The Lancer
“Strong in Faith and Service”
December 2014
The Monthly Newsletter of the Knights of Columbus
St. John the Baptist Council No. 10232
P.O. Box 252
Madison, AL 35758
Website: http://madison-kc.org
Membership Quota: 18 New Members To Date: 15
Do you know someone who would make a good knight? Ask him to join!
“One Member Per Council Per Month”
Grand Knight’s Message
Dear Faithful Brother Knights and Families:
We seem to be on the brink of another recession, morals are all but shot in society, Christmas is once again under attack by an increasing unbelieving minority, and our society seems to have placed God on the back burner as we once again try to save ourselves from ourselves.
We know the story and we know the outcome, yet we stubbornly endure suffering arrogantly in our belief and misguided confidence that our ways are superior to God’s perfect plan for us. We hear beautiful Christmas music everywhere we go reminding us of the wonderful holiday season of Christmas. However, let us be mindful of the real meaning of Christmas. The spiritual awakening that takes place in each of us in the realization that our Savior is born into this world. This realization hit me the other night as I was watching A Charlie Brown Christmas with my granddaughter. In the cartoon, amidst the bedlam of preparing for the Christmas pageant, one character stopped, stood up, and quieted the hustle to explain to Charlie Brown what Christmas was really about. He simply said:
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were so afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ ” (Luke 2:8-14)
A I was driving down a street in my neighborhood this past weekend I saw one of our Nativity displays in a yard and what a beautiful sight it was to know that we are responsible for helping spread the message to others of the “Reason for the Season”. Well done my fellow Brothers!
We rejoice at Christmas and rightly so. Joy is in our hearts and our lips. We must make certain that we have an abundance of room for Christ. Let us be generous with our Love of Christ and each other. Come join us and receive the greater blessing of giving and be like the Wise Men, who experienced the real meaning of Christmas by sharing it with our Savior.
May each of you and your families have a joyful and blessed Christmas.
Fraternally,
Danny Garcia
Important Council Announcements
· Council 10232 Dues Now Being Collected!
The council is beginning to collect dues for the new fraternal year. They can be paid at the council meeting on December 5th or by remitting a check (please no cash) in the amount of $40 (you may add an extra $5 for the council’s charity fund if you like) payable to “Council 10232” to Ron Belz, Financial Secretary at 78 Jay Drive, Madison, AL 35758. Please contact the Grand Knight for relief of dues should a financial or medical condition exists.
· Assembly 2420 Dues Now Being Collected!
Assembly 2420 is collecting 2014 dues from all 4th degree members. They can be paid by attending the assembly meeting or by remitting a check in the amount of $15 made payable to “Assembly 2420” to SK Joe Morton at 282 Knox Creek Trail, Madison, AL 35757.
· Bunco, Sunday December 14th, Church Basement
The December Bunco game will occur on Sunday December 14th beginning at 6:30pm. Bunco is a fun dice game for adults, which permits fun adult fellowship. No skill is required, only $5 a person and a covered dish to share. Dirty Santa will be played after Bunco, gifts purchased through the generosity of Tom and Dianne Hart.
An American Christmas Story
Reprinted from The Lancer - December 2013
Since childhood, I have much admired George Washington, not only did he serve as commanding general of the Continental Army but he made a constant effort to be a good citizen, to lead his life in a way that modern cynics find very difficult to credit.
When I lived in New Jersey we took the kids one Christmas Day to see the reenactment of Washington Crossing the Delaware and it has remained a most inspiring event for me to this day.
As we approach the Christmas Season I would like to share once again the following story about Washington crossing the Delaware and attacking the Hessians at Trenton. It’s a compelling story that we all know, and which I am sure many of us read about as children. It is also a story that helps us understand that our existence as a free and independent nation wasn’t always assured and there was a time in the darkest days of the Revolution when things seemed all but lost, a gallant ragtag army of farmers, shop keepers, and ordinary citizens gave Americans a reason to hope.
Given the way the Revolutionary War was going in the months leading up to Christmas 1776, the most likely outcome was that we would remain a British colony. The British had defeated Washington and the ragtag American Army on Long Island and had driven them out of New York. The American army was retreating through New Jersey to Pennsylvania. The Americans retreated through cold and rain and morale was at a very low point.
Ninety percent of the soldiers who had served at Long Island were gone. Men had deserted, feeling that the cause for independence was lost. Many of Washington’s men had no jackets to keep them warm and many more had no shoes and were forced to march with rags wrapped around their feet leaving blood stained tracks as they walked along. Private Enoch Anderson in a letter to his wife wrote,
This night we lay amongst the leaves without tents or blankets to keep us warm. There is a relentless cold wind and a persistent rain falling upon us. Our provisions are very low and many do not have anything to eat.
Things could not have been worse as General Washington led his men into winter quarters. Only about a third of his men had shoes, blankets were scarce, and tattered clothing was seldom replaced. Although Washington repeatedly petitioned for relief, the Continental Congress was unable to provide it. Time was running for Washington and he knew that within the month the enlistments for most of his men would expire and many would go home he had to do something to spur his men onward. In a speech to his troops trying to rally his men to stay beyond their enlistment date, he told them,
My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do, and more than can be reasonably expected; but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses and all that you hold dear. You have worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships, but we know not how to spare you. If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty, and to your country, which you probably can never do under any other circumstances.
A few days before Christmas, General Washington called a meeting of his generals and worked out a plan to attack the Hessians encamped at Trenton. On Christmas night American troops would cross the Delaware and launch an attack on the town. He knew all too well that the very life of the American cause was in danger of being extinguished as his Army was essentially out of supplies, morale throughout the colonies was very low after months of stinging defeats by the British, and by the end of the month the Army would cease to be an effective fighting force.
To inspire his soldiers, General Washington the day before the attack had the pamphlet, Crisis; authored by Thomas Paine who was serving as a volunteer aide with the army read aloud to them. The pamphlet begins with these now famous lines:
These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.
At about 4 p.m. Christmas evening, a terrible winter storm blew up with hurricane force winds, snow, sleet, and hail. According to his diary, General Washington spent a good portion of the day on preparing for the attack and in solitary ”…meditation and prayer.” On Christmas night, General Washington led 2400 men, the main body of his army, to a crossing point about nine miles upstream from Trenton. The night was cold, and it was snowing heavily. The men faced a difficult crossing for there were large chucks of ice floating in the river. They arrived on the New Jersey side of the Delaware in the early hours of the crossing. Washington wrapped in his cloak stood on the shore and watched his cold, wet soldiers disembark and make their way onto land. In the torchlight he noticed that many of his men were barefooted and ill clothed as they prepared for the 9 mile march through the wet freezing mud, snow and driving winds to Trenton. In his diary he wrote, “…the men’s bleeding feet left a dark red stain in the icy mud and snow”. As they marched Washington rode up and down the line encouraging his men to continue. He knew that by the time they got to Trenton the sun would be up, and though he wanted to attack under the cover of darkness there was no turning back now. Through snow and sleet the Americans pressed on towards Trenton.
The Americans caught the Hessians by surprise and two hours from the time it had started, the Battle of Trenton was over. With a few losses of their own the Americans had captured nearly nine hundred Hessians and their supplies.
This small but decisive battle had an effect disproportionate to its size. The colonial effort was galvanized, and the Americans overturned the psychological dominance achieved by the British victories in the previous months. News of the victory spread across the land, lifting the spirits of patriots everywhere. With the success of the revolution in doubt, the army that had seemed to be on the verge of collapse inspired soldiers to serve longer and attracted new recruits to the ranks.
Two notable American officers were wounded: William Washington, cousin of the General, and Lieutenant James Monroe, the future President of the United States. Monroe was carried from the field bleeding badly after he was struck in the left shoulder by a musket ball, which severed an artery. Doctor John Riker clamped the artery, preventing him from bleeding to death. James Madison author of the Constitution and future President, the future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton all participated in the battle.
What a wonderful Christmas gift for the struggling American cause.
Council 10232 Service Activities
Church Activities
First Saturday Mass and Benediction December 6th
The council has been actively supporting the First Saturday devotion conducted on the first Saturday of the month. Mass begins at 8:30am in the chapel, which will be followed by Holy Hour with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. I strongly encourage all members to join me and their brothers in unity and devotion at this special Mass.
During the June 1917 apparition Lucia was told by Our Lady that unlike Jacinta and Francisco, who would shortly be going to heaven, she would have to remain behind for "some time to come," The reason for this was that Jesus wanted to establish devotion to Mary's Immaculate Heart throughout the world. The Blessed Mother then continued: "I promise salvation to whoever embraces it; these souls will be dear to God, like flowers put by Me to adorn his throne." (This last sentence is found in a letter written in 1927 by Sr. Lucia to her confessor, cited in Martins & Fox, Documents on Fatima, p. 241).
Council Prayers for Priests Team Being Formed
The purpose of this program is to pray for our priests by name on a daily basis for his priestly intentions and his personal sanctification. This is accomplished through a team concept. When a priest is selected, a Team Leader is identified to recruit six other team members thus forming a seven-member team. Each Team Member attends Mass on his designated day of the week, recites at least one decade of the Holy Rosary daily, also recites the Chaplet of Divine Mercy daily, and says the Daily Commitment Prayer daily. Participation in this program is not restricted to members of the Knights of Columbus, but would be open for participation to any Catholic desiring to participate. I hope you will offer your full support to this program and will be an active participant. Please contact Brother Joe McCarty to volunteer at .