Wisconsin Knights of Columbus Notes

KC State Newsletter Now the Journey Begins October 2021

A MONTH OF CELEBRATION AND REMEMBERANCE

As we close the 1

quarter of our Fraternal Year and start October, we are

entering one of the busiest months of our Fraternal Year.

Many councils will be conducting various programs and Church Drives this month

which should lead to a prosperous growth month. We also have the opportunity

to advance our 3

degree members to the 4

degree of our order, with

Exemplifications being conducted on Saturday October 9

(Eastern) and Saturday

October 23

(Western). Our Order continues to need men to advance onto the

Degree—and like our council’s needing growth, we desperately need this in

the 4

degree of our Order as well. I encourage all of our 3

Degree Members to consider attending 1

of these 2 upcoming Exemplifications and advance in our order.

October is important for us as Knights as not only do we continue to celebrate the landing day for our

namesake of our order, Christopher Columbus, but we also have the opportunity to recognize and

celebrate the Anniversary of our Founder’s Beatification, which occurred on October 31

, 2020.

STATE DEPUTY CHALLENGE: I would like to see EVERY DISTRICT—if not EVERY COUNCIL try to conduct

an Exemplification this month. We have targeted DISTRICT WIDE EXEMPLIFICATIONS on the Weekend

of October 30-31

as we celebrate the 1 year Anniversary Celebration of the Beatification of our

Founder Blessed Michael J. McGivney.

WISCONSIN would be a leader in the Order in bringing in NEW MEMBERS this month as a way to

Celebrate our Founder—what better reason than to honor him and OFFER continual prayers of

intention for our Founder during these Exemplifications! 300 + new members in 1 month would be

the largest month EVER FOR INTAKE OF NEW MEMBERS and is something that I think we all would like

to achieve!

Finally, we have many great programs that occur throughout the course of the month of October in the

Life, Family, Faith and Community aspects.

We encourage councils to conduct a Holy Hour program this month, as a follow up from our Pilgrimage

that occurred leading into this month with our State Chaplain Father Kurz. As a State Council we are

continuing to look at ‘unique’ opportunities to grow our Faith programs for councils in conversations

that are occurring ongoing with our Bishops throughout the State.

Throughout the month we have councils marching throughout the State in support of ‘Life’ at various

locations. We have our State Punt Pass and Kick competition that will occur as well as the local Diocesan

events.

One thing that our State leadership Team wants to continue to focus on is some of our ‘Featured’

Programs. These are different from the Supreme featured programs—as we want to make a greater

impact in these specific areas in our Communities.

Wisconsin Knights of Columbus Notes

October 2021

Wisconsin State Website

Editor: SK John Huttenhoff

KC State Newsletter Now the Journey Begins October 2021

FEATURED PROGRAMS:

Our State Leadership Team would like to specifically highlight some great programs that we can make a

direct community impact with. We highlighted these programs in our COVID Recovery Program

survey—and it was great to see some councils looking to conduct some of these programs or willing to

learn more of how to do this.

These featured programs are:

• Red Cross Blood Drives—whether this is council hosted or a council partnering with their

Parish—we would love to see every council in our State conduct at least 1 in a year! Council

members volunteering their time throughout the year or donating blood via a local Blood Center

also is something that can be tracked and reported on this program.

• Habitat for Humanity—although not every area may have a ‘build’ coming up to help with—the

Habitat for Humanity program is always in need of help with various programs and projects

throughout the course of the year. Please inquire with your local Habitat for Humanity location

if wanting more details.

• Coats for Kids—whether it’s hosted by your Parish, your council, or a local organization—we

would love for every council to become involved with this program to help distribute as well as if

able to donate to this program via purchasing Coats to distribute.

We are hopeful to more accurately report our impact on these 3 programs in the future—and encourage

councils to submit the necessary reporting when conducting these programs and ‘tracking’ on a yearly

basis. Our Disaster Relief Coordinator Paul Shepherd works closely with the American Red Cross—and

he is willing to help where needed to make connections on local drives or hosting a drive.

Corey Christopher Coonen

State Deputy

Pilgrimage as True Recreation & Vacation as the Ape

of Pilgrimage

To understand pilgrimage as true recreation we need to look at the word

recreation. Simply parsing out this word we see its true definition, the action or

process of creating something again. True recreation is really only done by the

grace of God that we receive through the salvation provided us by Jesus Christ,

but in our world today we do not seem to equate anything having to do with God

as recreation. When the world presents us with the word recreation it provides

us with the idea of idle and passive pursuits that can lead us to a stagnation in life. Sitting on a beach or

making a trip to the “Magic Kingdom” really have no end or purpose that provides us with a sense of

being re-created unless selfish pleasures or fairy tales give us deep meaning in life.

The idea of vacation in our world today has become the Ape of pilgrimage, or a cheap imitation of

pilgrimage. The world, the flesh, and the devil have convinced us that our need for fulfillment is to be

pursued in entertainment. This is not to say that an entertaining vacation is evil or cannot be a good

thing in moderation, but it is to say that it has blinded us to the true path to recreation. We need more

KC State Newsletter Now the Journey Begins October 2021

than an entertaining vacation to be fulfilled. Fulfillment is to re-create our life with Christ through

sacramental experiences which should include pilgrimages as an activity that we use to spend some of

our “vacation time”. Entertainment has been replacing the sacraments and vacation has replaced

pilgrimage.

So, what exactly happened in history to make us blind to the path toward true fulfillment? Until about

one hundred and fifty years ago the idea of vacations were really not a big part of people’s lives and if

anyone had a desire to go somewhere it was probably to go on pilgrimage. The Church has encouraged

the activity of pilgrimage over the years but today that seems to be overshadowed by the

encouragement we get form the entertainment and tourist industries to go on a vacation.

Before the “Ape of Pilgrimage” or vacation could come to rise in popularity, the popularity of pilgrimage

first needed to be brought down. This tearing down of the idea of pilgrimage seems to have started

with the “reformation”, a revolution against finding fulfillment in the Catholic Church. Pilgrimage was

identified with the Catholic Church as it is so sacramental and Martin Luther seems to have looked with

great distain upon pilgrimage. He writes the following in judgement of those involved in Pilgrimage.

“The one runs to Rome, the other to St. James; one builds a chapel, another donates this, still

another one that. However, they refuse to face the true issue, that is, they will not give their

inmost self to God and thus become his kingdom. They perform many outward works which

glitter very nicely, but inwardly they remain full of malice, anger, hatred, pride, impatience,

unchastity, etc ... No bishop forbids and no preacher rebukes such a perverse practice. In fact, in

the interests of their own covetousness the clergy endorse such practices. Every day they think

up more and more pilgrimages, canonizations of saints, and indulgence fairs. May God have

mercy on such blindness!” (Luther's Works Volume 44.86, 1520)

It would seem that he could really be talking about vacation in today’s world and the industry that

supports it. What is funny about all this is that pilgrimage began to lose its popularity because it was

being condemned as what we would call a good self-indulging vacation.

The cultural change of preferring vacation to pilgrimage would still take some time because the idea of

vacation was still foreign one to a population that worked daily to survive. Due to a lack of time and not

having easy of travel, for many people a pilgrimage was something someone may only do rarely in their

life and may even have to wait until the end of one’s life.

With the coming of the industrial revolution,

about three hundred years after Luther’s

comments, came a work schedule that

provided some time for leisure. This is

typified in the famous work of pointillism

artwork, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La

Grande Jatte, by Georges Seurat.

This image shows people out getting some

rest and relaxation in God’s creation which is

a good thing but this desire is something that

would come to be exploited by the tourism

KC State Newsletter Now the Journey Begins October 2021

and entertainment industries. Vacation as we know it was born and would be guided by the world, the

flesh, and the devil, so that we can hardly imagine life without vacation.

As I have said before, vacation is not evil, Luther may have depicted pilgrimage as evil but we do not

need to do the same to the idea of taking a vacation. We just need to apply a sense of moderation to

our vacations and make more room in our lives for pilgrimage, or integrate pilgrimage into your

vacation. If a vacation is during a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation one should always search out Mass

times and make a pilgrimage to a nearby Catholic church. This would be the least we could do but in

recognizing the least we need to ask ourselves, “What more can we do?” Well, we have an instrument

of cultural change in pilgrimage, and the first place we need to apply this instrument is within our own

families. If we are to be a part in winning the battle for the culture of life over the culture of death we

need to use the powerful weapon of pilgrimage. So let’s see what we can do to make pilgrimage great

again.

Pray with Mary, walk with Jesus!

Sincerely,

Fr. Andrew J. Kurz

Knights of Columbus, Wisconsin State Chaplain

Brother Knights,

October Per Capita assessments were sent out on October 1

. As we indicated

before, we have sent those notices out electronically. The email address that

the per capita assessment is sent from is quickbooks@notification.intuit.com.

This is NOT spam. It is from our QuickBooks account.

If you are a Financial Secretary, please watch for this email, as it was sent to

you. Grand Knights, follow up with your Financial Secretaries to ensure they

know and received the notice. Reminder, per council bylaws, this does not need

to be approved through the council.

Those councils qualifying for membership incentive, you will be notified soon after the deadline and let

you know about your credit.

If your council did not receive your per capita assessment, please reach out to State Treasurer Miles

Casey so we can look into further.

With regards to distribution of ID checks. They will be handed out at your diocesan meeting in

December.

Vivat Jesus!

Miles Casey

State Treasurer

KC State Newsletter Now the Journey Begins October 2021

District Deputies Needed

We still have a few Districts in Need of a District Deputy. This truly is one of the most rewarding

positions within the Knights of Columbus. District Deputies visit each of the Councils within their

District Quarterly, Attend District Deputy Meetings in June and December, attend the State

Convention, and Diocesan Huddle, and host District Meetings in July and December. Training and

support are provided. If you are interested in being a District Deputy, please reach out to State

Deputy Corey Coonen or any of the State Officers for more information.

Districts currently in need of a District Deputy are: 1, 6, 13, 15, 20, 22, 29, 31, 40, 42, 44, 51, 85.

_______________________________

Winter District Meetings/Diocesan Meetings

In December, we will be holding Diocesan Meetings in place of the traditional Winter District Meetings.

These meetings are being scheduled early in December to avoid Holiday conflicts. All Councils should

make plans now to have their Grand Knight, Membership Director, Program Director, and Financial

Secretary attend the meeting for their Diocese. More details will follow at a later date, but for now,

please put these dates on your Calendar. Meetings are scheduled as follows:

La Crosse/Madison – Sunday, December 5, 2021, 1:00-5:00 PM – Chula Vista Resort – Wisconsin Dells

Milwaukee/Green Bay – Saturday, December 11, 2021 – Fond du Lac

9:30-10:30: Adoration and confessions with State Chaplain

10:30-11:30: registration and cold brunch( ish)

11:30- 3:30 Diocesan/District Meeting-Membership, Programs, Training

4:00: Optional Parish Mass with Archbishop presiding

Superior – Sunday, December 12, 2021 – 10:00 Rice Lake

KC State Newsletter Now the Journey Begins October 2021

Degree Eastern District Exemplification

Worthy Brother Knights

A most cordial invitation is extended to every third-degree member of our order to advance to the

Fourth Degree in the Knights of Columbus. The Fourth Degree is very proud of it’s many

accomplishments since it’s founding in 1900. The ceremonials of the Fourth Degree were orchestrated

on the theme of Patriotism and Catholic Citizenship and remain so today. The Honor Guard, the most

visible part of our Order, is extremely proud of it’s contribution to Patriotism and support of the Church.

To qualify; a candidate must be a Third-Degree member of the Knights of Columbus in good standing.

Finally, we will be conducting an in-person 4

Degree Exemplification on October 9, 2021 at St Dominic’s

Catholic Church in Sheboygan. If you are an 3

Degree member wanting to advance to the 4

Degree

contact me immediately. If you are a 4

Degree member, please come and join us in support of our new

Brother Knights at 2133 N. 22

Street in Sheboygan as they join the Patriotic Degree of our Order. The

Exemplification begins and 1:30 PM and there is also a Ladies Program that begins at 1:00 PM and Mass

will follow for all at 5:00 PM at St. Dominic’s. If you have not already registered with me, please contact

me at (920) 207-6007 or jamestenpas5[email protected].

It has been 2 years since our last in-person Exemplification, but with a lot of work from our Councils and

Assemblies, the Eastern District was able to Exemplify 225 new 4

Degree Knights virtually last Fraternal

year. Our next Exemplification of the Eastern District will be May 14th at St Mary Catholic Faith

Community in Hales Corners. More information will be sent out at a later date.

The District Masters of the Marquette Province will be attending a Provincial Meeting the weekend of

October 16

in Minnesota. This meeting is lead by our Vice Supreme Master, Craig Larson and is

attended by all District Masters from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. After this meeting the Eastern

District will schedule a District Meeting for all Navigators, Comptrollers and any 4

Degree member that

may be interested in attending the Eastern District meeting. At that time information from the Provincial

meeting will be passed along to you. I will also need at least 3 names of 4

Degree members who would

be interested in becoming the next Eastern District Master starting September 1, 2022. The Master

position is appointed by the Supreme Council and is required by Supreme every 2 years.

God Bless and let’s continue to have a great year.

James TenPas

Wisconsin Eastern District Master

Degree Western District Exemplification

The next Wisconsin Western District Exemplification will be on October 23, 2021 in Wisconsin Rapids.

This will be an in-person Exemplification.

St. Vincent DePaul Church– 820 13

Street South, Wisconsin Rapids

Registration 10:00 AM

Banquet 11:15 AM

Men’s Exemplification 1:15PM

Ladies Program 1:15 PM

Holy Mass 5:00 PM

Candidates $70 (Includes Baldric, 1 Banquet Ticket, Lapel Pin)

Priests $35

Banquet Only $20

Packets with additional information were sent to Western District Assemblies.

Thank you and God Bless.

If you have any question, please contact me.

Dan Hull, PSD

Western District Master

Yellowbear1117@gmail.com

Safe Environment – Home Corporations

Brother Knights,

More form 365’s have been trickling in which helps us to determine who needs

Safe Environment training. I hope all of you that have received the link from

Supreme have had the opportunity to complete this training. Remember it is for

the protection of those we serve as well as for us.

Please be sure to mark your calendars for the December Diocesan Meetings,

there will be much information shared at this meeting as well as your Tootsie

Roll checks.

We are beginning an analysis of councils who have their own club house. There are regulations from

Supreme that must be followed. You will be receiving a query from your DD requesting a photo of your

club house signage if you have one. This is something that was first brought up about a decade ago.

Vivat Jesus!

Don Schoenherr

Worthy State Advocate

Online Membership

I am repeating myself as I have seen improper usage of the Online membership tool. Grand Knights,

Financial Secretaries and Membership Chairs should go online and check their Prospect tab regularly. If

you have any Prospects listed, contact them as soon as possible to arrange a degree and transfer into

the council.

Online membership is just one more tool you may use to process new members into your council and

grow membership in your council and the Order. Promote it at your events, in church bulletins and from

the pulpit. Supreme has extended the promotional code MCGIVNEY2020 for free 1-year membership

when signing up online.

REMINDERS:

When joining online, the requirement is that each new member must sign up himself. Online

membership is a way for men interested in joining the Knights of Columbus to do so online, it is not to

be used as a data entry system to enter new members from form 100s, prospect cards or parish lists,

use the Candidate tab for that. Online membership requires a member to join with full knowledge,

consent, and active participation in the process. As a reminder, if an individual does not truthfully

answer all application declarations, his membership in the Knights of Columbus is void.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Every man who joins online needs to access kofc.org/joinus from a compatible device,

personally complete the online application testifying to all the attestations, and submit the

online application himself.

• When possible, the member should use his own compatible device.

• The member must use their own valid email address when completing the online

application.

NOT ALLOWABLE:

• Completing the online application for a member even if they have asked you to do it for

them.

• Collecting information from a proposed member on a form 100 or prospect card and using

the information to sign the member up for online membership.

• Creating an email account for a member so they can complete the online membership

process.

RESOURCES:

Please watch the short videos on the Supreme website Membership Training. Click on Membership in

the left menu and you will see the available videos. Here are direct links to each.

• An Introduction to Online Membership 5:36

• Online Join Process 6:22

• Prospect Tab 3:55

• Candidate tab 4:00

PROCESS:

Follow the standard procedures for a new e-member as with all new members:

• Completed form 100 or assigned e-member status in Prospect tab of Officers Online (OO).

• Admission committee vetting

• Council action (voting) – see Guidelines for Online Voting - Motions if holding virtual meetings

• Degree – Member must take the degree prior to being transferred into a council.

• Process new 3

degree member into your council

o Form 100 submission or

o Online form 100 (Candidate tab) entry and transfer or

o e-member transfer (Prospect tab).

For degrees, Supreme has an On Demand degree for viewing at the candidate’s convenience. It is

encouraged that his family watch it with him (25-30 minutes).

Once the new member has successfully completed an online degree, he may be able to print a

certificate and provide that to you, but Supreme or the state Ceremonials director should notify you of

any members who have completed the degree. That notification may take a day or two for processing,

but will include the date of the degree. The FS or GK then processes the member into the council. Once

added to the council roster, the FS enters the 2

& 3

degree dates (the combined ceremonial includes

all three degrees) in Member Management (MM) of (OO), and any other pertinent information on the

MM pages. The FS also issues a membership card in the council and invites the member to the next

meeting.

Please utilize these tools made available for you. They are there to assist you and make your tasks

easier.

Here are some numbers of our online member progress as of the Supreme report of 8-22-2021:

All time intake 756

All time conversions to council 501 66% - 4th highest in Order

FY 2021-2022 Target 422

FY 2021-2022 intake 68 16% of target

Previous FY Intake 2018-19 – 134 2019-20 – 137 2020-21 – 383

Aug 24 thru Sep 25 intake 34

Aug 24 thru Sep 25 transfers 12 (8 additional but unconfirmed)

Current WI e-members 310 110 are Affiliate members

Current Assigned e-members 121

FY Conversions into a council 28 41% effectiveness

We seem to be off to a slow start regarding e-membership conversions, but that could change quickly if

the Councils will act upon (PROCESS) their assigned e-members. Don’t forget that e-member

conversions count toward your quota and might earn your council a per-capita waiver (WISCAPITA) if

you achieve your quota by September 30, 2021 or by December 31, 2021.

State Online Membership Coordinator

William G. Hitt

www.kofc.org/joinus

Programs

Brothers,

October brings us to the 1/3 point of the Fraternal Year. You should

be at least that far in reaching your recruiting ad program goals for

the year. If so, great. If not, it’s time to get going NOW. Those

Church Drives, knighthood Exemps and other membership programs

are by far your #1 priority for the month. Work with your pastor and

parish, combine forces with neighboring Councils or work as a

District. Get your parishioners, parents, community members

involved in your programs fo the month. Emphasize the e-

membership, McGivney 2020 and State incentives. Work with your

General Agent and Field Agent on your Fraternal Benefits Night. By all means, do all you can to increase

your intake this month!

That said, a few reminders for the month. The information packets for PPK, Soccer, and the 2 essay

contests have been updated on the website. Diocesan contests will be held this month if numbers

warrant. Check with your Diocesan Program Coordinator for details. Council winners should have

complete green travel cards for this competition. The State Finals for PPK and fall Soccer will be held at

Regis High School in Eau Claire on Saturday, October 30 (registration 10-11 AM, competition starts at

11:15 AM). Contestants for the State meet need to have completed orange travel cards.

The Culture of Life Essay Contest is to be done in October and November at the Council level. Essays are

due to Councils between December 1-15. Council winners are due to DPCs between January 1-15. The

theme is the same as last year: “Bullying and Social Marginalization Often Lead to Depression, Substance

Abuse and an Ever-Increasing Suicide Rate Among Teens and Young Adults. What Can You Do or Are

Doing to Counteract and Reverse These Trends Among Your Friends and in Your School, Parish and

Community? How Can This Help to Promote the Culture of Life in Our Society?”

The Supreme Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest follows the same timeline except that the 1

, 2

place

winners at the Council level are due to me by January 15. The theme this year is: “Describe some

everyday obstacles to living a life of authentic faith and how to overcome them, while providing

examples from your own life.”

Both of these contests should be strongly promoted in parochial schools, private schools, among

homeschoolers and in Religious Education and Confirmation prep classes.

You should be continuing with the featured Faith in Action and other programs we outlined last month

(eg. RSVP, Holy Hour and Rosary programs, Family of the Month, Family Prayer Night, Pregnancy Center

Support, LifeSavers for Life or Baby Bottle Drives, Special Olympics, blood drives, COVID Recovery

programs, etc.)

With the Afghan refugees and the continuing needs of those affected by storms, floods, fires, etc.,

there’s still strong need to support the efforts of Catholic and KC Charities, Red Cross, etc. Coats for Kids

and Food for Families are especially appropriate at this time.

Again, as I indicated last month, it’s time to be planning your November-January programming, ordering

supplies, securing dates and sites for Sentiments for Seminarians (same format as last year), Keep Christ

in Christmas yard signs (contact Council in Lake Mills), Christmas Poster Contests (see State and

Supreme websites), Consecration to the Holy Family (Dec. 26, order prayer cards from Supplies Online),

Marches for Life, Knowledge and Free Throw Contests (check State and Supreme websites). Hopefully,

the Icons will get here in October and we can re-start that program.

Let’s get moving again – have a great October. Vivat Jesus!

Fraternally,

Bill Frayer

State Program Director

Charity Raffle Committee

It is with great regret that I have to announce the resignation of one of our long and outstanding

committee member family. Dennis & Doris have decided to step down from serving the charity

committee. If you know them, please thank them for all their dedicated years of service to making the

charity raffle what it is today. I personally have only worked with them a couple years, but they have

been invaluable to me and will be greatly missed.

This does present an opportunity for a knight looking to help out Wisconsin families through stressful

periods. If you live in the La Crosse diocese looking for ways to share your time and talents, please

consider volunteering for the Charity Raffle Committee. This is an out of the lime light position that

brings great gratification knowing you are making a difference. If you would like to be considered for this

position or would like more information, contact me.

From the Superior Diocese - Dennis & Doris Berends

From the La Crosse Diocese - Open

From the Green Bay Diocese - Jeff & Lily Janssen

From the Madison Diocese - Robert & Colleen Pizur

From the Milwaukee Diocese - Jim & Beth Ten Pas

God Bless

Bernie Heit

Charity Director

General Agent

Message

Worthy State Family and

Members of the Knights of

Columbus, Wisconsin, and

Upper Michigan,

As we look to the next three months, our hope would be to bring in more families

to our Knights of Columbus fraternal Benefits nights. How can we do this? Well, it’s all about getting

creative by curating live social events as well as finding ways to have events that take place following

Mass services. We want to invite everyone to participate and unlike the way we used to have council

meetings and degree ceremonies, we now have opened our doors wide to all these events to help

people understand why the Knights exist and why they should be apart of your council.

Not too long ago, I had a State Officer speak with me about how the Knights are perceived at local

events. His comment was that other insurance companies make a point to give a check to the event

saying $100 dollars or $200 dollars. He commented that the Knights’ never do that. He said he knew why

but asked me to explain it so anyone would be able to understand. I explained that it can be very

confusing to most of the non-knights of Columbus families because they are unable to see that we are

the ones that the Local Councils rely on to do most of the work for an event. We are the ones who

purchase, cook, and serve the food. However, without the visual cue of seeing a check being presented

before the event we are seen as being less supportive. Without seeing the hard work and heavy lifting as

well as the behind-the-scenes financial support we provide we are not allowing parishioners to see our

full contributions. For example, often, the Knights may contribute after an event is concluded and the

attention to contributions aren’t as celebrated and the contribution feels less important. We as the

Knights must do a better job, reporting the true impact we had on those events, both in the bulletin and

to those receiving the funds.

A great and LOCAL example of that happening right now is that the Knights of Columbus of Wisconsin

are giving $117 thousand dollars to local communities across Wisconsin for the Culture for Life. The 32

clinics and groups are all receiving checks in October. We will be posting pictures of these different

Culture of life groups on the state’s Facebook page along with posts about who submitted grants to help

them with their missions that truly align with the Knights of Columbus mission as well. As we look to

share what we do and how we do it, we need more people understanding that we are very active in all

our churches. One last thought on that, I had heard a quote that only 8% of the local parish do 100% of

the work in that parish. I challenge you to look closer, of the 8%, 70% of those families are Knights of

Columbus families, doing Charity, Unity and Fraternity at a high level. So, invite all those you can to

come and discover the Knights of Columbus and we will grow to a whole new level.’

Our Next Live Event will be November 9

State Wide, ask you field agent for more details.

Vivat Jesus,

Tim Nowak

State Newsletter Announcement

The Nowak Agency invites you and your council to a Fraternal Benefit Night featuring Van Mueller.

Van Mueller is an industry expert in retirement and financial planning. He will be speaking about

“Financial Success Under any Circumstances.” Please join us as Van discusses wealth building and

retirement planning strategies that can benefit you and your family.

This event is a great opportunity to get leading industry insights and fulfill part of your council’s

insurance fraternal benefit night requirement. This is an open event, and all are welcome. You can

attend virtually by registering at https://vanmueller.com/kofc-registration-11-9/ or your council can

sponsor a watch party which can also double as a recruiting event.

We encourage you to promote this event to your whole parish. If you have any questions, please

contact Tim Nowak, general agent, at 1-920-462-4100.

Tim J. Nowak, FICF

General Agent

429 S. Commercial Street

Neenah, WI 54956

Office:1-920-462-4100

Mobile: 1-920-810-6188

FOR A CAREER OPPORTUNITY PLEASE VIEW;

http://www.kofc.org/careers www.kofcwi.org

Culture of Life Happenings

• March for Life Wisconsin!

o Saturday, October 2, 2021

o State Capitol – State Street steps

o Noon start. End at Planned Parenthood by 3pm

o KofC signs available at State Office

o https://www.prolifewi.org/marchforlife

Sunday, October 3 – LIFE CHAIN! https://www.milwaukeelifechain.org/about -

https://www.lifechain.net/ - don’t see one near you? Do your own in YOUR community!

40 Days for Life - started September 22 – October 31. Pray. Fast. Witness. Save babies!! Register at a

campaign near you at https://www.40daysforlife.com/en/

Saints Peter & Paul Council #10552’s ultrasound is going to St. Gianna Clinic in Green Bay. Council

#10552 has asked that you write the check out to Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc. in Madison – BUT

PLEASE EARMARK IT FOR COUNCIL #10552 ON THE MEMO LINE!

Saints Peter & Paul Council #10552

FS Michael Bors

c/o Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc.

42697 W Beltline Hwy

Madison, WI 53711-3859

mikebors@icloud.com

920-639-2636 (C)

If you have an INDIVIDUAL DONOR who wants a tax deduction, they can send their donation through

the WI KofC 501(C)(3). To ensure it goes to a specific ultrasound project, they MUST include the council

number in the memo portion of the check (eg: #15665 ultrasound), otherwise it will go into the general

ultrasound fund.

Wisconsin Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc

Memo: (#10552 ultrasound)

4297 W Beltline Highway

Madison, WI 53711-3859

Through Christ,

Dan Miller

State Director

Culture of Life Committee

State Council – Knights of Columbus

Oconomowoc Council #2487

Degree Assembly #1304

[email protected] – 262-993-6262

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

A THANK YOU to ALL Councils, that have donated to this drive over the last 3 ½ years. Without your

help many athletes have and continue to have the opportunity to compete in a National event and to

travel beyond Wisconsin. Since this program started in 2009, The Wisconsin K of C have donated over

$325,000.00. Great job.

As we are going into our final 7 months of our drive to fund the travel expenses of Team Wisconsin

athletes to the National games in Orlando, Fl in June 2022. I ask that all Councils make an effort to help

financially. The goal of this drive is $125,000.00 which needs to be collected before the Wis K of C

Convention in 2022. At the time of this writing, we have received $100,529.20, leaving us to raise

another $24470.80.

I hope that many Councils have remembered this drive in their Tootsie Roll Drive. When you receive

your check, PLEASE send any checks made out to Wis K of C Charities, Wis state council, or Special

Olympics to me for recording. I will process and get to the appropriate places for deposit.

John Benisch

Wis KC Special Olympics Coordinator

4645 State Hwy 80

Pittsville, Wi 54466

Please keep our Special Olympics athletes in your prayers.

John Benisch

Special Olympics Coordinator

Here are a few ideas for helping Special Olympics. There are a number of events where they are

in need of volunteers to help run the programs. Council members can help out at these events.

Oct 23

, Unified Bowling, Bowl-A-Vard Madison, Contact Nicole 608-442-5670

Nov 6

, State Volleyball, Menomonee Falls, Contact Amber 262-518-2314

Dec 5

, Northern State Bowling, Weston Dales Lanes, Contact Michaela 715-207-9696

Dec 5

Southern State Bowling, Wauwatosa, Contact Hailey hfischer@specialolympicswisconsin.org

God Bless

John Benisch

Wis KC Special Olympics Coordinator

Supreme Training Update

Below are the trainings being offered in October along with the Registration links.

Delta Drive

Come learn how to do the Delta Church drive method. this highly effective process of growth through

communication will help you go from prospects to members and answer the why of growth. We talk

about the difference between online membership and the online prospect form. How we can better

communicate to the prospects and how to effectively offer positive attraction to them will be discussed.

10/25/21 at 6PM CDT (7EDT)

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/422525144182991120

Enhancing Member Experience

We will cover in this training

Understand what’s meant by the terms membership experience

and membership engagement and how the two terms are

related.

Complete the Council Engagement Assessment to assess their

council’s strengths and weaknesses with regards to member

engagement.

Understand that member engagement is the council’s

responsibility. Successful council engagement leads to members having positive opinions about

their membership.

Learn the five steps in the engagement cycle and how they relate to one another, ultimately

leading a member to go through them again.

Discover tools that will help address deficiencies in your council’s current member engagement

as based on your councils engagement score.

Understand that retention issues result when a council has failed to engage a member and show

the value of his membership. These issues can be overcome by discovering where this

breakdown occurred.

10/27/21 at 6PM CDT (7EDT)

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/8903456352428568848

Council Recovery Project

We all know that this past year has been very different and also very challenging. As Catholics, many of

us have had our churches shut down for a prolonged period of time with limited opportunities to receive

the sacraments. And as Knights, it’s been tough to keep up the fraternity and friendships. Also, our

fundraisers and events have been affected in great ways too. Some of our councils have found ways to

adapt and adjust but that hasn’t always been the case everywhere. This training will help organize and

direct councils on what steps can help be more effective in you parish and community as we continue to

have restrictions eased in our areas

Tuesday 10/26/21 at 8PM CDT (9PM EDT)

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/3540221151067439120

You are Your Programs

We will cover in this training

Understand the council’s perception by fellow parishioners, particularly that of inactive

members and future potential members.

Construct a council mission statement that reflects the council’s vision and goals. u Understand

the Faith in Action program model and its four categories – Faith, Family, Community and Life.

Identify the council’s flagship program(s).

Access the council’s current program regimen and identify the current strengths and

weaknesses among its program calendar.

Develop a calendar for the next 6-12 months that responds to the council’s mission statement

and addresses some of the council’s strengths and weaknesses identified above.

Understand the Program Director’s role in leading the council’s programming efforts.

10/25/21 at 8PM

10/26/21 at 6PM

10/27/21 at 8PM

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/3551706649531127568

Faith in Action – Family Programs

Hello Brother Knights!

June continues the great progress for the Family of the Month program. A quick

summary is below but click on the Flocknote link below for all the details.

Family of the Month

Thank you again for an amazing month! All the details can be found in the Family

Director Flocknote post https://knightswisc.flocknote.com/FamilyDirector/note/13656795. Check it

out!

Supreme

Wisconsin is in 2

place in the order and have submitted 10.5% of all FOMs received by Supreme. The

Supreme family of the month is the Adam and Jaime Pouilee Family (Solomon Juneau Council 2770,

District 20, Green Bay Diocese).

Diocese

Green Bay Diocese led with 73% district participation with Green Bay Diocese having the most FOMs by

submitting 15 families.

Here are the Diocesan Families of the Month.

Green Bay

Jerry and Meg Post

La Crosse

Adam and Jaime Pouilee

Madison

Vicki Kersten

Milwaukee

Thomas and Luci Ullrich

Superior

Darron and Deb Carlson

District

58% of the districts submitted at least one family. Districts on Fire: Four districts submitted three or

more families and eight districts submitted two families.

Council

There was one new council submitting a family of the Month.

• Bishop Fox Council 2836, District 3, Green Bay Diocese

September Family of the Month deadline is October 15.

Golden Family Councils

Golden Family Councils are those that submit a family of the month each month of the fraternal year

starting in July and ending in the following June. There are 43 Golden Family Councils that submitted

families for the fraternal year so far. Thank you, councils, as you are demonstrating true leadership in

this program.

Supreme News

There is a problem with the online 10784 where the family summary is restricted to 250 characters.

Supreme is aware of the problem and are in the process of fixing it but it may take until the end of the

fraternal year.

Here is a link to the video on how to fill out the new online version of the 10784 form.

https://site-842560.bcvp0rtal.com/detail/videos/forms_/video/6222163148001/fraternal-programs-

report-form-

10784-training-video?autoStart=true

After you fill out the online 10784, you will receive a PDF file that you can include in your council history

books. Please forward this PDF to for[email protected]m so that your family can be considered for the

Diocesan Family of the Month award.

Gentlemen, it is a privilege and honor to serve you and your councils! Please let me know if there is

anything I can do to help.

Vivat Jesus!

SK Joe Uchytil

State Family Coordinator

CONSECRATOIN TO SAINT JOSEPH!!

Begin this awesome, 33-Day Consecration October 12, traditional Columbus Day, and make our

consecration with Bishop Hying and Father Don Calloway at the Conference!! Purchase your

book here: Home Page | Consecration to St. Joseph (consecrationtostjoseph.org)

BONUS!! This conference represents an excellent way to fulfill one of the 4 required programs of

our Faith in Action program model: namely, “Spiritual Reflection”.

Respectfully Submitted by PSD Ron Faust

Email: [email protected] Phone: 608-225-7281

2022 State Bowling Tournament

Entry Forms on State Website under State Forms