The Tar Heel Knight

Greetings from the mountains of Western North Carolina.
We’re heading into March already, getting ready to gain sunlight and lose an hour of sleep as we approach the end of the fraternal year…and I think there’s some basketball going on, too.  Please remember that your councils need to vote on your delegates for the State Convention at this month’s council meetings if you haven’t already done so.  March is also a good time to take assessment of your programs.  Are there some categories that haven’t gotten as much attention as others?  Are there any gaps for your Columbian Award (and Star Council Award) that you need to address before you submit that SP-7?  Speaking of the SP-7, if your council has already completed the necessary sixteen programs, there is no need to wait to submit it.  Go ahead and send the form in now and have one less thing to worry about later.
 
As you should all be aware by now, Knights of Columbus councils across the order had a rate increase on their insurance premiums, with the main driving force being claims paid out due to situations related to safe environment issues.  This is clearly important – and this abuse is still happening on a large scale.  So, let me make an appeal to you, especially those of you who are fathers or grandfathers.  Let’s say there’s a school and all the teachers at this school are required to do training to make sure the kids are safe.  Not burdensome training – a little under two hours once every three years, and 40% of them choose not to make this small commitment of their time.  Would you want to send your child or grandchild to that school?  Brothers, the Knights of Columbus of North Carolina ARE that school.  Nearly 40% of our councils are non-compliant.  All we need is four brothers per council to spend less than two hours of their time once every three years, and yet nearly half are not doing this.  Do you think the parents in our parishes would be happy knowing this?  Do you think they would want to send their child to a breakfast or a party we were sponsoring knowing that their safety is not important enough to almost half of us to commit less than 2 hours every 3 years to help ensure that safety?  Please, please, make it a priority to make sure those in your councils that are required to have this training, get it done.  Are our children and our vulnerable adults not important enough for this small commitment?
 
I hope you all are continuing to have a fruitful Lent.  By the time you receive the next Tar Heel Knight, it will be Holy Week – and I hope many of you will be participating in the Good Friday family program.  Then we will all be celebrating Easter joy.  And, just like Christmas, let us always be mindful of the reason for the season.  Family dinners and chocolate bunnies are nice, but there is no more important moment in the history of mankind than the Resurrection of Christ.  If you are looking for a Lenten exercise, take a few minutes one day this month to read through Romans Chapter 6 for a great source of inspiration.
 
“Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’” – Matthew 19:     14
 
Vivat Jesus!