Youth of the Month

This announcement is for all Knights of Columbus and Ladies Auxiliary members in good standing. If you have a son or daughter under the age of 18, they are eligible to be nominated for the Missouri State Youth of the Month.

The student must be of good academic standing in either a public or private school and be a practicing Catholic in good standing. We are looking for strong character exhibited in community activities and school activities. The nominee should also be active in some extracurricular school activities. This can include sports, music, theater, special interest clubs, etc.

A maximum of six awards will be presented by the Missouri State Council during the Fraternal Year. There is no limitation on the number of nominations presented by a council.

Please send your nominations to the Youth Activities Director or Grand Knight of the council and include: full name, contact information (address, phone, and email), age, grade, school, and a description of the nominee's participation in the activities listed above. A more detailed list is available at http://www.mokofc.org/programs/youth-activities/youth-of-the-month 

The award periods and deadlines for the remainder of the year are: Mar/Apr due prior to Mar 1 and May/Jun due prior to May 1.

The Youth of the Month recipients will receive a certificate during presentation of the award. A State Youth of the Year will be selected from the six State Youth of the Month recipients (May/Jun through Mar/Apr) and will be presented at the State Convention held in April.

Bill Stump

• byRachael Denhollander 
• February 12, 2013

One of the most saddening and horrific aspects of abortion is the untenable double-standard society attempts to hold with anything related to infants and motherhood. Grief expressed at a miscarriage suffered by one mother, and relief at the completed abortion for another. Criminal charges against a drunk driver unintentionally taking the life of an in-utero infant; fame and accolades for four doctors who purposefully dismember and murder the unborn.

Perhaps nowhere is this more clearly seen, however, than in the recent death of Jennifer McKenna Morbelli, the young woman who died at the hands of abortionist LeRoy Carhart just a few days ago, in an attempt to end the life of her 33-week-old unborn daughter.

Jennifer's baby girl was reportedly the result of a "wanted" pregnancy with Jennifer's husband, TJ. At least at first. The baby registry was complete, and their little daughter even had a name - Madison Leigh. She was wanted. Until prenatal screening identified "fetal anomalies" late in the pregnancy, and then everything changed.

Jennifer, her husband, Jennifer's parents, and Jennifer's sister all picked up and headed to Carhart's clinic to begin the abortion process on Sunday. By Thursday, Jennifer had died, along with little Madison Leigh.

It is undeniable that Jennifer's death is a tragedy, and it ought to result in some serious soul-searching for those who push abortion for "the health of the mother," but perhaps even more thought-provoking is Jennifer's obituary. It states merely that she passed away suddenly - but adds "with her baby girl, Madison Leigh." The obituary then goes on to note that both the young mother and her daughter will be buried together, following a Catholic mass, and furthermore, a memorial has been set up, and donations can be made in honor of either Jennifer or Madison.

Given that Jennifer had initially traveled to Carhart's clinic to end Madison's life, one must wonder, what changed? Was Madison not a "baby girl" until Jennifer's tragic death? Does no one see the irony that, had Jennifer's abortion not been botched, Madison's tiny, dismembered frame would have been thrown in the trash bin, instead of given a proper burial? Why was Madison worthy of nothing but nameless death on Wednesday, February 6, yet worthy of a memorial fund on Thursday, February 7?

Truly, the fact that one small child could go from being wanted to being the victim of intended murder and then to mourned and honored, all within the span of a few weeks, ought to make all of us reflect on the true value of life, and the integral nature of personhood. Nothing changed about Madison at all in those weeks - the only thing that was altered, that made her wanted, then worthless, and then later mourned - was another person's perception of her worth.

Jennifer's death is tragic, and it should be investigated, and Dr. Carhart should be dealt with accordingly. Jennifer's family should be comforted, and reached out to in love, grace, and truth. Yet the double-standard cannot be ignored. Both deaths are tragic, but only one was unintended; the other was planned. The abortion was "botched" for only one of its victims - Madison Leigh, on the other hand, was never supposed to make it out alive. Not because anything changed in Madison, but because a third party's perception of her value changed. May God have mercy on a society that determines the value of one person's life by another person's perceptions

REPRINTED FROM LIVE ACTION NEWS

WHO WE ARE:
Live Action News is the publishing arm of Live Action. Live Action is a youth led organization dedicated to building a culture of life and advancing human rights. Our goal is to educate the public about the dignity of every person and use investigative journalism to expose threats against the vulnerable and defenseless.

HISTORY:
Live Action was founded in 2003 by then fifteen year-old Lila Rose. In 2008 Live Action was legally formed as a non-partisan, non-profit organization.

CONTACT LIVE ACTION:
2200 Wilson Blvd, Suite 102, #111
Arlington, VA 22201-3324
323.454.3304

Cover two people with one policy

In this month's article, I want to discuss a type of life insurance product with which you might not be familiar. This product offers a way for you to help your heirs meet estate settlement costs without subtracting from the total value of your estate. After all, you've worked hard to accumulate wealth or build a business over the years and you want to pass along that value to your family, charity or church in its entirety.

To this end, the Knights of Columbus designed a Survivorship Universal Life (SUL) product. SUL is a second to die, or survivorship, life insurance program that covers two people, (usually husband and wife) and the death benefit is paid upon the death of the surviving second person - which is normally when an estate would be taxed. This can be an important part of an estate plan.

Keep in mind, an SUL policy is one policy that covers two people. This has advantages, including a lower cost than two individual life insurance policies. It is a great option for a married couple with children. It can provide funds for the legal guardians chosen to care for children in the event both parents die, which is especially attractive to parents of a special needs child.

If you have a child or children, you need life insurance. If you intend to pass on any property or wealth, you need life insurance. A SUL policy is one option that we can discuss when we meet for an insurance review.

Proposing a new member is a commendable achievement and one to be proud of. However, as a proposer, turning over a completed Membership Document (#100) is not the end of the job. You must also take the responsibility to see that your recruit becomes fully accepted by his fellow council members and stays involved in council activities. There are several steps you can take to ensure this.

• Explain to him that the council's Admission Committee will examine his qualifications for membership and accompany him to the Admission Committee meeting. Introduce him to the members present.
• After he has been accepted, escort him to his First Degree and remain with him throughout the event. Following the exemplification, introduce him to his fellow council members.
• Take the newly initiated member and his family "under your wing". See that he learns council procedures, such as meeting times, committee assignments, etc. Introduce him and his family at council events. Encourage him to involve his family in council-sponsored activities.
• Accompany your recruit to his Second Degree and Third Degree exemplifications and stay with him throughout the day.
• Contact him before each council meeting and bring him to the meeting if necessary. If the new member becomes inactivate for some reason, try to find out why. Call and ask to visit with him. Explain your concern about his absence and offer support or assistance.
• Encourage him to earn "Shining Armor" status within the council.

If the Knight becomes inactive, his proposer should work with the retention committee to find out the reasons for his lapsed interest and try to converse his membership.

With a little personal effort you can help guarantee that your recruit becomes an active member of the Knights of Columbus.

Reprinted from Knights of Columbus Supreme website 

We are busy getting ready for March.  We will have a Corn Beef and Cabbage Dinner on March 10th. There will be more information later.  Our Children's Easter Party is March 24th and starts at 2:00 p.m.  We are in need of a volunteer for the Easter Bunny.  Call Sheila at 734-2382 if you are interested. 

We are always looking for new members.  If you are a new knight and your wife is interested in joining our group, please encourage her to attend one of our meeting.  We meet the third Monday of each month at 7:00p.m. at the Knights Hall.

We hope to see you at our events.

Thank you,

Sheila Van Keirsbilck

Auxiliary President