Blessed is the fruit of thy womb

March 31, 2008 — "Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."

Today is the Feast of the Annunciation. It is appropriate, then, that today is also observed as the Knights of Columbus Day of the Unborn Child. This pro-life observance was instituted as an addition to the Order's commitment to build a culture that respects and protects every human life from conception to natural death.

Many councils are holding special prayer services to mark this day. If there isn't a formal observance in your area, you can create your own private or public service. This prayer card and sample service may be used.

Anderson makes several announcements

March 25, 2008 — Supreme Knight Carl Anderson held a press conference at a National Press Club event in Washington, D.C., today. His speech and question-and-answer session were aired live in this webcast.

Anderson spoke about the results of a poll on American attitudes toward Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church; he shared a brief clip about the papal-visit documentary "A Journey of Hope," a Knights of Columbus–sponsored production that is set to air April 13; and he announced this morning's publication of his book, A Civilization of Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World.

The first-edition, 224-page hardcover edition of Anderson's instant bestseller is published by HarperOne. All author royalties are earmarked for the charitable work of the Knights of Columbus. The supreme knight explains the idea behind A Civilization of Love in this podcast interview.

Support the Gwilliams and ‘wisdom in God’s country’

March 23, 2008 — On this Feast of the Resurrection, Kii presents a few thoughts on life after death, rising from the ashes, and looking to the future.

1.) Fr. Robert W. Cook, president of Wyoming Catholic College writes:
"This is the story of a recently admitted student ... It is a story of tragedy, courage, love ..." Read more»

2.) Support the Gwilliam family
On January 26, 2008, a work-related accident took the life of veterinarian Dr. Tim Gwilliam, 46, a past grand knight of Jackson Council 9431. He is survived by his wife, Catherine, and their 7 daughters, ages 2 to 18. A Fourth Degree honor guard was present for the funeral, which was held Feb. 1 at Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church, Jackson. Donations for the family may be sent to:

Tim Gwilliam Family Fund
Jackson State Bank & Trust
PO BOX 1788
JACKSON WY 83001–1788

3.) Support Catholic college students
All students at Wyoming Catholic College — soon to include incoming student Roslyn Gwilliam — benefit from scholarship funds. Nearly half the cost of each WCC student's education is supplemented by these scholarship funds and by other non-tuition income. Help support these students by sending a donation to:

Dr. Tim Gwilliam Scholarship Fund
Wyoming Catholic College
PO BOX 750
LANDER WY 82520–0750

4.) Consider attending Wyoming Catholic College
Fr. Cook writes, "I would like to give you three reasons why you should take that step ..." Read more»

Meet Council 10773’s new grand knight

March 18, 2008 — During a regular council business meeting, which was held earlier this evening, Gregory Kinstetter was appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of grand knight for University of Wyoming Council 10773.

He will serve the remainder of the unexpired term, through June 30. He has also been nominated for the new term, which runs from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009.

Following the meeting at which District Deputy John Benedik made the appointment, Kinstetter delivered his first message to the council as its new grand knight. Many members of the council received the recorded message via e-mail.

Kinstetter was born in Gillette, Wyoming, and graduated from high school in 2005. He attended Black Hills State University, Spearfish, South Dakota, for one year, and then ... Read more»

Interact: Use the comment(s) link, below, to congratulate Gregory or to ask him a question.

Fr. Michael McGivney declared ‘venerable’

March 15, 2008 — Now-‘Venerable’ Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, is another step closer to official sainthood.

According to an announcement posted in Italian on the Vatican Web site today, Pope Benedict XVI received Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, the prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints, in private audience. During this meeting, Benedict authorized Martins to promulgate a decree concerning "the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Michael McGivney, diocesan priest and founder of the fraternal order of the Knights of Columbus."

Oggi, 15 marzo 2008, il Santo Padre Benedetto XVI ha ricevuto in Udienza
privata Sua Eminenza Rev.ma il Sig. Card. José Saraiva Martins, Prefetto della
Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi. Nel corso dell’Udienza il Santo Padre ha
autorizzato la Congregazione a promulgare i Decreti riguardanti ... le virtù
eroiche del Servo di Dio MICHELE McGIVNEY, Sacerdote Diocesano e Fondatore
dell’Ordine Fraterno "The Knights of Columbus"; nato a Waterbury (Stati Uniti
d’America) il 12 agosto 1852 e morto a Hartford (Stati Uniti d’America) il 14
agosto 1890. (Source)

With this papal declaration of heroic virtue, we may now refer to our founder as "Venerable Michael McGivney." The next steps, God willing, will be beatification (with the title "Blessed") and canonization (with the title "Saint").

Help us snag this elusive trophy

Kii records visitors from just about everywhere on the planet. Except, so far, Antarctica.

If you're serving at a south polar station and are finding us via a satellite Internet connection (which would appear to us as an IP address in your station's sponsoring country), please check in with us, and tell us about yourself.

Thanks, in advance, and be assured of our warmest fraternal regards.

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New financial secretary system replaces FSPC

Updated March 24, 2008 — A new online application, which has replaced the Financial Secretary PC (FSPC) program, began being phased in throughout the Order on January 7. All of the affected parties have been notified of the change. Member Management is the first portion of the new application to be released.

Councils and assemblies are able now to manage member data, while electronically transmitting these changes to the Supreme Council office. Supported transactions now include changing addresses, updating degree status, maintaining rosters of officers, and maintaining rosters of service program personnel. The new system allows these items to be handled within a single online application.

This first of many planned steps is expected to streamline the duties and responsibilities of financial secretaries and comptrollers. Those officers will soon also have access to the Member
Billing application. Future enhancements are being planned to support the needs and requirements of grand knights, navigators, district deputies, and state leaders. In the meantime,
councils and assemblies are required to continue to mail paper copies to their respective
state deputies, district deputies, and district masters.

Financial secretaries, send feedback about the new system to KnightsInInteraction@gmail.com. (Are you already using it? How's it going?)

Kii Notes | About our remodeling project

We've completed the bulk of Kii's extreme makeover. With the recent adoption of this newsletter by University of Wyoming Council 10773 — and in response to your input — several new features have been added, and several more are forthcoming.

Your input (as always) is requested for the following works-in-progress:

• We're needing a Kii logo. The current concept is a key and an anchor crossed over the motto "Interaction is the key to charity, unity, and fraternity." If there are any graphic artists out there who would like to contribute to the effort, contact us. I think the motto might look good in Latin, but we'd lose the "key/kii" effect. Colors to emphasize are brown and gold for the University of Wyoming.

• We're working on a "guided tour," which would function as an introduction and Help feature. We'll probably start with an audio version later this month, to be replaced by an animated one next month. The plan is to have the tour given by an 11-year-old kid: After all, if it's easy enough for a fifth grader to learn, then the rest of us should be able to do it, too.

• We're accepting recommendations on some embedded, ad-free, communication media, specifically: instant-messaging, message board, and online forum.

• We should have our Kii Issues section up within a couple of weeks. This will be an area for dealing with public-policy issues. You'll be able to do research, write letters, spread the word, and interact with legislators.

• We're still working some bugs out with Firefox compatibility. Your expert advice in this area would be most appreciated. How does it look on your computer? How can we improve it?

• We've still got a lot of behind-the-scenes work ahead, including reducing the file sizes of some of our images and widgets. There's a lot of fat that can be cut in the underlying code.

• Most importantly, it's time to deliver some quality content on a regular basis. Expect that to start in the next few days. Our RSS feed now siphons up just about everything on this page, so we're expecting a large influx of visitors in the near future. Thank you, in advance, for your feedback and evangelization via the brown links.

«Kii Points» | C'est «chevaliers dans l'interaction»

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Limoilou, Québec, Canada — Conseil 4494 a réuni plus de 44 000$ pour trois organismes qui s’occupent de venir en aide aux nécessiteux: La Bouchée Généreuse, L’Évasion St-Pie X et les Missionnaires de la Charité. (Source)

St. Césaire, Québec, Canada — Les membres du Conseil 2172 ont organisé une campagne pour denrées alimentaires, Campagne qui a réuni 3500$ en argent et 4000$ en denrées alimentaires non périssables. Le tout a été remis au Centre d’Action Bénévole. (Source)

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‘Kii Points’ | Noticias de los consejos

Día tras día, los Caballeros reciben la oportunidad de hacer la diferencia. Puede ser con trabajo comunitario, recaudando dinero para su parroquia o por medio de la oración. Elogiamos a todos y cada uno de los Caballeros por su fuerza, su compasión y su dedicación para construir un mundo mejor.

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Sahuayo, Michoacan, México — Miembros del Consejo 4637 les sirven comida a los pacientes del Hospital General en su comunidad. Los Caballeros les sirven la comida a los pacientes y aquellos que esperan en la consulta una vez a la semana. (Fuente)

Vineland, New Jersey, EE.UU. — Los Caballeros asisten a la Misa como grupo el tercer Domingo del mes y tienen su reunión ese día. (Fuente)

Monterrey, México — Miembros del Consejo 2312 acompañaron a la Rosa de la Plata en la etapa final de la carrera de 200 kilómetros a la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Todos los años, la Rosa viaja desde el Canadá, a través de los Estados Unidos y dentro de México demostrando el apoyo de la Orden por asuntos pro-vida. (Fuente)

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