February 2012 Newsletter
ST. THERESA’S COUNCIL # 14615 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS 450 Radio Road Little Egg Harbor, NJ 08087 February 15, 2012
Council General Membership Meeting: Date: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 Time: 7:00 PM. Location: Faith Formation Center, St. Theresa’s Church. Dress: Business Casual
Officers’ Meeting: Date: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 Time: 7:00 PM. Location: Faith Formation Center, St. Theresa’s Church Dress: Business Casual
Chaplain’s Message: My Dear Brothers in Christ, As Roman Catholic citizens in the United States of America today we are facing a very serious crossroads.
In 2009, the House of Representatives presented and ultimately successfully passed H. R. 3962 into law. This bill is intended to provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes. This bill was presented and voted on before many representatives read it or fully comprehended what it entailed. As part of this health care bill, on August 1, 2012 all health plans, nationwide, will be mandated to cover sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion. Roman Catholic Bishops of the United States object to the rule forcing private health plans nationwide to cover sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion. All the other mandated "preventive services" prevent disease, and pregnancy is not a disease. Moreover, forcing plans to cover these items violates existing federal conscience laws and violates the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. This is forcing American Roman Catholics to pay for insurance which provides services which are in direct opposition of our faith (whether individual Roman Catholics agree or not) and we believe sinful in the eyes of God. The President has proposed a solution to this conscience dilemma. First, he has decided to retain HHS's nationwide mandate of insurance coverage of sterilization and contraception. This is both unsupported in the law and remains a grave moral concern. Second, the President has announced that the HHS law would still mandate that all insurers must include coverage for the objectionable services in all the policies they would write. Therefore any insurance company which the Church would choose to use in offering health insurance to their employees would by law be mandated to cover objectionable services. The President explained the system would work as follows: The Church would offer health insurance coverage to their employees and would tell their employees that it does not pay for sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion. But the employee and insurer may separately agree to add that coverage. The employee would not have to pay any additional amount to obtain this coverage, and the coverage would be provided as a part of the employer's policy, not as a separate rider. The Catholic Bishops received information about this proposal for the first time just prior to the President’s press conference, and were not part of the discussion in the presidents remedy to the problem. They responded to his comments by stating the only complete solution to this religious liberty problem is for HHS to rescind the mandate of these objectionable services. The Bishops state that they will continue to press for the greatest conscience protection they can secure. They will therefore continue—with no less vigor, no less sense of urgency—efforts to correct this problem through the other two branches of government. They renew their call on Congress to pass, and the Administration to sign, the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act. And we renew their call to the Catholic faithful, and to all Americans, to join together in this effort to protect religious liberty and freedom of conscience for all.
So what do we do now?
Contact your U.S. Representative by e-mail, phone, or FAX letter:
Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: 202-224-3121, or call your Members’ local offices. Send an e-mail to your representative Additional contact info can be found on Members’ web sites at: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.
MESSAGE: "Please co-sponsor the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (H.R. 1179, S. 1467) and help enact it into law. The Obama administration’s decision to require even religious institutions to provide coverage of sterilization and contraceptives, including drugs that can cause an abortion, makes passage of this measure especially urgent. Please ensure that the rights of conscience of all participants in our nation’s health care system are respected.”
Now is the time to build cosponsors. Please act today! Thanks!
Yours Fr. Mick
DEATH: On Monday, February 6, 2012, Brother Eugene Reilly, a recent transfer into our Council, passed away. His wake and funeral Mass were held in North Jersey, where Gene and his wife lived for many years. Please remember him in your prayers.
Illness: Brother Deacon Hank Palan is recovering from heart surgery. Brother Deacon Bob Kratchman is being treated for a gall bladder condition. Past Grand Knight Tom Hartley is recovering following a pacemaker implant. Brother Mike Santo is currently in rehab following knee surgery. Brother Art Jablonski is undergoing treatment for a bowel condition. Brother Franklin Clayton is ill. Brother John Taaffe’s wife is ill. Brother Peter Defeo is going through dialysis and is suffering from a blood condition. Brother Vince Konchan has lymphatic cancer and is undergoing radiation treatment. Brother Bill Sadowski is being treated for prostate cancer. Brother Ed Davis is recovering from gall bladder surgery. Brother Joe Koptic is recovering from prostate surgery.
If you know of a Brother Knight or a member of the family, sick or in distress, or relocating to please let me (Jay Werling) know. My contact information is at the bottom of this Knight Letter.
Identification: We have a need to put a more public face on our Council. This will help us with identification and Council growth. Whenever you are participating in any parish activity - attending a meeting of any of the parish ministries, assisting at any parish function - if possible please wear Knights of Columbus identification (either a Council shirt or Council name tag). This will help put a public face on the Council and allow parishioners to know who we are and what we do.
First Degree Team: As the Council moves forward, we are constantly looking for Brother Knights to assist on our First Degree Team. We have five major speaking parts – Grand Knight, Deputy Grand Knight, Chancellor, Financial Secretary and Warden. We need understudies for all these parts. If you are interested in helping, please contact Joe Lyons, our Team Captain ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).
Council Scholarship Program:
During the January General Membership Meeting, we discussed making changes to the scholarship program, more specifically, the application process and how much money is allocated toward the program. For the application process, G.K. John Hulme create a Scholarship Committee with Father Mick as the Chairman to come up with an application format to put to the Council to discuss and vote on at the February General Membership Meeting. The proposed application is at the end of the newsletter to be reviewed before the meeting. During the February Meeting, we will also discuss and vote on the proposal to limit the amount of scholarships given to Five, and the amount per scholarship $200.
Membership Cards: Two comments are necessary about Membership cards.
First, the Supreme Council has determined that some former members are misusing the Honorary Life Membership cards issued to them. Therefore, the Supreme Council has directed that all Councils issue annual Membership cards to all Honorary Life Members on the Council Membership rolls.
Second, Membership cards for all members, Honorary Life, Disabled and those current in dues, will be available at the February Council Meeting. Please see the Financial Secretary for your Membership Card.
Web Site: The Council Web Site – www.kofc14615.org – is back online and available to review.
Food Pantry: The Little Egg Harbor Food Pantry is making great progress and is run by one of our Brother Knights. Brother Leo Rossetti runs this food pantry and some of our Brother Knights volunteer on a daily basis. This food pantry receives and distributes to the needy in excess of 2,000 pounds of food a month and our Brothers approximately donate at least one hundred hours a month. The Food Pantry can always use additional assistance. Please contact Brother Leo to assist.
Fund Raisers: 46” FLAT SCREEN LCD TV RAFFLE TICKET SALE: On Monday, January 30, 2012, we held our raffle for the flat screen TV. Our winner was Leon Marek of Little Egg Harbor. Mr. Marek donated the flat screen TV to the Faith Formation Center. Congratulations to Mr. Marek. Also, many thanks and congratulations to Brother Andy Kavinski and his Committee for a very successful raffle. He raised over $3000.00 for our Concil Scholarship and Charity Funds.
BUS TRIP TO ATLANTIC CITY: Thanks to the efforts of Brother Francis Murphy and his Committee, our January Bus Trip raised approximately $900.00 for the Council. Thanks Brother Murphy!!!
Brother Jack Murphy has scheduled our next Bus Trip to Atlantic City for Tuesday, April 17, 2012. We are going back to Resorts, where we get a $25.00 Slot Credit. The cost is $25.00. Please contact Jack Murray at 609-296-1140.
NAME BADGES: Name badges are available; the price is $11.00 for regular members and $12.00 for Fourth Degree members. See Jay Werling at the meeting for your badge.
SHIRTS: Brother Earl Lind is selling Council T-Shirts. The price is $10.00 a shirt.
Additionally our Council is considering other fund raisers throughout the upcoming Fraternal Year. These include a Spaghetti and/or Corned Beef dinners and additional bus trips to Atlantic City. For any and all of these fund raisers to be successful, we will need assistance from you, our Brother Members. For further information, attend our Council Meetings, read these monthly Knight Letters and watch the weekly Parish Bulletin.
INSURANCE MESSAGE: Insurance News
Important changes that will benefit some of our seasoned Knights and spouses: Effective immediately, the Knights have changed the age restrictions for whole life insurance applications from 75 to 80. If you are reading this and are not yet 80 and a half, you can apply for whole life insurance with face value protection of as little as $10,000 with a monthly premium. Of course, you can apply for more depending on your needs, finances and health. You can have limited paying periods from 10 or 20 years or up to age 100. In addition, you can do a single premium with no additional payments required.
Do not hesitate to call me regarding these great benefits or any others you may be entitled to, including our annuities and long term care both available for applications to age 85. It’s a great time to get involved with the Knights of Columbus guaranteed annuity plans. You can rollover or transferIRA funds into these annuities and get a lot more than the banks are currently paying. Our minimum guarantee is now 1.5% and we are currently paying 2.75%. Our flexible premium annuities are also available and withdrawals can be made (restrictions apply) but are not required until age 95. There are many important features with our plans. Please call me to discuss your personal needs.
God Bless, Bob Dodds Council Field Agent 609-978-6396
PS. Because the Annunciation Council was important in the formation of your council, I feel compelled to share with you the following letter which appeared this month in their newsletter.
INSURANCE MATTERS
Dear Brothers and Families, It is with a very sad heart that I write this message. Having been a Knight for almost 47 years and the council insurance agent for the last eighteen, I have never lost so many close brothers or their spouses in such a short time. As you may be aware the past three and a half months have been a very grief stricken period for this council. It has lost 8 brothers, one spouse, and members have also lost several family members and friends.
I am also saddened because I have not been able to help all those I wanted. Many reasons come up that cause appointments to be put off, most recently the economy but also the pace of our hectic world, health issues, family activities and other responsibilities.
Those of you that personally know me, understand my fraternal and caring nature. It is for this reason that by way of our newsletter, I want to offer my services to all members, especially those with young families. As I have said before, because of the fraternal tax status of the Knights, if a member dies and is not an insurance member, we are not allowed to offer any of the great products that the Knights have to his widow or minor children. A member can attain “insurance status” by participating in our insurance program, purchasing long term care insurance, purchasing disability insurance or starting a retirement program with as little as $300 (currently paying 2.75%) with no medical requirements and no need for further deposits. Please call me to discuss your specific family situation to receive the service you deserve as a Knights of Columbus member and the protection your family needs.
Remember, there is not higher rated insurance company in America than your Knights of Columbus.
God Bless, Bob Dodds Your Field Agent 609-978-6396
Emails: If you want to contact me via email, please use ‘Knights of Columbus’ in the Subject Line and use my email address at the end of this letter.
If you receive this monthly letter via the United States Post Office, it costs your Council $5.28 per year to mail it to you. We want to continue to reduce our monthly mailing expense so we email this letter to those members who provide us with an email address. If you want to receive this via email, please see the Council Guards at the meeting and provide them with your email address, or send Jay an email using his email address below.
Newsletter: Articles for inclusion in this newsletter should be forwarded to Jay Werling, at the email address below, by the 10th of each month. Anticipated distribution date is not later than the 15th of each month.
Jay Werling 226 Lake Champlain Drive Little Egg Harbor, NJ 08087 ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) 609-709-9236
Annually the Parish of St. Theresa, Knights of Columbus Council # 14615 offers five, $200.00 scholarships to students preparing to enter Community College, Four Year College or University, Trade School or enlisting in the United States Armed Services upon graduation from High School. This scholarship is open to any Roman Catholic son, daughter, grandson or granddaughter of an active member of the Parish of St. Theresa, Knights of Columbus Council # 14615.
Application Requirements The completed Scholarship Application (attached) The completed recommendation letter from the member of the Parish of St. Theresa, Knights of Columbus Council # 14615 (attached) The completed Letter of Recommendation from the applicants Pastor (attached) Submittal of an essay answering the question “How does a young man or young woman face the world today as a true disciple of Jesus Christ?” The essay is to be 2 pages typed (approximately 1000 words) double spaced, Arial Font, Font Size 12 and must comply with the acceptable standards of written scholastic work. Any suspicion of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification. All applications must be received at the following address by Friday April 13, 2012 will be considered. The application Package is to be returned to: Parish of St. Theresa Knights of Columbus Council # 14615 Scholarship Program 450 Radio Road Little Egg Harbor NJ 08087
Application Full Name: ____________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________ City: ________________________ State_________________ Postal Code: _________ Phone: (Home) ______________________ (Cell) ______________________________ Email Address: _________________________________________________________
Home Parish: __________________________________________________________ (Parish where your family is registered) Address: ______________________________________________________________ City: ________________________ State_________________ Postal Code: _________ Pastor: _______________________________________________________________
High School you are currently attending ______________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________ City: ________________________ State_________________ Postal Code: _________
Please provide the following information regarding the Community College, 4 year College or University or branch of the United States Armed Services where you plan to be enrolled in the 2012 / 2013 academic year Full Name of Institution: _________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________ City: ________________________ State_________________ Postal Code: _________
Sponsoring Knight’s Letter
Dear Brother Knights, It is my pleasure to recommend ___________________________ for your consideration to receive (Name of student) the Parish of St. Theresa Knights of Columbus Council #14615 Annual College/Military Scholarship Program. _________________________________ is my__________________________________ (Name of student) (Relationship)
and is a practicing Roman Catholic.
Should you need to contact me concerning this matter you may do so as follows Name:_________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________ City: ________________________ State_________________ Postal Code: _________ Phone: (Home) ______________________ (Cell)______________________________ Email Address: _________________________________________________________
Thank you for your consideration
(Knight’s Signature) Active member of the Parish of St. Theresa Knights of Columbus Council #14615
Sponsoring Pastor’s Letter
Dear Council #14615 Scholarship Committee, It is my pleasure to recommend ___________________________ for your consideration to receive (Name of student) the 2012 / 2013 Parish of St. Theresa, Knights of Columbus Council # 14615 Annual College/Military Scholarship Program. ___________________________ is a member of our parish and is a (Name of student) practicing Roman Catholic.
Should you need to contact me concerning this matter you may do so as follows: Name: _________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________ City: ________________________ State_________________ Postal Code: _________ Parish Phone: ______________________ ext._________ Email Address: _________________________________________________________
Thank you for your consideration
(Pastor’s signature)
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Knights Of Columbus
St. Theresa Council
#14615
St. Theresa Council
#14615
Faith Formation Center
St. Theresa Parish
450 Radio Rd
Little Egg Harbor, NJ 08087
Officer's Meetings: 2nd Tuesday of the Month
Council Meetings: 4th Tuesday of the Month
Upcoming Events
| Tue May 22 @ 7:00PM - Business Meeting |
| Tue Jun 12 @ 7:00PM - Officer Meeting |
Parish of St. Theresa Knights of Columbus Council # 14615 Annual College/Military Scholarship Program