First Exemplifications Held in Poland (Knights of Columbus)

Knights of Columbus Homepage ^ | 2/24/2006 | KofC

[Theoden]

Less than six months after Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson announced that the Knights of Columbus would expand to Poland, the Order is beginning to take hold there. A development team led by Supreme Master Joseph P. Schultz, Ronald J. Tracz, administrative assistant to the supreme knight (fraternal affairs), and Wojciech Dadak, a Supreme Council office consultant for Polish affairs, has made two trips to Poland to lay the groundwork in several areas in central and southern Poland, including Krakow and the capitol, Warsaw.

[Theoden]

The three had meetings with Church officials and others about the Knights of Columbus. Schultz reported excitement from members of the hierarchy and “overwhelming support” for the Knights’ venture from Cardinal Jozef Glemp of Warsaw.

Church officials, Schultz said, “see the potential in what the Knights has to offer the Polish layman and his family.” The Knights met with Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, retired Cardinal Franciszek Macharski of Krakow, Archbishop Slawoj Glodz of Praga, Bishop Stanislaw Stefanek of Lomza and Bishop Zygmunt Zimowski of Radom.

Dadak also spent the month of January in Poland holding parish open house recruitment drives and other informational meetings.

“We’re closing in on our first 100 members,” said Tracz. “We held First Degree exemplifications in five areas, and initially we see the possibility of four councils being chartered.”

According to the Order’s bylaws, a council needs 30 members to be chartered. The five areas where Knights have been recruited are Krakow, Warsaw, Ludmierz, Lomza and Radom.

Polish members of St. Maximillian Kolbe Council 9612 in Mississauga, Ont., and Cardinal Wyszynski Council 9296 in Toronto, conducted exemplifications at the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Krakow, the Marian Shrine at Ludzmierz, the Institute for Studies on the Family in Warsaw, and at the home of Bishop Stanislaw Stefanek of Lom¿a.

Comprising the degree team were Canadian Knights Henryk Skibiñski, Franciszek Lenart, Kazimierz Szuber, Joseph Chudoliñski and Jan Hapek.

Dadak and Schultz are scheduled to visit Poland again for additional recruitment drives and degrees. “Our target is 400 members by June 30,” said Schultz.

Since the Order’s Board of Directors approved expanding into Poland, the Supreme Council office has created a Polish-language version of the Order’s Web site,. Recruitment posters and flyers and promotional literature is also being developed. Tracz said the interest in the Knights has been strong and the Supreme Council’s next phase is to get the Polish Knights educated about Columbianism, volunteerism and the fraternal infrastructure of the Order.

“Essentially, we’re training them in all facets of the Knights of Columbus,” he said. “Once we have the structure in place, with a few leaders there, we can get more aggressive about growth.”

Tracz also urged Polish- Canadian and Polish-American Knights with family members or friends in the five areas where the Order has started to talk about the Knights of Columbus with the men there. “It would be a great way to build the Knights and show the strength of family ties in our Order,” he said.

With Pope Benedict XVI scheduled to visit Poland from May 25-28, Supreme Knight Anderson said there is nothing the Order desires more Knights and their families among those welcoming the pope to Poland.

“It will be a further demonstration of the Order’s global solidarity with Pope Benedict XVI,” said the supreme knight.

[Theoden]

The hope for Europe's future arises in the East.

[Tax-chick]

Excellent Knights news!

[starfish923]

Great Knight news, great Europe news!

[Wonder Warthog]

Shouldn't this be posted in the "Religion" section of the forum, and not "News/Activisim"

[Theoden]

I don't know how to post under religion. I logged into that forum and tried posting there, but it ended up under News/Activism for some reason.

[stuartcr]

What exactly, do the Knights do?

[Theoden]

The Knights are a fraternal organization of Catholic men who work closely with the Church in promoting charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. The Knights also run charities, repair work for their local parishes, provide insurance benefits for members, and are effectively the defenders of the Church and the priesthood, in the intellectual realm, as well as the pyhsical.

Here's a link to the information page, Knights of Columbus Information

[stuartcr]

Thanks

[Tax-chick]

And they march in parades in colorful clothes :-).

[Frank Sheed]

Hey...something is up. Some of the guys in this picture look they are from my Council!

F

[Frank Sheed]

And run Bingos like all good Catholics!

;-o)
F

[Frank Sheed]

Polska K of C ping!

[livius]

Great news! The K of C are the real good guys in the world of Catholicism now - they've done an incredible amount of pro-life stuff and are just hard working and dedicated.

[Tax-chick]

Our council runs a concession stand at Carolina Panthers football games, so we don't have to have bingo. The council at the University of Oklahoma had the easiest fundraising dodge - they just rented out the parish parking lot during games. It's incredible what people will pay to park. The whole youth group went to Rome on the parking receipts from the Rolling Stones concert.

[Frank Sheed]

We work parking at the Irish Festival. The parking is free, but if you go up with a wad of bills in your hand, they give you a really good tip (especially if I pull me Irish out and give 'em a bit of the mother tongue!). After about 8 pints of Guinness, they give you their entire wallet as they leave!

Also, we work parking cars at the County Fair on contract and work a few other events parking cars; we have it down to a science. Still, the old smoke filled Bingo with the old ladies is a staple event.

Francis

[Tax-chick]

My husband disapproves of gambling.

[Frank Sheed]

I disapprove of the smoking. I stopped going for a few years until the number of smokers feel below a critical mass.

[Tax-chick]

Good idea. Some of the Indian casinos in Oklahoma had separate, glass-enclosed, filtered-air, NON-smoking areas!

[Coleus]

Scenes from the Third Knights of Columbus Eucharistic Congress

 

Aug. 5 Procession from the Chicago Hilton to Grant Park