Knights of Columbus – Council 3205

Choose Life License Plate Coming to Texas!
November 16, 2011

Dear Norma,
The 10-year effort to create a pro-life specialty license plate in Texas has finally met with success, and the Choose Life license plate will soon be a reality!

Thanks to the support of the Texas Legislature, Gov. Rick Perry, Attorney General Greg Abbott, and thousands of pro-lifers across the state, a specialty license plate with the message “Choose Life” will be available for purchase by the end of November. Out of the more than 150 specialty license plates in Texas, the Choose Life license plate is the only one to promote the loving option of adoption wherever you drive.

The Choose Life license plate promotes infant adoption as a compassionate alternative to abortion. When you purchase a Choose Life license plate, $22 of the $30 annual fee will go to a fund administered by Attorney General Greg Abbott, who will give grants only to qualified pro-life organizations that offer assistance to pregnant women considering placing their children for adoption. Those organizations include pregnancy resource centers, Gabriel Projects, maternity homes, and adoption agencies. Organizations like Planned Parenthood, which perform or promote abortion, are not eligible. (The remaining $8 covers state and county administrative costs.)

As the official state sponsor organization of the Choose Life license plates, we are excited to announce that Texas Alliance for Life has begun a statewide tour to promote the purpose and sale of the Choose Life license plates. We are calling our multi-city speaking tour the Choose Life Texas Tour. We will equip the grassroots with important information and statistics about adoption and what individuals can do to help us save lives by getting the message out effectively.

Having a local contact is very important in organizing the Choose Life Texas Tour. Would you help us find a venue like a private home for a reception, pro-life meetings, civic organization meetings, church ministry fairs, etc.? If you are interested in helping organize an event in your area to promote infant adoption through the Choose Life license plate, please send us an email at chooselife@texasallianceforlife.org.

This is one of those wonderful opportunities where you can make a huge difference for life in your own community. If you aren’t able to help plan a local event, perhaps you would consider a donation to help the success of the Choose Life Texas Tour. Please donate online HERE or click on the Donate now! button. (Please note “Choose Life” in the comment section.)

Please watch our website for the Choose Life Texas Tour schedule, and we hope to see you when we are in your area!

Sincerely,
Joe Pojman, Ph.D.
Executive Director

by GK Ron Gay

Brothers,

Council 3205 hosted a First Degree this evening in which 19 new members were inducted. Please join me in welcoming five (5) new members into Council 3205 in College Station; Gustavo Roman, Mike Pawelek, Matt Tennis, Carlos Guadarrama-Perez, and Shane McAuliffe. Our Council has inducted ten (10) new members this year for a net gain of eight (8) new members. We need seventeen (17) new members to reach our Star Council goal. I want to thank our Membership Director, Brother Richard Darnell, for the excellent job he is doing in recruiting new members. However, we are only half way to our goal, so we need to keep recruiting.

I also want to thank our Degree Team of Gary Richardson, Michael Hlavinka, Adrian Martinez, Al Mazoch, and Ray Thomas for their excellent work. Nineteen new members were exemplified tonight, twelve (12) for Council 10624 at Texas A&M, five (5) for Council 3205 in College Station and two (2) for Council 11759 in Bryan.

Our next first degree will be Thursday, March 1 in Zurek Hall @ St. Thomas Aquinas in College Station. If you have a prospect invite them to come to the new member orientation that starts at 6:30 pm.

Ron Gay, FSD
Grand Knight

By GK Ron Gay:

Brothers

We had outstanding attendance at our first Council meeting for 2012 with 35 Brother Knights giving us some of their very valuable time on the first Wednesday in January. Brother Ralf Trujillo was out of the hospital and able to join us after his recent open heart surgery. Brother Don Parsons is still hospitalized following stomach surgery. If you were not able to join us, we want you to know that you were missed. We hope you will put our next Council meeting, February 1, on your calendar today.

The Grand Knight summarized the Council’s successful activities during the month of December. The 2nd Annual Wine & Cheese event was very successful, netting the Council $3,653.00 for our charity account. Many thanks to our Brothers who helped make this year’s tasting a success; our sponsors, Jeff Paradowski’s Law Office, Paul Marvin and Ron Gay. Also I would like to thank Al Mazoch, C. J Romero, Bob Albanese, Larry Hubbell, Dick Allen, Don Parsons, Leonard Muesse, Paul Marvin, David Gerling, Dan King, Michael Herring, Darrell Lovelette, Ray Thomas, Russ Kellen, Phil Lippman, Deacon Dave Mays and James Supak for their generous contribution of time towards the success of this event.

The Council provided a continental breakfast and a pizza and salad lunch for about 45 Deacon candidates and their wives at St. Thomas Aquinas on December 10. Food was prepared and delivered to about 100 guests that day. The Council covered the $200 in expenses. I would like to lift up Al Mazoch and Jim Ebanks for helping with this event.

Our annual Clergy Appreciation Dinner was on December 15. We had 140 people attend this year’s dinner at St. Thomas Aquinas. Bishop Joe Vasquez was there and he delivered the keynote speech. There were 20 Priests, Deacons and Religious in attendance. Many thanks are owed to Michael Vidrine and Tom Zike for chairing this year’s dinner. Thanks also to Russ Kellen for providing the Christmas music. Special thanks to Lilly Muesse for making all of the table decorations. Thanks also to our Pastor, Fr. Edwin and to Fr. Uche for being so supportive of this event.

Fr. Edwin thanked the Knights for the Clergy Appreciation Dinner. He also challenged us to make Christ visibile in our parish, homes and community especially during Advent. He asked the Council to consider putting up a large, public Nativity scene up so that the whole community can see it and be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. The Officers will be meeting in the very near future to discuss how to make this happen.

Our Treasurer, Dan King, reported that our accounts are very healthy right now. We have more than $8,000 in our operating account and we have more than $6,000 in our charity account.

Our Financial Secretary, Paul Marvin, reported that the 2012 dues notices have been sent out. We anticipate collecting $10,000 in dues this year, so far about $1,000 has been paid in. Paul is working with John Romero and Dan King to make it possible for members to pay their dues with a credit card via the web site.

Membership – Richard Darnell reported that we will have a first degree on Wednesday, January 25 at St. Thomas Aquinas. Candidates need to report @ 6:30 pm. So far this fraternal year we have 5 new members and 2 dropped members for a net gain of 3 members.

One of our big Council activities is the Super Bowl Chili Sale slated for February 5. This is a major project for us, and Leonard Muesse and Gary Richardson are going to need everyone to help out for it to be a success. Check the web page to sign up for one of the shifts for the Chili Cook.

The Super Bowl Chili Cook will be followed by Lenten meals project. We serve fish every Friday during Lent. Ash Wednesday is February 22, our first Lenten Meal will be Friday, February 24.

The Pancake Breakfast will be January 8 with Mark Schoenemann’s Team on duty. The proceeds from this month’s breakfast will be donated to the Wheelchair Foundation.

The Council received a request from Chris Smith to support his work with NET Ministries, a group of young people who travel the country putting on retreats for students and young adults. The Council voted to support Chris with a contribution of $250.00.

Brother Phil Lippman presented to the Council and opportunity to help fund a Automatic External Defibrillator. The Council voted to dedicate the proceeds from the February pancake breakfast to the purchase of an AED for the parish.

Family Director Kevin Biasiolli has approached the Women’s Guild about the Council partnering with them on the Valentine’s Marriage Liturgy again this year.

The Fourth Degree Assembly will meet next Tuesday, January 10 in Zurek Hall.

Ron Gay, FSD
Grand Knight

By Grand Knight, Ron Gay:

Our 2011 Clergy Dinner was a resounding success! With Bishop Joe Vasquez of the Diocese of Austin in attendance, Council 3205 welcomed more than 20 members of the Clergy from the Bryan Deanery and thanked them for their dedicated service to our Catholic community. Approximately 175 people enjoyed a great dinner, and the opportunity to visit with our local clergy including Msgr. Malinowski and Sister Gretchen Kunz, and to cherish their service to us and our families. Members of the Msgr. Valenta Assembly 2041 provided the color guard for the opening flag ceremony. The Pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas and Council 3205 Chaplain, Fr. Edwin Kagoo, gave the opening prayer. Bishop Vasquez gave some wonderful remarks praising the work of our local clergy. Fr. Uche, also of St. Thomas Aquinas, gave the benediction.

Ron

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