I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with an update regarding the Order’s response to the devastating earthquake that ravaged Haiti last week. Already, the Supreme Council has sent an initial contribution of $50,000 to Catholic Relief Services to assist with immediate humanitarian needs and we have also established a fund for Haiti Earthquake Relief.

From the U.S. Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina, to the Philippine Islands following Typhoon Ketsana, our Order has stepped up time and time again to help our brothers and sisters in their time of great need. Already, many state and local councils, as well as individual Knights, have contributed a total of nearly $100,000 to our Haiti Earthquake Relief effort, and I am very grateful to all those who have already responded to the challenge and made a contribution.

If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to arrange for your state council to make a contribution to Knights of Columbus Charities Inc. for Haiti Earthquake Relief. Even if funds are limited, I hope that every jurisdiction will participate. I also ask that you utilize state council e-mail lists to encourage local councils and individual Knights to make contributions through the Order’s website, which also gives instructions on how to donate by check.

If any councils or Knights in your jurisdiction are involved in special projects to assist the people in Haiti, I would ask that you please let me know about them and provide pictures of these “Knights in Action,” so that they can possibly be featured on the Order’s website and in Columbia.

Finally, I ask you to join me in praying that Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the patroness of Haiti, will intercede once again for the Haitian people as they struggle to recover from this disaster of epic proportion.

From the Texas Knights: (Mike McLaughlin, Executive Secretary)

Brother Knights;

     I’m sure by now we have all heard of the devastating earthquake that has happened in Haiti.  We have had many calls regarding what kind of relief efforts that our Texas Brother Knights can be involved in.  For now please send all money donations to the State Office through the State Council Charities Disaster Relief Fund.  Make the check payable to Texas State Charities and then put Haiti Disaster Relief in the memo section.  We will find out about other possible donations from Supreme shortly. 

I ask you to relay this message to all your District Deputies and councils within your diocese.

Thanks in advance for your concerns and your thoughtful donations.  

Memos:
Supreme Knight - Haiti Relief
Texas Knights - Haiti Relief

Our Worthy Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson will have a book signing for his new book - Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love at the St. Matthew Parish Hall. He will be joined by the book's co-author Monsignor Eduardo Chavez, postulator of the cause of St. Juan Diego.

This is your opportunity to meet our Supreme Knight and have him sign your copy of the book. His New York Times bestselling book will be available for purchase at this event for $22.99 or you may purchase it online through the book's website (click here for website).

The book signing will take place on October 10th at St. Matthew McDonald Center at 6:30 p.m. inside the church complex. He will give a brief introduction to his book followed by your chance to buy the book and have him sign it.

Msgr. Eduardo Chavez will be the celebrant for the 5:30 mass prior to the book signing.

Please note that a 1/4 page ad for SK Carl Anderson book signing is in October 8th edition of theExpress-News on page 4a.

All are welcome, men/women/religious/church organizations, etc,. Please show your support of our Supreme Knight and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Light refreshments will be served.

St. MatthewCatholic Church is located at:
10703 Wurzbach Road
San Antonio, TX 78230
(click here for map)

Please arrive early.

All author proceed go to the Knights of Columbus Charities.

God bless the Knights of Columbus.

Pray the Rosary for the Unborn.

Defeat FOCA.

  
Reason:
 
For those of you who do not know, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is set to be signed if congress passes it. The FOCA is the next chapter in the book of abortion. If made a law then all limitations on abortion will be lifted which will result in the following:

1) All hospitals, including Catholic hospitals will be required to perform abortions upon request. If this happens Bishops vow to close down all Catholic hospitals, more than 30% of all hospitals in the United States .

2) Partial birth abortions would be legal and have no limitations.

3) All U.S. tax payers would be funding abortions.

4) Parental notification will no longer be required.

5) The number of abortions will increase by a minimum of 100,000 annually.

Perhaps most importantly the government will now have control in the issue of abortion. This could result in a future amendment that would force women by law to have abortions in certain situations (rape, down syndrome babies, etc) and could even regulate how many children women are allowed to have.

Needless to say this information is disturbing, but sadly true. As Knights of Columbus, as anyone who is against the needless killing of innocent children, we must stand as one. We must stop this horrific act before it becomes a law.

The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), was first introduced in November of 1989 by Representative Don Edwards (D- Calif) and Senator Alan Cranston (D-Calif). It was proposed to “codify Roe v. Wade,” and was, at that time, opposed by Senator Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill), who argued that it did not go far enough to unleash – on a national level – a complete and unrestricted access to abortion. The first version, according to the Senator, dangerously allowed some conscience protection to health care professionals and did not require states to fund abortions.

The more recent wording of FOCA, introduced last year, is as follows:

“A government may not (1) deny or interfere with a woman’s right to choose – (A) to bear a child; (B) to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability; or (C) to terminate a pregnancy after viability where termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman; or (2) discriminate against the exercise of the rights set forth in paragraph (1) in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information.

This act applies to every Federal, State, and local statute, ordinance, regulation, administrative order, decision, penalty, practice, or other action enacted, adopted, or implemented before or after the date of enactment of this act.”

Text of H.R. 1964 and S. 1173, introduced on April 19, 2007.