State Life Director
November 2023
Faith in Action Life - Programs HERE - Resources HERE
Greetings!
November remembers our deceased brother Knights and is a time we are getting ready for new Liturgical year. Both are about Life, as we pray that the deceased have entered into Eternal Life and the Church begins anew. Also, November is a time of prayer and of being thankful for God’s great gift-Life!
We have many Life activities available to your council that can make a difference in protecting and defending God’s greatest gift-Life!
Life is one of four categories in the Faith in Action Program. The other three are Family, Faith and Community. Supreme has provided several recommended programs in each of the four categories. The Life recommended programs are:
March for Life
Special Olympics
Ultrasound Program
Pregnancy Center Support-ASAP
Christian Refugee Relief
Silver Rose
Mass for People with Special Needs
Novena for Life
March for Life, Ultrasound Program, Pregnancy Center Support (ASAP) and Special Olympics are featured programs and count as two activities.
Some upcoming life events:
Biking for Babies was held September 8-10. It was the tenth annual and we had 15 riders. Thanks to many of you and your councils, we raised over $5,000—enough to pay for one ultrasound machine (each machine is $35,000 but with a match, $17,500 provided on machine) and allocate almost $7,500 to a second unit. Our goal is $35,000 (two units) and it is not too late to donate, just do so via indianakofc.org. SAVE THE DATE for the 11th annual event-Sept 6-8.
March for Life 2024…See the March for Life, D.C. info in the article by Pro-life chair, Michael Velasco. Also, the Indiana March for Life will be held on January 22nd in downtown Indy. Some details from the Indy Archdiocese Life Director are:
Click on news
Four of the five Diocese across Indiana will be joining the event.! A Youth event will be held followed by Mass and then the March and Rally. Three Bishops are confirmed and possibly all 5 will be in attendance.
Councils are invited to sponsor any parts of this event. Click on sponsor flyer
Five Sisters of Life be the keynote for the Youth Event. Sponsors to help with their travel and accommodation, which could add up to around $4,000 – $5,000 would be helpful. Also, some great musicians including Sarah Kroger will be coming and the costs range from $5,000.00 - $10,000.00.
Thankfully we have donors and contributions from participating dioceses, but the change in venue to the Convention Center Sagamore Ballroom has increased costs.
Sponsorship would entail and not limited to having logo on programs, projected on screens, sponsorship announced at event and included in promotion, as well as a vendor table.
If you can help, please contact Brie Anne Varic, Director of the Office of Human Life and Dignity at 317-236-1543 or bvarick@archindy.org
Gabriel Project and First Choice for Women in Need
Attached is a letter (click here) from Linda Kile of the Gabriel Project, and the manager of First Choice for Women, a pregnancy resource center located on the southside of Indianapolis. The center has been relocated and was previously in a building on the north side of Indy. The building was destroyed by a fire. The new location fills a need for women in this area. As Linda’s letter states, there are significant renovations and construction needed to open the center. If you or your council can help the center on this pro-life initiative, please do so as the instructions stated in the letter. The Knights Charity Fund can provide some matching too on a first come first serve basis. Please let me know if you plan to support the center.
Also, the following are some Life programs that many Indiana councils are currently doing or have done:
A Life goal for the fraternal year is for each council to support a Pregnancy Resource Center. The Women who are facing crisis pregnancies need our help, and supporting/being connected to a resource center in your area would be a difference maker. The new Supreme’s Aid and Support After Pregnancy (ASAP) program provides an opportunity to support and then received $100 for each $500 contributes. See kofc.org/life for detailed info. Please make your donation using the online form to ensure the additional $100 support is given to the resource center.
Women’s Care Center Endowment – we plan to assist the Indiana Women’s Care Centers (WC). We plan to raise $10 million over 10 years. The Indianapolis WCC annual Luxury Bingo is Thursday, September 14th.
Silver Rose Program… Indiana hosted the Silver Rose from April 30th to May 28th. Fifteen councils held a Silver Rose prayer service during May, honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe. Please let me know if you are interested in hosting in 2024. kofc.org/silverrose
Ultrasound initiative – in the last few months we have awarded or paid for eight units, and now we have requests from several pregnancy resource centers in need of an ultrasound machine. If each council member could contribute $5, we could raise the monies to meet the demands for the next year… or if each council raises $500 from its members we could meet those requests. Please remember that statistics show that 90% of women in a crisis pregnancy, who see their ultrasound, will keep their baby.
Offer up your council Rosary monthly or quarterly for Life. And consider a Novena for Life in your council, your parish in January. Offer up your council Rosary monthly or quarterly for Life. And consider a Novena for Life in your council, your parish in January during the anniversary of Roe v Wade, and the March for Life.
Invite the local Special Olympics representative to speak at a social night.
As a council, attend right to life events/dinners a supporting the organizations who are the front line and lobbying legislators for Life.
Host a movie night for the council/parish with movies such as Unplanned, Bella, Roe v. Wade, The Matter of Life, Lifemark or October Baby. Have pizza, popcorn, cookies and lemonade with a free will offering, with proceeds to Life organizations.
Special Olympics…one of our featured programs and our goal is for each council to have an Ambassador (include on form IN-FORM1) and raise at least $2,000 and provide 200 man hours…the Polar Plunge and Tootsie Rolls are both life initiatives that can help each council meet their goal.
Check for complete details on each Faith in Action program and the Faith in Action initiative at https://kofc.org/uns/en/programs/index.html. Keep in mind these are recommended programs, but other Life based programs such as those listed above (some you have developed in your council) also qualify as part of the required four activities for this category.
Also, please begin sending your activities today online at http://www.indianakofc.org/ and click on Forms.
One final comment/suggestion: PRAY and COMMUNICATE…as a leader, begin everything with prayer and communicate often. We have some wonderful initiatives and want to be sure all brother Knights are aware so they/the council can receive the blessings of these programs.
If you need help or have any questions about the Knights, especially the Knight’s Life initiatives, please contact me at life@indianakofc.org. Also, there are a couple of brother Knights who I work closely with: Culture of Life Chairman Michael Velasco (prolife@indianakofc.org) and Special Olympics Chairman Michael Lewis (soic@indianakofc.org). The three of us are the Indiana Life team.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Life and the Knights of Columbus, pray for us!
Vivat Jesus and God bless you!
Larry Kunkel
Indiana State Council - Knights of Columbus
State Life Director
life@indianakofc.org
Vivat Jesus