Kentucky State Service Program Awards:
State Program Director’s Award
This award is presented to
a council that reports at least two (2) activities in each of the
five (5) Service Program Categories.
These categories are:
Church
Council
Community
Family Youth The competition will be from July 1, 2008 through
March 31, 2009. Two (2)
reports are required to be sent to the State Program Director.
A blank Program Director’s Award Report Form is included in
your State Program Guide and can be downloaded by clicking on the
FORMS button. The first
report is due November 15, 2008 and the second one is due March 31,
2009. Send each
report to the address on the bottom of the form.
State Deputy’s Award This is the most
prestigious award a council can receive in the state of Kentucky.
To receive this award a council
must:
Supreme Council Service Program Awards:
International Service Program Awards Annually, Supreme Council in conjunction with the Kentucky State Council conducts a service program that recognizes the best programs conducted by the subordinate councils. There are five (5) divisions or areas of the service program. They are:
Church
Community
Council
Family
Youth
The five winner’s entries from this
competition are sent to Supreme Council where they will be compete
with all the other jurisdictions in the Order for the International
Service Program Awards.
The Grand Knights and wives of the five winning councils are invited
to attend the Supreme Council meeting at Supreme’s expense to be
recognized and presented with their awards. To participate, a council
must first complete the State Council Service Awards Entry Form
(#STSP) found in the Supreme’s Councils Report Forms Booklet.
This form requires the explanation of the activity, its
purpose, the amount of participation, number of hours, the success
of the program, etc.
Photographs and news clippings are extremely valuable in the judging
of the winners. It is
recommended that the entries be in a scrapbook format.
The deadline for these entries is March 31,
2009.
Send entries to State Program Director Kent
Hoskins. Some
additional items of interest to help you are:
Supreme Council Columbian Award Supreme Council also annually presents
prestigious awards to subordinate councils who complete the
Columbian Award Application Form #SP-7 in the Supreme’s Councils
Reports Forms Booklet.
The application must be received in the Supreme Council office no later
than June 30, 2009.
In order to qualify for the Columbian Award, the council must:
This form must be completed by the council’s
Service Program Director and signed by him.
In addition, the Grand Knight must also sign the application.
Winners can receive the Columbian, Founders or (the highest)
Star Council Award based additionally on membership and insurance
goal attainment Supreme Council determines these winners. Send these
entries to Supreme.
Second and Third Degree Ceremonials will continue
to be held in different regions again this year. Each region will be
made up of several districts. District Deputies within that region
are responsible for coordinating advanced degrees and are to
encourage their councils to advance their First Degree members to
the Second and Third Degrees. When a date and location are recommended, the
District Deputies must get the approval of the State Ceremonial
Chairman. The availability, date and location must be discussed and
also committed by the Captain of the Degree team. The availability
of the team will be confirmed with the District Deputies. A breakfast and/or brunch is expected to be
offered to the Degree team by the host Council(s). Early travel
requirements on a bus do not allow for adequate meals for the degree
team. Also, the team should be offered to participate in a meal
after the degree; as has been customary for the host Council(s) to
offer all participants and candidates. For further clarification of
this policy, please read
Policy Letter Number 1, a copy of which is included in this
program guide. Recall that to meet adequate cost recovery and
fulfillment of ceremonials, the minimum number of candidates for a 2nd
& 3rd Degree Exemplifications should be no less than 35.
All 2nd Degrees will start at 12:00 noon local time. The
3rd Degree will commence after the 2nd Degree.
The ceremonials are expected to conclude no later than 4 PM local
time. If the host council wishes to conduct a 1st Degree,
it should end no later than 30 minutes before noon (the start of the
2nd/3rd Degree). District Deputies and the
host Council Grand Knight are responsible for the 1st
Degree. Two times a year the State Secretary will bill
each council $10.00 for each new 1st Degree member. This
$10.00 is used to help defray the costs of doing the degrees and
also help maintain Degree team equipment. Please contact me if you have any questions or
comments. Please do not forget that the final scheduling for all 2nd
& 3rd degrees must get approval from me. I look forward
to working with you to make this a very successful year through
increased membership and leadership in the Kentucky Knights of
Columbus. David Ledonne, Ceremonials Director
Fall 2008 Morganfield
Sun.
Sep 14 |
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Church - HELP US BUILD UP THE CHURCH!!
Christopher Columbus,
that bold navigator who sailed through uncharted waters to find this
FREE land. This is the man whose name we bear. It has been said
and proven many times and in many ways that the Knights of Columbus are the
right arm of the Church. NOW is the time to show our communities that
there is a NEED for the strength, character and tradition of service of the
Knights of Columbus today, more than ever.
The Knights of
Columbus is first and foremost a Catholic men's organization. The
devotion of any K of C council to a local parish Church would be a matter of
profound satisfaction to any pastor of any parish church.
When a Knight advances
through our exemplifications, in each Degree he pledges: "To maintain unity,
to practice the virtues of charity and brotherly love; to exemplify in all
our relations with our fellow man the sublime teaching of Holy Mother
Church."
As Church Activities Director, I would suggest that
the Charge of every Council in the State of Kentucky should be to become
more visible in their local Churches.
·
Set
up a meeting with your pastor. What do you expect from our council?
Leadership, special talent, financial aid or maintenance of property?
What would you like for us to do for the Parish? This is what the
Knights would like for you to do for us!
·
Use
your Church bulletin for Council activities
·
Organize quarterly Communions. Receive communion as a body.
Fifth Sunday is a great day for a quarterly communion.
Fourth Degree Color Guard makes the Council more visible at any event
that takes place in Church.
·
Participate in Pro-Life and Right to Life programs. At the State
convention an award is given to those Councils that take an active part in
the Pro-life programs. Every council in the State should make it a
must that they receive this award.
·
Promote prayer and devotion to Holy Mother Mary. Have a brother Knight
lead the Rosary from the pulpit in your Church 20 minutes prior to each
weekend mass during the months of May and October.
·
Support and encourage vocations to Religious life. Take part in State
and Supreme financial aid programs for seminarians and novices. In
many Catholic churches throughout the state of Kentucky, individual Knights
are established within their communities as church and civic leaders.
Having said that - we really need to promote that organization which these
men belong to, the Knights of Columbus, as the Strong Right Army of the
Catholic Church.
One of the duties of the State Secretary is to serve as the Decency in Media
Chairman. The Bishops of Kentucky has requested that the Knights of Columbus
take a leadership role in their behalf to combat the flood of pornography
that is ravaging our communities. It is essential that concerned citizens
and groups such as the Knights of Columbus actively work to combat this
attack on our society.
I ask that each council do the following:
1. Select a person to head up this cause and forward his name to me.
2. Encourage your council and members to join various anti-pornography
organizations.
3. Be on the alert that this poison is spreading and notify your council and
community about it.
4. Report violations to those responsible for enforcing the law.
5. Report all activities of your council in this area to me.
Rick Arnold
The championship is set up to have the contestants
compete within their own gender and age group. All competition starts at the
local level. Winners move on to the district, regional, and state or
province levels. From there, some make it to the international level for
championship competition in their group.
To sponsor a competition, all your council needs is
the Free Throw Championship Kit (#FT-KIT), a couple of basketballs, a
hoop and a bunch of kids. It is a great way to get out into the public
and introduce the Order to your community — while providing youths with
a rewarding activity that yields a chance for local, state or
provincial, and international recognition.
2008 Golf Scramble
Kentucky Association for the Mentally Disabled, Inc.
The Knights of
Columbus, Kentucky Association for the Mentally Disabled is a non-profit
corporation in the State of Kentucky and is an IRS 501c3 tax-exempt
organization. The Association is run under the rules, laws and guidelines of
the State of Kentucky, IRS and the Supreme Council.
The purposes for which
this Association was formed are: (a) to promote fraternal, charitable and
educational pursuits; (b) to render mutual aid and assistance to the
mentally disabled and their families and to help fund programs and
organization that benefit the mentally disabled; (c) to support and
cooperate with all fraternal, charitable and civic enterprises aiding the
mentally handicapped.
The membership of this
Association is composed solely of the active membership in good standing of
all local council and the Kentucky State Council.
The affairs of the
Association are managed by a Board of Directors, elected from the membership
of the Association in the manner provided by the by-laws. The directors
shall hold office for a term of three years. State Officers serving as
director’s ex-officio shall be directors during their term of office.
The by-laws of the
Association are the general rules under which the Association operates. The
Association by-laws are subject to review and approval by the membership.
They can be modified only by an appropriate vote at the State Convention of
the delegates.
No member of the
Order, state council or subordinate council or affiliated organization,
except those 501c3 corporation benefiting the mentally handicapped, shall
receive or accept compensation or other personal benefit from the funds
raised by the Association. All net proceeds must be distributed to
recognized entities benefiting the mentally handicapped. Incomplete request
will not be approved.
Expenses of the
Association are only those necessary, reasonable and directly related
expenses attributable to managing the Association.
The Association is
financially healthy with annual income of over $200,000 but if it is to
remain so, we must continue to count on you, the leaders of the local
councils. As you rely on us, we must rely on you to keep the structure
healthy by organizing your councils, by setting your goals, by motivating
your members and, finally, by following through with dogged determination
until success is achieved. The Officers and Directors are looking at new and
exciting ways to increase the total annual income of the Association. With
your help we can raise the annual income to $250,000, $300,00 or even $500,
000+.
Respectfully
submitted,
Gene Roberts, PSD
Chairman
As State Membership Director, I will work with the Diocesan membership
directors, District Deputes and any brother Knight that has an idea how we
can institute a member drive to recruit the thousands of Catholic gentlemen
in our state that haven't as yet joined our ranks. I would
really appreciate any input to how we can tap the 18-21 year old gentlemen.
They are the future of our organization.
I can be reached at 270-389-3607, or my e-mail is
buuf69@hotmail.com
I will be working up a plan with our Diocesan directors and our State
Deputy. As soon as we can implement this, we will post it.
Vivat Jesus,
Tom Musser,
Membership Director
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The Kentucky State Council Knights of Columbus
NFL Sweepstakes is administered by the Kentucky Knights of Columbus
as the sole means of charitable fund raising for the Kentucky State
Council. The participating Councils and the State Council share in
the net proceeds.
For a $10.00 donation participants receive a ticket which entitles
them to 3 teams for 10 weeks of NFL games. Participants win based on
the cumulative high or low score of the 3 teams each week. Total
prize money is $7,000.
For more information, Contact Chairman Bill Schmidt at
270-259-2607 or
billschmidt@alltel.net
Natural Disaster Funds
Program To fulfill its responsibility of its founding principles, the Kentucky State Council Knights of Columbus has developed a Natural Disaster Funds Program to provide relief to members, families and councils as a result of natural disasters. A natural disaster is defined as an occurrence such as a tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-driven water, earthquake, drought, pestilence, famine, blizzard or other situation that causes human suffering or creates human needs that the victims will need mitigation and assistance. When a natural disaster strikes it creates a catastrophic situation in which the day-to-day patterns of life of our members, families and councils are suddenly disrupted. Those affected by disasters will probably need immediate and/or long-term assistance. The Kentucky State Council has established a natural disaster funds assistance program to do the following for its members, families and councils immediately following a disaster:
The manner and structure of providing assistance is determined by the unique characteristics of each disaster event. Confidentiality is maintained regarding the specific amount of assistance provided and those assisted. Reporting at the state level will be in a general or summary format. When you are aware of a natural disaster in your area that has affected Knights of Columbus members, families and councils that may need assistance, it is imperative that you contact the Natural Disaster Funds Chairman. Simply call the telephone number listed below. The program will immediately be mobilized. Carl Biery, PSD and FM The Kentucky Knights of Columbus has long been among the top jurisdictions in the order in the effort to promote a respect for all human life. The trademarks of the Kentucky State Council Pro-Life Committee have been and continue to be “Prayer, Education and Involvement”. On both the
local council and State Council level, the Kentucky Knights are
strong in their support of human life. Some of the activities on the State Council level include:
The State Pro-Life
Committee operates entirely on pledges from individual councils
and receives no monies from the State Council budget.
Through the Knights of Columbus Refund Support Vocations Program
(RSVP), councils, assemblies and Squires circles "adopt" one or more
seminarians or postulates and provide them with financial assistance
and morale support.
RSVP money is used by seminarians and
those in religious formation for tuition and books, emergency
expenditures, and other living expenses. Knights provide more
than financial support, though. Members write letters to
students, sponsor dinners for them, invite them to join the
Order and, most importantly, pray for vocations.
Special Olympics is an international program of
year-round sports training and athletic competition for more than
than one million children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
The program was founded on the belief that people with intellectual
disabilities can, with proper instruction and encouragement, learn,
enjoy and benefit from participation in individual and team sports,
adapted as necessary to meet the needs of those special mental and
physical limitations. |
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The benefits
of participation in Special Olympics for
people with intellectual disabilities include improved physical
fitness and motor skills, greater self-confidence, a more positive
self-image, friendships, and increased family support. Special
Olympics athletes carry these benefits with them into their daily
lives at home, in the classroom, on the job, and in the community.
Families who participate become stronger as they learn a greater
appreciation of their athlete’s talents. Community volunteers find
out what good friends the athletes can be. And everyone learns more
about the capabilities of people with intellectual disabilities.
The Kentucky Knights of Columbus supports Special Olympics of
Kentucky. The SOKY is
divided into nine service areas.
The state council is working with SOKY to spread the word of
areas in Kentucky where additional help is needed.
The greatest need is for volunteers.
Projects in a given area may require the assistance of
multiple K of C Councils.
We will spread the word to all councils in an area on the
type of help needed and when and where it will be needed as well and
the SOKY contacts.
Details will be sent to area councils AND be posted on this website
regularly.
The following is a list of state events where we can help.
The bowling tournaments need help across the state.
2008
State Softball Tournament
- September 5 – 7
-- Bowling Greek – Michael Buchanon Park
Contact:
Erin Young
1-800-633-7403
eyoung@soky.org
State Equestrian
Competition –
Sunday, October 5 – Lexington -- Kentucky Horse Park
Contact:
Greg Shanks
1-800-633-7403
gshanks@soky.org
State Bowling Tournament –
December 6-7
-- Lexington – Collins Bowling Centers
Contact:
Greg Shanks
1-800-633-7403
gshanks@soky.org
The 2008 Area Bowling Tournament Schedule is as follows:
State Tournament – December 5 – 7 Collins
Bowling Lanes, Lexington, KY
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The Columbian Squires is a Leadership Development Program for young Catholic men ages 10-18 years old. There are over 25,000 Catholic young men in over 1,100 local units, called Circles, throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico the Philippines, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, and Guam. The Squires program is designed to develop young men as Leaders who understand their Catholic religion, who have a strong commitment to the Church, and who are ready, willing, and capable of patterning their lives after the Youth Christ. A Squires Circle must be sponsored by a Knights of Columbus council or Assembly, but is run by and for young men, under the guidance of several Knights, who serve as Counselors. Squires are to be leaders, thus, to the degree they are able, they are given the opportunity to lead, by running their own meetings, investing (initiating) their own members, setting their circle’s agenda, and implementing their program of activities. With all the negative distractions our young men face each day on television, print media, internet and peer groups, developing a Squires Circle could provide an alternative approach. This allows Dads and other concerned men of the Council to spend the quality time needed during these formative years. This small investment of time reaps great benefits not only for the community, but the Church and council as well. Squires have fun. They meet new friends, they travel, play sports, and socialize. Squires are serious-minded as well. Squires are involved in promoting Catholic education, promoting vocations, marching in defense of unborn life, feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, supporting Special Olympics, and countless other activities; similar to the Knights of Columbus. Thus, the Squires Circle is an athletic team, a youth group, a social club, a spiritual development program, a cultural & civil improvement association, a management training course, and a civil rights organization all rolled into one. To sponsor a circle, a council needs to provide a meeting place, a Chief Counselor, Assistant Counselors, a Father Prior (provided by the Parish), and ten young men between the ages of 10 and 18 in good standing with the Church. A new program will allow individual Squires advancement to higher levels of training, involvement and advancement in leadership. There are five new levels of achievement in the “Squires Advancement Program” (in order, from least to most challenging): Page, Shield Bearer, Swordsman, Lancer, and Squire of the Body of Christ. If you and your council or Assembly is interested in sponsoring a circle or just wish to know more about the program, please contact me by phone at 270-559-9095 or by e-mail at kysquires1055@yahoo.com and let me assist you in any way possible to achieve the goals you have set for the young men in your area. “ESTO DIGNUS – BE WORTHY” Joseph Hamilton, Director Columbian Squires Program |
The very name, "Vocation Committee," spells out its purpose. The
Knights of Columbus, worldwide and locally, are dedicated to the promotion
of vocations to the priesthood and to religious life, and for the
strengthening of married vocations as well as vocations to the single lay
state.
Regarding priestly and religious vocations, it is not the role of the K of
C Vocations Committee to dictate policies regarding vocations to any of the
four Kentucky Dioceses served by the Kentucky State Council. Rather,
its goal is to render whatever assistance the Committee can give to each and
all Archdiocesan and Diocesan Vocations Directors in the State of Kentucky,
and to respond to any needs requested by them.
In an exemplary manner, most Councils in the State of Kentucky are very aware
of the RSVP promotion of personal help to seminarians and novices. The
Vocation Committee continues to stress the fact that participation in this
program is in itself a prayer and sacrifice, bound to bring much spiritual
satisfaction and merit to the Councils themselves. The Vocation
Committee also asks that Councils, for the most part, continue to pray for
an increase of religious vocations on the occasions of their monthly
meetings. The Committee encourages direct personal contact by the
Councils with the seminarians and novices throughout the year, always
recognizing and supporting them in the pursuit of their vocations.
