April 2, 2010
Indiana Knights to meet in Indianapolis
By BOB HARTENSTEIN (Indiana Knights of Columbus, Community Director)
Indiana Knights of Columbus State Deputy Stephan Zi-emba has issued his call to all officers, directors, chairmen and delegates to converge on Indi-anapolis for the annual state convention April 23-25 at the Marriott East Hotel. The theme for this year’s annual meeting is “Dream Big.”
This convention will be the 109th gathering of Indiana Knights to exchange ideas and renew old friendships. It will be a time of prayerful reflection of the past year. It will be a time of discussion of those ideals that most affect the fraternity and the issues confronting our Catholic Church. At the root of these issues is the defense of life from birth to natural death, marriage between a man and a woman as the fundamental structure of society and the very Church itself under fire from within and without. Knights everywhere are called to action to promote our Catholic values and assure our priests they do not stand alone when under fire.
This year several nationally known speakers will address the convention. Shawn Carney, co-founder for 40-Days for Life and executive director of the Coalition for Life as well as a brother Knight, will lead off the weekend Saturday morning.
Following Carney will be Mike Furnish, President and CEO of the Special Olympics of Indiana. Furnish will be joined by Jessica Crook, an international Special Olympics gold medal winner. Crook will talk about her experiences as well as the new partnership with Indiana Knights.
Father James Hyde from the Archdiocese of Chicago will address the convention Saturday afternoon regarding a Civilization of Love. Currently Father Hyde ministers to the needs of the Hispanic communities in the Chicago area.
Indiana Knights will have the opportunity to participate in break-out sessions Saturday afternoon. Knights will learn about the many opportunities to participate in retreats, meet the children from Gibault School in Terra Haute, Indiana and be inspired by artist Jon Naughton, creator of the “One Nation” under God portrait.
Joe Worthling, a featured guest on EWTN and Knights of Columbus Columbia magazine, will introduce his vision to establish 7,000 Ten Commandment monuments throughout the country as part of his “Project Moses” campaign.
On Sunday, State Directors and Chairmen will have the opportunity to highlight their area of responsibility, offering direction and suggestions to improve and fine tune activities. Immediately following the Directors and Chairmen will be election of officers. A new State Deputy, State Secretary, State Treasurer, State Advocate and State Warden will be chosen to begin their term in July. In addition, delegates to the Supreme Convention to be held in Washington D.C. next August will also be elected.
The Knights of Columbus is the largest Catholic, family, charitable, fraternal organization in the world with over 1.7-million men. There are more than 32,000 members in Indiana. Any practical Catholic man over the age of 18 can join the Knights. March and April are generally months set aside for membership campaigns throughout the state. If you or someone you know has an interest in making the difference in the life of another, encourage them to join the Knights. You’ll never know who you may touch and the soul you may save. For more information about the Indiana Knights of Columbus, go to www.indianakofc.org.