Knights of Columbus

 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton No. 8183

Lake Ridge, Virginia

News

July and August 2010

From Our Worthy Grand Knight...

I am honored and humbled by your confidence in me to be your Grand Knight for the Fraternal year of 2010-2011.  Thank you and bless you!  I am looking forward to a great year of fraternal service to our church, council, community and families.  Over the past few months I have seen and experienced our membership’s enthusiasm during our activities.  It is extraordinary!  Never forget for a moment that every action, whether it’s reading at Mass, helping with Hoagie sales, taking the time to assist a neighbor with a fix-up project, or whatever you do serves to bring us closer to the Godhead through service to our fellow human beings.

We still have several needs in the council, so if you’re looking for ways to assist, please contact me.  Sadly, we also have approximately 40 members who have not yet paid their dues.  I urge you to contact our Financial Secretary to ensure your dues are up to date.  I also urge you to contact our Worthy Field Agent, Dan Garrigan, to take advantage of the fraternal benefit of our insurance program, if you’ve not already done so.  We are strong because of our programs, members, and insurance.  We need to remain strong in all three areas so we can continue to make a difference in our Parish and community.

Our State Deputy, Bill McCarthy wants to renew our commitment to Our Lady and is asking Virginia Knights and their families to pledge to pray 1 Million rosaries for Life, Family, and Marriage.  The goal for our council is:

Daily – 44       Monthly – 1320   Quarterly – 3960           Annual - 15840

I will have the pledge cards available at our next meeting, July 20, 2010 as well as posted to the website soon.

 I hope to see all of you at our next meeting and remember … I am at your service.

Queen of the Nights, Pray for Us!
Ron Dean, Grand Knight
(703) 497-7201 (h)    (703) 568-7651 (c)rfdeansr@gmail.com

From Our Worthy Field Agent...

 Clear Vote of Confidence
"Very Strong" "...historically strong and extremely strong liquidity"

These are just a few of the comments that two of the world’s largest rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s and A.M. Best, offered when they affirmed their top financial strength ratings for the Knights of Columbus.  The Insurance Marketplace Standards Association (IMSA) likewise renewed its certification of the Knights of Columbus Insurance Program as adhering to a strict code of ethical market conduct.

Standard & Poor’s reaffirmed its top rating of AAA (Extremely Strong) for the 18th consecutive year, and A.M. Best reaffirmed its top rating of A++ (Superior) for the 35th consecutive year.

Standard & Poor’s said that its rating of the financial strength of the Knights of Columbus is “based on its extremely strong capital, very strong competitive position because of its unique strategic advantage in the Catholic market, historically strong profitability, and extremely strong liquidity.” S&P called Knights of Columbus’ operating performance “very strong,” reflecting “an asset portfolio that consists primarily of high-quality, investment-grade bonds.” S&P also said that the Knights of Columbus “is achieving its primary objective of providing members and their families with high-quality, low-cost insurance products.”

A.M. Best said, “the ratings of the Order reflect its strong fraternal and insurance presence within the Catholic communities in the United States and Canada, its superior risk-adjusted capitalization as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio and the Order’s consistently positive operating results.” A.M. Best also declared that the Knights of Columbus “has a strong affinity with its large membership base through its charitable programs and competitive portfolio of life insurance and annuity products.”

Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson welcomed the announcements, saying that they represent “a clear vote of confidence in our combination of a very strong sales and marketing team with exceptionally skillful management of our investments. The fact that we’ve earned these ratings for 18 consecutive years and 35 consecutive years, respectively, through good times and bad, demonstrates a clear recognition of our success in managing our assets for the benefit of all the Knights and their families who rely on Knights of Columbus life insurance to help secure their financial futures.”

So if you are not taking advantage of our strength, why not?  Please contact me for a non-obligation meeting to see if we can be of service to you and your family.

God Bless You All,
Dan Garrigan, FIC
 (703) 490-0967
 daniel.garrigan@kofc.org

Father Michael J. McGivney Guild...

The Father Michael J. McGivney Guild serves as a source for information about the life, works and spirituality of Father McGivney.  The Guild distributes informational materials about him, receives reports of favors granted through his intercession and oversees the distribution of relics.  

Guild members receive regular updates on the progress of Father McGivney’s cause for canonization and are invited to participate in promoting devotion to this Servant of God.  Members of the Knights of Columbus are not automatically Guild members and must elect to join the Guild.  The Father Michael J. McGivney Guild Newsletter is published bimonthly except July-August, and is sent free to Guild members.  For more information and how to join the Guild please go to: 

http://www.kofc.org. 

July 2010 Blood Drive...

Summer Blood Drives are usually very slow compared to our Spring and Fall Blood Drives but this one, held on 17 July 2010, was great thanks in large part to our wonderful SEAS donors.  We had 44 SEAS donors show up out of 74 total donors (approx 60%) which was one of our best summer turnouts ever.  The final blood drive donations resulted in 61 units collected with our friends from St. Matthew's and Old Bridge United Methodist also contributing to a great cause.  In a time when blood supplies are low our summer blood drive can help, when bi-products are included, as many as 150 people.  The Inova staff was well prepared with an excellent staff and they also gave $10 gas cards to all who signed in.


Our wonderful volunteer Knights again took over the on-site support for the Blood Drive as usual as we cover check-in, snacks and treats as well as clean-up after the blood drive even when the location is not at SEAS.  A great big thanks goes to Les Krogh, Clyde Watts, Dan Schnieders and Mike Crump and a special thanks goes to Charlie O'Malley who all helped out at the blood drive.  Charlie has been helping on our blood drives since October 2011 and has finally joined the Knights after much prodding on my part.  Jose Maniwang also helped with sign-ups at SEAS.  Most importantly we had several Knights who donated blood including Dan Schnieders, Jay Schaeufele who brought his daughter Emily, Dwayne Griese, Les Krogh, Jerry Zadnik, Paul Zerkow and Tom Pedagno.  These are the life savers in our great organization who seem to roll up their sleeves at many of our blood drives.

Our next blood drive is Saturday, 16 October 2010 at Old Bridge United Methodist (OBUM) Church where we hope for another great fall turnout.  Come on out and help and donate the gift of life.

Thanks You and God Bless!
Tom Stanton

 First Friday - All (K)Night Adoration August 6-7

The Council’s goal is to have two Knights or a Knight and a family member present for each one hour time slot in the First Friday Adoration schedule (8:00 PM to 8:00 AM). Watch for the e-mail announcements that will include a link to the on-line sign-up sheet. If you would like to have a specific time on a recurring basis, it is easy to arrange. It will make your scheduling process much simpler and easier and ensure you have your own special hour each month. For more information, contact Br. Les Krogh at lkroghs@comcast.net or (703) 491-2339.

Council Officers and Service Directors Meeting

The next Council Officers and Service Directors meeting will be 28 August. The meeting starts at 9:30 AM in the Parish Hall.

Membership Committee

Brothers,
 
The new fraternal year has begun and we are off to a good start by bringing in four new brother knights into our ranks. Brothers Kevin Arganza, Patrick David, Charles O’Malley, and Michael Romero took their First Degree last month. Gentlemen, congratulations for joining the best council in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
 
As a body cannot live with blood, a council cannot live without new membership. Membership is the lifeblood of any organization and it is no difference for our council. We need new members to bring in new ideas, new energy and new growth to the council. That is why it is extremely important to maintain the health and welfare of the council by recruiting new members. We are always looking for new blood to join our ranks. If you know someone interested in the Order, please encourage him to find out more about the activities we do in support of our parish, community and priests. If you need help with signing up your prospect, contact someone from the Membership Team for help.

Here a list of future degree dates in and around District 12:

The council Membership Team is available to support you in recruiting new members. If you need help, contact someone from the team for assistance in recruiting your prospect.

Until the next time...
PGK Phil Kennedy, Membership Director

4th

4th Degree - Father Edwin F. Kelley Assembly 1443

The next Assembly meeting is Monday, 23 August, at Fr. Edwin F. Kelley Council Home, 13386 Telegraph Road at 7:30 PM. There is no potluck this (K)night.
                                                                 
The following activities are scheduled for August:

If you need further information about any of the activities or events listed above, please contact the Faithful Commander, SK Phil Kennedy at (703) 490-5822 or send him an email at pkenn95798@comcast.net

August Member Birthdays

1- Br. Thomas Croce III, Br. Corey Stewart
2- Br. Ralph Tucillo, Br. James Holmes
 4- Br. Bill Meehan
 6- Br. John Rinkinberg
 9- Br. Michael Accornero
 12- Br. Simon Cable, Br. John Puglisi
 13- Br. Alvin Vega
 14- Br. James Koerber, Br. Thomas Glynn
 17- Br. Joe Flores
 19- Br. David Edgington, Br. Michael Streff, Br. Brian Moore
 20- Br. Victor Bako, Br. Jon Griese
 21- Br. Anthony Catabui
 23- PGK Eric Johnson, Br. Rod Alcazar
 28- Br. Burl Hickman
 29- Br. Kenneth Kennedy
 31- Br. Patrick Suess 

Happy Birthday, Brothers!

August Membership Anniversaries

The following Brother Knights will be celebrating their membership anniversary this month (years as a Knight is in parenthesis).

Laureano Abila (8)

PGK Phil Kennedy (8)

Joe Arango (4)

Thien Mai (3)

Domingo Baquizal (36)

Patrick McGowan (11)

John Borley (5)

Robert Montemayor (9)

John Creigh (9)

Juozas Naujokaitis (2)

Douglas Davis (18)

Simon Nguyen (4)

Kevin Donahue (9)

Dick Nordberg (9)

Robert Fitzpatrick (4)

Ian Null (10)

Jim Gates (6)

Frank Redner, Jr. (6)

Tom Glynn (24)

David Roll (17)

Dwayne Griese (9)

Robert Schnock (27)

James Hall (9)

John Schotzko (7)

Stephen Hess (37)

James Sexton (10)

Burl Hickman (27)

Kevin Smith (8)

Mark Holycross (6)

Tony Verducci (6)

Matt Hottle (5)

PGK Tom Walton (6)

Thomas Hughes (9)

Pat Wills (5)

Eric Kasiski (8)

Jerry Zadnik (8)

Dwayne LaHaye (6)

Tim Zagrobelny (4)

Chris Lehner (2)