Go o d Sh e ph e rd C ou n c il 1 16 7 2 Vol um e XX , I s s ue I

J a n ua r y 20 1 6

Newsletter of the Knights of Columbus Good Shepherd Council 11672.

S HEPHERD ’S W ATCH

USEFUL WEBSITES Knights of Columbus Council:

http://council11672.weebly.com

Knights of Columbus Insurance:

www.kofc.org/un/en/insurance/

index.html

GK Message 1

Special Prayers 2

Calendar Looking Ahead 2

Council 11672 Officers 2

Knight / Family of the Month 3

Knight of the Year 3

January Birthdays 3

Programs, Activities and News of Interest

4

Monthly Breakfast /Can Drive

4

Financial Secretary's Memo 4

KofC Insurance 4

Christmas Activity Photos 5,6

Short Story Corner 7

Dec. Questions and Answers 8

January Questions 9

January & Feb Calendars 10

Membership Form 100 11

Volunteer Report Form 12

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: G R A N D K N I G H T ’S M E S S A G E Brother Knights, Catholic Gentlemen,

The hectic nature of the season is upon us in force with busy shopping and annoying road construction that is joy-

fully balanced by visiting family and friends. As you end

the current year and plan for 2016 take time to reflect on

your successes while learning (but not dwelling on) chal-

lenges encountered.

As a reminder, the “Keep Christ in Christmas” Poster Contest is underway,

which is open to all young people between the ages of 5 and 14. The rules are simple and center on generating a 11 by 17 inch poster of their original work

reflecting the theme of keeping Christ as the most important part of the holi-

day season. The winner will select a charitable organization to receive a $50

donation from the Council submitted in their name.

As part of early 2016 planning, the Lenten fish fry and shrimp boil fundraisers

continue to be developed. If you have not participated in one of the other Council activities, then please consider stepping forward to help organize these

events. We have tremendous talent in the Council and I hope you will help.

There is never a better opportunity for enjoyable fellowship while giving of

yourself for the greater good.

In closing, our Council continues to build on your accomplishments, which are

rooted in outstanding service to the community, the youth, the Church and

vocations, and our fellow Brothers. Our strength is in your efforts and count-less volunteer hours and support in activities like Special Olympics, Habitat

for Humanities, Culture of Life, Exemplification teams, ushers, home minis-

tries, Scouting, Lenten fish fry, and monthly Parish breakfasts. This list is only a small portion of the numerous great and small activities supported be-

cause of your desire to help others. I am proud and honored to be considered

your Brother.

As always and especially in the Christmas season, please take time for yourself

and family, aid where possible those less fortunate, and pray for those in need.

Vivat Jesus,

Steve Gentz

Grand Knight, Council 11672

S he phe r d ’ s Wa tch Pa ge 2 January 2016

The Shepherd’s Watch

The monthly newsletter

for Council 11672, Shepherd’s Watch, is

free. It is published

monthly and sent to

council members and other subscribers only

through e-mail. The

Shepherd’s Watch can also be downloaded or

read on the Council’s

website.

Council Shirts and Hats

Contact Michael Weist

for information about shirts and hats at

mweist63@gmail.com.

At each business and

officers meeting, hats and shirts can be pur-

chased and ordered.

Note: Brother Weist also is able to order 4th

Degree shirts and hats.

LOOKING AHEAD

January 2016 Calendar Highlights

Jan 4 - Monthly Council Business Meeting @ 7:30 p.m.

Jan 10 - Monthly Parish Breakfast; 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Jan 14 - 4th Degree Assembly Meeting @ 7:30 p.m.

(Holy Spirit Catholic Church)

Jan 19 - Monthly Officers Meeting @ 7:00 p.m.

February 2016 Calendar Highlights

Feb 1 - Monthly Council Business Meeting @ 7:30 p.m.

Feb 11 - 4th Degree Assembly Meeting @ 7:30 p.m.

(Holy Spirit Catholic Church)

Feb 14 - Monthly Parish Breakfast; 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Feb 16 - Monthly Officers Meeting @ 7:00 p.m.

March 2016 Calendar Highlights

Mar 7 - Monthly Council Business Meeting @ 7:30 p.m.

Mar 10 - 4th Degree Assembly Meeting @ 7:30 p.m.

(Holy Spirit Catholic Church)

Mar 13 - Monthly Parish Breakfast; 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Mar 15 - Monthly Officers Meeting @ 7:00 p.m.

COUNCIL 11672 OFFICERS (2015—2016)

Grand Knight ................ Steve Gentz 256-690-6195

Deputy Grand Knight .... Michael Weist

Financial Secretary ....... Ben Cumbie 256-783-9627

Treasurer ...................... Lane Mousel

Recorder ........................ Steve Nelson

Warden ......................... Mike Wolk

Chancellor..................... Thomas Geoffroy

Chaplain ....................... Deacon Paul Keil

Advocate ....................... Rodolfo Chavez

Inside Guard ................. Danny Nelson

Outside Guard .............. Bob Godwin

1 Year Trustee ............... Rick Hycoop

2 Year Trustee ............... Ed Gniadek

3 Year Trustee ............... Mike Rose

Lector ............................ Rob Godwin

Will Becker

Chris Holden

Harry O'Beirne

Chris Sloan

Ray Warner

Mike Wolk

All our brothers in distress

Knights

SPECIAL PRAYERS

Sarah Bowen

Christopher Dollman

Rebecca Dollman Charles Dugan

Dottie Gaines

Carmello Graffagani

Lynn Hall Barbara Hills

Tom Holdon

Carry Hortter

Nichole O'Brien Sophie Pace

Our sponsored seminarians: Jeremy Winter and

Josh Altonji

Fr. Kevin and his parish in Anapra, MX Our Members of the Armed Forces

Our First Responders

Family and Friends

Annual Dues For 2016

The Financial Secretary

has sent out the annual

dues notices for calen-

dar year 2016.

Visit our website at:

http://council11672.weebly.com

S he phe r d ’ s Wa tch Pa ge 3 January 2016

MEMBER RECOGNITION & NEWS of INTEREST

Family of the Month

The Knight of Colum-

bus December 2015

Family of the Month is

the John Bellono family. John and his family are

recognized for their sus-

tained support to the Good Shepherd Church

and the Knights of Co-

lumbus. John and Patricia, as Santa’s little

helpers, were instru-

mental in another suc-

cessful Christmas party through their hard work

and organization. John

regularly helps with the Parish breakfasts along

with countless other

Council activities, which range from figuring out

how to use the projector

to locating errant equip-ment to rankings in ob-

scure football confer-

ences (like the Big Ten).

He consistently takes time and effort to aid

others and is sincerely

interested in your well-being. John consis-

tency represents our

core principles of Char-ity, Unity, and Frater-

nity through his actions

and deeds.

Knight of the Year 2015

The 2015 Knight of the Year is Mr. Michael E.

Weist. Mr. Weist contin-

ues to be the corner-stone of a majority of

Council activities and is

the embodiment of our

core principals of Char-ity, Unity, and Frater-

nity. Although he has

been a relatively new-comer to the Council, he

has been the catalyst for

a number of operational improvements that are

moving us to be more

efficient in serving oth-

ers while becoming more

compliant with Supreme guidelines and proce-

dures.

Michael’s attention to

detail and commitment to excellence has aided

the Council be more ef-

fective in serving the Church, the community,

and his fellow Knights.

In addition, Michael has consistently been an in-

tegral volunteer in al-

most every Council ac-tivity whether it is as-

sisting with a Parish

breakfast or setting up

for the monthly busi-ness meeting. For these

reasons and countless

more, it is with great honor to announce that

Deputy Grand Knight

Michael Weist as the Council 11672 Knight of

the Year for 2015.

The Knight of the

Month for for January

2016 is Albert Dillman.

In addition to the out-standing accomplish-

ments of over 40 years

service in the Knight of Columbus and as a

charter member of

Council 11672, Albert continues to provide

outstanding service as

the editor and pub-

lisher of the Council’s newsletter. This role is

invaluable as the news-

letter is the principal communication tool

with our Council. His

consistent attention to detail and patience with

submitters can never

be appreciated enough. The amount of effort he

expends every month is

not measured in the

number of pages, but in the quality of the prod-

uct. Few Councils have

newsletters, and fewer have ones that ap-

proach the quality of

the one published by Albert. As with every

Knight of the Month,

when you see Albert please extend your

hand in heart filled ap-

preciation and thanks.

Knight of the Month

Deacon Paul Keil. ......... Jan 10

David Lawson ............... Jan 10

Kerry Doughty .............. Jan 16

Joseph Vann ................ Jan 18

Allen Nguyen ................ Jan 19

Russell Stephens .......... Jan 19

Thomas Barthel ............ Jan 20

Rev Louis Giardino ....... Jan 20

Michael Sosebee ........... Jan 28

John Hickman ............. Jan 31

James Mosley ............... Jan 31

The officers and members of Council 11672 wish a

Happy Birthday to the following members who have

birthdays in January:

S he phe r d ’ s Wa tch Pa ge 4 January 2016

Knights of Columbus Insurance General Agent:

John Stice

85 Hunter Ridge Lane

Pell City, AL 35128

205-338-0207 (Home), 205-908-1253 (Cell),

john.stice@kofc.org

Our assigned field agent:

Logan Lutz Cell: 256-310-0862

Logan.Lutz@kofc.org

Yearly

Profit to

Date

$ 3,504

Number

Meals

Served

1,509

Monthly Parish Breakfast The following is a summary of our 2015 breakfast activity

January through December:

Avg. Profit per Breakfast

$292

Avg. Meals Served per

Month

126 KC Breakfast Workers

COUNCIL ACTIVITIES & NEWS of INTEREST

Council Meeting Can Drive for the Good Shepherd Pantry

Don’t forget those

canned goods. Each

Knight is asked to bring

just one canned good, or

non-perishable foodstuff

or money (equivalent to

one can) to the monthly Council business meeting.

To the right is a summary

of our donations for this

fraternal year as of the

December meeting.

Number /

Pounds of

Can Goods

101/92

Dollars

Donated

Equated to

Pounds

$910 = 910

TOTAL POUNDS

To date

1,002

Memorium Fred Garcia (Honorary Life Member of the Knights

of Columbus Council 11672), husband of Nita Gar-

cia, passed away Sunday December 13, 2015. The funeral Mass was held December 18 with Father

Louis Giardino officiating. Following Mass, Fred

was inurned in the Good Shepherd Columbarium.

Council Charity Contributions

The Council made the following charitable contributions

in December 2015:

Josh Altonji - Seminarian $ 500

Rose of Sharon $ 200

BSA Troop 340 $ 250

BSA Pack 340 $ 500

AL Special Olympics $ 200

Brother Knight in need $ 250

Alabama K of C Intellectual

Disabilities Fund $ 814

ARC of Madison Co. $ 3,258

Total $ 5,972

Annual dues notices have been sent. Please con-

tact me if you have any questions or concerns re-garding your bill. Prompt payment of the dues

helps the council to run smoothly. Thanks to all

who have already submitted their dues.

A Message from Ben Cumbie the Financial

Secretary Council 11672

S he phe r d ’ s Wa tch Pa ge 5 January 2016

COUNCIL CHRISTMAS PARTY 2015

S he phe r d ’ s Wa tch Pa ge 6 January 2016

A NOEL CELEBRATION SOUNDS and STORY of CHRISTMAS

Presented by Good Shepherd Music Ministry

S he phe r d ’ s Wa tch Pa ge 7 January 2016

SHORT STORY CORNER Submitted by Mike Rose

The Garden Grass Snake

also known as Garter Snake

(Thamnophis sirtalis) can be

dangerous. Yes, grass

snakes, not rattlesnakes.

Here's why a Garden Grass

Snake is dangerous!

A couple in Sweetwater,

Texas, had a lot of potted

plants. During a recent cold

spell, the wife was bringing

a lot of them indoors to pro-

tect them from a possible

freeze.

It turned out that a little

green garden grass snake

was hidden in one of the

plants and when it had

warmed up, it slithered out

and the wife saw it go under

the sofa. She let out a very

loud scream.

The husband (who was tak-

ing a shower) ran naked into

the living room to see what

the problem was. She told

him there was a snake un-

der the sofa. He got down on

floor on his hands and

knees to look for it. About

that time the family dog

came and cold-nosed him on

the behind. He thought the

snake had bitten him, so he

screamed and fell over on

the floor. His wife thought

he had a heart attack, so

she covered him up, told

him to lie still and called an

ambulance.

The attendants rushed in,

wouldn't listen to his pro-

tests and loaded him on the

stretcher and started carry-

ing him out. About that time

the snake came out from

under the sofa and one of

the Emergency Medical

Technicians saw it and

dropped his end of the

stretcher. That's when the

man broke his leg. The am-

bulance took the husband to

the hospital, and that is why

he ended up with a hospital

stay. The wife still had the

problem of the snake in the

house, so she called upon a

neighbor gentleman. He vol-

unteered to capture the

snake. He armed himself

with a rolled-up newspaper

and began poking under the

couch. Soon he decided it

was gone and told the

woman, who sat down on

the sofa in relief.

But while relaxing, she dan-

gled her hand in between

the cushions, where she felt

the snake wriggling around.

She screamed and fainted

and the snake rushed back

under the sofa.

The neighbor, seeing her

lying there passed out, tried

to use CPR to revive her.

The neighbor's wife, who

had just returned from

shopping at the grocery

store, saw her husband's

mouth on the woman's

mouth and slammed her

husband in the back of the

head with a bag of canned

goods, knocking him out

and cutting his scalp so that

he needed stitches.

The noise woke the woman

from her dead faint and she

saw her neighbor lying on

the floor with his wife bend-

ing over him, so she as-

sumed that he had been

bitten by the snake.

She went to the kitchen and

got a small bottle of whis-

key, and began pouring it

down the man's throat.

Someone in the neighbor-

hood heard the commotion

and called the police, and

they soon arrived at the

house.

The police saw the uncon-

scious man, smelled the

whiskey, and assumed that

a drunken fight had oc-

curred.

They were all about to be

arrested, when the women

tried to explain how it all

happened over a little green

snake.

One of the police officers

called another ambulance,

which took away the injured

neighbor and his sobbing

wife.

The little snake again

crawled out from under the

sofa.One of the police offi-

cers drew his gun and fired

at the snake.

He missed the snake and hit

the leg of the end table. The

table fell over and the lamp

on it shattered and as the

bulb broke it started a fire in

the drapes.

The other police officer tried

to beat out the flames, and

fell through the window into

the yard on top of the star-

tled family dog who, jumped

out and raced into the street

where an oncoming car

swerved to avoid the dog

and smashed into the

parked police car.

Another neighbor saw the

burning drapes and called

the fire department.

After the fire department

had arrived, they raised the

fire truck ladder and moved

it into position.

The situation continued to

deteriorate, as the ladder

was being emplaced, the

raised ladder tore out the

overhead wires causing the

electrical and telephone

lines to be taken out of ser-

vice in a ten-square city

block area. The fire depart-

ment did get the house fire

out.

Time passed and the hus-

band and the neighbor were

discharged from the hospi-

tal, the house was repaired,

the dog came home, the po-

lice were issued a new car,

and all was right with their

world.

Several days later they were

watching TV and the mete-

orologist announced a cold

snap for that night. The wife

asked her husband if he

thought they should bring in

their plants for the night.

That's when the fight

started.

How Dangerous Is a Garter Snake? By Anonymous

S he phe r d ’ s Wa tch Pa ge 8 January 2016

December Questions and Answers:

1. When was Christmas

first celebrated?

The exact day of the Christ

child's birth has never

been pinpointed. Tradi-tions say that it has been

celebrated since the year

98 AD. In 137 AD the

Bishop of Rome ordered

the birthday of the Christ Child celebrated as a sol-

emn feast. In 350 AD an-

other Bishop of Rome,

Julius I, choose December

25th as the observance of

Christmas.

2. When is St. Nickolas

day celebrated?

Saint Nicholas' Day, ob-

served on 6 December (in

Western Christian coun-tries) and 19 December (in

Eastern Christian coun-

tries), is the feast day of

Saint Nicholas.[2] It is cele-

brated as a Christian festi-

val with particular regard to his reputation as a

bringer of gifts, as well as

through the attendance of

Mass or worship services.

3. Why the origin of

twelve days of Christmas

song?

From 1558 to 1829, it was

a criminal offense to be a

Catholic or practice the

faith in publically or pri-vately. The song was used

to teach children the

Catholic faith with out

breaking the law. This

symbolism is?

The “True Love” refers to

God Himself.

A “partridge is a pear

tree” refers to Jesus

Christ.

2 Turtle Doves = The Old

and New Testaments

3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the

Theological Virtues

4 Calling Birds = the

Four Gospels and/or the

Four Evangelists

5 Golden Rings = The

first Five Books of the

Old Testament, the

"Pentateuch", which

gives the history of man's

fall from grace.

6 Geese A-laying = the

six days of creation

7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the

Holy Spirit, the seven

sacraments

8 Maids A-milking = the

eight beatitudes

9 Ladies Dancing = the

nine Fruits of the Holy

Spirit

10 Lords A-leaping = the

ten commandments

11 Pipers Piping = the

eleven faithful apostles

12 Drummers Drumming

= the twelve points of

doctrine in the Apostle's

Creed

4. When did the advent

wreath start?

The origins of the wreath

are uncertain. Germanic

prehistories indicate that

wreaths with candles were used in winter as a sign of

hope for spring, with its

light and warmth. In Scan-

dinavia prayers were of-

fered to the God of Light

and a wreath with candles was used in the prayer

offering. In the Middle-

Ages the wreath with can-

dles was used as a means

to help prepare one spiri-

tual preparation for Christ-mas. By the 1600’s Catho-

lics and Lutherans had

formalize practices using

the Advent Wreath in

preparation for Christmas.

5. What are the colors

of the advent candles?

In Catholic churches, the

colors used are the ones

corresponding to the litur-

gical vestments for the

Sundays of Advent. In the Western church, Violet is

the historic liturgical color

for three of the four Sun-

days of Advent: Violet is

the traditional color of penitential seasons. Rose

is the color for the Third

Sunday of Advent, known

as Gaudete Sunday from

the Latin word meaning "to

rejoice"—also from the first line of the traditional en-

trance prayer (called the

Introit) for the Mass of the

third Sunday of Advent.

Rose-colored vestments are used on Gaudete Sunday,

as a pause to the peniten-

tial spirit of Advent. The

three violet candles and

one rose candle are placed

in the wreath. A white candle at times is placed in

the center of the wreath to

represent Christ, and is lit

on Christmas Eve.

6. What is Gaudete Sun-

day?

Gaudete Sunday is the

third Sunday of Advent in

the liturgical calendar of

the Western Church, in-

cluding the Roman Catho-lic Church, the Anglican

Communities, many Lu-

theran Churches, and

other Protestant churches.

It can fall on any date from

11 December to 17 Decem-ber. The day takes its

common name from the

Latin word Gaudete ("Rejoice"), the first word of

the introit of this day's

Mass.

7. What does introit

mean?

The Introit ("entrance") is

part of the opening of the

liturgical celebration of the

Eucharist.

8. What does Liturgy of

the Hours mean?

The Liturgy of the Hours or

Divine Office or Work of

God or canonical hours, often referred to as the

Breviary, is the official set

of prayers "marking the

hours of each day and

sanctifying the day with prayer". It consists pri-

marily of psalms supple-

mented by hymns, read-

ings and other prayers.

Together with the Mass, it

constitutes the official pub-lic prayer life of the

Church. The Liturgy of the

Hours also forms the basis

of prayer within Christian

monasticism.

9. What does Breviary

mean?

It is a book containing the

service for each day, to be

recited by those in orders

in the Roman Catholic

Church.

10. What were the penal-

ties for practicing Ca-

tholicism in England?

During the 261 years

(1558-1829) of Catholic

persecution in England

various laws were insti-tuted. They started out

with forfeiture of property,

and fines. During some

periods, hanging and

drawing and quartering

were instituted. The laws prevented an individual

from holding public office,

and in some cased exile

out of England. Laws were

also established in Scot-

land, Ireland, Wales and the North American Colo-

nies. A Rosary could get

one hung in Ireland. Prac-

ticing Catholicism was ille-

gal in the USA until the First Amendment to the

Constitution went into ef-

fect.

QUESTIONS OF THE MIND Submitted by Mike Rose

S he phe r d ’ s Wa tch Pa ge 9 January 2016

1. Which magazine was

the first American maga-

zine to publish a Sher-

lock Holmes story?

2. What was the name of the first Sherlock Holmes

story published in an

American Magazine?

3. What was the name of

the last Sherlock Holmes

story?

4. What did a Portu-

guese explorer do on

January 1, 1502?

5. What happened on

January 3, 1924, in the

Valley of the Kings near

Luxor?

6. Which French saint was born on January 6,

1412, and was canonized

in 1920?

7. During the period

shortly before the Civil War began what hap-

pened on January 11,

1861 in Alabama?

8. What occurred on

January 17, 1773, within

the Antarctic Circle?

9. On January 23, 1849,

the Medical Institute of Geneva, New York made

history by doing what?

10. Which individual born

on January 31,1919, in

Cairo, Georgia made his-tory in 1947 by doing

what?

January Questions:

QUESTIONS OF THE MIND Submitted by Mike Rose

By Tradition, the Catholic

Church dedicates the month of

January to the Holy Name of

Jesus to remind us of the power

of Christ's Name and encour-

ages us to pray in His Name.

Keeping Christ's Name always on our lips is a good way to en-

sure that we draw ever nearer

to Him. Very early on, Chris-

tians came to understand that

the very name of Jesus had great power and the recitation

of His Name was itself a form of

prayer. One of those prayers is

the short prayer to the right,

which is a combination of that

early Christian practice and the

prayer offered by the publican

in the parable of the pharisee

and the publican (Luke 18:9-

14). It is very popular among Eastern Christians, both Ortho-

dox and Catholic, who recite it

using prayer ropes that are

similar to Western rosaries. St.

Paul urges us to "pray without ceasing." This prayer is a great

way to help you in this en-

deavor. It only takes a few min-

utes to memorize, after which

we can recite it whenever we

remember to do so. If we fill the otherwise wasted moments of

our day with the Holy Name of

Jesus, we'll keep our thoughts

focused on Him and grow in His

Grace.

The Holy Name of Jesus

The Jesus Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ,

Son of God,

have mercy on me

a sinner. Amen

S he phe r d ’ s Wa tch Pa ge 1 0 January 2016

JANUARY 2016 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2

3

.

4

Council Business

Meeting @ 7:30 p.m.

5 6 7 8 9

10 Monthly

Parish Breakfast

8:30-10:30 a.m.

11 12

13

14 Assembly 0004

Business meeting

@ Holy Spirit

15 16

17 18 19

Council Officers

Meeting @ 7:00 p.m.

20 21 22

23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

FEBRUARY 2016 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 Council Business

Meeting @ 7:30 p.m

2 3 4 5 6

7

.

8

.

9 10 11 Assembly 0004

Business meeting

@ Holy Spirit

@ 7:30 p.m.

12 13

14 Monthly

Parish Breakfast

8:30-10:30 a.m.

15 16

Council Officer's

Meeting @ 7 p.m.

17

18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26

27

28 29

S he phe r d ’ s Wa tch Pa ge 1 1 January 2016

S he phe r d ’ s Wa tch Pa ge 1 2 January 2016