Knights of Columbus

Missing 990 Filings

Small non profit groups, Councils, Assemblies and Chapters, are at risk of losing their tax-exempt status because they failed to file the required forms for the past 3 years. They have until October 15 to file the missing forms and preserve their status.

List of Councils, Assemblies, and Chapters

Wayne McCormack Update 8/10/2010

As you know, Past State Secretary Wayne McCormack underwent suregery recently, the surgery was a success and the new liver is functioning very well.

The recovery process for major surgery like this one takes time, and he is doing as well as can be expected. We pray for a complete recovery so Wayne may get back to the happy, friendly gentleman we all know and love.

Wayne was discharged and sent home on Tuesday, August 10, 2010. He will continue therapy at JFK Hospital in Edison where the doctors can work with him in different Therapy's, such as Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Cognitive Therapy and Physical Therapy.

Please remember that Wayne's immune system is lowered and we still must be careful when visiting with him.

Please continue to keep Wayne and Carol in your prayers. They continue to ask for your prayers for the donor's family and and also ask you to sign your donor cards.

Carol apologizes for not being able to return all of the calls she is receiving. She spends everyday with Wayne and is simply exhausted when she returns home.

Wayne and Carol thank everyone for their prayers and good wishes.

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 15,000 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 1.8 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.

News from the Supreme Convention

State Deputy Herb Meyer lead the New Jersey Delegation of 80 people to the 128th Annual Supreme Council Meeting, this year in Washington D.C.

The Opening Mass was held Tuesday morning at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

During the opening session, open to the public, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, gave his Annual Report of the Supreme Knight. In the Report, he announced that the Board of Directors has voted to provide every child in Haiti that lost a limb in the aftermath of the earthquake a few months ago, will recieve the prosthetic device they need. "Each and every one of these children will receive a new start in life, thanks to the Knights of Columbus."

The complete report is available by clicking: Supreme Knight's Report.

Different areas of teh Convention may be viewed by clicking: Knights of Columbus

K of C Membership Tops 1.8 Million

The Knights of Columbus passed a significant milestone on April 30, 2010, when its membership exceeded 1.8 million.

At the end of the last day of April, the official tally of Knights of Columbus around the world stood at 1,800,445.

“Achieving this milestone in membership is a testament to the high regard in which the Knights of Columbus is held among Catholic men everywhere,” Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said. “We offer a unique opportunity to serve our church and our communities as one of the most active service organizations anywhere in the world.

“We truly offer the ‘experience of a lifetime,’ to join brother Knights in a common effort to become better fathers, better husbands, better citizens and better Catholics, together with the opportunity to provide financial protection for their families.”

Membership in the Knights of Columbus grew from 1.7 million to 1.8 million in less than five years (59 months), and continues a growth trend in which the number of Knights has grown every year since 1973. Moreover, membership has grown in all but four years since 1942.

In the United States, jurisdictions adding the largest number of new members were Texas, California, Florida, Michigan and Illinois, which together accounted for 15,506 new members recruited since the beginning of the current fraternal year on July 1, 2009. Those five states accounted for more than one-third of the 45,180 new U.S. members.

In Canada, jurisdictions in Quebec and Ontario together recruited 4,640 new members, more than 70 percent of the 6,469 new Canadian members.

In the Philippines, Luzon led all jurisdictions with 7,669 new members recruited, fully one-half of all new members recruited there.

In Mexico, the Mexico South jurisdiction recruited 515 new members, more than one-third of all new members recruited there.

The Order’s newest jurisdiction, Poland, also grew briskly, recruiting 291 new members and increasing its membership by more than one-third in less than a year. The Dominican Republic added 221 new members, representing growth of 12 percent in less than a year.

Over the past 10 months, the Knights of Columbus has recruited 70,310 new members worldwide, and councils have two more months to recruit new members before the end of the fraternal year on June 30. A final tally of Knights of Columbus membership for the 2009-2010 fraternal year will be announced in July. The number of new members recruited will be offset by deaths and withdrawals, and thus net growth in membership will be slightly lower.

Mother Teresa Exhibit at Museum

Few figures in modern history have enjoyed the worldwide renown of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, founder of the Missionaries of Charity. The diminutive Catholic nun whose life was spent in service to the "poorest of the poor", died in 1997 and was beatified by Pope john Paul II in 2003. As her cause for sainthood moves forward, she remains an icon of faith and selfless dedication to others. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of her birth on August 26, 1910, visit the Knights of Columbus Museum for an exhibition on her life and mission, open through October 2, 2010.

For information, call 203-865-0400 - kofcmuseum.org

114th New Jersey State Convention

State Deputy Herbert C. Meyer called the 114th New Jersey State Convention to order on Friday, May 14, 2010, at the Wildwood Convention Center. Pictures of Opening Day are availaible 2010 State Convention

GUEST SPEAKER
Our State Deputy arranged for a very special Guest Speaker at this years Convention Banquet, Jim Burt, NY Giants Defensive Lineman for 11 NFL seasons. Burt played for the Giants from the 1981 - 1988 seasons

LADIES LUNCHEON:
Lady Ann Meyer, wife of our State Deputy, hosted the Annual Ladies Luncheon on Saturday, May 15. The Ladies dined at Little Italy Restaurant in Wilwood Crest.

SUPREME KNIGHT'S MESSAGE TO STATE CONVENTION:
Watch the video message shown to delegates to every state convention in 2010. Click here to view (Flash format).

AWARD WINNING COUNCILS:
CLick HERE List of Councils that won awards at Convention this Year.

Court Upholds

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA.; March 11, 2010) -- The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that he words "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance "do not violate the Establishment Clause" of the First Amendment to the Constitution.

The Knights of Columbus led the campaign to add the words "under God" to the Pledge in the early 1950s, and the trial court agreed to allow the Knights of Columbus to join the present case as defendants when it was originally filed in 2005.

"This decision is a victory for common sense," Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said. "It is also a welcome reversal of the Ninth Circuit's 2002 decision in a similar case that was ultimately thrown out by the Supreme Court on technical grounds. Today, the Court got it absolutely right: recitation of the Pledge is a patriotic exercise, not a religious prayer. Best of all, the Court said that the words 'under God' add a 'note of importance which a Pledge to our Nation ought to have and which in our culture ceremonial references to God arouse.' Every reasonable person knows that, and today's decision is a breath of fresh air from a court system that has too often seemed to be almost allergic to public references to God. This is a very good day for America," Anderson concluded.

In today's ruling, the Court noted that, "Among the 'self-evident truths' the Framers believed was the concept that all people are entitled to certain inalienable rights given to them by the 'Laws of Nature and Nature's God' and that the purpose of government should be to "secure those rights.'" Such beliefs provide the context in which the words of the Pledge must be understood, the Court said.

The Knights of Columbus and several individual Knights and their families were defendant-intervenors in the case, and the court's 2-1 decision incorporates many of the arguments presented to the Court by The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a public interest law firm that represented the Knights in the case. Oral arguments before the Ninth Circuit panel had been heard in December 2007. Other defendants in the case included the United States government and a Sacramento-area school district.

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

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.

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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