Dear Brother Knights:

It is probably fair to say that no other single activity has defined the Knight of Columbus over the past half century as much as the pro-life movement. 

Following the shock of the Supreme Court's decision to preempt all state and federal laws regulating abortion in Roe v. Wade in 1973, we launched a long-term battle to fight legalized abortion.  While achieving the ultimate goal of overturning Roe remains somewhere in the future, we have been able to achieve many small successes along the way:

·  the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funding for abortions;

·  the federal law banning partial birth abortions, which was finally upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in April 2007;

·   the "Mexico City Policy," which has barred the use of federal taxpayers' money to pay for abortions in other countries;

·   laws in 44 states that preserve a parental role when children under 18 seek abortions;

·   laws in 40 states that restrict late-term abortions;

·   laws in 46 states that protect the right of conscience for individual health care providers;

·   laws in 27 states that protect the right of conscience for institutions;

·   laws in 38 states that ban partial birth abortions;

·   laws in 33 states that require counseling before having an abortion;

·   and laws in 16 states that provide for ultrasounds before an abortion.

All of these restrictions on abortion - all of the progress we've made over the past 35 years in trying to limit and reduce abortions in the United States - would be invalidated with the stroke of a pen if the next Congress passes, and the next president signs, the so-called "Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA).

Before you cast your vote on Tuesday, please take the time and effort necessary to learn whether candidates for whom you might vote favor or oppose FOCA.

The House sponsors of FOCA are listed here
The Senate sponsors of FOCA are listed here

Obviously, if a candidate in your area is not listed among the sponsors, you may have to ask his or her campaign for their position on FOCA.

We have gathered much additional information about the Freedom of Choice Act, including links to material from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and on life issues generally on a special Knights of Columbus web page:

Remember, all that we've done together since Roe to save the lives of the unborn is at stake.  Please pass on this message to your pro-life friends.

The U.S. presidential election is now just days away and much is at stake,
especially in states where citizens will have a chance to vote to protect
marriage (Arizona, California and Florida), to prevent physician assisted
suicide (Washington), to protect the unborn (California, Colorado and South
Dakota) and to oppose embryonic stem cell research (Michigan).

Connecticut, the third state to suffer judicially-imposed same-sex
marriage, will decide whether to call a constitutional convention that
could give the people the power to amend the state constitution to define
marriage as between a man and a woman.

And of course, thousands of candidates will be elected to local, state and
federal offices, many of whom will have a voice in deciding whether to
legally protect life and marriage.

Because these issues loom so large in this year’s elections, I ask that you
encourage councils throughout your state to schedule a rosary at each local
parish on Saturday, November 1, 2008, to pray for divine guidance as these
critical choices are made on Election Day and to entrust the outcome to the
maternal intercession of our Blessed Mother, particularly under her title
“Our Lady of Guadalupe.”

This should be done in addition to efforts to remind Knights and their
families to pray the “Novena for Faithful Citizenship” encouraged by the
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Links to more information and novena
prayers can be found on http://www.kofc.org

Finally, please remind your local councils that if they have not yet
completed preparations for their get-out-the-vote activities for Election
Day, action is needed now.

Thank you for making these efforts a top priority. Our ability to build a
Culture of Life will be significantly affected by the choices we make on
November 4, and the power of prayer is surely one of our most important
tools.

Fraternally,
Carl A. Anderson
Supreme Knight

Our November business meeting will be next Wednesday, November 5th at 7:30 p.m. in the Upper Room.   All Knights are encouraged to attend, especially this month since we will be discussing how to distribute the remaining funds from our charity golf outing.    This will be an important meeting to attend and my goal remains to not go beyond 8:45 if possible.   I particularly want to invite our 7 newest Knights -- come join us.  

Reminder:    We lead the Rosary at 7:00 p.m. in the Day Chapel.    Any volunteers to lead the Rosary?  

Brother Knights,

Our Worthy Advocate, Doug Covell, has accepted a new position in Seattle, WA and will be leaving at the end of this month for the west coast.   While we will certainly miss his friendship and his service to our Council, we are also very happy for him since it has been a months-long job search for him.    This new job will also place him in proximity to his family so it is a double blessing for Doug.  

In the same vein, our brother Chuck Abraham and his family will be moving to Wyoming soon to begin a new position there.    Our best wishes, Chuck, to you and Diana and your entire family as you leave our area.  

Our prayers for Doug and Chuck have been heard.     We have other Knights who are seeking employment as well so we continue to pray for those in our Council, and our parish, who need our support. 

Peace,

SK Mark Peterson
Grand Knight

Brother Knights,

We've had a busy few weeks -- and very productive -- now it's time to relax.   Join us next Wednesday evening, Oct 15, in the Upper Room at 7:30 for some relaxation, a cold drink, and some snacks.   Get to know your brothers a bit more, brag about your latest golf score, and just put your feet up.   

See ya next week,

SK Mark Peterson
Grand Knight
Bishop