Keep Christ in Christmas Events

Brothers,

There are many ways you, your council, and your family can have a fun time while we “Keep Christ in Christmas.” For instance, join a parade! Here are two examples to share with you on Christmas parades being held in Glendale and Tucson this December. This is the time to consider this and registering. I bet there are more parades throughout Arizona that you can participate in.

1) Glendale, AZ - The Hometown Christmas Parade is a “Keep Christ in Christmas” themed parade, to be held on Saturday December 13, 2014, to start at 11:00AM, in Glendale, Arizona. All Councils and Assemblies in Arizona (especially the Phoenix metro area) are invited to participate in this parade. You can enter a float with a “Keep Christ in Christmas” theme. You can enter a float or march in the parade, with or without 4^th Degree Regalia. And of course, you are invited to watch the parade, as well. I have been told that there is no Santa at the end of this parade, as it is focused on Christ’s birth, and is not the secular Christmas we see in the stores and on TV. They are celebrating the true “Star” of Christmas.

This is the second year it will be held.  Last year’s parade was a huge success with 97 parade entries and over 8,000 people in attendance. The response was overwhelmingly positive! It is open to all Churches in Arizona. St Helen's Catholic Church, in Glendale, had an entry last year, with a decorated hay rack and people singing Christmas songs, plus parishioner walking behind it. They also had George Florentine's fire truck (the same one used in the Vets Parade).

St Helen's Catholic Church and Council 11738 have already entered for this year and plan to have the hay rack and singers again. Councils and Assemblies can enter, too. We hope to see many Brother Knights marching this year, with 1^st, 2^nd, & 3^rd Degree members walking behind the 4^th Degree members in regalia.  This event is sponsored by the Church of Joy, at 75th and the 101 in Glendale. It took the Glendale Mayor a lot of talking to get it pushed through the city council last year, and it was a big hit and is happening again this year. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and Kurt Warner will be in the 2014 parade!

Please use this link to register your Council &/or Assembly in the parade. The entry fee is only $25.00. It would be great to see several Catholic Churches entered, as well. http://www.hometownchristmasparade.org/

2) Tucson, AZ - The “Downtown Parade of Lights” has become an annual tradition for the Knights of Columbus. The 20^th Annual Parade of Lights, to be held on Saturday December 20, 2014, at 6:30PM, continues to grow each year along with our participation. Enjoy a festival at Armory Park beginning at 4pm, including carnival games, photos with Santa, food, and arts and crafts vendors! Ride the streetcar downtown and enjoy a day of activities including visiting downtown restaurants and shops! By joining &/or supporting in the parade and festival, we have the opportunity to showcase the Knights of Columbus and support our downtown community.  

American Legion Post #7 serves as the steering committee. For the past few years, they have been the driving force behind the “Downtown Parade of Lights”. The Archbishop Daniel J. Gercke Assembly #16 has been a vital participant these past years, as it will this year. All Councils and Assemblies in Arizona (especially the Tucson metro area) are invited to participate in this parade with your council and families. You can enter a float with a “Keep Christ in Christmas” theme. You can enter a float or march in the parade, with or without 4th Degree Regalia. And of course, you are invited to watch the parade, as well.

Please use this link to register your Council &/or Assembly in the parade.  http://www.downtowntucson.org/event/20th-annual-downtown-parade-lights/    You can also get more Knight related information from SK Ralph Lares, Faithful Navigator of the Archbishop Daniel J. Gercke Assembly #16, Email:  rblares@yahoo.com  Phone: 520.977.5180

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Vivat Jesus!

Larry Becker

State Deputy

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Bowling for Life!

Come join us (or spread the word on Facebook and email) for a fun and relaxed fundraising evening benefiting Arizona Right to Life. We are looking for bowlers to participate or supporters to partner with us. This will be a great time for Fun and Fellowship and all for Life.

 https://secure.ministrysync.com/ministrysync/event/website/home/?e=8084

 There are 90 Bowler Participant slots available - no cost to bowl!

Ask your family, friends and co-workers to sponsor you! ($500 recommended goal).

-Includes 3 games, shoe rental, dinner & unlimited popcorn, soda and salad bar!

-Event T-Shirts for all participants

-Awards for highest scores and most donations

If you can’t participate, please consider sponsoring a player with any gift you can afford.

 Many blessings,

 Linda Reyburn Shirey

Development Officer, Arizona Right to Life

Email: info@azrtl.org

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Special Olympics Fall Games

The group photo is of the Knights of Columbus Council 11738 volunteers from Glendale, Az.

Our knights supervised and assisted the special athletes in the Pitch, Hit, Run event at Pioneer Park in Peoria on Saturday October 17, 2014.

We were supervised by fellow knight Rod Valine, of Special Heroes Sports program in California.

Pictured in the group photo are; (L-R)  Dean Barnholdt, Chuck Zimmerman (council Special Olympics chairman), Len Rheaume, Mike Zaremski, Bill Klink, Roy Bryan, Mike Kingman.

Len Rheaume

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U of A Council 16061

Brothers,

I am very proud and excited to announce the start of a new council in the Arizona jurisdiction. Please welcome University of Arizona Council 16061 to our state family of councils! Yes, we have our second active college council in Arizona. They will be serving the St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center on the campus of the University of Arizona.

These members are on fire! They were able to get enough new members to join the Order in just 2 weeks, in order to start their own council. They have another 15 or so prospects ready to join as soon as they can get them to a 1^st Degree. We will be working with them to learn the ceremony so they can conduct this important ceremony themselves. They also are planning to bring a contingent of new 1^st Degree Brother Knights to the 2^nd and 3^rd Degree Exemplification this Sunday in Glendale.

Council 16061’s brand new Grand Knight Danny Cerrito and Deputy Grand Knight Jose Escobedo both attended the 2014 Supreme College Conference in New Haven, CT in September. They learned a lot about the Order and how to run a college council. I bet we will see lots of great service and spirituality from these two leaders and their council.

I would like to thank three Brothers that went above and beyond to help get this council started. PGK Gary Ward led the effort and persevered to gain acceptance of the Knights of Columbus at the UofA Newman Center, secure prospects, and finally bring them to their 1^st Degrees. Field Agent and Brother Von Clarke went above and beyond by doing all the pulpit announcements at the Newman Center Masses and worked side by side with Gary to start this council. District Deputy and Bother Conrad Greer is the formation District Deputy. Amongst other things, he work with Gary and Von to see all the paperwork was in order and the 1^st Degrees were conducted in proper order. This 3 man team work very hard and smart to get this accomplished. I also would like to thank councils 9380 and 5133 for their help and support to bring this new council to life.

Vivat Jesus!

Larry Becker

State Deputy

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Special Olympics Arizona Volunteering at Fall Games

Brothers,

Special Olympics Arizona is conducting their Fall Games in Peoria, Arizona on October 17, 2014. They are in need of volunteers! This is an excellent opportunity for you to help at a great program! Please read the message below and sign up today.

Vivat Jesus!

Kevin Donnelly

State Special Olympics Chairman

Arizona State Council

Knights of Columbus

Cell: (520) 370-9041

kdonn27@yahoo.com

For Fall Games, we have spots for volunteers at the Softball venue on Friday morning.  The nice thing is Bocce is being played adjacent to the Softball field so volunteers there have the potential of seeing both venues.
 
The shift starts at 7:30am and volunteers will help with Olympic Village (games, snacks, etc.), and scoring on the softball fields.  Below is the information for the shift.  Anyone interested can email me.  I will also let the Games Management Team at Softball know that we may have some Knights coming out so if anyone doesn’t get a chance to register, they just need to identify themselves as a Knight at the check-in table and we will get them checked in.  I also attached the information for Aquatics, in the event you need to find the venue on your own on Saturday.
 
 
Thank you for signing up to volunteer at the Special Olympics Arizona Fall Games Competition.  With your help, and the hundreds of volunteers just like you, this will be the best games yet.
Where: Pioneer Park ~ 8755 N 83^rd Ave ~ Peoria, AZ 85345.  Please come in the entrance off of 83^rd Ave, just north of Butler Ave.  Volunteers will check in at the volunteer tent east of the parking lot.
 

 
When: 10/17/2014 morning Shift  - 7:30am-12:30pm (Please be aware that while we try to follow our schedule, shift times may vary and we ask that you remain at your volunteer post until relieved by a staff person or Games Management Team personnel.)
 
What to wear: Please wear comfortable shoes, preferably close toed, and shorts or lightweight pants.  Volunteer shirts will be available to all volunteers.  A $5.00 donation is suggested, but not required.  Hats or visors are also recommended as the many areas are not fully shaded.  Sunscreen is also recommended.
 
Volunteer roles: Volunteers will act as scorekeepers, help with Olympic Village and Individual skills.  Each role will be assigned in a first come, first served basis.  If you have experience in any of the positions (i.e. scorekeeping), please let us know or mention that when you check in.
 
What to bring: A picture ID is recommended as well as a camera if you would like to bring back memories from the event.  Special Olympics souvenirs will be available for purchase on site, and we accept cash, checks, debit and credit cards.  There will not be a secure area to store personal belongings, so please be sure to take that into consideration.
 
Food and Drink: Water will be available for all volunteers at all times.  Lunch will not be provided to volunteers.  Limited snacks will be available for all volunteers, so feel free to bring additional food items with you.  Due to allergies, please refrain from bringing any snacks with nuts that may cause injury to any athletes that may come in contact with it.
 
Code of Conduct: To keep this event fun and family-friendly, we ask that volunteers refrain from using adult language.   As a volunteer, if you see anything that concerns you (safety, behavior, etc.) please speak directly to a Special Olympics Arizona staff person or Games Management Team official.  
 
Most of all have fun!  If there is anything we can do to increase your enjoyment of the event, just let us know.
 

 

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4th of July at St. Vincent de Paul Photos

Here are some pictures from serving at St. Vincent de Paul on the 4th of July.

Chet, DD, PFN,PGK

State Community Director

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Message from our Church Director

Dear Brothers,

It has been 3-1/2 months since our State Deputy asked me to take on the

position of Church Director. Since then I have been remiss to send out any

communication of encouragement. This communication is hopefully encouraging

to my brother Grand Knights, Faithful Navigators, and all my brothers in the

Order.

I would like to encourage as many as possible to join the Rosary Sunday

celebrations in Tucson and Phoenix this coming weekend. It is a wonderful

time to show our love of Mary and to take a moment to be in the presence of

God, present to us in the image of Mary and her Son. It is a time to reflect

on our own spirituality and relationship with God. There is plenty of room

for you to join in the celebration of Mary this weekend. I hope to see you

there.

Another Marian event I would like to encourage participation in is the

viewing of the Marian image of Mary in her title of The Immaculate

Conception. The state of Arizona is blessed with two images, one in the

South and one in the North of the state, that have been given to the Knights

of Columbus by the Archbishop of Quebec, Canada. A Marian hour program has

been established to be held in any parish or council hall that would like to

participate. So far we have had four Marian hours. The hour is easy to

accomplish as there is a booklet that takes you through the rosary and other

prayers. The hour really is only an hour. Please consider reserving the

image for your holy hour. For those in the Northern part of the state,

Phoenix and the nearby communities, contact me at bbennett@koc3121.com   For

those of you in the Southern areas, contact PSD Bryant Sayers at

Bryant.sayers@gmail.com

We have a number of Holy days of obligation coming up that I would like to

remind you of. First, November 1st is the feast of All Saints. This is a

time for us to remember those that have been named by the church, as well as

the communion of saints that have gone on before us.

Another Holy day is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This is held on

December 8th and is a great time to reflect on the role Mary played in

salvation history. The month of December would be a great time for your

council or assembly to have a Marian Hour with the image.

Of course, the last Holy day of the calendar year is Christmas. It is a time

where we remember the birth of our Lord and are encouraged that He came to

absolve us of our sins. Make a special effort to go to confession during the

month of December. Prepare yourself for the coming of our savior again.

The prayers of our Holy Father focus on peace. His universal prayer

intention is, “that the Lord may grant peace to those parts of the world

most battered by war and violence.” Let us pray with the Holy Father for

peace in the world. I close with his prayer: Lord God of peace, hear our

prayer. We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our

conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. But our efforts

have been in vain. Now, Lord, come to our aid. Grant us peace, teach us

peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Instill in our hearts the

courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace.

May almighty God bless you all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Deacon Bruce Bennett, EdD

AZ State Church Director

Grand Knight Council 3121

bbennett@koc3121.com

--

Deacon Bruce Bennett, EdD

AZ Church Director, Knights of Columbus

Grand Knight, Knights of Columbus Council 3121

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Knights in Action POW-MIA rememberance

5047---POW-MIA Remembrance Day was recognized by Assembly 2308 in Tucson on Friday, September 19.

5076(2)---The Fr. Henry Miller Assembly color guard coordinated with

5131(2)---University of Arizona ROTC cadets to present a POW-MIA remembrance ceremony to SS Peter and Paul school September 19.

5198(2)---Students learned the rich meaning of the numerous symbols of the POW-MIA ceremony.  Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard POW-MIA were honored.

5033(2)---

5206---Fr. Henry Miller, Assembly 2308, in Tucson and members of the University of Arizona ROTC program, student and alumni of SS Peter and Paul school, and Council 11855 GK Robert Roll urge all to "remember."

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Knights in Action - Tucson

Picture 5212: Knights from four councils and two districts pitched in to

              clean up the grounds for 60th anniversary celebrations of

              St. Christopher parish, in beautiful downtown Marana.

Picture 5213: Some of the clean up Knights collected.

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ACC General Election Voter's Guide Online Now!

ACC 2014 Voter’s Guide Online Now! In order to better educate voters the Arizona Catholic Conference (ACC) has just released its 2014 Voter’s Guide for the upcoming General Election online at www.azcatholicconference.org. The ACC Voter’s Guide is meant solely to provide an important educational tool containing unbiased information on the upcoming elections. Included on the ACC Voter’s Guide are races covering U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Corporation Commission, State Senate and State House. Pursuant to Internal Revenue Service requirements for churches and nonprofit organizations, this document does not endorse candidates or indicate our support or opposition to the questions. The ACC Voter’s Guide, however, is an excellent source of information on the candidates' positions on important issues and it may be reproduced and distributed in your churches. Early voting for the November 6th General Election begins tomorrow. Please remember to check the ACC Voter’s Guide before casting your vote. Thank you!

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Arizona Rosary Celebration 2014

Brothers,

We are in need of an EMT or Paramedics to volunteer to man the EMS room for the Rosary Celebration in Tucson on Oct 11th and in Phoenix on Oct 12th . Please have the volunteers contact Chris Holsinger by email cholsinger@hotmail.com

Please send their name and phone number and note either Tucson or Phoenix.   The volunteers do not have to be Knights.

Thank you

Chris Holsinger

District Marshal Central

EMS Coordinator

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Host Voter Registration

Knights of Columbus Are Urged to Make Informed Decisions During November's Elections and Participate in Nonpartisan National Voter Registration Program

During a recent conference at the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona State Deputy Larry Becker spoke to how the Knights, as informed Catholics, are actively involved in the "Public Square."

State Deputy Becker said, "The Knights of Columbus encourage its members to meet their responsibilities as Catholic citizens and to become active in the political life of their local communities, to vote and to speak out as individual citizens on the public issues of the day and to make their choices about who leads and represents us, all in alignment with Catholic teachings."

In addition to voting one's conscience, Knights are encouraged to participate in programs that support the democratic ideals upon which this nation was founded. To that end Knights of Columbus should register to vote and should encourage other members of their families, parishes, and communities to register.  To fill this need, the Knights of Columbus has developed the parish based Nonpartisan National Voter Registration Program, the goal of which is to enable members to help fellow Catholics exercise their right to vote.

This important program is being conducted in September and October, 2014. To participate, Grand Knights must first obtain a local pastor's permission, the Grand Knight should log on to the Officers' Desk Reference and select the "Nonpartisan Voter Registration Program" tab to review the webcast training and related instructions and materials referred to below.   This will help ensure that the Grand Knight and the members of the council are properly trained on how to administer this program. Please also review the "Catholic Citizenship and Public Policy" and "Guidelines For Political Activity" entries under the "Political Issues" tab of the Officers' Desk Reference. 

State Deputy Becker states that, "Knights believe that in the realm of everyday affairs we are conduct ourselves with integrity, kindness, respect, hospitality, and civility."

"Through our strength, with our members and conviction, we are to defend Religious Liberty, the Culture of Life, Marriage, and the Family. In Arizona, the Knights of Columbus, along with our Church, support these ideals. My Brother Knights, I urge you to publicly support these values and vote with your conscience. I also urge you to ask men and their families to join the Knights of Columbus to help us in even greater strength to support these values," concluded the Arizona State Deputy.

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Veterans Retreat - Mesa

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State Deputy Message - October 2014

October 1, 2014

Brothers,

The expression "culture of life" entered popular vernacular from Pope John Paul II, who first used it in a World Youth Day tour of the United States in 1993. Speaking to journalists at Stapleton International Airport near Denver, Colorado, the Pope denounced abortion and euthanasia, stating that "The culture of life means respect for nature and protection of God's work of creation. In a special way, it means respect for human life from the first moment of conception until its natural end. Supreme Knight Carl Anderson says, “We seek nothing less than the transformation of our societies into a new culture of life.”

Some of the issues that are included in the Catholic Church's description of the culture of life include: Opposition to abortion, Opposition to human sterilization, Opposition to human cloning, Opposition to contraception, Opposition to human embryonic stem cell and fetal research, Opposition to euthanasia, Opposition to murder and suicide, Opposition to capital punishment, Opposition to unjust war, Promotion of love and charity, Promotion of matrimony, maternity, fatherhood, life, chastity, fidelity, and virtue, and Promotion of organ donation.

There are many culture of life activities happening throughout Arizona such as; 40 Days for Life, Ultra-Sound Initiatives, Baby Bottle Drives, Organ Donor Sunday, Blood Drives, and Men’s Conferences. Your council’s calendar should include these activities. I encourage you to participate in these faith-based culture of life activities.

On October 11 and 12, the Arizona Knights of Columbus are hosting the Arizona Rosary Celebration, in Tucson, Phoenix, and Yuma. This is the largest celebration of its kind in the United States. I encourage you and your families to participate and attend this celebration in your area. I believe the Holy Spirit will be with us as we honor our Mother Mary under Her title of the Immaculate Conception.

It is our moral obligation to grow and strengthen our councils with new members. New members help secure your council’s future by developing new leaders to continue the good work you are doing today. Every Brother Knight in Arizona needs to recruit a new member now. This will strengthen the Order in Arizona to better support the culture of life and the Catholic Church. Remember that by living our State theme, “I will choose Christ, I will choose love, I choose to serve”, you and your council will exemplify our four principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. With this, your current members and your new members can be a strong force in your council, Church, family, and community.

Vivat Jesus!

Larry Becker

State Deputy

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