Enter your search terms Submit search form

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

---

 

 

---

Decembers's Attendance Award - $40.00

Each Month one council member is selected to receive an attendance award. The only requirement is to be present at the monthly meeting. The attendance award accumulates until a member wins. Come out to the monthly meeting for a chance to win. The pot is now up to $40.00 as last month we did not have a winner.

GRAND KNIGHT'S COMMENTS

As I write this, our family's Thanksgiving celebration is a pleasant memory - a recent memory. Thanksgiving was just a few days ago, but I can't help but begin thinking about Christmas and all the hustle and bustle to come. Perhaps my neighbor's fully decorated Christmas tree in their family room that's visible from the street has something to do with this. Our culture (America in December 2007) makes it easy for us to fill every day in December with busyness that has nothing to do with the "reason for the season". Let's keep our less fortunate neighbors in mind - the opportunities are endless - our parish Angel Tree program, our parish food pantry, donating some time to a local charitable organization, and others. Keep the true spirit of Christmas alive this year and give of yourself to help someone in need.

Pat, Teresa and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a blessed and safe Christmas season.

Vivat Jesus!

John Bellono

Brother Knights, Catholic Gentlemen,

The Christmas season, as usual, brings me great anticipation. Helping with such good cheer is the final count from our campaign to aid those with mental disabilities – our “Tootsie Roll Drive”. We finished with $3,870 in blessings. As far as we can tell this is the highest count yet. Adding a second weekend at another location seems to have contributed significantly to our success and you can count on us doing it again. We will avoid the fall break next year to give many of you better opportunity to contribute.

Additional anticipation comes from the growing strength I get from the Holy Spirit and the wholeness of our Catholicism. Too often I have taken for granted the faith that has guided my life thus far. Living in the bastion of the “Bible Belt” I am now quite proud to be known in the office as the unapologetic ‘Catholic Man’. While this certainly has brought on many opportunities to be challenged by other Christians armed with many myths about Catholicism, it has also afforded me great opportunity to dispel those myths about our faith and build strong relationships with fellow Christians of other faiths. work.

May the closing days of this year, and this Holiday Season, bring you great peace and love from within yourself as much as from others. God bless you and your family. If you are searching for a resolution the coming year I pray that the Spirit might guide you to consider how we might be able to better fulfill our roles as Catholic Gentlemen – Knights of Columbus.

Vivat Jesus!

Bob Spuhl

Information Update

Please check to ensure that your contact information is updated with the Financial Secretary. This includes an e-mail address (if you have one) for the sending the Monthly Newsletter. The Shepherd’s Watch is available through e-mail and it can be gotten off the Parish website.

Annual Dues

Please contact the Financial Secretary as soon as possible if you haven’t paid your annual dues. As our FS, Ben Cumbie has many things that he must do to keep the Council in running and needs your help in keeping your dues current.

Council Resolution

This resolution requires Council approval at the December 3, 2007 business meeting:

WHEREAS, by the Knights of Columbus Council 11672, Good Shepherd Parish requires a majority of a quorum voice vote for the approval of the disbursement of all funds equal to or greater than $500 from established accounts;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the approval of the disbursement of funds totaling $600.00 to Good Shepherd Catholic Church Pastor’s Discretionary Fund AKA “Father’s Discretionary Fund” for use as the Pastor sees fit.

Respectfully Submitted by: John A. Bellono, Grand Knight, Council #11672

1st Degree Ceremony

There is a scheduled 1st Degree Ceremony at Good Shepherd on December 9, 2007 at 2:30 p.m.

2nd Degree Ceremony

There are no known ceremonies scheduled at this time.

3rd Degree Ceremony

There are no known ceremonies scheduled at this time.

4th Degree Ceremony

There are no known ceremonies scheduled at this time.

First Degree Exemplifications

No new 1st Degree Knight to announce.

Second Degree Exemplifications

No new 2nd Degree Knight to announce.

Third Degree Exemplifications

No new 3rd Degree Knight to announce.

Fourth Degree Exemplifications

No new 4th Degree Knight to announce.

Christmas Help Needed

As in years past, the parish is looking to the council for help with several activities this Christmas season. If you are able and interested in helping, we will need a handful of Knights to help with various decorating and moving tasks in preparation for the Christmas services. This includes setting up the manger scene, setting up chairs in the sanctuary and/or parish hall, and possibly assisting with preparing the luminaries. Dates and times to be determined - check future email(s) for details. Additional help will be needed on Christmas Eve setting out and lighting the luminaries during the 5:00 PM mass. Anyone interested in helping should contact Grand Knight John Bellono or Council Church Director Kirk Foeller.

Tootsie Roll Drive Wrap-Up

The Tootsie Roll Drive was a very successful drive. Final figures to be available soon - estimate is over $3700 - well above our collections in recent years. Thanks so much to Bob Spuhl and his volunteers for their efforts.

Annual Council Christmas Party

The party date is early this year and the schedule is unusual in that the party will take place before the December Council meeting (Monday December 3). Santa will be handing out gifts to the kids, so please remember to bring a wrapped gift for each child (suggested cost $10-15) attending with their name plainly labeled on the package. We will also have hot dogs, chips and drinks to snack on. If you plan to attend, please contact Deputy Grand Knight Bob Spuhl as soon as possible with the number of adults and children who will be there. Please plan to come out and enjoy a fun afternoon with the family. We hope to see many of you and your children at the party. AND ... we're asking for a few volunteers to help with the setup and teardown/clean-up tasks. If you can help, please contact DGK Bob Spuhl or GK John Bellono.

Recruitment Drive

Our November 5, 2007, Monday Night Football social and recruitment event in the Family Life Center was very successful. Many members attended and had a good time. We have one new candidate and two transfers. We hope to continue this November tradition and make it even better next year. Thanks to everyone who made this event a success.

K of C Regional Bowling Tournament

The Alabama State Council hosted the 2007 K of C International Bowling Association's Southeastern Regional Bowling tournament on Saturday-Sunday Oct. 27-28 and November 3-4 at the Parkway Lanes in Huntsville. Our Brother Knight Bill Schultz was the Tournament Director. The tournament was a success and attendance was up vs. the inaugural tournament two years ago. Congratulations to Bill and his team for their success.

Monthly Breakfast Price Increase

Changes to Monthly Breakfast Fees Approved at November 2007, Business Meeting.

At the October 1 business meeting there was discussion on revising the fees we charge at our monthly breakfast, increasing the charge by $1 for adults and children. This increase would be a reflection of the increase in our costs since we began serving breakfasts over five years ago (April 2002).

There was a lengthy discussion - many opinions were expressed. Rather than bring forward a motion, council members requested that the discussion be tabled and that the officers more thoroughly research our current costs and revisit the topic at the October officers meeting. The officers were asked to present a recommendation at the November business meeting on November 5.

The officers made a recommendation at the November 5, 2007, meeting and reported our current operating cost per person served as $2.58. The officers’ recommendation was that effective with the January 2008 breakfast the cost for adults be increased from $5 to $6 and the cost for children 3-12 remain at $2. Further, the cost charged to the parish for reimbursed meals (i.e. parish religious education groups throughout the year and all Mothers on Mother's day) is to be increased from $2 to $2.50. The officers’ recommendation was approved at the meeting.

Volunteer Activity Leaders needed

At July's Officer's Meeting, we discussed possible activities for the upcoming year. The officers think it best to have a leader and small team of assistants for each activity. This allows us to spread out the workload and offers individual Knights a good opportunity to step forward and serve the council. These activities are in search of a volunteer leader:

"Keep Christ in Christmas" car magnet sale - planned for the November and December monthly breakfasts.

Council Christmas Party - Sunday December 2 in the parish hall.

Parish Skating Party - a Sunday afternoon in late January at the Wilcoxin Ice Center on Leeman Ferry Road.

Please consider leading one of these activities. We're happy to discuss these activities in further detail. Questions - please contact Program Director Zach Wible, DGK Bob Spuhl, or GK John Bellono. Please let us know if you can fill one of these roles.

Catholic High School Registration

For information, contact Brittany Martin at 256-430-1760, extension 102 or bmartin@chsfalcons.org.

Parish Skating Party

There is a scheduled parish skating party scheduled on a Sunday afternoon on January 27, at the Wilcoxin Ice Center on Leeman Ferry Road. Currently the January 27 date is in question, and may be held at a later date.

Birthdays

Officers and members of Council 11672 want to extend a Happy Birthday to the following members whose birthday falls in December:

Bruce L. Lowe	12/3
William H. Oliver	12/8
Richard P. Cislo	12/15
J. Eric Robinson	12/15
Paul E. Whitehurst	12/15
William L. Jaenisch	12/19
Patrick K. Shields	12/19
Zachary L. Wible	12/22
Michael J. Inabinet, Jr.	12/26
Dahl J. (Joe) Cento	12/27
David P. Tomlinson	12/27
Thomas A. Bouska	12/28
Frank Kirsch	12/28
Peter J. Smith	12/30

Knight and Family of the Month

The Council and members want to congratulate Paul Shea, our October the knight of the Month, and the October family of the Month is the Bill Schultz family.

Our First Eagle Scout

Kenneth Ellis is the first Eagle Scout from our parish Boy Scout Troop 340. The ceremony took place on November 9, 2007. We are proud of Kenneth for his accomplishment and grateful for the support of his parents and troop leaders. Congratulations Kenneth!

Insurance News

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, Legacy is (1) money or property bequeathed to someone by will; (2) something handed down from an ancestor, predecessor, or from the past.

Some people leave their legacy to the church, or to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, or in a trust to make sure their grandchildren go to college. Some have huge dreams for their legacy, some have smaller ones but one thing is for sure, they want to leave a legacy to something or someone. What is your dream? What do you want your legacy to look like? Are you taking the steps to make it happen? I have seen many people that know what they want, and are doing all they can to put it in place, but have not considered all of the implications. For instance, they are building their legacy aiming for that goal without knowing that the way their estate is structured they are leaving a large portion of their legacy to the IRS!

Case in Point:

Elvis Presley died with an estate of $10,165,434, for a king this is modest. After the settlement of his estate his family received $2,790,799. That’s a loss of 73%!!!

Franklin Roosevelt’s estate diminished by 30%.

US Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes—a 35% loss. You’d think he would have gotten better legal advice.

William Boeing (yes, that Boeing) – a 52% loss.

True, there are a select few knights in this area that are facing this type of shrinkage because of the estate tax. For the rest of us, we don’t have that problem. We have enough to cover nursing and home care bills, and still leave a legacy to our children. The children of the boomer generation will be the first generation that will end up worse off than the generation preceding it, and not through fault of their own. Of course, some of you may feel that your children are wealthy enough themselves to pay all of your debts (current and future, including final) without having to hold a fire sale--taking huge losses to do so; and, definitely your wife can afford to lose your income and withdraw savings, less taxes, to live for another 10, 20, 30 years.

Life insurance creates, not the probability of a legacy, but the certainty of a legacy; nontaxable and for pennies on the dollar. Tax Free Certainty of your legacy is what you and your family get from the Knights of Columbus, whether you live to long or die too soon, or become disabled along the way. Leave solutions, not debts. No other financial instrument can do all that.

Call me your field agent.

Brother Mark P. Yosway, FIC
Field Agent
Tel/Fax: 256-772-7666 or 888-246-5632
Cell: 256-679-5632

Life, Long Term Care, & Annuities
Insurance for your whole life
Serving Families for Over 125 Years

Canned Goods Drive

Don't forget those canned goods. Each Knight is asked to bring just one canned good or money to the monthly Council meeting. The food or money goes to the Church pantry for support of the poor and hungry in our community. Remember charity is a Knight's duty, not a courtesy.

4080 Council Monthly Breakfast

If you are out and about on the third Sunday of the Month and want a great breakfast and help support the Knights go to the 4080 Council hall from 8 to 11 a.m.. Further details call Rob Robley at 256-882-6064.

Volunteer Hours

Remember if you do any type of volunteer work, please keep track of the hours and report it to the Council. This information is submitted to the State in periodic reports. This helps the Council, the Parish, the community, and the Knights of Columbus receive recognition for these efforts. Please inform the Deputy Grand Knight of your hours every month.

PRAYER LINE

Taking care of our Brother Knights in distress is one of basic principles espoused by our founder, Father McGivney. Please remember our sick Brother Knights and those deceased in your prayers. If anyone knows of a Brother Knight in distress, contact Kirk Foeller (885-9788 or email).

Remember the Prayer Line also includes family members and friends. Being Catholic is not a requirement to have a person's name placed on the prayer Line.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary, Help Those in Need

Holy Mary,
Help those in need,
give strength to the weak,
comfort the sorrowful,
pray for God’s people,
assist the clergy,
intercede for the religious.
May all who seek your help
Experience your unfailing protection. Amen!

AREA MASS SCHEDULES

The Powerful: “The powerful are always under the obligation to the weak. Advantage of any kind is not a personal possession but a trust.” Bishop Fulton Sheen

Power and Wealth: “No man has a right to power until he has learned obedience, as Christ was obedient to His parents. And no man may safely possess wealth until he has learned to be detached from it.” Bishop Fulton Sheen

The first recorded record of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th, was in the year 336 AD.

Franz Joseph Gruber and Joseph Mohr first sang the Christmas carol, Silent Night, on December 25, 1818.

For the racing fan: At 120 miles per hour, a Formula One car generates so much down force that it can drive upside down on the roof of a tunnel.

Newsletter Submissions

This is your Newsletter and that anything you would like to let the Officers and Council members be aware of, please submit the information to the Newsletter Editor, . His telephone number is 213-2876 and his e-mail address is sfmedic1970@bellsouth.net.

The information submitted can be of a general interest to the Council members. It does not necessarily have to be directly connected to the Council, the Knights of Columbus, or the Church, e.g. a Boy Scout or Girl Scout event, or something the members might enjoy such as a play or art show. It can be of interest to the Huntsville community at large. Please submit text, photographs, etc. Anything submitted is subject to review and editing by the Editor.

The deadline to have information included in the next publication of the Shepard's Watch is the 20^th day of the month preceding the next publication.

The Council is also always looking for material to submit to the One Voice and the Columbia.

We ask you also to keep you mailing address, telephone numbers, and e-mails current.

The Monthly Feature

Christmas is a Holiday for Friends
Copyrighted by Nicholas Gordon

Christmas is a holiday for friends,
However they may be, or not, related.
Remember that the three wise kings were strangers
In search of one remote, uncanny dream.
So may we all be far more than we seem,
Together bound for dark and haunting changes,
More lovely for the loves we have created
Along the lonely paths from means to ends,
Stumbling towards that star of Bethlehem.

Questions for the Mind

November’s Questions and Answers:

What is exactly the anointing the sick?
The information provided by Captain (CH) Ray Kopec, the military Catholic Chaplain, Redstone Arsenal in the October 2007, Monthly Catholic Community’s Newsletter. Reprinted with Chaplain Kopec’s permission. According to Chaplain Kopec the question should have been, “What is exactly the Sacrament of Anointing the Sick?”

The Through conversations with some parishioners, I have learned that there are some misunderstandings regarding the sacrament of anointing the sick. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1499-1525 explains in depth the meaning of the sacrament. Let me give you a short overview of the sacrament.

Anointing of the sick is on of the seven Sacraments instituted by the Christ as a true and proper sacrament of the New Testament. The purpose of it is (spiritual, and hopefully physical) healing.

From ancient times we have testimonies of the practice of anointing of the sick with blessed oil. In the course of time, the focus of the sacrament shifted from healing to forgiveness of sins. The time fro receiving the sacrament was delayed to the deathbed. Forgiveness of sins would also be the final preparation for heaven. That’s how the Sacrament of the Sick had become the Last Anointing of Last Rites, the unction in extremis or Extreme Unction.

The Second Vatican Council wanted to remedy this situation. The Council reminded us, that “the liturgy is made up of immutable elements, divinely instituted, and of elements subject to change. These no only may but ought to be changed with the passage of time, if they have suffered from intrusion of anything out of harmony with the inner nature of the liturgy” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #21). This was the case with Extreme Unction.

The Second Vatican Council placed the sacraments once again in the context of mutual prayer and concern described in the Epistle of James. Anointing “is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #73), but is intended for all those who are seriously ill. Consequently, what we formally called “Extreme Unction” is now more properly called, “The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick” (see #73).

More has changed than the sacrament’s name. Our experience of the revised Sacrament of the Anointing has brought about a change in the way we think about the sacrament. For example:

This sacrament (like all sacraments) is a community celebration.

Sickness involves more than bodily illness, and Anointing heals us through faith.

The Anointing of the Sick is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. The Sacrament can be received multiple times and should be received:

As soon as a faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness.

If a person who received this anointing recovers his health and another grave illness follows.

During the same illness the person’s condition becomes more serious.

Just prior to a serious operation.

The elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced.

Only priest (bishops and presbyters) are ministers of Anointing of the Sick. Like all the sacraments, the Anointing of the Sick is a liturgical and communal celebration. It can take place in the family home, a hospital or church, for a single sick person or a whole group of sick persons. It is very fitting to celebrate it within the context of the Mass. The celebration of the sacrament includes the following principle elements:

Laying on hands on the sick.

Anointing with blessed oil – A priest anoints the forehead and says: “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit.” Then he anoints the hands and says, “May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up.”

What is Viaticum? Viaticum is for those who are about to die. It is consists of three sacraments:

1. Reconciliation.
2. Anointing of the Sick.
3. Eucharist.

Those three sacraments as viaticum constitute at the end of Christian life the sacraments that complete the earthly pilgrimage.

January’s Questions:

Do you remember all of the Sacraments?

Why is Christmas on December 25th?

What is the Christmas Season?

 

 

---