March - Ohio State Council

March 2015
THE
LIGH HOUSE
A Monthly Publication of the Ohio
State Council Knights of Columbus
STATE DEPUTY’S SPOTLIGHT ON …
Recruiting At Your Parish!
As we begin the month of March, all councils are encouraged to conduct CHURCH DRIVES at our
parishes around Ohio. What better place is there to find a practical Catholic? Is your council planning to a
Church Drive? It’s not too late.
And what about asking your members to “Ask One Man” this month to join the Knights of Columbus. It
doesn’t have to be just on Sunday during a church drive. Encourage the members of your council to recruit a
relative, friend, neighbor or co-worker. There are Catholic men waiting to be asked. And if all 58,000 Knights
of Columbus were to “Ask One Man” this month, imagine the potential number of new members!
I want to thank everyone who attended our Super Cash Bonanza Road Show during the two weekends in
February. The weather sure made it difficult, but we were amazed at the attendance. We hope you take the
opportunity to increase your council’s fund for charity.
Congratulations to our new council 16137 in the Cleveland Diocese. And we are waiting for the
council number for a new council formed at St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati. Great job!
As you may know, Supreme has now offered a nice incentive for all councils achieving Star Council for
this fraternal year. All Star Council winners will get a $4.50 credit for all billable members of their councils, as of
July 1, 2015. This means, if your council has, for an example, 300 members, with 100 being Honorary Life or on
disability, the number of "billable" members is 200 (those actually paying dues). If this council wins the Star
Council Award, Supreme will then credit their account for $4.50 for each of those 200 members. ($4.50 x 200 =
$900) This council still collects dues, but they will not have to pay the $900 to Supreme and that $900 can be
used for any general fund expenditure. The March 1 Star Council Status Report will be issued in a few days.
Please review your council's standing and work on the requirements that you may lack.
A Note to all Financial Secretaries: Supreme Council will conduct a webinar on Saturday, March 21, at
2:00 PM EST. All financial secretaries should have received a memo from Supreme Council.
You can register at… http://www.kofc.org/webinar.
Thank you Brothers.
Remember to “Be The Light!”
Ken Girt
State Deputy
The State Membership Program from our own…
Ken “Ohio Jones” Gardner
State Membership Director
[email protected]
(513) 451-3079
As I sit down to write this article, it is with a very heavy heart. On Friday, February 27, the Knights of
Columbus lost a dedicate priest, Chaplain, Faithful Friar, and a man I considered a close friend. Fr. Harry J.
Gerdes, Chaplain of St. Joseph of the Three Rivers Council #11550 and Faithful Friar of Most Holy Rosary
Assembly #2170 went home to his eternal reward. I met Fr. Harry when I first joined the Knights of
Columbus in 1985. At that time he was serving as Chaplain for Archbishop Purcell Council. Right away I
knew there was something special about him, he loved life and he loved the Knights of Columbus. His
Chaplain’s Report was always one of the highlights of the meeting and he was always “just one of the boys”
after the meeting. He loved sports and was always willing to share his stories with anyone who would listen.
He knew I was a hockey fan, so one of his favorite stories to tell me was how, while serving as Chaplain of
the Dayton Gems hockey team, he was thrown into the shower with his suit on after the team won the
league championship. He also attended several Cincinnati Reds Dream Weeks and had some great stories
about that experience.
Fr. Harry was transferred to Fairfield, I would guess in the late 1980’s, and I lost touch with him.
While serving as District Deputy in 1995, I found out that Fr. Harry had been moved to St. Joseph Parish in
North Bend. I immediately made contact with him about having his very own Knights of Columbus council in
his parish. He not only said yes, he was a driving force in getting the council started. I transferred to that
council as a charter member and got to know Fr. Harry even better. When he retired from the priesthood
and moved into an assisted living facility, I would pick him up to take him to the council meetings. It was
always a joyful ride to the meeting as I got to listen to his words of wisdom. He continued to be an
important part of the council until he could no longer attend meetings due to poor health. St. Joseph of the
Three Rivers Council has been one of the top councils in the state of Ohio for most of the 20 years they have
been around and I believe this has a lot to do with how active Fr. Harry was with the council from the very
beginning. He knew he could count on HIS KNIGHTS to get the job done when he had a special project.
So what does all of this have to do with membership? We need more men to serve not only our parish
and community, but to be the go to guys when the pastor and chaplain need something done. We need more
K of C families praying for and fostering vocations, so that our chaplains have some extra time to spend with
the council. We need more brother knights to be a friend of our priests. One of our Knights of Columbus
mottos is “In Solidarity With Our Priests”. We need more Catholic men living that message each and every
day of their lives.
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All councils in Ohio should be planning to hold some type of Membership Recruitment effort in the month of
March. There are several ways this can be accomplished; here are a few for your council to consider.
 The tried and true Church Drive. This is one of the best ways to recruit new members for your council.
Church Drives are proven to bring in new members when properly planned and executed. When
followed up with a Council Open House event, it can be even more successful. Everything you need to
know
about
holding
a
Church
Drive
can
be
found
here:
http://www.kofc.org/un/en/membership/drive/church_drive.html
 A Ministry Fair is also a great way to recruit new members. Many times we here that a pastor will not
let a council recruit at church because he does not want to favor one organization over another. An
excellent solution for this is for the council to sponsor a
From State Membership Director Ken Gardner (contd.)

Parish Ministry Fair. This will allow all parish organizations to let parishioners know about the works
they do for the parish. I am sure most pastors would welcome this type of parish event and it is very
easy to organize.
 A Personal Church Drive can also motivate members to recruit for the council. If your council does not
have any formal membership recruitment drive planned for March, I ask you to consider this idea.
Challenge every member of your council to hold his own personal church drive by asking at least one
Catholic man to join the knights at each mass he attends in the month of March. With five Sundays in
the month, if he has a 20% success rate, he will be guaranteed to sign up a member! Be sure every
man in your council has a Form 100 and some recruitment material at each mass he attends.
If every member in Ohio thinks membership every day, we can turn our low recruitment numbers around and
start building the Ohio Knights back to where we need to be. I challenge everyone reading this to sign up a
member in March.
******************************************************************************
All Financial Secretaries should have received this important message about Star Councils from Supreme:
For the past two years the Supreme Council has promoted the Star Council Award Program as one of the
most successful ways to grow your councils, your jurisdictions and our Order.
We would like to announce for the remainder of this fraternal year, an important addition for your council.
When your council qualifies, at any level, for the Star Council Award for the 2014-2015 fraternal year, your
council will receive a credit for the 2015/2016 fraternal year of $4.50 for each billable member on their
roster as of July 1st, 2015.
Here is an example: If a council has 100 members on its roster on July 1st, 2015, that council will receive a
credit on the September 2015 statement for $450.00 ($3.50 Per Capita and $1.00 Catholic
Advertising). (Honorary life and disability waivers are examples of non billable members).
Please continue to work to make your council a Star Council.
Fraternally,
George Hanna
Senior Vice President Fraternal Services
******************************************************************************
The winners of the January Recruitment drawing for $50.00 each were: James Gehring, James Barnard,
Mark Yovanovich, David Helmstetter, Stanley Pederson, Jerry Heard, and Michael Freil.
I am going to extend the deadline to submit your council membership recruitment brochure to March 14.
I have received only a handful of entries so far. See the attached flyer.
Our Targeted Recruitment Drive for March and April is “New and Renewed Members of the Faith”. See the
attached flyer for all of the details.
Keep searching for that Treasure of a New Member!
Ken Gardner
Special Membership Contest
Council Recruitment Brochure
Supreme Council has plenty of Membership Recruitment material available for local councils;
much of it is very informative and tells the Knights of Columbus story in an outstanding way.
But does it tell the story of YOUR council? The history that you are so proud of, the awards
that you have won, the programs that serve your specific parish and community so well, and
the things that makes your council stand out. How do you tell a prospective member what
YOU DO? Luckily, every council in Ohio has the opportunity to create a custom brochure that
tells the story of YOUR council. Supreme Council even has the items you need to make the
brochure special to that prospective member. Start with the full color brochure paper,
available from Supreme Council as item #4242 at a reasonable cost of $5.00 for a package of
250 sheets. Next, go to the link below to learn how to create the best brochure that you can:
http://www.kofc.org/un/en/service/council/brochure/
Flyer #4125 also gives tips on putting together a top notch brochure:
http://www.kofc.org/un/en/resources/membership/brochuredesign.pdf
Once your brochure is created, give a few copies to every member of your council, put them
on display in a common space at your parishes, and use them at recruitment drives. Put them
to work!
I am sure that quite a few councils in Ohio already have a custom brochure. We want to see
them all! We want to recognize those that stand out among all others!
We are asking all councils to send a hard copy of your council brochure to State Membership
Director Ken Gardner. All brochures submitted by March 14, 2015 will be in a contest to pick
the best brochure in each division and in the state of Ohio. Emailed brochures will not be
entered in the contest, they must be a hard copy mailed in!
Here is all you need to do:
 Create a council brochure using the ideas listed above, or update your current
brochure with the latest information about your council.
 Mail a copy of your brochure to State Membership Director Ken Gardner, 321
Greenwell Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45238 by March 14, 2015.
One brochure from each division will be chosen by a panel of judges as
the best, with one of these divisional winner chosen as the Best
Brochure in the state. Plaques will be awarded at the State Convention
in May recognizing these winners. Don’t delay; send your brochure in
today. If you have any questions, contact State Membership Director
Ken Gardner by email at [email protected].
2014-2015 Great Ohio Membership Crusade
Year Long Individual Recruiters Rewards Program
TARGETED RECRUITMENT DRIVES
March-April: New/Renewed Members of the Faith
We are asking members in Ohio to recruit this fraternal year based on bi-monthly
targeted groups. For March-April, we are targeting New and Renewed Members of
the Faith. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) graduates become members of
our faith at the Easter Vigil. Men who attend Lenten retreats or participate in Christ
Renews His Parish are renewed in their faith. These men are looking for a good group
of Catholic men to help them continue to build their faith.
Use these Supreme Council brochures as tools to help recruit men of faith:
Faith Based Brochure #4497
Overview Brochure #4547
You should be a Knight #10100
Be sure that all scheduled First Degrees have a class honoree. Promoting First Degree
Class Honorees can really help with recruitment. Suggest Class Honorees for this two
month rewards programs are: March- Fr. Michael J. McGivney (in honor of Founders
Day), April- Council Chaplain or Pope Francis.
Every member who recruits ANY new knight during the 2014-15 fraternal year will be in
a monthly drawing for $50.00. Each month we will draw seven $50.00 winners.
There are many treasures of a new member throughout Ohio; all we need to do is ASK
every Catholic man we come in contact with a simple question: “Do you want to become
a better Catholic gentleman and father?”
Remember, while we want you to target new and renewed members of the faith during
the March-April period; don’t pass up the opportunity to recruit any man you can!
Never pass up the chance to bring in a new member, whatever time of the year it is.
District Deputies and Diocesan Coordinators
MARCH 28TH DAY OF REFLECTION
This request goes out to all District Deputies. Please, contact your councils to see how many will
be attending the March 28th Day of Reflection. I need you then to send your total numbers of council
members coming to your (DDC) District Deputy Coordinator, by March 20th.
He in tune will then send me his diocese total number by the 22nd of March.
I then will send all totals to the State Chaplain, and State Treasurer to total numbers. Please,
there is a deadline don’t wait till the last minute call today.
3 Parts:
1. DD’s contact their councils for a members count.
2. Call your DDC with the total amount coming, by March 20th.
3. DDC total the numbers for your diocese and send me your number by the 22nd of March.
Joe Mackos
State District Deputy Director
Jeff Kiliany
State General Program Director
(330) 853-6099 / Email: [email protected]
Nominee of the Year forms due
Your council’s Nominee of the Year forms are due now. The categories include: Knight, Family, and
Chaplain/Religious of the year for mandatory Administrative Program requirements. Volunteer, Lady, Youth, Religious,
and Blue Coat of the year are optional Administrative requirements that will be used in any tiebreaker situations. The
submission form can be copied from your “Light of Ohio” General Program Handbook, or downloaded from the Ohio
State Knights of Columbus website at www.kofcohio.org
To download the form from the State website, click on the “State Programs” title at the top of the State website
homepage. A dropdown list will appear where you can find and click on “Nominee of the Year Form”. All Nominee of
the year submissions should be mailed to the appropriate Program Director. Names & addresses can be found in the
General Program Manual. The State Program Directors must receive these submissions by April 1st.
As we enter into the final period for the “Light of Ohio” State Program, you should be checking your council’s
reported point summaries for each program area. Your council needs four activities in each program area to Max the
state program. Now is the time to complete activities and submit reports in program areas that you have not
completed 4 activities in. If you notice a point discrepancy in any of the program areas, please contact the appropriate
State Director.
STATE COUNCIL MERCHANDISE
You can order the “The Light of Ohio” State Council merchandise, by going on line to the State Council
website kofcohio.org and click on the tab entitled State Programs.
Then scroll down and click on State for Sale Items, once you find an item you wish to order, go to bottom of
page and click on Order Form. Fill out the order form completely with the item you want to order and return to
me.
Once I receive your order, I will fill it, mail to you and send a bill, which will be for the item plus a fee for
shipping.
When you attend the State Convention this year, which will be in Cincinnati, you could wear a “Light of
Ohio” golf shirt. Help the State Council by ordering “The Light of Ohio” golf shirts and tee shirts. Golf
shirts have been reduced to $15.00 and Tee shirts are now $3.00. They are available in limited sizes and
colors. So now is the time to order them and receive them in time for the Convention.
You can order “Keep Christ in Christmas” silk neckties which are available at a cost of $25.00. These ties
are available in three colors, red, white or green with the Knights of Columbus logo and the phrase” Keep
Christ in Christmas”. Remember these ties can be worn year round to help promote Keeping Christ in
Christmas.
So please get your orders submitted for golf shirts, tee shirts and/or “Keep Christ in Christmas” neckties.
Any questions or concerns email me at [email protected] or call me at (330) 453-0872. If you need
assistance with ordering, please let me know.
Fraternally,
Jack Campbell
Administrative Services Director
2015 Measure-Up dates: April 24-26; May 1-3
By State Warden Mark Siracusa
2015 Measure-Up Campaign Chairman
Our Knights of Columbus Measure Up Campaign is a fundraiser aimed at assisting those with
developmental disabilities. This effort traditionally raises approximately $425,000 for statewide and local
caring agencies that sponsor a variety of training and support programs. Of the money collected, 80% is
returned back to the local councils, for them to donate it to their local agencies. The remaining 20% is used
for statewide programs.
Please remember that this year’s campaign dates are April 24, 25, and 26; and May 1, 2, and 3.
Ohio Knights are again asked to support this “flagship” charity and to put Columbianism into action for
our friends with developmental disabilities. Our 2015 statewide goal is $450,000 (or more!), with all 100%
of our local councils participating.
a
Please encourage all council members to help the Knights of Columbus aacross Ohio to “Measure Up” in
2015.
Mark Your Calendars!
KofC Day of Reflection
March 28 2015
The Josephinum College Seminary
7265 North High Street
Columbus Ohio
Meditations on the Stations of the Cross
Confessions available
10:00am to 5:30pm
Lunch provided
Mass for Palm Sunday at 4:00pm
Culture of Life Spotlight: March for Life 2015
Gary Anderson, State Director
Dr. Jack Willke, "Father of the Pro-Life Movement" Passes Away
The world lost its pre-eminent pro-life warrior, Dr. John "Jack" Willke, who died in Cincinnati at the
age of 89 on September 20. Dr. Willke founded both Ohio Right to Life and Right to Life of Greater
Cincinnati, and was past president of both the National Right to Life Committee and International
Right to Life. Dr. Willke in his later years also headed up Life Issues Institute in Cincinnati. For more
details, click here.
Urgent Call to Action: Defend Conscience Rights and Religious Liberty
The need for legislation protecting the rights of conscience and religious liberty has grown more
pressing. The Health Care Conscience Rights Act (H.R. 940) has been re-introduced in the U.S.
House of Representatives. Members should be urged to support and co-sponsor H.R. 940. Click here
to contact your Representative today!
Lenten 40 Days for Life Underway Through March 29
The Spring/Lenten 40 Days for Life campaign is now underway and runs through Palm Sunday, March
29 across the U.S. and internationally in over 559 cities and towns. Knights of Columbus are again
joining scores of Catholic parishes and other Christian churches throughout Ohio in standing up for
unborn children by praying and fasting for an end to abortion as part of this life saving campaign that
has resulted in over 9700 innocent lives saved, 59 abortion facilities closed, and 107 abortion workers
quitting their jobs since 2007. It's not too late to get involved. See Activity #77 of the Culture of Life
Activities Program on page 83 of the General Program Handbook. Click here.
Looking for the Best of the Best
Thus far, there have been many outstanding Culture of Life activities reported in the state general
program during this program year, ending April 15. Some of them could even contend for Best Culture
of Life Activity within their respective divisions. How about your council? Only those councils that
make the effort of submitting for a Best Activity award have a chance of snagging one. The secret is
simple: details, details, details, along with lots of photos!
Vivat Jesus!
Gary Anderson
State Culture of Life Director
From State Youth Director Bob Walsh,
Supreme has announced the International Winners from the Soccer Challenge. We had no
international winners, but I would like to thank all the Councils that participated this year. I would like
to encourage more Councils to consider doing this program. As the number of Councils
participating continues to grow, the more interested the children will become.
Just a reminder to send your Essay winners to me by the end of February. I need to send the State
winners to Supreme by April 10th.
For the Councils that are doing the Drug and Alcohol Poster Contest remember to check with you
District Deputy to see if he needs to have a District judging in March. I need to send them to
Supreme by the middle of April.
If you would like to encourage our Free Throw shooters at the State Competition, it will be held on
March 21st 2015, at Bishop Ready High School, 707 Salisbury Rd. Columbus. Doors will open at
noon for registration, and the program will start at 1:00 P.M.
Is there a special Youth in the Council area that does exceptional activities in the Church,
Community, Council, and for other Youth. Consider submitting their name to be recognized by the
State. Deadline for submissions are by April 1st, 2015.
Review your Youth Program now to make sure that your Council is able to complete all the activities
and max out the programs of the State program.
Subscribe to the
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Protecting Widows – A Founding Goal
As a member and a leader of our Order, you know how important spouses can be to the charitable works of the
Knights of Columbus. If you’re married, your wife is probably involved in a few of the many events that happen
each fraternal year. This support adds great value and impact to what a State, District, or Council can achieve.
When the Order was founded in 1882, Father Michael J. McGivney and the other brave men were setting out to
protect Catholic families, but especially wives and children. Today, we remain committed to this mission by offering
insurance products and fraternal benefits designed with that goal in mind. One specific policy rider that you may not
know about is called Spousal Waiver of Premium. This rider is unique to the Knights of Columbus’ philosophy of
helping our widows.
This rider is available on most permanent and Discoverer plans purchased at standard rates by a member and his
wife on the same day. When both spouses apply, the rider provides for waiver of premiums on the spouse’s contract
in the event of the insured’s death. Best of all, for members and spouses ages 18 to 60, this waiver can be added for
no charge. The rider stays in effect until the spouse attains age 65 or certain other triggering events occur.
Our products are designed with member’s needs and budgets in mind. With a solid portfolio of life insurance, longterm care, disability income and retirement products, the Knights of Columbus can meet all of their financial goals.
One last piece of information that you should be aware of when it comes to Widows: If a member is an ‘Associate
Member” when he dies, by law his widow cannot take any additional policies or set up any additional accounts with
the Knights of Columbus………. EVER. It is vitally important for our members to be “Insurance” members.
God Bless,
Your General Agents of Ohio
Dear Fraternal Leader,
This is a reminder to register for the webinar focusing on council membership growth on Saturday,
March 7, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. EST. If you’ve already registered, thank you. We encourage you to register
even if you cannot participate in the live webinar. By registering, you will receive a link to the recorded
version of the webinar that you may listen to at your convenience.
This session will be geared toward all fraternal leaders and especially district deputies, grand knights, council
membership and program directors and the council membership team. This webinar will discuss the
importance of your council being visible during three Orderwide initiatives: the Orderwide Church Drive,
Orderwide Charitable Service Outreach Waeek and Orderwide First Degree Week. This town hall-type
meeting will focus on:
•
•
Conducting Effective Church Drives and Recruitment Strategies
Welcoming and Advancing New Members Through the First Degree
This training session will take place on Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Please click on
the link below to register for this event:
http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=947867&s=1&k=5ECE3F8B3DFF18E69C743CB10E16A696
We encourage you to register for this webinar even if you cannot view the entire presentation.
If you have questions regarding this event, please call Gary Nolan, Vice President for Fraternal Training and
Ceremonials at 203-752-4347.
Fraternally Yours,
Gary R. Nolan
Vice President for Fraternal Training and Ceremonials