This email is sent to all English speaking state program, faith, family, community and life directors.

June 2023

Thank you

As we approach the end of the Fraternal Year, Supreme would like to thank you for your hard work, sacrifice, and commitment to the faith and the Order. Your service has made a tangible difference to the Church and the Knights of Columbus. As we look toward the next Fraternal year, we are confident that the Order will continue to grow and evangelize because of the hard work you will put in.

Vivat Jesus! 

As you transition to the next fraternal year, either as a new state officer, or a returning officer, it is important to be prepared to hit the ground running on day 1. To help prepare, here are a few ideas to keep in mind: 

• Develop a close relationship with your state officers to create an effective line of communication between one another
• Familiarize yourself with the new Faith in Action Guidebook #10907
• Understand that Supreme is a source of guidance and support, so don’t be hesitant to reach out
• Educate yourself on program guidelines to help guide councils to reach their program goals
• Learn about all the necessary forms states must submit to Supreme
• Mark your calendars with all form deadlines to stay ahead of the curve

You can download the State Program Directors Guide here, which will help prepare you for your role going forward.

ASAP “Pass the Hat” Initiative Wildly Successful!

More than $700,000 was donated to pregnancy centers and maternity homes through the ASAP “Pass the Hat” initiative. Thank you to all 45 participating jurisdictions! The top 5 donors included: Michigan - $121,509; Arizona - $65,000; Kansas - $61,000; Georgia - $55,442; and Nebraska - $50,000.

ASAP Grant Applications are due June 30th for the current fraternal year. Check your box.com folder next week for your jurisdiction’s complete list of donations through May and where it stands in the rankings Order.

Next fraternal year, councils can consider establishing a resource center in your parish. For inspiration, see how the Knights in West Virginia set up a baby pantry in their council hall.

Budget for Marches

Attend any March or Walk for Life and it’s clear it would be half as successful without the Knights of Columbus. At the start of the next fraternal year, encourage councils to set aside some of their budget to support a bus or other ways to support a march. District Deputies will be instrumental in helping to get the word out. The State Council can also consider earmarking funds to serve as a March sponsor or to help organize buses.

Here’s a video highlighting the presence of Knights at the National March for Life in Canada. 

RSVP

Applications for the RSVP program are due June 30. Please encourage your jurisdiction’s vocations chairman (or his delegates) to reach out to dioceses for lists of all seminarians and religious novices/postulants. Ensure every one of them is supported by assigning a council or district to the task. Councils donated $3.7 million and earned $759,740 from Supreme through the RSVP program last fraternal year. Keep up the great work!

Food for Families

Continue to encourage your councils to participate in the Food for Families program. As school years end, more families will need food, so let’s work to ensure those food pantries are well stocked for the summer.  For more information, please visit www.kofc.org/food.

Habitat for Humanity

As the weather gets warmer, continue encouraging your local councils to work closely with Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit Christian organization, to build homes for families in need at substantially reduced costs. Each year, councils throughout the Order donate many volunteer hours and dollars to this worthy cause.

Contact your local Habitat for Humanity office by visiting habitat.org to learn about the Habitat for Humanity project near you. To learn more, click here.