January 1, 2018
Brothers,
Happy New Year!
It is hard to believe but we are
at the half way point of this Fraternal Year.
Just as many people reflect on the past year and plan for the next over
New Year’s I also have some thoughts.
In Programs, our State General
Program Director has started his monthly newsletters to bring attention to
programs at the State level and to help Councils plan and conduct their
programs. Have you read these
newsletters? Please share them with your
Council members. By being active in
Building the Domestic Church we will be reminded of our roots as Knights of
Columbus brothers and the responsibility we accepted to work with our Bishops
and Priests as the “go to” lay ministers of the Parishes.
Do you have your plans in place
for Programs for the next 6 months? Keep
in mind, your SP-7 can be submitted any time after April 1, 2018 if you have
your 4 programs in each of the 6 areas completed. Don’t be that guy; the Council that does all
the work and forgets to get the form turned in before the deadline.
As a State, we are just above 40%
of our goal for new members.
Historically Supreme looks at this benchmark to see if States are on
track to achieve Circle of Honor for their members. We are!
November was great in terms of bringing
in new members. Much of this is related
to our October Church and Membership Drives.
They do work. We have learned
that for them to work we may need to conduct them a little different than what
was done in the past. We have another
opportunity with our March Church Drives.
Have you ordered you kits yet? Don’t rely on your DD to provide his
emergency kit for you.
How is your Council progressing
at earning Star Council Award? Do you
have your programs planned, your membership drives set, your events secheduled
with the Parish and Pastor? Is the
Insurance Agency supporting you more than in prior years? Do you encourage Brothers to make an
appointment with a Field Agent?
I, along with our State Officers,
have been presenting the 30 Star Council Awards at Parish Masses and Council
events. When presenting at a Mass, most
often the Pastor follows my talk with his comments about the work and
dedication of the Knights to that Parish Community. What a great recruiting moment.
If you look at your Fraternal
Leader Success Planner for January, you will see that the Supreme Program
Spotlight is the Ultrasound Initiative.
Arizona is not to be left out. At
the State Mid-year meeting in December I announced the start of a 2-year drive
to raise funds for a new Ultrasound machine for one of our Arizona Pregnancy
centers. We will reveal the target
center soon. I am asking each Council
and Assembly to donate $300 over the next two years to this cause. Along with matching funds from Supreme this
will allow us to purchase an Ultrasound machine and possibly have some funds
left to provide repair and upgrade to others we have placed in the past. Donations will be to the Arizona Knights of
Columbus Charity Inc, a 501c3 entity.
Any day you will be sending out
your Council Per Capita dues notices, along with receiving the Per Capita
billings from Supreme and the State. If
you have any questions about either the Supreme or State billings contact your
District Deputy for assistance.
Over the next two months there
will be at least 3 different Priest Appreciation Dinners in the state. Already Tucson, Phoenix, and Yuma are
scheduled. I cannot emphasize how
important it is that we attend these dinners to show our Priests and Bishops
the support of the Knights of Columbus.
I ask you to sponsor your Priests so that the hosts don’t foot this
expense themselves.
Do you know of a Veteran, or
Brother Knight that needs a wheelchair?
A few years ago, you were very generous in donating funds so that we
could purchase an entire ocean container of wheelchairs. Many are now in use, but we still have a
large number is storage. Your efforts
and these wheelchairs are going to waste with them sitting in a warehouse. Contact me directly to make arrangements to
pick one up for a needy person.
Be on the lookout for more
information about E-Membership. Arizona
went Live on October 16, 2017 and so far, we are exceeding original
expectations. We are a little surprised
by the members that are using this method to join us, but we are excited about
the program.
Finally, I ask that each Council
or Assembly recite the Leaders Prayer that we have used for our State Prayer
over the last two years. The Prayer has
an important message. Regrettably I have
heard more reports about brother Knights that may have forgotten or missed the
message so now will be a good time to reflect on this prayer. I have included a copy in case you did not
get one of the printed versions.
Let’s renew our energy as we go
forward the next 6 months to make this the best year for your Councils and for
the Arizona Knights of Columbus.
Vivat Jesus,
Sean Halpain
State Deputy
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