By: Martin Brown - Mon, Oct 31, 2022 10:29 AM

Knights of Columbus District #307 of Muskegon

In cooperation with the State of Michigan Knights of Columbus

and the Diocese of Grand Rapids

Where: Sacred Heart School

 150 E. Summit Ave, Muskegon Heights, Michigan 49444

 The school is located on Hoyt St. Please Park in the church parking lot off Leahy

* SOCIAL DISTANCING WILL BE ENFORCED *

When: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Thursday, November 3, 2022

Coat sizes: Boys & Girls sizes 4 to Boys size 16/18 & Girls size 16

 (Youth sizes for children K- 8th Grade)

NO NEED TO SIGN UP BUT FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED

This program’s primary goal is to help kids stay warm in the winter when a child’s family does not have the resources to adequately meet this need. A warm coat means a child can more realistically attend school, go to after-school programs, fit in with other children, play and do all the things that kids do to be kids. In a very real sense, a warm winter coat means mobility. Our mission is to make this seemingly small part of life a little bit easier for these families. The goal of the Coats for Kids program is to ensure that no child in North America goes without a coat during the winter season. Through the dedication of councils across the United States and Canada, hundreds of thousands of new winter coats have been distributed to children since program inception.

* ALL CHILDREN MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A PARENT * ALL CHILDREN MUST BE PRESENT TO RECEIVE A COAT

By: Richard Shelt - Mon, Oct 31, 2022 10:14 AM

Detroit West SDRR Dick Shelt presents to GK Greg Zawalski of Msgr. A. X. M. Sharpe Council #600 of Orchard Lake their Star Award for Fraternal Year 2021/2022 and congratulates the members for their works for the order.

By: Michael Cousins - Mon, Oct 31, 2022 9:02 AM

Each year the Knights of Columbus with the Detroit Archdiocesan Vocations League sponsor a Memorial Mass held at Sacred Heart Major Seminary.  It is a very moving event and the name of every Brother who is being memorialized on a plaque is read aloud and also printed in the program.  The Mass is attended by the State Officers, Fourth Degree Honor Guard and all brother Knights and their families who wish to attend.  This is followed by a brunch where we get to meet some of the current seminarians and future priests.

This year’s Mass is going to be held on Sunday November 6, 2022

Time: 10 am, please be seated by 9:45

Location: Sacred Heart Seminary 2701 Chicago Blvd. Detroit, 48206

Enter on Linwood south of Chicago.

If you wish to memorialize a Knight from your family or Council fill out the plaque application that can be found on the State Website HERE.

or contact Mike Cousins: m.cousins@mikofc.org   586-610-6497

By: Martin Brown - Mon, Oct 31, 2022 6:39 AM

Grand Rapids Coats for Kids 

Sponsored by: The Knights of Columbus Michigan State Council

Coats for Kids Program

Where: Shrine of Saint Francis Xavier and Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish

250 Brown St. SE Grand Rapids, MI 49507

When: Saturday, November 5, 2022, 10 am to 1pm. Child must be accompanied by a parent and child must be present. We be social distancing; everyone needs to wear a face mask at event.

Contact: Tom Farley 616-443-6616, t.farley@mikofc.org if needed.

Coat Sizes: boys and girls sizes 4 to XL No need to sign up.

 First-come, first-serve basis.

Child must be accompanied by a parent and child must be present.

Today, eighteen percent of American children and fourteen percent of Canadian children live in poverty. As a result, many families cannot afford to provide even the basic necessity of a warm winter coat. Putting their faith into action, Knights of Columbus councils have distributed more than 500,000 coats to children throughout the United States and Canada through the Coats for Kids Program.

There are approximately 17,000 Knights of Columbus councils that make up the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in 1882 to assist working-class and immigrant Catholics in the United States, today the approximately two million members of the Knights put their faith into action through a broad range of charitable causes locally, nationally and internationally with financial contributions and hands-on service.

Sponsored by: The Knights of Columbus Michigan State Council

Coats for Kids Program

By: Ed Strach - Fri, Oct 28, 2022 12:22 PM

On demand of the Special Defeat Proposal 3 Webcast is avaiable HERE.

This webcast is designed to help our Knights of Columbus families throughout the state understand our support of Proposal 3 through Prayer, Education and Engagement. It is understanding our role to defeat this proposal that will help us lead with conviction and leadership.

On-demand viewing can be accessed HERE

Learn about the Michigan State Council’s strategy to help Defeat Proposal 3. This panel discussion includes State Deputy Chris Kolomjec, State Chaplain Fr. Aidan Logan and RTL MI Multicultural Outreach Associate Jenifer Kolaski. Life Director Ed Strach welcomes all Brother Knights and families to join in.

By: Ed Strach - Fri, Oct 28, 2022 12:20 PM

Fight Like Heaven to Defeat Proposal 3!

Our councils and members are engaged to Defeat Proposal 3. Below are a few pictures of large No Proposal 3 Signs placed throughout our communities. You are encouraged to help with the placement of yard signs or billboards. If you are interested in yard signs, contact Ed Strach e.strach@mikofc.org or contact your local Right to Life affiliate.

Send your pictures helping to Defeat Proposal 3 to Ed Strach, e.strach@mikofc.org

Billboard Sponsorship Process:

If a council or individual would like to sponsor a billboard please follow the following steps:

1.    Secure your billboard space with a company.

2.    Send the spec sheet to Art & Marketing Director, Brittany Lutz st blutz@rtl.org to complete the artwork (usually provided as a PDF from billboard company)

3.    Send me the name and address of the organization purchasing the billboard (required for disclaimer line on artwork)

4.    After payment, please fill out the attached in-kind contribution form (attached) and send it to our Finance Director, Kristina, at kgruchow@rtl.org.

If you have questions related to billboard sponsorship, please email, or contact Brittany or Kristina at 616-532-2300.

Defeating Proposal 3 Through Education

Take a look at this short video by John Bursch, Alliance Defending Freedom for a legal explaination of this proposal.

We must continue all efforts to defeat this proposal through Prayer, Education and Engagement.

 Fight Life Heaven to Defeat Proposal 3! 

By: Gary Merritt - Fri, Oct 28, 2022 12:17 PM

Archbishop calls on Catholics to mobilize against 'deadly' abortion proposal, pray and support pro-life coalition's efforts.

DETROIT — Catholics and people of goodwill must vote and fight against a “vast and extreme” ballot proposal in Michigan that would dramatically expand abortion in the state, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron said in a Sept. 17 letter to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

The “Reproductive Freedom for All” proposal, which will appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot as Proposal 3, seeks to amend Michigan’s constitution to allow “unregulated abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy” and upend dozens of laws protecting women, minors, health care providers and victims of abortion, the archbishop said.

“The implications of this proposal are vast and extreme,” Archbishop Vigneron wrote. “If passed, the proposal’s vague wording would result in the elimination of dozens of Michigan laws relating to abortion, including laws prohibiting partial-birth abortion and taxpayer-funded abortion; laws requiring parental consent and informed consent for abortion; laws protecting the conscience rights of persons who refuse to participate in abortion, and more. The proposal would prohibit lawsuits from being brought against any individual for performing an abortion, even when complications result from the procedure.”

Read the entire article from Detroit Catholic

Watch the Archbishop’s message HERE

By: Gary Merritt - Fri, Oct 28, 2022 12:16 PM

On Saturday October 22 the Knights of Columbus Michigan State Council Officers and their wives took to the field along with our Brother Knights and Sir Knights for the 50th annual Catholic League Prep Bowl at Ford Field!

The 4th Degree Honor Guard had the pleasure of presenting the flag during the National Anthem.

The State Council and several local councils have been major supporters of this event for many years.

By: Martin Brown - Tue, Oct 25, 2022 10:32 AM

Awards were presented to the Marian Council #3111 at their general meeting on Monday 10-24-2022.

SDRR Marty Brown presented Region 3 Grand Rapids September Council of the Month to Marian Council 3111 Fremont.

By: Christopher A. Kolomjec - Mon, Oct 24, 2022 9:51 AM

An excerpt from an Op-Ed featured in Detroit Catholic on October 19^th written by Paul Propson, CEO of Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan.

To defeat Proposal 3, Catholics must help mothers cherish life - Detroit Catholic

The Catholic Church in Michigan advocates strongly against this destructive proposal. All seven Catholic bishops of Michigan have emphatically urged the faithful to vote "no" on Proposal 3 and have further encouraged us to share its potentially devastating implications with others. Put simply: Proposal 3 ignores the will of the people and would impose upon us unregulated abortion — performed anywhere, at any time, by any person, for any reason.

It is within this context that I am humbled to serve as CEO of Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan (CCSEM), part of a team of people at CCSEM and in the Archdiocese of Detroit working day and night to help pregnant women care for and protect their children before, during, and after birth. I take to heart what Archbishop Vigneron has said: “We cannot create a world where abortion is unthinkable without also creating a world in which all families receive the support they need. This work of mercy is critical and continuous.”

In accordance with the Archbishop’s words, the critical work of CCSEM does not hinge upon the result of the Nov. 8 election — or any election. Whether Proposal 3 is accepted or rejected, women in Michigan will continue to face tremendous barriers to choosing life. Many of these women will hear ominous whispers promising that everything in their lives will be easier if they take a pill or visit a clinic to remove the “clump of cells” that grows inside them. Our job at CCSEM is to love and serve all women and families who come to us, helping them see these lies for what they are. We do not judge, but rather we offer real support and care.

One key avenue through which we assist women is Walking With Moms in Need, a partnership between CCSEM and the Archdiocese of Detroit that equips and assists Catholic parishes and parishioners in raising awareness about resources available to pregnant and parenting moms in need. The initiative seeks to make each parish in the archdiocese a place where mothers and their babies are welcomed and supported — where the dignity of every human life is upheld and valued.

Walking With Moms in Need is a way for every Catholic to help every mom see the baby in her womb as a gift to be treasured, protected, and loved rather than as a threat to her autonomy. By helping women access medical care, baby formula, diapers, housing, and the support network of a caring community, Catholics affirm the gift of every human life and empower women to choose life for their babies.