Reminder about our Business Meeting - Tonight

The Business meeting for April will NOT be on Thursday, April 1st. Since this was Holy Thursday, we will have the meeting the following Thursday, April 8th.

Lenten Mass Series Well Attended

Thanks to all that attended the Saturday Masses at the Hall. A special Thanks to our wonderful priests that celebrated for us at the Hall. This is a very special year, the Year of the Priest, and the Mass series at the Hall has given us an opportunity to thank our priests for their service and sacrifice for us.

Fr. O’Brian, President of Bishop Kelly High School, offers our last Mass of Lent at the Hall.

KofC Lenten Masses: Bishop Slattery Celebrates at the Hall

With a homily focusing on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Bishop Slattery praised the Knights for their service to the Church in Oklahoma. He also challenged us to continue to support the Church, follow the example of the infinite Love of Christ as expressed in the Sacred Heart.

It is always a pleasure for our Council when His Excellency comes to visit us at 4721. It was a special honor when he came to celebrate the Eucharist this past Saturday during Lent. We are very grateful to have Bishop Edward Slattery as our Bishop and Chief Shepherd in the Diocese of Tulsa. Under his direction, we have seen an increase in vocations, a renewed focus to our Catholic High School with the appointment of Fr. O’Brian as President of Bishop Kelley, and a refocus of the Church in Oklahoma to a more Orthodox direction to the Church. We thank him for his continued support of the Knights in our efforts to serve the Church in the Diocese.

Officer’s Meeting

• The Business Meeting is moved from Good Friday, April 1st to the following week.
• Our Bishop, His Excellency Bishop Edward Slattery, celebrates Mass for us this Saturday, everyone is encouraged to attend. Mass starts at 9:00 AM.
• Pancake Breakfast this Sunday at St. Pius X. Cheryl’s famous Egg Casserole is the centerpiece! Please plan to attend. Bring a potential Knight to Breakfast! This Breakfast will be for the Center of Family Love in Okarche, OK.
  • We will be getting our dates to the church for the upcoming Pancake Breakfast. We are hoping for the 3rd Sunday of every month.
• We will be getting our Blood Drive Schedules turned in as well.
• Archbishop Eusebius Beltran of Oklahoma City celebrates 50 years as a priest. All Catholics in Oklahoma are invited to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church Camp to celebrate with the Archbishop on May 15th.
• There will be a Major Degree at St. Anne’s in Broken Arrow, OK on April 18th. Candidates should arrive at 12:30 pm. If you have sponsored a candidate, please get the word out.
• District Deputy – the State of Oklahoma is in the running for most recruitment! St. Bernard’s is still trying to get their 1st Degree together. We still need to get the degree here together.
• Please remember to bring donations to DVIS to the next Business Meeting. If you will not be able to make it to the meeting, please make sure it is labeled CLEARLY “Donation to DVIS, KofC”
• Arthur has linked photos of Clergy Appreciation, the Friday Lenten Meal and the Ladies Appreciation Meal to the KofC Council 4721 Web Site. Click the names to see these photos.

• The Columbian Squires pizza social went very well, eleven young men showed up for the social to find out about the Squires.
• Andrew Arroyo will be the recipient of the Council Scholarship for St. Gregory’s University in Shawnee, OK. Andrew will be an incoming Freshman at St. Gregory’s for the Fall, 2010 school year. He is also receiving the St. Scholastica Scholarship and the State Knights of Columbus Scholarship. Andrew is the son of J.A. Arroyo, Deputy Grand Knight of Council 4721.
• YouthStock 2010, April 9th at Bishop Kelly Catholic High School. The Knights of Columbus in Tulsa will be serving hot dogs and hamburgers between 6 and 7 pm. A separate post will go up on the BLOG from the Youth Director. Brother Knights should arrive at 4 PM to help getting everything organized and begin cooking hot dogs and hamburgers. Pass the word along to parents and friends. All Catholic Youth are encouraged to attend for an evening of fun. The 8 Reasons to attend are listed below:

Here's just 8 reasons why you and they might want to come:




1 - It's totally Free, and something to do on a great Spring Evening

2 - We're serving others by collecting food for Catholic Charities Food Bank

3 - There will be free burgers cooked by Knights of Columbus councils...and they know how to grill!  Free Dinner...can't beat it.

4 - There will be outdoor games on the field, plenty of activity, and plenty of space and time to hang out with friends or meet new ones.

5 - There will be live music...outdoor concerts are fun!

6 - Chris Padgett will be there.  He's a Catholic Speaker/Musician recognized all over the country for being able to inspire people of all ages in their faith while simultaneously causing you to laugh at his utter goofiness and fall in love with his music.

7 - We're going to Mass together, hopefully with enough young people that the chapel bursts at the seams.  It's such a great experience of Mass when it's full of folks willing to actually sing, praise, and worship God in a youthful way.

8 - Events like this being successful have the potential to really snowball and affect the entire Catholic Community in a fantastic way.  Want to not be bored with being Catholic?  The more often we can get youth together to attend, plan, and add spirit to events for young people...the more exciting our entire Diocese will be.  Let the Catholic Revolution begin!

Eucharist

Dear Brother Knights;

As we approach Easter and Holy Thursday, I thought that I would give you some thoughts on Eucharist. First of all, it IS in the Bible:

Biblical References to the Eucharist (Holy Communion)

• John 1:29
  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
• Luke 22:20
  In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
• John 6:53
  Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 
• Mark 14:22-24
  While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them.
• Hebrews 9:28
  so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
• 1 Corinthians 11:27-29
  Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.

My reflection begins with John 6:53 beginning with “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you…” As this passage continues, it becomes very apparent, crystal clear, that Jesus was not speaking in mere images or parables, but literally. He challenges his follows with this passage to take him at his word.

53 Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. 54 Whoever eats 19 my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."
59 These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60 20 Then many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" 61 Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you? 62 What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 21 63 It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh 22 is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
64 But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.
65 And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father."
66 As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.
67 Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"
68 Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God." USCCB Bile Text, Click here to view.

John’s choice of words is significant when he translates what Jesus has said into the Greek, he uses the word, not for eating as in eating dinner, but the more profane term for gnawing or munching. The verb used in these verses is not the classical Greek verb used of human eating, but that of animal eating: "munch," "gnaw." This may be part of John's emphasis on the reality of the flesh and blood of Jesus, but the same verb eventually became the ordinary verb in Greek meaning "eat." This would very much explain the reaction of the majority of the disciples or followers of Jesus.

This passage has become the basis of my own faith. Whenever I have had the inclination that the Catholic Church is hard, that I was tired of all the Sacraments, that other churches might really be more entertaining and cater more to my desires rather than make so many demands upon me, there was John 6:67-69 staring me in the face. “Master, to whom shall we go?” Where else do we find this simple admonition? Where else do we find the TRUE Body and Blood of Christ? There is no place to turn, there is only the One True, Catholic and Apostolic Church. If I went to a place where I can just get on my knees to go to Confession, it is NOT the true path, “We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God”. There is only “whoever eats this bread will live forever” to direct us toward eternal life.

Blood Drive Canceled on March 21st

Attention blood donors. I just learned that the Red Cross due to a schedule error, is unable to support our next drive of 3/21/10. I do not have any particulars at this point but want to get the word out to avoid any additional inconvenience and confusion to our donors. A St Pius X bulletin announcement for this Sunday and picture posters are already printed and posted but the drive has been cancelled. Our next drive will be on May 16^th.

Bob Caruso

Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion

General Principles
by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger

[Note: The following memorandum was sent by Cardinal Ratzinger to Cardinal McCarrick and was made public in the first week of July 2004.]

1. Presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion should be a conscious decision, based on a reasoned judgment regarding one’s worthiness to do so, according to the Church’s objective criteria, asking such questions as: "Am I in full communion with the Catholic Church? Am I guilty of grave sin? Have I incurred a penalty (e.g. excommunication, interdict) that forbids me to receive Holy Communion? Have I prepared myself by fasting for at least an hour?" The practice of indiscriminately presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion, merely as a consequence of being
present at Mass, is an abuse that must be corrected (cf. Instruction "Redemptionis Sacramentum," nos. 81, 83).

2. The Church teaches that abortion or euthanasia is a grave sin. The Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae, with reference to judicial decisions or civil laws that authorize or promote abortion or euthanasia, states that there is a "grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection. [...] In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to 'take part in a propaganda campaign in favour of such a law or vote for it’" (no. 73). Christians have a "grave obligation of conscience not to cooperate formally in practices which, even if permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to God’s law. Indeed, from the
moral standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate formally in evil. [...] This cooperation can never be justified either by invoking respect for the freedom of others or by appealing to the fact that civil law permits it or requires it" (no. 74).

3. Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.

4. Apart from an individual's judgment about his worthiness to present himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy Communion may find himself in the situation where he must refuse to distribute Holy Communion to someone, such as in cases of a declared excommunication, a declared interdict, or an obstinate persistence in manifest
grave sin (cf. can. 915).

5. Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him
that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.

6. When "these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible," and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, "the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it" (cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts Declaration "Holy Communion
and Divorced, Civilly Remarried Catholics" [2002], nos. 3-4). This decision, properly speaking, is not a sanction or a penalty. Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing judgment on the person’s subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person’s public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin.

Upcoming Events

• March 9th, Tuesday: Open House for boys age 10-18 for Columbian Squires on Tuesday, March the 9th at Dorney Hall at St. Pius.
• March 8, 2010 7:30 PM : The Ladies Auxiliary is open to all female relatives of our council Knights (wives, mothers, sisters, daughters) age 18 and older.
• March 11, 2010 9:00 AM: Veterans’ 9:00AM Mass at the VA Hospital in Claremore the 2nd Thursday of every month. Contact Lon Unsell, Leroy Weismann or Bob Caruso for carpooling. We leave Tulsa at 8:00AM and return around 11:00AM.
• March 13, 2010 9:00 AM: Fr. Tim Davison celebrates our next Lenten Mass
• March 18, 2010 7:00 PM: Planning meeting will be held in the Youth Room.
• March 20, 2010 9:00 AM: His Excellency, Bishop Slattery
• March 21, 2010 9:00 AM: Pancake breakfast after the 8:00 and 10:00 am Mass. American Red Cross Blood Drive. Please contact Bob Caruso to schedule your time. bobnantul@cox.net. Phone 252-2216.
• March 27, 2010 9:00 AM: Fr. Brian O’Brian, President of Bishop Kelly.

March Business Meeting

Our Lenten Mass series began two Saturdays ago at 9 AM. Fr. Gary Kastl and Fr. Jim Caldwell have celebrated Masses for us the past two Saturdays. These have been fantastic so far so please make plans to attend, we would like to show our priests our support. This week will be Fr. Tim Davidson and the following week will be His Excellency, Bishop Slattery. Last Saturday was Fr. Knipe from St. Pius X. We had 28 the first week, 29 the next week!

 

 

 

We have a new application for membership, David Bassler sponsored him. His applicant is from Christ the King and is married. The application was moved and approved.

 

Grand Knight’s Report:

• 4721 has had a busy year, Feb was short but busy. It included Priests and Ladies Appreciation dinners, Lenten dinner at St. Pius and two Lenten Masses at the Hall.
• We attended an educational seminar at St. Gregory’s for Financial Secretaries and Grand Knights. 

• On 2/26 the Knights sponsored the Friday Lenten Meal at St. Pius X. Cheryl Hull did a great time preparing the soup for the Lenten Meal.
• Dan Holmes has resigned as Fraternal Program Director.
• Bill Hull brought some food by the Madonna House around the middle of February.
• Open House for boys age 10-18 for Columbian Squires on Tuesday, March the 9th at Dorney Hall at St. Pius.

 

• Worthy Chancellor, Chris King, completed the presentation folders for our applications for Oklahoma State Council Awards. These are very impressive for our applications for Community, Council Activities, Church Activities, and Family Activities.

Financial Secretary’s Report –

• after the State Training, he was able to put the membership on the national database.
• We will be working on getting our lapsed members back on the rolls. Lon sent out 24 letters inviting our members who have not paid their dues to return. The letters reported on what we have been doing the past year and hoping that they will return.

Trustee’s Report was given. Our membership reports and financial reports were given for our annual report.

• Our next blood drive is March 21st at St. Pius X.

Program Director – Bob Caruso

Membership and Pro-Life – David Bassler

• In addition to the letters, David has been placing an ad into the St. Pius X  newsletter. All Masses will have a letter going into the St. Pius X bulletin on Sat and Sunday Masses. This is a way for us to do some recruiting.
• DVIS food drive is going slower than the Madonna House Drive.
• Thanks for all those that have been showing up for the Masses on Saturdays.
• Thursday Masses (this Thursday) meet at 8:15 at the Hall for the Veterans Mass

4th Degree News 

Moore, March 27th, the District Meeting for the Assemblies in Oklahoma – the District Master will be elected. This will affect how our honor guards are done.

4th Degree Exemplification in Muskogee – April 10th

 

New Business:

• Financial Secretaries meeting at St. Gregory’s. A team from Texas came up to teach our Financial Secretaries, it was an excellent learning experience. We will have all membership cards sealed! All membership cards have to have embossed seal and signed. Supreme is online! Arthur has inputted all data into the computer for Supreme to have online now!
• ByLaws have to be kept up to date! The last update of our bylaws was 1982 when Steve White was Grand Knight! Our dues were $25, our dues now are $28. Our Council fees, State Council fees and Supreme fees are not really covered by the dues anymore.
• We went over the new changes for the Bylaws. A proposed raise of the dues to bring us in line with our expenses for per capita.
• St. Mary’s and Bishop Kelly Youth Day – April 9th at Bishop Kelly.
• Major degree at St. Anne’s 6606
• Sunday March 14th, the usual dinner is going but we will have the Irish group to entertain us!  Starts at 4 pm. Irish stew will be served.
• March 28th free meal after the Retired Deputies meal at the Hall!
• These meals are sponsored by the Ladies Auxillary
• Thanks to the council for the KofC Scholarship (Council and State Scholarships) for making it possible for Andrew Arroyo to attend St. Gregory’s University next year

Knight of the Month

• Scott Collier for setting up the Lenten Masses

Family of the Month

• Chris King and family for his work on the Squires and the Reports

Pot of Gold

• Ron Waleska – not present

Good of the Order

• Chris King – back problems
• Friend of Mike Buckendorf, colon cancer
• Murry Buzzard’s newborn granddaughter needs a heart transplant. In neonatal ICU
• Bill Hull -
• Max Schmidt, Past State Deputy, in a hospice home. Max has been a long time Knight in Oklahoma Knights.

BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR MARCH

 

VATICAN CITY, 1 MAR 2010 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for March is: "That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equity, taking account of the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest".

  His mission intention is: "That the Churches in Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice in every part of that continent".

BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/MARCH/...                         VIS 100301 (80)