The Tar Heel Knight

Happy New Year!  Thank Our Heavenly Father for the 2024 election that places our country in a safer direction for religious freedom and respect for life as we enter 2025!
 
January continues to evoke memory of the infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade decision overturned in the summer of 2021.  We have Marches for Life in Charlotte and Washington, DC this month, particularly supported by the Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus.  The Washington, DC March will be held on Friday, January 24th and the Charlotte March is Friday, January 10th.  In addition, the NC Right to Life Prayer breakfast will be held at the North Ridge Country Club on Saturday, February 1st, and the NC State March for Life in Raleigh will be Saturday, May 17th.  Note that the Raleigh March is recommended for all Knights to attend who will not attend the NC KofC Convention that same weekend.  Please consider these marches as an expression of your support to both effect public personal discernment and cement your own convictions.


This year, we are offering two ways to participate in the Novena for Life, which is held from January 16th through the 24th, 2025.  The best way for Knights is to join as a Brotherhood on a nightly Zoom call at 6pm each of the nine days beginning January 16th, 2025.  The call will be led by one of our Knights and last no more than 15 minutes.  This is a time during your day to break away from other duties and focus on our innocents, those who have no voice themselves. Only yours’. The Zoom link is:
 
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5719261315?pwd=aXNtWUl4NldvUi9lcjVuVGMwYWxWUT09
 
We also have the Novena for Life for all parishioners.  Grand Knights were emailed the details for signing up and for bulletin/pulpit announcements.  Very easy to do!  To sign up for the USCCB’s Novena for Life, visit: https://www.usccb.org/prolife/join-9-days-life. For information: https://www.youtube.com/@usccbrespectlife.  Contact Albert Hodges, Novena for Life Chair, at: oahodges@gmail.com with questions or for more information.


Most of us believe that February 14th is only special for being Valentine’s Day.  Au contraire!  It is also National Donor Day, special for organ donations and blood donations.  Please consider organizing an Organ Donor sign-up weekend at your parish and through your bulletin.  The NC web site to sign-up to be an organ donor is https://www.donatelifenc.org/.  Information to hold an Organ Donor sign-up can be found at https://www.organdonor.gov/professionals/workplace/donation.
 
National Donor Day, together with Valentine’s Day, also offers an opportunity to consider donating blood for the lives of others (a single donation can save up to three lives). Hold a Blood Drive at your parish to welcome sacrifice in Lent and express the care/love for others.  Host a blood drive through the Red Cross at: https://www.redcrossblood.org/hosting-a-blood-drive/learn-about-hosting/how-hosting-a-blood-drive-works.html. 
Donate blood or host a blood drive through the Blood Connection at :  https://thebloodconnection.org/contact/north-carolina-centers/raleigh-center/, or call 800-392-6551. 
 
Please see the article in this month’s THK from Bill Drummey, Chairman, Life Giving, entitled “Eleven Reasons to give Blood”, wherein he describes the benefits in giving blood, several for the donor.  He can be reached at bdrummey35@gmail.com for more information on organ and blood donation.



Happy New Year, 2024!
 
Vivat Jesus,
Jim Venglarik
Life Director
NC KofC
Life@kofcnc.org