or event.

2 hours a year attending one council meeting.

4 hours a year attending a council social function with their family

With the Our Lady of Charity Icon, Feed the Poor, 2008 MI Drive, the 2008 Blue Mass, Religious Formation Soup Supper and the Weekly Fish Fry Dinners, there are plenty of opportunities to become involved. Please contact any of the Committee Chairmen to help out.

News submissions are invited from all our Brothers, Officers, Directors and

Committee Chairs to be included in our newsletter.

Address all information to:    

Mark L. Palmer, 1774 Keats Avenue, Madison Heights, MI 48071

(248) 588-3469    (248) 282-5179 FAX    Email: mark_l_palmer@hotmail.com

Advertising / Circulation

Brian H. Malover

Malover Ink, Inc.

330 E. Maple Rd., Suite I

Troy, MI 48083-2706

(248) 616-0990   Fax (248) 616-0303

Email:  maloverink@aol.com

Council  Meetings

Our meetings are held in the Church Conference Center.

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

Park in the Northwood parking lot and enter thru the rear of the building.

Meetings are the 2^nd & 4^th Tuesday of the month

At 7:30p

 U

Our Little Flower

Published by

 Knights of Columbus

National Shrine of the Little Flower

Council No. 12408

A Parish based Council

2100 West Twelve Mile Rd.

Royal Oak, MI 48073

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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.

 Vivat Jesus

Send comments or questions to the web page editor, admin@kofc12408.com.