March 2023
My Brother Knights,
Lent is upon us and I hope your councils have a prayerful and productive time with your faith programs. Many parishes are holding Lenten missions and your councils should attend them. Last month I discussed our work with the Men of St Joseph International here in Rhode Island. This year, many new knights have come from their ranks and have become productive members putting their faith into action. Likewise, the knights I have spoken to who have joined their organization report they have been strengthened in their faith by praying and discussing their faith with like-minded men. The Supreme Council is piloting the COR MEETING program, a separate meeting open to knights and non-knights that focuses on prayer, formation and fraternity. For the Councils holding prayer-related meetings outside of your normal business meeting, I recommend that you open these meetings to other men of the parish. I would also recommend that if there is a Men of St Jospeh International group in your parish or nearby, you consider joining them. I strongly recommend attending the Men of St Joseph International's Men's Conference on Saturday, March 25th, at St. Philips in Greenville. This event will be a great showing of this partnership as one of the presentations will be given by Rhode Island State Chaplain Fr Gadoury and Men of St Joseph International chaplain Fr Murphy will celebrate the mass. The keynote speaker is Dr. Ralph Martin from Renewal Ministries which has a very prominent show on EWTN. The program runs from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, with registration starting at 7:45 am. The event cost of $50 will include morning coffee and pastry along with lunch.
For more information or a mailing registration form, go to:
https://www.mosji.org/pdfs/poster_3_25_2023.pdf
To order online, you can click the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mosji-2023-mens-conference-tickets-523742958287?aff=ebdssbdestsearch2023.pdf
While we focus on our faith life, we must also keep an eye on the health of our councils. The State Council and our local councils have been extremely close with our recruitment goals for this part of the year. Almost two-thirds of the active councils in the state have recruited one new member. I have witnessed the success that some of these councils have experienced in gaining new members and council leadership. For those Councils who have been unsuccessful, please know that your District Deputy, State Officers and State Insurance team can assist your council with Church and Membership drives. Don't hesitate to contact Worthy Membership Director Mark Paul if you have any questions or need help with your next drive.
Remember that this is not a numbers game. We need to recruit new members to have vibrant and active councils with a continuity of new leadership. New membership provides for more hands to accomplish more good works. Please remember that free online membership is extended into the fraternal year with promo code BlessedMcGivney.
Vivat Jesus!
David Bebyn
State Deputy |