Vermont State Council

Latest news:

If any brother knight is interested in the position of State Youth Director, please contact Ray Michauld via e-mail at rjm032155@yahoo.com or by phone at 862-5603 (evenings) or 877-4751 (weekdays).

The Anchor Award Honoring Past State Deputy, Former District Master Gerald F. Bean will be on September 28^th at Central Vermont Council #399. Doors to open at 6:30 with cocktails Dinner to follow at 7:30. The Choices for the Banquet meal are Prime Rib, Baked Stuffed Haddock, and Chicken Cordanblu . More Details to Follow

George F. Johnson Council will be hosting the 2008-state golf tournament, at the Montague Golf Club in Randolph VT. See Below

Milton council, Pope John Paul II # 10417 holds a first degree on the 4th tuesday of every month (practice if we have no candidates) Contacts are;
Grand Knight Kevin Barron, 893-1396, kevbarron4@aol.com
Membership Director Ed Malila, 879-0929, Emalila@aol.com

A message from the State Deputy

August is upon us and it seems to me that summer has just barely begun. I am hoping that every Council is making an extra effort to send their Grand Knight or at least a representative to the Grand Knights Workshop on August 9th. This is a month earlier than normal to try to get a jump on a lot of programs and information that are critical to helping us continue to be the great Order that we are.
We have the State Golf Tournament in Randolph this month on the 24th sponsored by Bethel Council 10241. They always do a terrific job. In September we have the Retreat in Jamaica Vermont on the 6th and the Anchor Award in Barre at Council 399 on the 28th honoring Past State Deputy and Former District Master Gerald Bean.

August/September is normally a time to harvest what we’ve worked all summer to grow in our gardens. The tomatoes and beans are great from the garden and soon we will be enjoying a fresh crisp crop of apples. Our growing season as Knights, however starts July 1st and ends the following June 30th. The seeds we sow, nourish, cultivate, we harvest all year long. Note that in order to harvest a great healthy crop we need to plant the seeds (new members), nourish the new seedlings (programs), cultivate (raising the leaders ), and continue the process day after day , month after month , year after year. It is easy to become burned out and lose your perseverance when only one or two of you are doing it all. Remember we are doing God’s work, helping each other and our fellow man, and Holy Mother Church. Prayer will always get you through the tight spots.

Our strength in the future will be to band together member to member, council to council to help each other as Father McGivney envisioned. Our Diocese needs us, our brothers need us and that is why God has called us to be Knights. Enjoy the rest of the summer. God Bless.

Vivat Jesus!

John C. Rudnicki SD

A message from the State Chaplain

Dear Brother Knights,

In the Code of Canon Law, the Church designates each Friday of the year as a day of penance and obliges Catholics to abstain from eating meat on this day. (In the United States, outside of Lent, we may substitute another penance). Each Friday, therefore, is like a “little Lent”, preparing us for the “little Easter”, which is Sunday. However, on Friday, August 15th of this year, the Church sets aside the day of penance and commands her children to rejoice in the Assumption of Our Blessed Mother into Heaven. We are filled with joy, not simply because our love for the Blessed Virgin is such that any excuse to celebrate a feast in her honor is welcome, but because her Assumption, body and soul into Heaven is a kind of guarantee of our own bodily resurrection.

Christ rose from the dead in His human body and ascended to take his seat at the right hand of the Father. It is no more than we expect. His human nature is forever united to the second person of the Holy Trinity. The Blessed Virgin Mary, however, is one of us. Yes, she is free from all stain of sin, but she is human nonetheless, and for her to be with her Son, body and soul in Heaven, means that Heaven is a place where human beings can go, body and soul. On my Rosary, I have an old medal that, on one side has an image of the Blessed Virgin with the inscription “Behold our model.” The other side has an angel with one hand pointing up and the inscription, “Go to Heaven.” It’s a good reminder to us: look at our model and go where she has gone. We are not afraid to follow the Blessed Mother through the gates of Heaven, neither must we be afraid to follow her path on earth, which is the path of grace, the path of remaining sinless.

Certainly we want to avoid all mortal sin, but we must also be intent to avoid deliberate venial sin. When we deliberately choose to go against the will of God in a slight matter, it may not kill the life of grace within us, but it prevents us from receiving the grace that God wanted to give us in that moment. Our model, Blessed Virgin Mary, increased in the life of grace with every breath that she took - she always did the will of God. As we celebrate the feast of her glorious Assumption, may we be inspired, like her, always to seek God’s will - even in small matters.

Vivat Jesus!

Fr. Karl H. Hahr SC

Vocations

Responding to Pope John Paul’s appeal to all Catholics to celebrate the Third Millennium of Christianity in suitable ways, the Knights of Columbus committed itself to provide financial and moral support to every seminarian in the United States and Canada, if possible.

Just as priestly and religious vocations are vocations within the Church and at the service of the church, so the Knights of Columbus vocations program operates within the Church and at her service. In an ideal situation a Knight of Columbus council will take an active part, or even play a leadership role, in a parish. The Knights of Columbus has always been a strong defender of the priesthood and religious life and a generous supporter of seminarians and of religious in formation. Since 1981, the RSVP (Refund Support Vocations Program) has been and is the primary program through which Knights of Columbus councils, assemblies, and circles participate in an organized manner. Every council, assembly, and circle should take part. The Church, especially here in Vermont as we all know, now faces a crisis of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. As Knights, we pledge assistance to the Church by financial and moral support through our RSVP program. We need to intensify our vocational promotion.

I ask that all our councils work with me as your State Vocations Chairman to ensure the proper and complete implementation of the RSVP program for the 2008 - 2009 fraternal year. Please contact me for information on a seminarian, seminarians or religious postulant to support. You can E-mail me at: gfbean44@yahoo.com. or call at: (802) 862-8581.

Vivat Jesus!

Jerry Bean, PSD/FSM/VC

A message from the State Master

I would like to thank all Sir Knights who took part in the Honor Guard for the Installation of State Officers at St. Anne’s Shire at Isle La Motte on Sunday July 13, 2008.It was a cloudy day but the rain did hold off until after everything was over.

I would like to thank Bishop Salvatore Matano who was the principle celebrant of the Mass. I would also like to thank the St. Albans Council #297 for putting on a wonderful Chicken BBQ. Labor Day this year will be on Monday September 1, 2008. I would like to see a large turn out of Sir Knights in Regalia to march in the Labor Day Parade and if you do not have regalia and would like to march you can wear a business suit with your social baldric. We will meet in front of Crawford Hall at Norwich University and the parade starts at 10:30AM, so please be present by 10AM. This is the largest parade in the State and has a lot of media coverage. This would be very good for the 4th Degree in the State of Vermont to be there in large numbers. In the past we have had a very low turn out.

For all future candidates for the 4th Degree the fee is $70.00 per person this includes a social baldric, membership pin, and certificate form and banquet meal. The fee for priests is $30.00 and their assemblies are asked to pay this fee on their behalf. Please make sure the forms are filled out properly. Many times these forms are incomplete and have to be returned to the candidates. If you have any questions please contact me.

As I ask every month please remember in your prayers our Service Men and Women who are defending our Country throughout the world to keep us save.

Vivat Jesus!

Philip Molliter SM

Community Acitivities:

Dear Brother Knights,

The George F. Johnson Council will be hosting the 2008-state golf tournament, at the Montague Golf Club in Randolph VT. In fact, Montague is the longest operating golf course in Vermont. At Montague, the front nine incorporates a tight layout consistent with a mature course. The back nine is more of an open "links-style," as the fairways wind with the sloping land. To complete the Geoffrey Cornish design, the fairways are sandwiched by thick rough and tall heather grass. Keeping the ball in the fairway on the back nine is the strategy for the successful golfer. This combination is a very interesting eighteen holes of golf. Although Montague is not a very long course, these two distinct styles come together as a wonderful test for any golfer.

Since the last State K of C Tournament in 2006, several new tees have been added as well as new sand traps to make the course more of a challenge.

The tournament will be held on Sunday August 24. The day will start with a blessing of the golfers at 12:45 pm. Shotgun start will begin at 1:00 pm. Dinner and prize presentation to follow at Montague.

Montague is conveniently located in Central VT. Just three miles from Exit 4 off 1-89.
The tournament will be played according to scramble format.

There is a limit of 100 players or 25 teams. All players must be Brother Knights.

Applications must be received prior to Aug 1, 2008 and will be processed in an Early Bird Gets the Worm basis.

The cost for this event will be an all-inclusive fee of $65.00 per person or $260.00 per 4-man team.

Questions may be addressed to Stephen Day: (DGK)

(802)-234-5036 {H) : (802)-234-9946 X-1177 (W)

OR email s1day@.aol.com

The George F. Johnson Council appreciates this opportunity to be your hosts and wish you the best of luck.