Knights of Columbus

Grand Knights Meeting Rescheduled

The Paterson Diocese Grand Knights meeting, originally scheduled for February 6, has been rescheduled for 8 a.m. Saturday, February 20. The meeting will be held at Bishop Navagh Council 5943, Pequannock .

The Trenton Diocese Grand Knights meeting is scheduled for 8 a.m. Saturday, February 13. The meeting will be held at St. Gregory the Great Council 7677, Hamilton Square

FROM STATE DEPUTY HERB MEYER

The Supreme Council has requested donations to help provide 1,000 wheelchairs to Haiti, to assist those who lack monbility as a result of injuries suffered during and after the earthquake.

Please see the attached REQUEST.

Also, the US Senate has written a "Health Care Reform" bill that contains language contrary to our Catholic conscience. Our Supreme Knight has authored an article to this end. For the full text of Carl Anderson's message, click here.

Contact your US Senators and Representatives, NOW...tell them that you oppose the legislation as written! Urge them NOT to support compromise legislation containing the same verbiage.

HAITI DISASTER RELIEF

Haiti Earthquake Relief

To All Knights of Columbus:

In an effort to come to the aid of the people of Haiti, who are suffering a humanitarian catastrophe of huge proportions in the wake of Tuesday evening's 7.0 earthquake, the Knights of Columbus has today sent an immediate contribution of $50,000 to Catholic Relief Services, and we invite Knights to make contributions through the Supreme Council so that we can maximize the impact of the funds raised, and document the amount donated in this tragedy by members of the Order.

Donations by individual Knights can be made on line, and this feature should be available on the Supreme Council website (www.kofc.org) by later this evening. Checks should be made out to Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc. and mailed to 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510. Please write "Haiti Earthquake Relief" on the memo line of the check.

Contributions will be used to provide assistance wherever it can have the most immediate impact, and where the need is greatest.

We ask all Knights and their families to also offer their prayers for the victims of this terrible disaster.

37th Annual March on Washington

On January 22nd, organizations from around the country gathereed in Washington, DC for the 37th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling by the Supreme Court. The Knights of Columbus have always been a lead organization in the event. Buses throughout New Jersey were organized by local councils and churches, 400,000 people marched up Constitution Avenue to the Capitol Building.

Pictures of the 2010 and past rally's are available at:
March for Life Rally

Read Respect Life Director's "thank you" letter by clicking here.

2011 March on Washington - January 24, 2011

2012 March on Washington - January 23, 2012

Senate Defeats Gay Marriage Bill

The Senate defeated legislation that would have given gay couples in NJ the right to marry. The vote was 20 against to 14 votes for passage.

Of the 22 Democrats in Chambers, 13 voted to pass, 6 voted against, and 3 abstained from voting. Of the 17 Republican Senators, only 1, Bill Baroni of Mercer County, voted in favor of the bill, while 2, Diane Allen of Burlington County, and Andrew Ciesla of Ocean County, were absent.

Voting in favor of the bill were the following Democrats:
Buono (Metuchen), Codey (W. Orange), Cunningham (Jersey City), Gill (Montclair), Gordon (Fair Lawn), Lesniak (Eliabeth), Ruiz (Newark), Scutari, (Linden), Smith (Piscataway), Stack (Union City), Vitale (Woodbridge), Weinberg (Teaneck), Whalen (Atlantic City).
The only Republican voting in favor of the bill was Baroni (Hamilton).

Voting against the bill were the following Democrats:
Girgenti (Hawthorne), Madden (Washington Township, Gloucester County), Rice (Newark); Sacco (North Bergen), Turner (Trenton), Van Drew (Dennis).
The following Republicans voted against the bill:
Bateman (Branchburg), Beck(Red Bank), Bucco (Boonton), Cardinale (Demarest), Connors (Surf City), Doherty, (Washington Township, Warren County), Haines (Springfield), S. Kean (Wall), T. Kean (Westfield), Kyrillos, (Middletown), Oroho (Franklin Borough), O'Toole (Cedar Grove), Pennacchio (Montville), Singer (Lakewood).

NJKOFC Motorcycle Ministry

The New Jersey Knights of Columbus Motorcycle Ministry, a group of Knights that are motorcycle enthusiasts, recently was written up in an article in the "Star Ledger'.

Click the link below to read the article:
http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2009/08/these_knights_rumble_and_roar.html

To join the Motorcycle Ministry, contact John Brandon, FDD

Pledge victory in federal court

(MANCHESTER, NH) - The Knights of Columbus scored an important victory in federal court in New Hampshire on Wednesday, September 30, when U.S. District Judge Steven McAuliffe upheld the constitutionality of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Atheist Michael Newdow had filed the lawsuit against the school system in Hanover, New Hampshire on behalf of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, in a case that mirrored his earlier lawsuit against schools in and near Sacramento, California.

As with the California case, the Knights of Columbus sought and received permission from the court to become a "defendant intervenor," allowing attorneys representing the Order (from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty) to participate directly in the court proceedings.

The California case, argued before a panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in December 2007, has still not been decided. Read the New Hampshire court decision

Read the Knights of Columbus Fact Sheet about the Pledge of Allegiance and recent litigation

Welcome to the New Jersey State Council

Welcome to the New Jersey State Council of the Knights of Columbus. Father Michael J. McGivney and a handful of Catholic laymen founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882, in the basement of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in New Haven, Connecticut. The aim of the founder was to set up a parish-based lay organization that offered insurance benefits to the widows and children of members. In an era when parish and fraternal societies were popular, Father McGivney felt there should be some way to strengthen the religious faith of his flock and provide financial support for families overwhelmed by illness or the death of the breadwinner.

Today the Knights of Columbus have grown from that one local unit, or council, to over 12,000 councils in the United States (including Puerto Rico and Guam), Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Guatemala, and Saipan. In January 2006, the Knights of Columbus expanded to Poland.

Membership is over 1.7 million members, plus their families - approximately 5.6 million people total - many of whom are actively involved in volunteer service programs for the Catholic Church, their communities, their families, young people and one another.

The Knights of Columbus, the world's largest organization of Catholic men and their families, has been called "the strong right arm of the Church," and has been cited by popes, presidents and other world leaders for support of the Church, for programs of evangelization and Catholic education, for civic involvement and aid to those in need.

Letter from Supreme Knight Carl Anderson

Dear Brother Knight:

It is probably fair to say that no other single activity has defined the Knights 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).

Please take the time and effort necessary to learn whether your Representative or Senators favor or oppose FOCA.

The House sponsors of FOCA are listed here

The Senate sponsors of FOCA are listed here

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.

Of Potential Benefit to Those in Financial Distress

Enhanced VA Mortgage Options Now Available for Veterans

Washington - Veterans with convetional home loans now have new options for refinancing to a Department of Veteras Affairs (VA) guarnateed home loan. These new options are available as a result of teh Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2008, which the President signed into aw on October 10, 2008.

"These changes will allow the VA to ssist a substantial number of veterans with subprime mortgages refinance into a safer, more affordable VA guaranteed loan", said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr James B. Peake. "Veterans in financial distress due to high rate subprime mortgages are potentially the greatest beneficiaries."

VA has never guaranteed subprime loans. However, as a result of the new law, VA can now help many more veterans who currently have subprime loans.

The new law makes changes to VA's home loan refinancing program. Vewterans who wish to refinance their subprime or conventional mortgage may now do so for up to 100% of the value of the property. These types of loans were previously limited to 90% of the value.

Additionally, Congress raised VA's maximum loan amount for these types of refinan loams. Previously, these refiancing loans were capped at $144,000. With the new legislation, such loans may be made up to $729,750, depending on where the property is located.

Originally set to expire at the end of October, ZVA's authority to guarantee Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM's) and Hybrid ARMs was also extended under this new law through September 12, 2012. Unlike conventional ARMs and hybrid ARMs, VA limits interest rate increases on these loans from year to year, as well as over the life of the loans.

Since 1944, when home loan guarantees were offered with the orignal GI Bill, VA has guarnateed more than 18 million home loans worth more that $911 Billion. This year, about 180,000 veterans, active duty servicemembers, and survivors recieved loans valued at about $36 Billion.

For more information, or to obtain help from a VA Loan Specialiot, veterans may call VA at 1-877-827-3702 or visit www.homeloans.va.gov.

Hurricane Ike Relief Fund

The first Principle of our Order is Charity, and the New Jersey Knights of Columbus are among the leaders in Charity. Where there is a need, the NJ Knihgts are there. For an example of this, just ask the people of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

The New Jersey State Council has set up a 501 (c) 3 corporation to assist the relief efforts in the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Ike.

For more information, please go to: Hurricane Relief

Statement on Financial Services Markets and the Knights of Columbus

With the recent crisis on Wall Street and in the banking system, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, issued a statement concerning the Knights if Columbus Insurance program and the investments made by the Order. His statement begins below:

":The upheaval in the financial markets in recent days has caused a great deal of concern virtually everywhere, among financial services professionals, regulators and consumers alike. Every major financial institution has been affected by the turmoil because of the complexity of our economy, and we are no exception.

"But I can report to you that there is no reason to be concerned about the value of your Knights of Columbus annuity or life insurance. Because of the very conservative approach we take to investing our $14 billion in assets, the impact on the Knights of Columbus has been far smaller than for many other organizations and the industry as a whole"

To read the complete statement, please go to:
Statement on Financial Services Markets and the Knights of Columbus

Urban Schools Scholarship Act

A bill titled the ‘Urban Schools Scholarship Act’ is beginning to make its way through the New Jersey State Assembly (bill A-1003) along with a sister bill in the New Jersey Senate (bill S-140). These two bills are a result of your New Jersey State Council’s affiliation with the New Jersey School Choice Alliance. You may remember a few years ago we sponsored a school choice petition drive, which was held at almost every parish in the state. Since that time we have aligned ourselves with the School Choice Alliance to work to make school choice an issue within the state. Through our collaborative efforts, as well as those of the voting public this past November, we are finally reaching a point wherein an acceptable bill is gathering support from our state legislators and may be released from committee for debate in the Assembly and Senate. The details of the bill can be found here.

OUR MAGAZINE FUNDRAISER

A great new way to raise funds for all of our charitable needs!

Though an arrangement with READER”S DIGEST FUNDRAISING…the New Jersey State Council, Knights of Columbus, has developed a unique program.

You can RENEW AN EXISTING magazine subscription or ORDER A NEW ONE and the NEW JERSEY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS will receive 40% of the total cost. There are over 700 magazines listed in our magazine store.

Very Important. To receive credit for your council, on the CHECK-OUT page you must list your

Council Name in the Box Titled " Participants First Name" and your Council Number in the Box

Titled " Participants Last Name".This will guarantee that your council will share 50/50 in

earnings with the State

DON’T WAIT! CLICK HERE AND ENTER OUR STORE AND PLACE YOUR ORDERS.

Embryonic Stem Cell Alternative Researcher Doesn't Like Destroying Life

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
December 11, 2007

Kyoto, Japan (LifeNews.com) -- Dr. Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University made international headlines recently when he devised a new process that allows for the creation of embryonic stem cells without the destruction of human life. Now, Yamanaka says he was prompted to search for ethical alternatives by his own conscience.

Invited by a friend to take a look at a human embryo -- a unique human being -- under a microscope, Dr. Yamanaka had a moral spark that changed his career.

For more on this story, visit: http://www.lifenews.com/bio2295.html

Help Vets, and others with Mesothelioma

Contact the Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center at www.maacenter.org. Other resources: www.mesotheliomaweb.org, www.asbestos.com and mesothelioma.

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