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Pennsylvania State Council Knights of Columbus
Editor and Distribution: Rick Terroni FSS
Volume # 61 - Issue # 2 June 2017
State Deputy Report—Charlie Vagnarelli
I hope everyone had a happy and blessed Easter. In the months ahead, I ask all of our brother Knights and their wives to help recruit a new member. Please expand these efforts by asking at least two practicing Catholics to join our great organization. Our State Convention at Kalahari Resort was a huge success. Thanks to all Committee members, Brother Knights and Ladies! Our July Seminar is not far off. It will be held on July 22-23 in Grantville. Everyone has been notified of the upcoming seminar. All of our brother DD’S should attend this seminar. Many of your questions can be answered at this event. A lot of information is presented to all attendees.
Everyone should be thankful to our Veterans who dedicated their self to our great nation. Many of them made the ultimate sacrifice, so we could live in freedom. Remember our motto FAITH and FAMILY. Encourage a FAMILY member or friend who has become resigned and a doubter by relating your own personal journey of FAITH . Vivat Jesus ! Charles J. Vagnarelli SD
The pictures below were taken at the 2017 PA State Council Convention at the Kalahari Resort
June 2017 KEYSTONE KNIGHT Page 2
2016-2017 STATE FAMILY
STATE CHAPLAIN
Rev. Lawrence W. Sherdel
Lancaster, PA
717-872-2166
STATE DEPUTY
Charles J. Vagnarelli (Jean)
Jessup, PA
570-876-4524
STATE SECRETARY
Paul J. Sharum (Sherry)
Petersburg, PA
814-667-2595
STATE TREASURER
Jeffrey C. Blaze (Deborah)
Mercer, PA
724-662-2391
STATE ADVOCATE
Michael J. Kish (Colleen)
Downingtown, PA
484-678-0530
STATE WARDEN
Frank J. Rozzo
Pittsburgh, PA
412-885-1799
IMMEDIATE PAST STATE DEPUTY
Stanley Glowaski (Anna Marie)
Bentleyville, PA
724-239-3673
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
James S. Bailoni (Rose)
Mount Carmel, PA
570-339-0484
STATE MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR
Theodore R. Zajac (Pat)
215-453-7453
STATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Thomas E. Hathaway (Constance)
570-226-8729
The Keystone Knight is a publication of the Pennsylvania State Council, Knights of Columbus, which is
solely responsible for its contents. Views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of he
editor or the State Council. The Keystone Knight will be published three times a year. Articles will be
printed as space allows. The Keystone Knight can be viewed on the State Council Web Page! It will be
mailed to State Officers, State Chairman, District Deputies and Financial Secretaries who should give
the Keystone Knight to their current Grand Knight. Send articles and digitized photographs to
[email protected] or call 610-717-7554. Remember you can view the Keystone Knight on the
State Website at: www.pakofc.us
Council 3334 held a Diaper Drive
Mount Pleasant Knights of Columbus Council 3334
held a diaper drive at its member parishes during the
month of May. Parishioners at St. Pius X and
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin, in Mount Pleasant,
and St. Raymond of the Mountains, Donegal,
donated 66 packages of diapers totaling 3,305
individual diapers, handmade blankets, baby outfits,
bottles and other items. The donations were delivered
to Alternatives. Yes Pregnancy Support Center in Connellsville. From left are: Deputy Grand
Knight Ted Czekaj, Grand Knight Len DeCarlo; Alternatives. Yes Executive Director Andrea
Pritts and KofC Financial Secretary Ron Griffitt
Knights Outing
Shown in the picture to the right from left to right
are State Advocate Mike Kish, Former State Warden
Fran O’Hara, Supreme Secretary Mike O’Connor,
State Deputy Charlie Vagnarelli, Former District
Deputy Mike Yuknek and Former State Secretary
Rick Terroni. The photo was taken at the Fabulous
Greaseband concert held at Mater Dei Council.
CDA Assembly Honors PFN Michael Vecchione
Cardinal Dougherty Assembly 913 held its
annual dinner dance honoring PFN
Michael Vecchione . In the Picture are
Faithful Friar Father Dennis Weber
Former State Chaplain. State Advocate
Mike and Colleen Kish, FN Neal and Mary
Pizzano, PFN Mike and Donna Vecchione,
State Deputy Charlie and Jean Vagnarelli,
FSW Fran and Patty O’Hara and Master
Sean and Judy Connelly.
June 2017 KEYSTONE KNIGHT Page 3
\ STATE CHAPLAIN REPORT—FATHER LAWRENCE (LARRY) SHERDEL My Brother Knights, As Catholics, we have heard the message repeated in various ways. John the Baptist called us to a baptism of repentance, one which prepare us to meet our Lord. We often hear his words echoed annually on Ash Wednesday when the priest, deacon or Eucharistic Minister puts ashes on our foreheads and looks us in the eye saying: Repent, and believe in the Good News! Jesus, himself, often called those to whom he was ministering to repentance of sin, conversion of heart and prayer. This message has remained the same, changing very little through the centuries, until we heard it from Our Lady when she appeared to the children at Fatima a hundred years ago. She added, as if we needed a suggestion of how to pray, that the Rosary would be a wonderful prayer by which we could accomplish both sincere repentance and a true conversion of heart. We know Mary wants us to know her Son. The Church echoes her desire as we are directed to find Jesus through Mary. How blessed are we that the Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney provided us with the
beginning of the Knights of Columbus at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut. He gave us a special relationship with the Mother of God when we became members of this wonderful Fraternal Order of Catholic men, and the Order provides us with a very practical gift, very beautiful in its simplicity, a rosary. We are able to hear the words of many great men and women of Faith who have gone before us, as well as the voices of John the Baptist, Mary, and Jesus Himself, take them into our hearts, make them our own, and pray daily that we may undergo this repentance and conversion to which they call us through this meditative prayer with which we have been gifted. Our wonderfully successful State Convention for the Jurisdiction of Pennsylvania is now in the history books. So many Knights of Columbus did so much to help our State Deputy, Charlie Vagnarelli, and our other State Officers and Chairmen to make this a memorable event. I add my thanks to theirs for the time and effort so many of you provided to make this happen. Now, we turn our attention to the Seminar in Grantville, PA from July 20th until July 23rd and the Supreme Conven-tion following shortly after that in St. Louis, MO (end of July and beginning of August). As the work of the Knights of Colum-bus continues, may each and every one of us continue to work on our individual work which we inherited from Our Lord, Jesus Christ, when He gave us that great commission to GO OUT, PREACH, TEACH and BAPTIZE. May His be the honor and the glory, now and forever. Vivat Jesus! Rev. Lawrence Sherdel—State Chaplain
A Fun Time Was Had By All At The 2017 PA State Convention
The 119th State Convention was held at the Kalahari Resort and Conference Center in Pocono Manor, PA on May 19th-21st,
2017. One of the Objectives of the Convention Committee was to make the convention a family event. There were more
young adults at this convention than at any other in the last 20 years! You can see by looking at the photos on page 1.
Many thanks goes out to the convention committee from the Northeast for selecting a wonderful place and putting on a
great convention! The business meetings were held Friday evening after the Memorial Mass for our deceased members
and all day Saturday and ended on Sunday morning. The convention mass was celebrated by Most Reverend Joseph C.
Bambera, Bishop of Scranton. State Chaplain Lawrence Sherdel and Former State Chaplain Stanley Swacha were the
concelebrants. Our State Deputy Charles Vagnarelli gave a thorough report on what has been going on with the Knights
of Columbus in the State of PA. This was followed by reports from the other state officers. Supreme Advocate John
Marrella spoke about what the Knights do and Charity is the basis of our work. The convention concluded on Sunday with
awards that were presented to various Councils along with the announcement of the winners of the State Scholarships.
June 2017 KEYSTONE KNIGHT Page 4
Student Appreciation Day! Knights’ Style!
West Chester, Pa. Council 1333 Msgr. Henry C Schuyler spent Post St Patrick Day (3-18-2017) helping their Grade school
mentors, The IHM Sister based in Immaculata Pa.
Camilla Hall the nursing home needed some attention as part of the ongoing K of C Trinity Chapter work project. Twenty
council members prepped and painted 7 rooms. Lead by District Deputy (PGK-Trustee) Gary Novinskie and current Grand
Knight Jim Cushwa. Past Grand Knights Jim Hennessy (Treasurer) Tom Holman(Pro-Life Chairman) and Mark Luchetti
(Trustee) plus many other council members and spouses. Well Done Brothers and Thank you Sisters of the IHM, VIVAT
JESUS!
Trinity Chapter Assists IHM Nuns For Their Charity Project
For the last two years the Trinity Chapter has assisted
the nuns at Camilla Hall . It started with painting
some of the many bedroom and bathrooms used by
the retired sisters. This is done on one Saturday each
month. The project was the idea of then President -
DD Joe Paoletti. For the first few months many of the
active members of the Trinity Chapter gave up one
Saturday each month to paint on the average 4 to 5
bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Since the Trinity Chapter
is composed of 48 Councils in Chester and Delaware
Counties and some in Philadelphia, Joe came up with
the idea that Councils would like to have their
members volunteer to do the paint the rooms.. This is
what Msgr Schuyler Council did in the article above.
There are many rooms to paint so this project will last
for a few years. The Trinity Chapter also assists the IHM nuns at Camilla Hall by helping with their annual fair . The
members of the Trinity Chapter assist by selling chances, assisting with parking and this year the Chapter will run the BIN-
GO. It is a wonderful feeling that one gets with all the THANK YOU that are given by the good sisters when the Chapter is
there. The picture above shows some of the members of the Trinity Chapter after lunch has been served with some of the
residents of Camilla Hall!
June 2017 KEYSTONE KNIGHT Page 5
he
Agency Department Update! As General Agents with the Knights of Columbus, we live out on a daily basis the mission of Fr. McGivney and our
order. From our small and humble beginning, we have now grown to be on the Fortune 100 list, and to have 105 billion! of
life insurance in force. Our portfolio consists of:
Permanent Life Insurance – Insure Your Life for Life
Term Life Insurance – Affordable Protection for Temporary Needs Retirement Annuities – Give Yourself a Paycheck for the Rest of Your Life. Guaranteed. Long-Term Care Insurance – Protect Your Assets. Prepare for the Future. Disability Income Insurance – Shield Your Income from Illness and Injury
The agency department in the state of Pennsylvania is happy to report that we have 7 agencies now serving our
territory. Each agency is headed by a General Agent and has a team of field agents serving with him. This recent
restructuring is due in part to General Agent Jack Mitchell of Camp Hills’ recent retirement after 27 years of service to the
order. We wish Jack a happy and healthy retirement!
At our most recent state convention, Jack Mitchell announced that Jon Deakin of York PA was our #1 Field Agent for
the state of Pennsylvania this past year. Well done Jon!
Additionally, as part of the restructuring, Sean Fitzsimmons is now the General agent in the central eastern area after
serving as a Field director since 2016. Steven Hutek is now the general agent in Carisle and Harrisburg area. Steve comes to
PA after serving as field agent in Florida since 2014.
Each General Agent and contact information is listed below:
Arthur Ardire- serving North Western PA since 2004- [email protected] 814-375-1205
Michael Burkitt- serving South western PA since 2014- [email protected] 304-212-5573
James Carney-serving North Eastern PA since 1991- [email protected] 570-654-3390
Sean Fitzsimmons- serving Central Eastern PA since 2017- [email protected] 610-955-0525
Joseph Grayeske- serving Southeastern pa since 2016- [email protected] 215-362-2469
Steven Hutek- serving Central Western PA since 2017- [email protected] (717) 701-8194
Kenneth Scott- serving the greater Pittsburgh area since 2011- [email protected] 724-719-2324
The primary goal of each General Agent is to recruit and train Field Agents to serve our members. Our Field Agent
career offers a man the opportunity to earn a professional level income, flexible schedule, and the ability to blend faith and
work. Our experience has shown that our best agents come from agent and member referrals. Perhaps there is a brother
Knight who you think would make a good Field Agent. Please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can present this
wonderful opportunity to him.
We are more than happy to help a council grow their membership. We welcome the opportunity to speak at council
meetings, help out at recruiting drives, and assist at degrees. Each of these opportunities allows the men the knowledge of
knowing what the Field Agent can do for them and in turn, the opportunity for the Field Agent to grow his business.
Finally, while we do our best, we recognize that we have not achieved our goal of having an assigned field agent for
every council. Please contact us if you wish to have an agent speak at your meeting, so that we can help your council
insurance and membership goals.
Vivat Jesus!
Joseph M. Grayeske, General Agent
June 2017 KEYSTONE KNIGHT Page 6
PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE THAT HAVE ENTERED INTO THE HANDS
OF THE LORD
Russ Riegel, Former Master and Former State Warden on March 9, 2017.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
An outing for Council 13752
The photograph to the left shows brothers from Our Lady of the
Lake Council #13752 taking some time out to go bowling during a
social meeting. Isn’t this a good idea to spread fraternity in your
Councils and notice they are wearing their Council shirts which
will help promote membership. I am sure these brothers have a
Form 100 in their wallet ready for recruitment!
Memorial Day
Services in Pocono
Pines, PA
Brothers from Council 13752 presented a wreath during
Memorial Day Services in Pocono Pines, PA
2017 FAMILY OF THE YEAR
The Family of the Year for 2017 is James and Susan Banks. James is a Past
Grand Knight of St. Theresa of Calcutta Council 15456 in Limerick, PA. They
have 4 children – 1 son and 3 daughters.
Worthy Financial Secretary—Please forward this copy of the Keystone Knight to the Current Grand Knight of Your
Council! Also Please make sure your Council information is correct on the state web page—www.pakofc.us. If you
need assistance going to the State Web Page—Contact your District Deputy!
June 2017 KEYSTONE KNIGHT Page 7
2017 C.O.A.L PROGRAM Worthy Brother Knights, The Pennsylvania State Council convention is behind us. The COAL program is off to an early start again this year. COAL books have been ordered and are expected to be received and distributed to the Councils who placed orders by mid to late June. Councils who have no ordered yet can still sign up by completing the order form on the State Council web site or by calling Joe Caromano at 610-449-4778 (email [email protected]). As I stated at the Convention, the 2016 COAL program was a success. The COAL committee who worked 400+ hours between Thanksgiving and December 8th did an excellent job but more
important was the support that you, Brother Knights, and your councils gave. For your dedication and effort I offer a sincere thank you to all of you. Last year 20 councils who did not participate in previous years became involved. This certainly helped the success of the program. I hope more councils become involved this year. At the State Convention a drawing was held to present two (2) $50.00 checks to the Councils who ordered COAL books either prior to the convention or at the convention. The winning Councils were North Pocono #6050 of Moscow and Our Lady of the Lake #13752 of Pocono Pines. Each of our participating Councils is asked to sell or buy at least 10 more books than were sold during 2016. By doing so you will help us meet the escalating costs of the prizes and running the program. The sales bonus for increased sales over the previous year will again be $1.00 for each COAL book sold over the quantity sold during the 2016 program. New participants will have a starting point of 50 books. Returning the books stubs by December 1 st will entitle the Council to $.25 per book bonus. This important program funds the scholarships that are awarded each year at the State Council convention. The children of our membership can use all the help they can get to cover their college costs. Please don’t cheat them of this opportunity. Fraternally, Joe Caromano FST, COAL Chairman
Father O’Connor Assembly 921 presents Memorial Chalice Ron Goron the Faithful Navigator for Fr. O’Connor Assembly 921 presented a memorial chalice for deceased brother Worthy Sir Knight
Frank Gmitter to St. John the Evangelist Parish in Connellsville PA, Sunday May 21, 2017.He presented the chalice to the family which
placed it on the alter. Father Dan Ulishney blessed the chalice and thanked the Assembly and family for the fine chalice. Fr. Dan stated
that over the life of this chalice it will bring Jesus to thousands of people. Below are photos of the event!
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit No. 36
Broomall, PA 19008
Or Current Resident
Keystone Knight Editor
85 First Avenue
Broomall, PA 19008
The photograph above is of the State Family with Bishop Bambera of Scranton and was taken after the State Convention
Mass. Standing from Left to Right— State Program Director Tom Hathaway with his wife Connie, Immediate Past State
Deputy Stan Glowaski with his wife Anna Marie, State Warden Frank Rozzo, State Treasurer Jeff Blaze with his wife Deb,
State Advocate Mike Kish with his wife Colleen, Supreme Advocate John Marrella with his wife Amey, Most Reverend
Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, State Deputy Charlie Vagnarelli with his wife Jean with their granddaughter
Amber Drozdis, Administrative Assistant , Former Master and FSS Jim Bailoni with his wife Rose, State Secretary Paul
Sharum and his wife Sherry, and State Membership Director Ted Zajac with his wife Pat. All of our current state officers
were re-elected for the 2017-2018 Fraternal Year! Photographs of the State Convention taken by Geoff Crowe
