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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS JANUARY 2016

www.kofcohio.org Monthly Publication of the Ohio State Council

A little about membership…

Here we go again and again Ohio!

Congratulations to the Cleveland

Diocese, State Membership Director

Nick Gresko, State New Council

Development Director John Brown,

Diocesan Membership Director Jerry

Nowesnick, Diocesan Coordinator

Chris Nagel, and District Deputy

#34 Kevin Cornelius for the

institution of St. Ladislas Council

#16373 and St. Bernadette Council

#16376 both in the City of

Westlake. With these additions we

are only one new council away of

completing Ohio’s Supreme Council

requirement.

The November membership

enthusiasm just seemed to carry

over into December. We continue to

do a fantastic job with membership

intake. We finished December with

an intake of 231 members for a

10.27% intake. We placed 1st for

the month in Division 1 edging out

Pennsylvania by 0.07% on New

Year’s Eve. This finish should earn

us roughly $1,150.00 in bonus

money in the Winter Sports

Supreme Council Membership

Contest. To date we stand at

50.18% of our Supreme Council

membership requirements. We rank

19th of the 74 K of C Jurisdictions

worldwide and we rank 2nd among

the Division 1 State Councils.

The great news is that we are

growing. I don’t like to get too far

ahead of myself but we are at +

184 and we are beginning to grow

Ohio. Thank you to everyone who

made this happen.

Grand Knights and Membership

Directors please keep membership

the foremost priority in every one of

your councils throughout this

great state of Ohio. We have

begun to show an increase in the

number of councils recruiting and

bringing in new members. To date

about 60% of the Council's

around the state are carrying the

load in new membership. If the

State of Ohio is to improve our

membership status and grow as a

jurisdiction we need the other 40%

or roughly 147 councils to step up

and begin recruiting. We are all on

the same team and all in the game

together. I need a firm commitment

from all involved to make this

happen.

We are again looking for some

opportunities again in January.

There are still a lot of prospective

members just waiting to be asked

or need to be contacted. Inspector

Membership has some incentives in

January for Councils and Brother

Knights that bring in new members.

Watch us on Facebook or get signed

up for our social media blitz for an

unpublished midmonth membership

(Continued on page 2)

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incentive.

The 40 days for men 40 years of

age and under is still open for

incentives through January 20th.

Recruit a member and be in the

running for some cash awards.

Supreme Council has announced the

requirements for earning VIP Bonus

Points for the second half of the

Fraternal Year. See your Grand

Knight, District Deputy, or State

Membership Director Nick Gresko for

details.

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson by a

unanimous vote of approval from

the State Deputies gathered in San

Antonio approved the Supreme Per

Capita Star Council Incentive Plan

for another year. Achieve Star

Council status at your council and

be exempt from Supreme Per Capita

payments for one year.

Growth in new membership brings

new Brother Knights, new ideas,

and new energy into your councils.

Please get on track with your

councils membership program and

sign up a new member today. If you

haven’t brought in a new member

this year please take a moment and

ask yourself why.

Congratulations to the November

Membership Contest winners and all

who brought in a new member that

month. Contest winners should be

listed in State Membership Director

Nick Gresko’s column.

Some thoughts on degree

work…and its working!

Please continue to schedule frequent

degrees. Our requirement is one

Admission (1st) Degree per District

per month, statewide. I see the

results of these frequent degrees

already paying off in our

membership numbers. Every District

Deputy is required to schedule and

conduct an Admissions (1st) Degree

in his district every month.

Please post all (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th)

degrees on the State Website. The

degree posting page should be

overflowing with scheduled degrees.

There should be a minimum of 80

1st Degrees per month posted on

the State Website. If you schedule

them they will come. If you post

them others can see them and they

will come too.

Please continue to remind your

candidates about the proper attire

when they come to take any of the

degrees. A candidate in t-shirts and

shorts is just not an acceptable

dress for a candidate making a

degree. They should be dressed at

the very minimum some type of

Dockers or dress pants and a polo

shirt or dress shirt.

Again more Squires

Congratulations...

Congratulations to our State Squire

Circle. They stand second in the

Order with a percentage net gain of

12.72%. They are 10th stateside

with a 55 member intake and a net

intake of 50 new members.

Culture of Life…

Congratulations to Tiffin Council

#608 and the Toledo Diocese for

purchasing two ultrasound

machines. One machine will be

placed at the Heartbeat/Hope

Medical in Fremont and the other at

the Heartbeat/Hope Medical in Tiffin.

Our Fall Fundraiser the Football

Frenzy Sweepstakes…

The returns of sweepstakes tickets

have been promising. Final sales

results will be available by the

District Deputy Midyear Meeting.

Thank you to all who took the time

to either purchase a ticket or to sell

tickets at your council. Council

rebates will be made available later

this month. I will give State

Secretary Kevin Miller authorization

to issue those checks. I would like

to pass along a special “Thank You”

to Past State Deputy Gary Eckstein

for continuing to chair the event

year after year.

Look for some interesting proposals

from State Fund Raising Chairman

Gary Eckstein and myself for future

Football Frenzy Sweepstakes

programs. I may be Ohio’s sleeping

giant of a fund raiser.

Supreme Council Icon Program…

The Holy Family Icon Program Books

are printed and we have begun the

Icon Tour through Ohio. Hopefully

the four icons will circulate through

the State of Ohio as planned.

Look further to the State Website

for the schedule and when the icon

will come to your district. Please

take full advantage of this prayerful

opportunity within your council and

parishes.

State Council Financials…

State Secretary Brother Kevin Miller

has just issued all but the last week

of the Football Frenzy Sweepstakes

weekly winners checks. The State

Council usually gets our information

on Tuesday and the checks are

normally written and mailed out on

Wednesday.

State Advocate Brother Mark

Siracusa has finalized the 2015

Measure Up Campaign and the 2015

Matching Funds Campaign. Booklets

containing the results of these two

campaigns will be made available to

your council through your District

Deputy. On behalf of all the State

Officers I would like to thank

everyone for their efforts in the

Measure Up Campaign and Matching

Funds Campaigns. Due to your

efforts I believe we showed an

increase in donations this year.

A little about the Statewide

Retreat…

Please reserve the weekend of

February 5th and 6th, 2016 for the

Ohio State Council State Retreat. A

link to an electronic Reservation

Form will be listed in this issue and

hopefully on the State Website. The

event costs, rooming and rooming

availability should be available on

(Continued from page 1)

(Continued on page 3)

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the electronic Reservation Form.

Please send your personal or council

check to State Warden Larry

Droesch at his home address for

payment to attend this activity.

Please make every effort attend this

24 hour day with your Brother

Knights in some fraternity,

meditation, and prayer.

District Deputy Midyear

Meeting…

We are headed

right for the

District Deputy

Midyear

Meeting the

weekend of

January 8, 9,

and 10, 2016

at the

Columbus

Hilton at

Easton. So that your District Deputy

may continue to be better qualified

to help guide your council Supreme

Council Membership and

Programming Consultant Joe

Ramirez will lead the day of training

on Saturday afternoon. A variety of

topics will be covered including

membership, retention, parish

drives, new council development,

degree work, insurance and

programming.

Every District Deputy is required to

attend this weekend conference.

Please ask your District Deputy to

share with you the information he

has received that weekend to better

your council.

Council Audits and Fraternal

Survey…

Form 1295,

Councils Audits,

for the 1st half of

the Fraternal

Year and Form

1728, Fraternal

Survey are due

to Supreme Council this month.

Please make every effort to

complete this task.

“Town Hall” Meetings…

The “Town Hall” meetings seem to

be working well. I have attended

meeting in all but the Steubenville

Diocese. Meetings have been very

well attended. There has been

excellent dialogue and debate

among myself, other State Officers,

State Directors and the Brother

Knights in attendance. These

meeting are a great place to learn

about the working of your State

Council, the State Website, State

General Program, Church Drives,

and membership recruiting. All

meetings start at 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 12, Marietta

Council #478

Thursday, January 14, Mingo

Junction #4361

Tuesday, January 19, St. Mary’s

Chardon Council #15942

Council, District, Regional, and

State Free Throw Contests…

Please make yourself aware of the

dates for these events in your area.

All contest winners advance to the

next level of competition. State Free

Throw Final will be Saturday, March

19, in Columbus at Bishop Ready

High School.

Special Lapel Pin…

I have been working with Vice

Supreme Master Donald Hall to

produce a special lapel pin for any

4th Degree member who brings in a

new member and get him through

his first 3 degrees. Our 4th Degree

Sir Knights are always looking for

ways to increase not only their

membership but the State Councils

as well. The final details of the pin

have been finalized and are in

production. It is an attractive pin

that I believe any Brother Knight

would be proud to wear. Look for a

form here in the “Voice of the Spirit”

that will enable to you obtain this

pin provided the requirements have

been met.

WWW.KOFCOHIO.ORG

The State Website is up and running

for the first three General Program

grading periods. Yes we have had

some web issues but to my

knowledge they are minimal. All

problems to my knowledge have

been worked out with Webmaster

Brother Gilliland on a person to

person basis. Remember our

website is only 180 days old or so

and it’s just getting up on its feet.

With this said and confident in the

working of the Website thus far

Brother Gilliland has given District

Deputies the ability to view all of

their respective councils

programming. Brother Gilliland is

also working on the State Chaplain’s

Page, the State Deputy’s Page, links

to video productions on the

Supreme Website, State Council

Website tutorials, and better

information to our Membership

Inquiry Page.

Please be patient with us. If you

have any issues please address

them to me and I'll get with you and

Brother Bob to get them resolved.

Super Cash Bonanza…

The 2016 Super Cash Bonanza

Campaign will kick off as usual

during two weekends in February.

Along with the presentation of the

Super Cash Bonanza I will be

introducing a special membership

program to carry Ohio over the top

in membership recruitment. It just

may be a good idea to have your

Council Membership Director with

you that day. Road Show locations

should be found later in this issue or

on the State Website.

State Convention 2016…

Grand Knights and State personnel

be on the lookout for the 1st call to

convention. I will try my best to get

it out a little early and by March 15th

at the latest. The 117th State

Convention will take place the

weekend of May 20, 21 and 22 a

week prior to Memorial Day

weekend at the Kalahari Resort and

Convention Center in Sandusky,

Ohio.

In closing…

May God continue to Bless you

during this Christmas Season as you

continue to the work you do in Jesus

name. Dedicate everything you do

for Him to the honor and glory of

God and see what changes it will

make in your life. Have a Blessed

Merry Christmas and the Happiest of

New Years from all of us at the Ohio

State Council.

Bob Collins

State Deputy

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Reflections from State Chaplain Father Edward Janoch,

State Chaplain

There is a saying that is associated

with brides for their wedding. It

goes something like this:

“Something old, something new,

something borrowed something

blue.” This may seem strange, but

part of this saying I always think

about when a New Year begins. It

is the first part: “Something old,

something new . . . .” For

something old has passed on, that

is, the Year of the Lord Two

Thousand Fifteen [2015]. We

reflect on what had taken place

during that year in our personal

lives, in the event of the world and

in our Universal Church. We see

where we achieve success in the

personal, financial, and spiritual

events of our lives and where we

may have also fallen short or failed

in these areas. We may have a

sense of pride at the

accomplishments and a sense of

regret at where we failed. Both the

successes and failures of the past

year should be used as a guide to

see where we will advance in the

New Year. And yet something new

has now begun; the Year of the Lord

Two Thousand Sixteen [2016]. We

can grow and mature for successes

and failures help us to advance in

our endeavors in life. Both are

ways that we can measure how we

have done, especially in the spiritual

life.

In the Year of the Lord Two

Thousand Sixteen, we will have

opportunities to make our spiritual

lives grow. The major event this

year is the Extraordinary Jubilee of

Mercy: “Be Merciful as the Father.”

Events locally and world-wide will be

taking place to remind us of the

loving mercy that God the Father

has for us, just for the asking and

taking. For us, as members of the

Knights of Columbus, we have

endless opportunities to receive and

to show mercy to others. Our whole

founding by the Ven. Fr. Michael J.

McGivney is based on the Corporal

and Spiritual Works of Mercy. He

made sure that the widows and

orphans of brother Knights would be

taken care of. He professed the

faith and taught those who were

uneducated in the Faith, to receive

instruction in the Faith. He

administered the Sacraments of the

Church to help those he met to

receive God’s merciful love. Our

Supreme Council, Ohio State Council

and our local councils have

numerous opportunities to “be

merciful as the Father” in our

programs and initiatives. Our

Supreme Chaplain, Archbishop

William E. Lori said on December 1,

2015 that,

The Holy Doors of St. Peter Basilica

are now opened for us to travel

through to obtain graces to be a

people to receive Mercy and to grant

Mercy to others that are in need of

God’s loving Mercy. If we are not

able to go to Vatican City, we can

also go through the Holy Doors of

our diocesan cathedral, and obtain

the same graces that one would

receive if they were able to pass

through the Holy Doors at St.

Peter’s. Also, there is always the

Sacrament of Penance to directly

receive God’s Mercy. How merciful

is God to us to be able to give us

the opportunities to receive His

Mercy.

As I write this reflection, Pope

Francis has approved a miracle so

that Blessed Teresa of Calcutta will

be canonized a Saint during this

Extraordinary Jubilee Year. Mother

Teresa was [and still is] a woman

who showed great love, compassion

and mercy to those who she took

care of, whether they were her own

religious sisters, the poor and dying,

and even the total stranger. She

was a woman who lived and acted

on the Corporal and Spiritual Works

of Mercy. Her life is an example for

us to do the same. Mother Teresa is

quoted many times. One of her

quotes can help us to act, even if it

is seen as being small. She said:

“Not all of us can do great things.

But we can do small things with

great love.” So many people think

that if they are not doing so great or

grandiose thing, then they are

failing in their efforts to do the

Corporal and Spiritual Works of

Mercy. However, it is the smallest or

simplest things that we do that can

(Continued on page 5)

“our works of charity are meant to

convey the mercy of God, which is

at the heart of the Gospel.

Prospective members and their

families are most attracted to the

Knights of Columbus when they

see the Order engaged ‘in service

to one, in service to all.’ More

importantly, it is often through the

practice of charity that we lead

others to Christ and his Church.

For the Order to take full

advantage of this special Holy Year

of Mercy, the first step is for each

Knight to open himself personally

to the God who is “rich in mercy.”

Jesus is looking at us with the eyes

of mercy, asking us to believe in

him and trust him. He isn’t merely

asking us to assent to a series of

abstract truths, but instead to

entrust our lives to him, confident

that he will forgive our sins and

open for us the door of mercy in

the house of his heavenly Father.”

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move a person, help a person, heal

a person. Many times Mother

Teresa would say that a smile can

do much for a person who does not

know love. She said: "Every time

you smile at someone, it is an

action of love, a gift to that person,

a beautiful thing." Smiling is

something so simple that all of us

can do and yet it can help someone

to be lifted up for the whole day.

We may be the only person that day

that loved them by simply smiling.

Let us remember to be “Merciful as

the Father” during this new Year of

the Lord Two Thousand Sixteen.

Vivat Jesus!

Saint of the

Month St. Angela Merici, January

27 When she was 56, Angela Merici said

"No" to the Pope. She was aware

that Clement VII was offering her a

great honor and a great opportunity

to serve when he asked her to take

charge of a religious order of nurs-

ing sisters. But Angela knew that

nursing was not what God had called

her to do with her life.

She had just returned from a trip to

the Holy Land. On the way there she

had fallen ill and become blind. Nev-

ertheless, she insisted on continuing

her pilgrimage and toured the holy

sites with the devotion of her heart

rather than her eyes. On the way

back she had recovered her sight.

But this must have been a reminder

to her not to shut her eyes to the

needs she saw around her, not to

shut her heart to God's call.

All around her hometown she saw

poor girls with no education and no

hope. In the fifteenth and sixteenth

century that Angela lived in, educa-

tion for women was for the rich or

for nuns. Angela herself had learned

everything on her own. Her parents

had died when she was ten and she

had gone to live with an uncle. She

was deeply disturbed when her sis-

ter died without receiving the sacra-

ments. A vision reassured her that

her sister was safe in God's care --

and also prompted her to dedicate

her life to God.

When her uncle died, she returned

to her hometown and began to no-

tice how little education the girls

had. But who would teach them?

Times were much different then.

Women weren't allowed to be teach-

ers and unmarried women were not

supposed to go out by themselves --

even to serve others. Nuns were the

best educated women but they

weren't allowed to leave their clois-

ters. There were no teaching orders

of sisters like we have today.

But in the meantime, these girls

grew up without education in reli-

gion or anything at all.

These girls weren't being helped by

the old ways, so Angela invented a

new way. She brought together a

group of unmarried women, fellow

Franciscan tertiaries and other

friends, who went out into the

streets to gather up the girls they

saw and teach them. These women

had little money and no power, but

were bound together by their dedi-

cation to education and commitment

to Christ. Living in their own homes,

they met for prayer and classes

where Angela reminded them,

"Reflect that in reality you have a

greater need to serve [the poor]

than they have of your service."

They were so successful in their ser-

vice that Angela was asked to bring

her innovative approach to educa-

(Continued on page 6)

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tion to other cities, and impressed

many people, including the pope.

Though she turned him down, per-

haps the pope's request gave her

the inspiration or the push to make

her little group more formal. Alt-

hough it was never a religious order

in her lifetime, Angela's Company of

Saint Ursula, or the Ursulines, was

the first group of women religious to

work outside the cloister and the

first teaching order of women.

It took many years of frustration

before Angela's radical ideas of edu-

cation for all and unmarried women

in service were accepted. They are

commonplace to us now because

people like Angela wanted to help

others no matter what the cost. An-

gela reminds us of her approach to

change: "Beware of trying to ac-

complish anything by force, for God

has given every single person free

will and desires to constrain none;

he merely shows them the way, in-

vites them and counsels them."

Saint Angela Merici reassured her

Sisters who were afraid to lose her

in death: "I shall continue to be

more alive than I was in this life,

and I shall see you better and shall

love more the good deeds which I

shall see you doing continually, and

I shall be able to help you more."

She died in 1540, at about seventy

years old.

In Her Footsteps:

Take a look around you. Instead of

just driving or walking without pay-

ing attention today, open your eyes

to the needs you see along the way.

What people do you notice who

need help but who are not being

helped? What are their true needs?

Make a commitment to help them in

some way.

Prayer:

Saint Angela, you were not afraid of

change. You did not let stereotypes

keep you from serving. Help us to

overcome our fear of change in or-

der to follow God's call and allow

others to follow theirs. Amen

Copyright (c) 1996-2000 by Terry

Matz. All Rights Reserved.

(Continued from page 5)

Holy Family

Icon Larry Droesch, State Warden

Brother Knights, I am excited to

announce that the Holy Family Traveling

Icon Prayer Program is officially starting

December 12, 2015. It will run through

May 19, 2017. The 2 year Prayer

Program will start in Districts 57, 61, 39,

and 71.

It involves creating, planning, and

holding a K of C sponsored Prayer

Service honoring the Holy Family and

using the Icon, Prayer Books, and Cards.

All District Deputies will have the Icons

for 20 up

-to 30

days to

move

around

within

their

Districts

and then

send or

deliver

the Icon,

Prayer

Books

and

cards to

the next

DD on

the traveling

schedule.

Sorry to say

we got the

prayer books

about 3

months late,

so we had to

readjust the

schedule.

I ask that

every council

and district

please follow

the enclosed/

attached

Traveling

schedule to

prepare for

when your

area will

receive it.

This also

includes the

guidelines

that must be

followed so

every District

in Ohio has the opportunity to have the

Icon within the 2 year period.

Thanks for your patience with getting

this Prayer Program started and running.

Feel free to call, text, or email me with

questions"

ASSIGNED DATE ICON 1 ICON 2 ICON 3 ICON 4

DD # DD # DD # DD # ON OR BEFORE

12-Dec 2015 57 61 39 71

10-Jan 2016 58 59 42 28

1-Feb 65 60 46 27

1-Mar 64 67 37 26

1-Apr 3 62 72 75

1-May 1 66 73 29

1-Jun 2 68 32 74

1-Jul 5 63 30 79

1-Aug 4 69 31 82

29-Aug 6 70 18 78

16-Sep 7 48 21 81

9-Oct 8 49 36 80

31-Oct 17 50 19 77

21-Nov 13 45 25 76

16-Dec 9 47 24 51

20-Jan 2017 11 44 23 52

17-Feb 10 43 22 53

10-Mar 12 41 34 54

7-Apr 15 38 20 55

1-May ** 14 40 33 56

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Membership Nick Gresko, State Membership Director

COMMIT TO MEMBERSHIP

Some people and some councils are interested in reaching their

membership goals and others are committed to reaching their membership goals. The key to membership success is going from being interested to being committed. Once you are

committed your council and its members will produce results. At the point of commitment, you mentally burn all bridges and

you do whatever it takes to make membership happen. THAT’S when your members and your council become unstoppable with

membership! I hope all of our members and all of our councils are just as committed to membership in 2016 as you were to the first half of this fraternal year. As your State Membership

Director I’m COMMITTED! Are you and your councils COMMITTED? If so Circle of Honor here we come!!!

4 MORES

MORE Knights bring MORE hands & hearts, to raise MORE funds and to evangelize,

doing GOD’S good works helping MORE

people in need!

Membership in Ohio

For five straight months we

have been positive with membership recruitment. Brother Knights what do you

have planned for the next two months to keep this trend up?

Inspector Membership is expecting huge numbers the next few months!!! Inspector

also wants to thank all of the Brother Knights and Councils

for their hard work when it comes to membership for the first five months!!!

Form 450 & 450C is like

GOLD!!! District Deputies please make

sure within 3-7 days of holding a degree in your District the Form 450 is turned

in. Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries the Form

450C should be sent in within 3-7 days of doing a degree. This is extremely important

because this allows us to track if Supreme actually processed

your Form 100’s! If you took the time to bring in a new member the State

Membership Team wants to make sure you get credit for

your hard work and effort.

Form 100’s

Within 3-10 days of a degree

any Form 100’s should be emailed to the Supreme Council at

membership@kofc.org or to membershiprecords@kofc.org

Supreme is able to process the Form 100 much quicker this way and you have a

receipt that they were sent in your sent mail. Plus this

saves your council the cost of a stamp every time new members are brought in.

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Membership Mission #7 New Year, New Mission WOW! The way you all responded to

the missions has been outstanding.

Ohio continues to go in the right

direction and it is all because of you.

A New Year allows us to clean the

slate and start fresh. There are still

plenty of Catholic men and families

that we can recruit for our Order.

Where else can you combine

fellowship, faith growing, family

togetherness - the Knights truly are

the "Experience of a Lifetime."

Challenges are out there and the

Inspector has a new arch enemy -

Dr. Arceo! His sole mission is to

stop good Catholic men from joining

our Order. He has vowed to stop at

nothing and is pulling out tricks

from every corner to stop us. Are

we going to allow this???

Below is your mission for January- if

you so choose to accept. Inspector

Membership will be watching and

making sure that we all do the best

to ring in the New Year and defeat

Dr. Arceo before he has a chance to

begin his reign of misdirection and

confusion!

Bonus Membership Mission In Search of the 40s

Inspector Membership

here....reminding you about

the special incentive

available in January. Are

you up for another special

mission? Chief Collins (aka

State Deputy Robert

Collins) has given Inspector

Membership instructions

this month. There is something that has been

missing in the Great State of Ohio and no

one...we mean no one...has had a lot of

success tracking down this mysterious person.

Who could be so slick that not even the Great

Inspector Membership with all of his Deputies

across Ohio cannot track down? Where can he

be hiding? They are the 40 Years and Under

Mob. Yes, this mob has been seen but only for

an instant at sporting events, church services,

picnics, work and in the grocery store around

town. But, they never sit still long enough for

the Inspector to get to them and always seem

to not have enough time. It is like there is

something..or someone...keeping them from

joining our Great Order.

We, the

Membership

Deputies from

the State of

Ohio will

search high

and low to

locate this mob and put an end to the grasp

that holds on them and get them to join us for

Charity, Unity and Fraternity! Let us get in our

Membership Mobiles and go out there and find

these men 40 years of age or younger so they

can help us defeat Inspector Membership's

arch enemy.

Click to

Watch

the V

ideo

!

9

General

Programs Bob Walsh, General

Program Director

Welcome to the New Year.

As we begin this New Year

we start to think of a new

beginning and starting fresh

in our lives. We can also

start fresh and reinvigorate

with the State General

Program. With only about

half of the Councils in the

State reporting at least one

program, now would be the

time to take stock in your

Council programs that help

your Brother Knights, their

Families, Community, and

Church. I know that many

Councils are doing great work

in these activity areas, but for

some reason do not like to

report on their activities. Some

of these activities have been

recognized by Supreme and

implemented into their

programs. What a fantastic

way to know that your program

helps other Brother Knights

and their Families. Please

consider reporting your

activities in this New Year.

With three and a half months

left in the program year many

councils are reaching the

maximum number of points of

1085. The point total includes

Administration forms,

Membership, and General

Programs. Now would be a

great time to review your point

totals.

Some upcoming dates to

remember:

January 31st, Annual Survey

of Fraternal Activity.

February 15th, Form #1295

Semi-annual Council Audit.

Super Cash Bonanza kick

off look for further details.

February 29th, end of the

fourth reporting period.

April 1st, Nominations due

for Honoree of the Year,

due to the appropriate

Director, also part of the

General Program.

April 15th, end of the final

reporting period, due by the

20th.

June 30th, SP 7 form to

Supreme, For Columbian

Award.

As you can see time is flying by

fast, remember to keep track

of all deadlines because they

are important this time of year.

Are you also writing down your

activities for the Columbian

Award on form SP 7 Form,

checking on your membership,

and Insurance quotas, these

are also important to receive

Supremes top honor STAR

Council.

Thank you for the work you

have been doing for the

“Through Him, With Him, In

Him” program year.

Community Tom Forsthoefel As we start the New Year for 2016

there is still plenty of time for your

council to complete the programs

under the State Communities

Program. Your council should have

ample opportunities to perform and

to help those in your community that

could use your assistance. There are

people in your parish or local

communities that need your

assistance on a daily basis whether it

is your local food pantry, blood

center, VA Center or VFW Post. You

could volunteer to help someone to

their upcoming doctor’s visit. The

sky is the limit of what, when and

how you can help your fellow man

within your community.

Now that you have done the activity

under the State Community Program

the next step should be easy to

complete the project. The community

director within your council or

someone that has participated in the

activity needs to submit the activity

to the state web site. If someone

has taken pictures of your activity

you can have them uploaded to the

site as well. If you are having any

problems inputting or uploading the

data please contact the state website

director Bob Gilliland. Bob would be

more than happy to help you with

any issues you may be having.

Contact Bob @ 330-259-1246.

Vivat Jesus,

Thomas Forsthoefel

State Community Director

937-623-1844

tjf042074@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe to the Voice!

Get up-to-date information about your Ohio State

Council through the Voice of the Spirit. You will

also receive special membership missions and

updates from Inspector Membership and the other

programs. Simply click HERE or use the QC code.

10

Culture of Life Gary Anderson As we flip the calendar to 2016, our

focus turns to several important,

upcoming Culture of Life activities

and events:

March for

Life: The

44th March

for Life in

Washington,

D.C. is just a

couple of

weeks away

on Friday,

January 22. The day kicks off with

the noon Rally while the March

itself steps off at 1:00 p.m. Those

arriving a day early can make plans

to attend the March for Life

Conference on Thursday from 9:00

a.m. to 12:00 noon at the

Renaissance Washington Hotel.

Download a PDF of the March for

Life Trip Planner which is laden with

helpful information such as:

Planning Checklist to make sure

your trip runs smoothly.

Hotel, Conference, event info.

Helpful tips from marchers.

Metro travel information.

Human Dignity tour

suggestions.

Information about the March for

Life app, mobile updates, and

social media.

And much more!

To download the March for Life Trip

Planner, CLICK HERE. For more

info, see March for Life, Culture of

Life Activity #48 on pages 65-66 of

the General Program Book. This is a

Supreme Council Featured

Program.

Celebrate World Marriage Day-

Observed on February 14 this year

across the U.S. and around the

globe. World Marriage Day honors

husband and wife as the foundation

of the family, the basic unit of

society. For more info, see

Celebrate World Marriage Day,

Culture of Life Activity #51 on page

67 of the General Program Book.

40 Days for Life-The 2016 Spring/

Lenten campaign runs from

February 10 through March 20. It

consists of vigils of prayer and

fasting at abortion clinics for an end

to abortion. Over 11,165 babies

have been directly saved since

2007. For more info, see 40 Days

for Life, Culture of Life Activity #47

on pages 64-65 of the General

Program Book.

K of C Day of the Unborn Child-

Celebrating the value and respect

due the unborn on or around March

25, the Feast of the Annunciation.

However, with Easter this year

falling on March 27, the

observance of the Annunciation has

been moved to Monday, April 4. For

more info, see K of C Day of the

Unborn Child, Culture of Life

Activity #49 on page 66 of the

General Program Book.

Promote Teen Chastity-Provides

Catholic schools and parishes with

Theology of the Body for Teens, a

12-segment program that uses St.

John Paul II's vision for love and life

to answer the tough questions kids

are asking about God, sex, and the

meaning of life. For more info, see

Promote Teen Chastity, Culture of

Life Activity #52 on pages 67-68 of

the General Program Book.

Ultrasound Initiative-Arguably

the most critically important

program offered by the Order,

literally saving babies every day.

Through the program, free

ultrasound machines are provided

to qualified pregnancy care centers.

Over 600 in the U.S. and over 30 in

Ohio have been delivered since

2010. For more info, see

Ultrasound Initiative, Culture of Life

Activity #45 on pages 62-64 of the

General Program Book. This is a

Supreme Council Featured

Program.

State Website Bob Gilliland

Updated Dashboard for 2016! There is a new updated Dashboard (see below) that now includes Council Forms Status representing whether or not Supreme Council has received the Administrative forms (Form 185 – Council Officers, 365 – Service Personnel, 1728 – Fraternal Survey, 1295-1 – Audit 1, 1295-2 - Audit 2, and SP-7 – Columbian Award). This will help Councils better track their Form Submission to Supreme Council. This data is pulled from Supreme Council. In addition, the Membership and Insurance Thermometers have been updated to include the Net, Total and percentage

attained for the YTD totals. The green checkmark under Forms means that Supreme Council has received the appropriate form and the red checkmark means that they have not received the appropriate form. In addition, the Star Council requirements (Membership, Insurance, Form 365, Form 1728, and Form 1728 are highlighted in Green. As your Council plans the 2

nd half of the

fraternal year, you can use this

information to help achieve your Council goals towards Star Council. If you have any problems, or need any help, please feel free to email me at BobG@sceinet.com. Robert Gilliland State Website Director

11

Plant the Seed to Grow CASH

for Charity 2016 Super Cash Bonanza

Charity Campaign

Super Cash Bonanza Charity Raffle

Tickets and posters will be

distributed during the Ticket

Distribution Meetings throughout

Ohio the weekends of February 19,

20, or 26, 27, 28 (2016). Please

check for the exact date, time, and

location in your council area.

Please make sure that all who are

in charge of the 2016 Super Cash

Bonanza Charity Campaign have

read the materials provided to the

council, especially, the information

booklet.

Significant income for charity can

be earned by your council (far

surpassing the basic rebate of

$2.40 per ticket), but you must

adhere to the “rules” as presented

in the information booklet. Some

rebates require meeting

attendance, while others require

meeting First Phase and Final

Phase quotas. Here are some of

the key points:

A minimum of two members from

your council must attend the

Diocesan Ticket Distribution

Meeting. The two-member

requirement does not include the

District Deputy, State Directors

and Chairs, or a State Officer to

qualify for these rebates.

The sold tickets and one check

from your council must be sent to

the State Treasurer by the

published deadlines. The two turn-

in dates are Friday, April 15 (2016)

and Friday, May 13 (2016). Your

council must meet these deadlines

with the required number of sold

tickets per member in order to

qualify for the different rebates.

Most methods of shipping are

acceptable. UPS, FedEx or the US

Postal System all have good record

of timely delivery of small

packages. Please do not send your

package by a method requiring my

signature. These often go back to

the delivery agent’s warehouse and

await pickup. Please use durable-

strength envelopes or cartons to

avoid damage during shipment.

Please make every effort to have

all of your council’s tickets

submitted by the second turn-in

deadline. Tickets brought to and

delivered at the convention might

create a processing problem. With

the drawing taking place that

weekend, there is very little time

for late arrivals. We cannot

guarantee your rebates on tickets

received more than a few days

after the final turn-in date of May

15, 2016.

Extra materials and tickets can be

obtained from your District Deputy

or Diocesan Officer. Any questions

concerning the 2016 Super Cash

Bonanza Campaign should be

directed to me, Robert Byers,

State Treasurer and Chair, by

email at

robert_byers@hotmail.com or by

calling me at 740-706-0044 cell or

740-373-7154 home.

Plan early, promote, and partner!

We are here to help you work

toward the success of the 2016

Super Cash Bonanza charity

campaign at your local council.

Thank you to all my brother

knights for helping me “Plant the

Seed and Grow CASH for Charity.”

Additional information is also

available on the Ohio State Council

state website at www.kofcohio.org.

Fraternally,

Farmer Bob Bob Byers, State Treasurer

Super Cash Bonanza Road Show 2016 Ticket Distribution Meetings The Super Cash Bonanza Road Show

Team is making plans now to meet

with each and every Council

throughout the State of Ohio to kick

off the 2016 Super Cash Bonanza

Charity Raffle. We have selected

nine locations around the state to

make every effort possible for each

and every one of you to attend one

of the meetings. The team will share

with you some thoughts about what

is expected to conduct and

accomplish a successful charity raffle

at your Council. We look forward to

meeting with you. The meeting sites,

dates, and times are listed below.

Thursday, February 18 @ 7:00 PM Marietta Council #478

312 Franklin Street Marietta, OH 45750

Friday, February 19 @ 7:00 PM Msgr. Dooley Council #4361

Legion Drive Mingo Junction, OH 43938

Saturday, February 20 @ 10:00 AM Randolph Council #2039

2697 Waterloo Road

Randolph, OH 44265

Saturday, February 20 @ 1:00 PM Garfield Council #4130 10806 Grainger Road

Garfield Heights, OH 44125

Friday, February 26 @ 7:00 PM Tiffin Council #608 49 E. Perry Street Tiffin, OH 44883

Saturday, February 27 @ 9:30 AM Msgr. Lang Council #1039

111 Elliot Road Defiance, OH 43512

Saturday, February 27 @ 3:00 PM

Fr. Aufderheide Council #12912 (St. Christopher Church)

435 E. National Road

Vandalia, OH 45377

Saturday, February 27 @ 7:00 PM St. Michael’s Council #3382

(St. Michael’s Church) 11144 Spinner Ave.

Sharonville, OH 45241

Sunday, February 28 @ 2:00 PM St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Council #11187

600 Hill Road Pickerington, OH 43147

12

State Retreat February 5-6, 2016

Brother Knights, you are invited to spend some time with the Lord in reflection and great fellowship with our

Worthy Former State Chaplain, Father Ron Williams at the 2016 Knights of Columbus State Retreat starting

on Friday, February 5 through Saturday, February 6, 2016.

The retreat will be held at:

Saints Peter and Paul Retreat Center

2734 Seminary Road

Newark, OH 43056.

Doors will open at 3PM. Dinner will be served at 6:00 PM. Breakfast and lunch will be served on

Saturday. Closing Mass at 4:00 PM. Dismissal after Mass. If interested, please complete the online

registration form by clicking the link below or send the form below to:

Larry Droesch, State Warden

1758 Prairie Road

Wilmington, OH 45177

Registration will close on Wednesday, January 20, 2016.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ONLINE RETREAT REGISTRATION FORM

CUT HERE

13

14

Sir Knight Recruiters Calling all Sir Knights of the Great State of Ohio Our Worthy State Deputy working with the Vice Supreme

Master, Don Hall, have developed a special program to help mentor new members in our Order. The “SK Recruiter” is a

special pin that illustrates the togetherness that the Councils and Assemblies. It provides a program that allows a Sir Knight

to walk a new member from his First Degree through his Third Degree. This is not to take the place of the responsibility of the

new members sponsor, but is to provide an experienced and committed Sir Knight to assist and help develop our fellow

brothers.

What do you need to do to get this pin? 1. Be a Fourth Degree Sir Knight in good standing.

2. Recruit a new Member. 3. Take the new member to his First, Second and Third

Degree. 4. Complete the form below or click HERE.

CUT HERE