Brother Knights,

Next Wednesday evening, Nov 19, is our Social Meeting and this month it's also a Family Night.   We have a special program lined up.    Please join us at 7:30 p.m. in the Upper Room.  

Fr. Josh Janko (a Fourth Degree Knight in our Council) will talk about his trip to World Youth Day in Australia earlier this year.    (He also made a trip to Europe later -- maybe he can share that one too!)

As always we will have snacks and refreshments (even cookies for the kids!).     Bring the whole family -- the whole parish is invited!  

When we have programs lined up like this we need a good turnout.    A special invite to our newest Knights -- this is a great time to come and get acquainted with some of your brother Knights.    

See you Wednesday night,

SK Mark Peterson
Grand Knight

Brother Knights,

Here are some recent developments I want you to be aware of, for those of you not present at our business meeting last Wednesday.  

1) We approved the following charitable donations from our golf outing proceeds:

$1,000 to PrimeLife Enrichment - Emergency Assistance Fund (heating oil, etc.)

$1,000 The O'Connor House

$500 Great Lakes Project Gabriel

$500 Project Susan (W. Africa maternity house)

$1,200 The Lord's Pantry ($100 per month for meat purchase program)

$600 left, unallocated.   Will be determined later.   

2) Culture of Life Fund -- this fund was established at the Supreme convention in August and will be initially funded by a $3.00 assessment to the membership.   For our Council this will be approximately $570, a nonbudgeted item.   We cannot raise our dues in time for the December dues statements so we will suggest members voluntarily add $3.00 to their dues, if they choose.    Any deficit will be absorbed by the Council.   Members may also receive a personal solicitation from Supreme (some of us already have) but that is separate from the $3 per member Council assessment.  

Thanks and Peace,

SK Mark Peterson
Grand Knight
Bishop George A. Fulcher Council #12387

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

A couple that pulled back from the brink of divorce tell their difficult success story in a new podcast at www.fathersforgood.org.

Also new this month at the Fathers for Good site, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus:
·  A Catholic psychiatrist talks about 'My Wife, My Best Friend'.
·  A focus on the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux who will be beatified this month.
·  A new ballot to cast your vote for next month's topic.
·  A Facebook page that connects you to Catholics everywhere.

Visit www.fathersforgood.org