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Monthly
Message from
State Deputy Don McBride
“So that the world may know new hope”
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Kennewick, WA - May 2012 - Happy State Convention!
It is hard to believe that the time for our annual convention is upon us already. It’s time to celebrate our successes, enjoy some fraternity with new friends and old friends, and recharge our batteries by seeing the results of our works at the local, state, and Supreme level. We have several exciting features at this year’s convention including an adoration chapel on Friday and Saturday, and a luncheon and workshop for council chaplains on Thursday. One new thing that we are implementing, after receiving multiple requests in the past few years, is a slight change to the open caucus procedures on Friday. We will be providing an opportunity for candidates for state office or for delegate positions to the Supreme Convention to deliver a short (1 minute for delegate candidates or 2 minute for officer candidates) presentation on why they should be considered for election. This is separate from the normal nominations which will be presented as usually by seated delegates on Saturday. So, if you are interested in being considered for candidacy on Saturday, you are highly encouraged to be present for the Open Caucus on Friday, and be ready with a concise and informative presentation. I look forward to seeing you all soon and having a great convention!
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At the same time, we need to remember that “it ain’t over yet!” We still have two full months left in the fraternal year, and there’s a lot of work left to do.
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For example, in membership, we are finally running at full stride - we got over ten percent of our annual quota in one month in April, and we are only about 265 members short of our goal for the year. Do the math - if each council can bring in one member each month in May and June, we can reach our intake goal. I really need you to do this, because our net-net membership (which includes the combination of deaths and suspensions against the intake) is still at a negative this year. Our state is a leader in Columbianism, and we need to demonstrate that leadership by remaining positive in overall growth every year.
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The great news is that we have several new Hispanic Round Tables and several new parish-based councils in the works, thanks to the excellent efforts of Hispanic Membership Chairman Mike Calderon and NCD/RT Coordinator (West) Eugene Daly, working with some great Grand Knights, priests, and District Deputies. There are hundreds of Catholic men who are literally waiting to be asked to join our Order. Be proud of what we stand for – and share it.
battles.
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Speaking of standing for something, we are inescapably called to stand up right now. At the State Convention we will hear a message from our Supreme Knight’s representative – as well as a video message from Supreme Knight Carl Anderson himself – about the need to stand up for religious liberty. My prayer is that the current onslaught of attacks on our Faith will serve as enough of a wake-up call to Catholics (and those of other religions) that we will finally stand up in numbers sufficient to make a difference in affecting our culture and our country. For too long we have sat silent while our culture has eroded around us. Hoping that someone else will stand up to do something hasn’t worked well so far; much as we would prefer to sit back and let someone else act, it is time to heed God’s call and step up ourselves.
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As we’ve been discussing for several months, we have a real opportunity to do something in the short term. We are working feverishly to place Referendum 74 on the ballot so that we can preserve traditional marriage and overturn the redefinition of marriage that will otherwise go into effect July 6. We are pursuing 150,000 signatures by June 6, and so far we are only a little over a third of the way to the goal. I know that many Knights have followed the call of our Bishops to gather signatures in the parishes, and this has been a great effort. But it’s time to “take it to the streets” – literally. Go to public events, stand on street corners or storefronts, visit your neighbors and friends. We will be held accountable by God if we do not do everything in our power to stop this law from going into effect – and at this point, the only thing that can do so is to gather another hundred thousand signatures. Actually I am certain some of those hundred thousand signatures have already been gathered – because I have been receiving questions from councils asking what to do with their completed petitions. Please immediately mail all completed (or partially completed) petitions directly to Preserve Marriage Washington at the address shown on the petitions.
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In pursuing petition signatures, there are a few key points to keep in mind. One argument for signing the petition is to assert that the issue is of such fundamental importance that it belongs in the public forum – with a vote of all the citizens – rather than being decided by the legislature and the governor. Another key point is that the newly enacted change in the definition of marriage is unnecessary – because of changes to Washington State laws in 2007, 2008, and 2009, same-sex couples already are guaranteed all the rights and privileges associated with civil marriage. Thirdly, if you are challenged by people saying that the effort to preserve marriage is discriminatory, you can assert that to recognize difference is not discrimination. Biologically, it is inarguable that every child has a mother and a father, and it has long been recognized both by civil society and the Church that it is beneficial to children to be cared for by their mother and father in a committed, lifelong union. The argument that the concepts of motherhood and fatherhood are meaningless and disposable (along with the concepts of husband and wife) would inescapably diminish the value of marriage in our society, and diminish the dignity of the child and their fundamental right to have a mother and a father.
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I’ll close with one bit of good news, which I shared with many of you by email during April after the last bulletin came out. WE WON by helping to stop HB2330, the terrible legislative attempt to mandate insurance coverage for abortions in Washington. I have been told that our efforts as Knights of Columbus made a significant difference in blocking this bill which was expected to otherwise pass during the recently concluded legislative session. In light of the upcoming battles at the polls and in the public forum, I find it especially heartening to know that we CAN make a difference. Praise God!
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Fraternally,
Don McBride, State Deputy
Viva Cristo Rey, Viva La Virgin de Guadalupe!
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