South Carolina

October 2012 Sir Knights: My name is Michael J. Mika. I have been appointed by the Supreme Knight as District Master of South Carolina for the term of September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2014. The De Soto Province has four new Masters with Florida District Master James Schonefeld being the only returning District Master. I ask for your support in the projects we will be undertaking during these next two years. I want all 4th Degree Sir Knights to fully support your newly appointed Faithful Navigators and continue to support not only your Assemblies; but to also support your Council in order for it to achieve success during this coming fraternal year. As a first part of our 4th Degree business this year I want to bring your attention to a new program requiring 4th Degree participation and oversight. It is a rather long article; but I want to provide you as much information as possible. The below program fits directly into our reason for being in existence as the Patriotic degree of the Knights of Columbus. I ask for your full support in achieving our goal.

New Military Chaplain Scholarship Announced

The Knights of Columbus has established a new scholarship program to help fund the education of seminarians preparing to become Catholic chaplains in the U.S. Armed Forces. The program will distribute $1 million in scholarship money to the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, over a period of five years at a rate of $200,000 per year. These funds, in turn, will help produce a new generation of much-needed Catholic chaplains to minister to U.S. military personnel and their families. Fundraising for the Orderwide project will be led by the Fourth Degree, the patriotic degree of the Knights.

The idea for the scholarship developed during Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson's recent visit to the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. While watching flight-qualifier tests with an assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy, the supreme knight had the opportunity to think about Catholics in uniform and the hardship they face of having to go weeks and sometimes months without being able to attend Mass or receive spiritual guidance from a priest.

"It can be very difficult for Catholic members of the armed forces when they're on forward deployments," Anderson said. "The U.S. military archdiocese, which supplies Catholic chaplains, estimates that it needs 800 priests to fully serve all of the Catholic men and women in uniform today, but they are only able to supply 280 barely a third of the number needed." The military chaplain scholarship aims to provide a solution to this problem. According to Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, the scholarship money will be dedicated to the archdiocese's "Co-Sponsored Seminarian Program," which was initiated to recruit priestly vocations for the military for the benefit of the armed forces as well as participating dioceses and religious orders throughout the country. Through this program, the military archdiocese contracts with each participating diocese to fund 50 percent of the cost of a seminarian's five-year education typically $12,500 per year. In return, the candidate agrees that, following ordination and three years of service at a parish, he will commit to serve as a military chaplain under the auspices of the military archdiocese for a minimum of three to five years. So far, the Co-Sponsored Seminarian Program has seen impressive results. Since its inception, the initiative has garnered an increase in co-sponsored seminarians, from seven in 2008 to 30 in 2010. "These results, while extraordinary, place a large financial burden on the archdiocese, which annually generates only enough funds 95 percent from donations to cover its operating costs," said Archbishop Broglio, who joined the Order in 2007 while serving as the apostolic nuncio of the Dominican Republic. "The archdiocese has no funds on hand to meet the long-term contractual commitments of the Co-Sponsored Seminarian Program, especially if, as it is hoped, the numbers continue to grow."

Through this new scholarship, the Order, too, hopes to ensure the future development of the CoSponsored Seminarian Program. "Thanks to the generosity of the Knights of Columbus, this military chaplain scholarship will help fill this need for years to come," Broglio added. "The Knights of Columbus, over many years, has been most generous in providing much-needed financial support to this archdiocese.... [This] is but the latest instance of the organization's generosity. For that, I am most grateful."

Religiously Devoted, Patriotically Proud

For most men who follow Jesus, there comes a time when duty extends beyond our own lives, beyond how we lead our families, and into how we serve our fellow man. That's what the Knights of Columbus is all about. The Patriotic Degree allows K of C members to take this one step further. "Sir Knight" is more than a title its an honor. An honor guard of Fourth Degree Knights from Michigan Fourth Degree District #2 looks on as (from left) Vice Supreme Master George A. Dann, Supreme Director Thomas M. Wegener and Joseph Salvia place a wreath at the fallen soldier memorial at Patriarche Park in East Lansing. Following the district's Fourth Degree exemplification, 216 new Fourth Degree Knights joined other K of C members, an Armed Forces color guard and a bagpipe band for a procession and memorial service at the nearby park.

The Supreme Knight has sent the second payment of $200,000.00 to the Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, toward the Knights of Columbus pledge of $1,000,000.00 for the Catholic Military Chaplains Scholarship Fund. This is a five year program to help pay the tuition of Seminarians who wish to serve in our Armed Forces as a Catholic Chaplain. Each State jurisdiction is requested to donate $4,000.00 per year for five years to achieve the goal of $1,000,000.00. Donations are requested from each Assembly, Council, State Council, Auxiliaries, or individuals. If your Assembly or Council participates in the RSVP Program, why not consider donating the $100.00 rebate from Supreme to the Military Chaplain Fund. Another way is to pass the hat at a business meeting. ALL donations are accepted no matter the size. This is not just a Fourth Degree program, but an Order wide program assigned to the Fourth Degree for collection purposes. Checks are to be made out to Knights of Columbus and in the memo section of the check write Military Scholarship Fund. Please mail checks to Gary L. McLain, PSD, Vice Supreme Master, De Soto Province, 36 Currant Ave., Middleburg, FL 32068. All checks received are recorded on a spread sheet indicating the donor, amount, date of check and date received. This spread sheet, along with the checks, is then sent to Supreme for processing. Sometimes there is a delay in the processing of the checks, so please be patient on the clearing of the checks through your bank. Periodically a Report is sent to each District Master and State Deputy so they can keep track as to how their jurisdiction is doing. Additional information concerning the program will be coming to State Deputies and District Masters as soon address information is received from Supreme. Let us try to meet this pledge of $1,000,000.00 before the five year deadline. This can be done with everyones assistance. Should you have any questions, please contact me at districtmastersc@yahoo.com or my phone number (843) 422-1425. Last year our State collected $2,800.00 netting in a shortage of $1,200.00. I know we have the ability to make this amount up and achieve our goal for this year of $4,000.00. I fully realize these are some very hard economic times we live in today and our State and individual Councils charity giving is more desperately needed today for our programs such as Operation Hope and the State Charity Drive. As Knights we must find ways to support all these programs as well as the ones conducted by each of your Assemblies. As we progress throughout the coming year I will be working with each of the Faithful Navigators to assist in providing ideas, plans, encouragement and prayers that we can not only achieve our goals but exceed them as well.

Fraternally, District Master