Richardson, Texas 75081 St. Joseph’s Council #8954 December 2009

http://www.tkofc.org Volume 24, Issue 6

Grand Knight’s Message

A great event happened to me a couple of weeks ago. My oldest son and his wife had their first child, my first grandchild! As I sit here reminiscing on all of the preparation that led up to the event, it amazes me that anyone older than 5 years could have even been successfully born much less survive as long as many of us have. Societal and technological advances are truly a wondrous to behold. I am also reminded of the liturgical season that has just started. The Advent season started this past Sunday. Advent is a time for a different kind of preparation. We are preparing for a great event in our religious live - the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Similar to our secular life birth preparations, the Church is giving us preparation time for this great event. We are allowed the hope of eternal salvation because of His birth in a manager. As Knights, let us set an example for our St. Joseph parish to personally prepare well for the celebration of this great liturgical event. Since this is the last newsletter before the Christmas season and the end of the current year I would like to take this opportunity to express for myself and my fellow officers of Council 8954 our wish to you for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Everyone have a safe and blessed Christmas season. I look forward to seeing all of you at our Christmas social on Thursday, Dec 17 at 7:00PM in the dining hall. The Thanksgiving social was a wonderful success. Let’s make this one ever better. . Harold Hansen, Grand Knight hghansen@tx.rr.com

972-530-5075

Council Calendar

December 2009

Wed 2 7:00p Officers’ meeting Thu 3 7:30p Business meeting Sat 5 9:00a First Saturday

Mass/Rosary Sun 6 All masses Breakfast Burritos Mon 7 7:30p 1

st degree

Sat 12 6:00a Breakfast with Santa Wed 16 6:00p VA Hospital Visit Thu 17 7:00p Christmas Social Sun 20 2:00p Nativity Scene set-up January 2010 Sat 2 9:00a First Saturday

Mass/Rosary Sun 3 All masses Breakfast Burritos Sun 3 2:00p Nativity take-down Wed 6 7:00p Officers’ meeting Thu 7 7:30p Business meeting Sun 17 8:00a Roe vs. Wade

Memorial Mass Mon 18 7:30p 1

st degree

Wed 20 6:00p VA Hospital Visit Thu 21 7:00p Chili Cook-off Sat 30 6:00p Casino Night

Council Activities

Thanksgiving Social

The Thanksgiving social once again turned out to be a great success. Around 100 brothers and family members attended the event. Everyone seemed to be in or was getting into the holiday spirit.

From the

Grand Knight

Harold Hansen

I want to thank everyone who helped in cutting the turkeys and ham and everyone who helped set up the dining hall. Lots of brothers and family members helped in both the set up and take down.

The Thanksgiving Social was a great example of working together and sharing the load to kick off the holiday season. Let’s carry this example throughout the remainder of the year!

Harold Hansen, Grand Knight

Thanks for Your Generosity!

Thanks to the generosity of several of our Knights’ and their families, 18 children from five local, underprivileged families will be able to enjoy Christmas this year with gifts and toys. The moms will be able to use donated gift cards to purchase food or additional gifts. The families are clients of Network of Richardson and Good Samaritan of Garland. We would like to offer our sincere thanks to the following Knights and their families and one widow for purchasing gifts for the children or providing a monetary donation:

James Aston Frank Basquez Al Bielamowicz Emil Bolcik Roy Brunner Pete Catalina Ken Ducote Neil Ducote James Dulac Dave Endress Frank Farrell Kevin Flesch Roger Flesch Jon Hagarman Joe Horan Phil Lozano Bill McKinney Frank Medina Barbara Nauyokas Don O’Bryan Carl Oehmann Barnabas Osong Tony Pascarelli Bob Procsal Brian Roeten Elmer Resko Isaac Sandoval Joseph Sendrowski Paul Sine Steve Snyder

—James Aston and Ken Ducote

Holiday Tamales Holiday Tamales (Beef or Pork) can be purchased by calling Tony Pascarelli 972-783-8816. You can pick up your order after Mass, in the Forum, on 12/19/08 or 12/20/09. The Cost is the same as 2008. $7.00/Doz. And Special: Purchase 5 doz of one kind for $35.00 and get 1 doz of the same kind FREE.

Allen Americans Hockey Outing Brother Knights, save Feb 5, 2010 for a 7:30 PM Hockey Game between the Allen Americans and Mississippi. We have 40 Tickets in Section 106, next to the home team. The cost per ticket is $12/per ticket. The tickets will be available on 12/12/09. Make Checks out to Terry Ryan. The Knights will NOT be supplying transportation to or from the game. Parking is free at the Area. Directions: Take 75 North, exit Stacy Road, Right on Stacy Road, Then the First Right, The Area should be within sight. The Spouses who do not want attend the game, can shop in the new Mall. Any questions, please contact Terry Ryan 972-979-0268 tandtryan@sbcglobal.net

Breakfast with Santa

Knights are needed for cooking the pancakes, ham, etc beginning at 6 am on Saturday, December 12. Any questions, please contact Harold Hansen 972-530-5075, hghansen@tx.rr.com

VETERANS SUPPORT

On the morning of December 15

th at 9:00 AM the Circle of

Friends will pack bags of comfort items and other “goodies” for our veterans in our local VA Hospital. They will also package lap blankets for the veteran. This will take place in PC 125 and anyone interested may participate in preparing the bags. The next evening, December 16

th, brothers of the Knights

of Columbus Council 8954 and members of the Mother Teresa Assembly, will deliver the bags and blankets to our veterans at the VA Hospital. There, we will play bingo and treat the veterans with Christmas goodies. Anyone, wives included, may participate in this event. Please help to make this a festive occasion for our veterans. Those going to this event should assemble at the flagpole on the Jupiter Street side of the St. Joseph complex between 5:30 and 6:00 pm. We will proceed to the VA Hospital in convoy promptly at 6:00 pm.

CASINO NIGHT – Dealers Training

Casino Night, with this years’ SuperBowl theme, will be held January 30, 2010 and planning is well under way.

Dealers are needed!! If you, another Knight or any parishioner (male or female) you know is interested in learning to deal Casino style, training will be conducted on Thursday’s in January (7

th, 14

th & 21

st) at 7 pm in Room

151.

Please contact: Paul Sine 972-276-4172, or Elmer Resko 972-234-6632

Profile of a Knight

On October 24, 2009 Michael Andrew Apodaca receive an Exemplification of the 4

th Degree of the Knights of

Columbus 3rd District of Our Lady of Guadalupe Province.

At 20 years old, he is a proud Knight who has also accomplished many other goals so far in his life.

Michael graduated Naaman Forest High School in 2009 where he participated on the District Champion Football team.

After ten years of membership in Scouting, he received the Order of the Arrow. Then, after working diligently toward his goal, was certified as an Eagle Scout on September 25, 2007, by Tom Hicks (an Eagle Scout himself).

He then continued his Scouting affiliation when he went on perform community service through the Venture Scouting Program.

Other service activities include Back to School free backpack giveaway, Garland 4

th of July set-up, Martin

Luther King parade, and the Multi-Culture Events of Garland. He also volunteers at Good Shepherd Catholic Church where he has received his religious education and training for the past 15 years.

Now, Michael attends St. Joseph Catholic Church where he plans to continue his religious enhancement and helping others.

From the

Prayer Director &

1-Year Trustee

Joel Lanoux

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

On December 8th we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate

Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a holy day of obligation. It was long held in the tradition of the Catholic Church from early ages that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was born without original sin. On December 8, 1854, in a document called “Ineffabilis Deus”, Pope Pius IX made this concept an article of faith with the following pronouncement: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary at the first instant of her conception by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, in virtue of the merits of Christ Jesus, the savior of the human race, was preserve immaculate from all stain of original sin, has been revealed by God….” The significance of the dogma is not that Mary received a special grace some nine months before her birth, but rather, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception speaks to the triumph of God’s love over sin. Mary, from the moment of her conception, was destined to play an intimate role in God’s plan for our redemption. Mary, as the bearer of Jesus, the Son of God, made God’s plan for redemptive salvation possible.

ADVENT The word Advent is from a Latin root meaning “coming”. It is a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the Nativity of our Savior, Jesus Christ, at Christmas. It is also the beginning of our liturgical year in the Roman Catholic Church. It is a time when we should prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually for the coming of the Christ Child. To help us in this preparation, below are two prayers which should be recited daily and which will help us to be in the proper disposition to greet our Savior at Christmas. DAILY ADVENT MORNING PRAYER

I praise you, Lord, As I begin this day, Keep me faithful to you, For you are faithful to your people. Shed your light on the world, And make us a sign of your salvation As we prepare the way For Christ our Lord. Amen.

DAILY ADVENT EVENING PRAYER

My soul rejoices in you, O Lord. I bless you for the grace of this day, And ask you to watch over me through the night. Look with favor on your servants, Guide us to be witnesses Of your justice, mercy, and peace As we prepare the way For Christ our Lord. Amen. Source: Anon

Joel Lanoux

Prayer Director

Prayer Requests

Hank Horton, Ed Biewer, Fran Eagle, John Martin, Kevin Roeten, Dorothy Tooley, Ed Tooley, Milton Catalina, Randy Bodin, Carlos Guerero, Laura Murray, Norma Lozano and all Service Men and Women serving abroad.

Brother Knight Passes On

Council #8954 Brother Randy Bodin passed away on December 3rd, 2009 in Michigan. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and close friends at this time of loss. We ask that brothers in this council say a pray for the repose of his soul and that our Lord grant him everlasting life in the house of the Lord.

Randy’s daughter in Michigan is making arrangements to have both Randy’s wife Dolores’s and Randy’s cremains sent via Fed-Ex to Texas. She states, that she is hopeful that local plans will be made to have a memorial service here - which are still pending. As more information is made available to us, it will be passed along to all members of the council via e-mail.

From the

Pro-Life Director

& Advocate

Chris Glaser

Brother Knights, With the end of the 40 Days for Life prayer campaign at Robinsons clinic in November came the news that the Fairmont abortion clinic in downtown would be relocating to right in our backyard—on the NE corner of Royal and

Greenville. In addition, this new clinic will be performing

abortions through 6 months of pregnancy. There is extreme urgency to prayer for an end to this clinic and thus another 40 Days for Life vigil is approaching. This vigil will run from 8 AM to noon every day beginning on

December 12th (the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe)

and run until January 22nd (the 37

th anniversary of Roe

v. Wade). Please come by and pray whenever you are available. 40 Days for Life is not new to Dallas. In fact, the 2

nd ever

40 Days for Life was held here, in Dallas, during the winter of 2004/2005 at Aaron’s clinic on LBJ. If you drive by there, notice that nothing (yes, nothing) remains of that clinic, as it closed and was demolished last year. From the CPLC (http://www.prolifedallas.org/pages/40_Days_overview): “The first 40 Days for Life campaign was held in Bryan, Texas in the Fall of 2004. Hearing of it and its fruit, Dallas held the second 40 Days for Life campaign in the winter of 2004, in front of Aaron's late-term abortion center, from December 12, Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, through January 22, anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision which erroneously legalized abortion in America through all nine months of pregnancy. The Winter 40 Days Vigil was extremely sacrificial -- it was cold and took place over the holiday season. But God honored our sacrifice, and not only did Aaron's late term abortuary close last summer, bringing the number of abortuaries in Dallas from six to five, but as you drive eastbound on LBJ Freeway between Preston and Hillcrest, you will see that the former facility where so many babies lost their lives has been leveled to the ground, without even a trace.” Vivat Jesus!

Chris Glaser

From the

Newsletter Editor

Brian Tooley

Any announcements, news or articles, or photos for

the newsletter, New or updated e-mail addresses? please send to: Newsletter Editor/Website at: newsletter@kofc8954.com

From the

Insurance

Field Agent Tom Nelson

Contact Tom Nelson at (972) 400-8470 or email him at tom.nelson@kofc.org

*Since 1882, the Knights of Columbus have always paid dividends on permanent life insurance policies. Dividends are set by the Board of Directors and are not guaranteed.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

COUNCIL #8954

ST. JOSEPH CHURCH

600 SOUTH JUPITER ROAD

RICHARDSON, TEXAS 75081

CHARITY UNITY FRATERNITY PATRIOTISM

2009 – 2010 OFFICERS GRAND KNIGHT HAROLD HANSEN 972-530-5075 DEPUTY GRAND KNIGHT NEIL DUCOTE 972-495-6308 CHAPLAIN MSGR. DON FISCHER 972-231-2951 CHANCELLOR TOM PARKER 972-530-6243 RECORDER DON SEELEY 214-343-1224 FINANCIAL SECRETARY JIM DULAC 972-530-7812 TREASURER LARRY BRUCE 972-530-4903 ADVOCATE CHRIS GLASER 713-894-3549 LECTURER TOM PARKER 972-530-6243 WARDEN TERRY RYAN 972-979-0268 INSIDE GUARD BARNABAS OSONG 469-682-0303 OUTSIDE GUARD TOM POOVEY 972-495-8894 OUTSIDE GUARD DAVID GUERRERO 972-479-0583 1 YEAR TRUSTEE JOEL LANOUX 972-705-9867 2 YEAR TRUSTEE DEREK STOREY 972-487-7099 3 YEAR TRUSTEE CONARD KESTER 972-470-9170 DISTRICT DEPUTY ISAAC SANDOVAL 972-495-8930 INSURANCE FIELD AGENT TOM NELSON 972-400-8470 E-mail: tom.nelson@kofc.org