Knights of Columbus

From The Desk of State Deputy Michael J. Grothoff

Church Drive Success 

We are getting better at conducting Church Drives in Kansas. When done correctly Church Drives pay huge dividends for a council. They can add 10, 20 or even 25 men to your council roster. I’ve seen enough successful drives to know these numbers are not a fluke or exaggeration. 

I have also seen drives fall flat on their faces when not done correctly. The key to success for any church drive is local council buy-in.  

Local Council Buy In 

1. Permission from the pastor. 

2. Participation from local council membership. They should be present, visible and not afraid to ask men to join. They must be willing to share the benefit of membership in Order and your council with prospects. 

3. A pulpit announcement, from either the parish priest or a local council member is very important. 

4. Advertise the drive for several weeks prior to the drive date. 

5. Schedule an Exemplification of Charity, Unity and Fraternity soon after the drive. 

6. Everyone loves coffee, juice and donuts. 

Materials 

     a. Prayer cards to hand out before mass. Gives you the opportunity to engage potential knights and their families. 

     b. E-member business cards. Sign men up after mass via the e-member platform. Fast and easy, best done on a cell phone. 

     c. Let prospects know when your exemplification is scheduled. Have the degree team ready to go and new member kits ready. 

Finally, let the state Membership Director know when your drive is scheduled. Allow him to schedule state personnel to help with your drive. They are not there to take over, they can’t replace local involvement. They are there to help, they will talk with prospects and answer questions.  

I understand if you have doubts, but I encourage you to take a chance, change it up for the potential of growing your council not by one or two every other month but by 20 members in one weekend. We need many more drives scheduled in October and November. I encourage you to get one scheduled soon.  

Vivat Jesus 

Michael Grothoff
State Deputy

Haga clic AQUÍ para inglés

* Please click HERE for an announcment from our District Master for information regarding a once in a life time event! 4th degree exemplification to be held in Wichita November 11th!

Here is a short message from Bishop Carl A. Kemme (Wichita Diocese)

The Knights of Columbus released "The Magazine and the Miracle: Finding Father Kapaun," a short documentary highlighting the extraordinary life and legacy of Servant of God, U.S. Army Chaplain, and Medal of Honor recipient Fr. Emil Kapaun. To view the video click HERE. 

The Silver Rose will begin its run through Kansas on Sept 16th at 4:00 PM

Representatives from Nebraska and Kansas will meet for the exchange at the Kansas-Nebraska state line on highway 73 south of Falls City, Nebraska. I ask that the Hiawatha Council please have a representative at the exchange since you are the first council hosting the Silver Rose in Kansas. 
 
Attached to this email is the list of dates and a map of the route that the Silver Rose is taking through Kansas beginning next month. Please contact the DD/GK whom you will be receiving the Silver Rose from and whom you will be passing it on to in order to set up smooth transitions. I also ask that you stay in contact with your local priest and help him set up prayer services in your parishes. 

DDs, I ask that you ensure maximum use of the SR prayer services in your district. And please let me know when the Rose leaves your district or council. It's very important that this remains on schedule. Also, DDs/GKs, please complete a 10784 for Supreme and copy me when you have finished your use of the SR.

There will be program booklets and prayer cards that are to be passed along with the Rose, but the resources available through the following links will help with your planning. Please let me know if I need to restock any of the booklets or prayer cards.

Click HERE for more information

For the 2022-2023 State Convention Proceedings Book click Here

Membership and Missing Forms Reports

How is your council progressing in its quest for the Star Council Award? The requirements for the Star Council Award are 1) make the membership goal, 2) host two Fraternal Benefit Seminars, 3) complete and submit three forms to the Supreme office. Click on the links below to view the progress your council is making towards achieving these goals. These reports will be updated each weekday, so check back often!

Membership Report
Report Summary

The 2022-2023 Theme for Recruiting this year is “Made For Greatness”. You are encouraged to offer membership to any Catholic male age 18 or older. It’s simple, all you have to do is ask them.

Kansas Knight of the Month

For the Month of July
The Lonnie Houser Family
Council #2538, Park

For the Month of June
The Casey Phillips Family
Council #7485, Andover


Supreme Faith in Action Program

Supreme Council Faith in Action Program information can be found at
https://www.kofc.org/en/what-we-do/faith-in-action-programs/index.html

Safe Environment Program

Our Safe Environment Program safeguards children and other vulnerable persons, assures members and their families that we maintain a safe environment, protects members from awkward situations, misunderstandings, and appearances of impropriety, builds trust with arch/dioceses and parishes, and protects the good name of the Knights of Columbus.

Three training modules are required for members serving in youth leader and certain officer roles: “Meet Sam,”addressing the issue of sexual abuse awareness, “Duty to Report,”covering legal reporting obligations, and “Know Your Policies,”a review of Knights of Columbus safe environment policies. We also maintain a youth leader screening process, including background checks, specifically for members who lead Knights of Columbus youth activities.

Please click on link below to access Supreme Councils webpage for more information and what positions are required to acquire this training:
http://www.kofc.org/un/en/members/programs/youth-activities/safe-environment-program.html

A Higher Purpose

Spread devotion to St. Joseph and pray for the courage to stand up and carry out our mission of protecting, defending, and raising future generations.

This program is designed to inspire communal acts of prayer and devotion, every year a special icon of a saint whose patronage is inspiring to Knights and their communities. As the Pilgrim Icon makes its journey through each district in the state, councils will host the St. Joseph Icon for a prayer service at their parish. A schedule for Kansas can be found by clicking here.

Resources are available on the Supreme website at https://www.kofc.org/en/what-we-do/faith-in-action-programs/faith/pilgrim-icon.html

The Convention issues of The Explorer have been published.

2023 Saturday Convention Explorer
2023 Sunday Convention Explorer


TO SEE PAST MONTHLY EDITIONS OF THE EXPLORER PLEASE CLICK ON LINK

September Explorer
Explorador de Septiembre (español)
August Explorer
July Explorer
June Explorer
April Explorer
March Explorer
February Explorer
January Explorer
December Explorer
November Explorer

To receive the email notice that the monthly issue has been published, please complete the information by clicking here.