Cradle Catholic
Introducing my Knights Blog. Information tailored to the Knights of Columbus in Black Forest Colorado. Our website is at http://kofc-11730.org/

The Good News:
Knights of Columbus Sets New Records for Charitable Giving, Volunteer Service
6/12/2007 - 11:51 PST
From: http://www.catholic.org/prwire/headline.php?ID=3670

NEW HAVEN, CT, JUNE 12, 2007 - The Knights of Columbus announced today that it set new records for charitable giving and volunteer service hours in 2006.
The results of the Order’s Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity for the year ending December 31, 2006 show that total contributions to charity at all levels reached $143,816,004 – exceeding the previous year’s total by more than $4 million. The figure includes $35,133,393 donated by the Supreme Council, and $108,682,611 in charitable donations from state and local councils, Fourth Degree assemblies, and squire circles.
The survey also shows that the reported number of volunteer hours by Knights for charitable causes grew to 68,270,432 hours, up more than 4 million hours from 2005. There were 393,807 Knights of Columbus blood donors during the year, and Knights made more than 6 million visits to the sick and bereaved.
The volunteer efforts were spearheaded by the Knights continued commitment to the Gulf States region affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Shortly after hurricanes, the Knights donated more than $10 million to relief efforts and donations of money and time continued throughout 2006.
Cumulative figures show that during the past decade, the Knights of Columbus has donated nearly $1.25 billion to charity, and provided in excess of 593 million hours of volunteer service in support of charitable causes.

The Bad News:
Knights of Columbus Calls Pro-Gay "Marriage" Knights "Embarrassing"
From: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jul/07070605.html
By Peter J. SmithNEW HAVEN, Connecticut, July 5, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As advocates of traditional marriage continue to reel from the marriage amendment's narrow defeat in Massachusetts in June, the Knights of Columbus has learned that 16 of its own members cast decisive votes against the measure."It is certainly embarrassing to the order and to every Knight out there who is firm in his support of traditional marriage and the right to life to have men take a position like this in such a public and consequential way," Pat Korten, Vice President for Communications for the Knights of Columbus told LifeSiteNews.com "It's embarrassing."
On June 14, the Massachusetts Legislature convened in a joint Constitutional Convention to decide the fate of gay "marriage" in Massachusetts and garnered only 45 votes, just 5 votes shy of the 50 required to put the initiative on the ballot in 2008. Among these were 16 Knights of Columbus, who broke with fidelity to Catholic teaching as well as the Knights principle of "unity." Among these were Speaker of the House Sal Dimasi, and House Majority Leader John Rogers. State representatives Garrett Bradley, Bob Deleo, Stephen Di Natale, Chris Donelan, Christopher Fallon, Kevin Honan, Charles Murphy, Angelo Puppolo, Bob Spellane, Bob Nyman, and Paul McMurtry voted against the initiative, along with State Senators Tom McGee, Michael Knapik, and Michael Morrissey.Among these, seven of the Knights are rated "pro-choice" by Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts' Advocacy Fund and a number openly publish their affiliation with the Knights: Speaker Dimasi, http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jul/%3ca%20href=http:/www.mass.gov/legis/member/sfd1.htm%3ehttp:/www.mass.gov/legis/member/sfd1.htm%3c/a%3e Reps. Bradley, Donelan, http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jul/%3ca%20href=http:/www.mass.gov/legis/member/cjd1.htm%3ehttp:/www.mass.gov/legis/member/cjd1.htm%3c/a%3e, Honan, Murphy, Spellane, http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jul/%3ca%20href=http:/www.mass.gov/legis/member/rps1.htm%3ehttp:/www.mass.gov/legis/member/rps1.htm%3c/a%3e and Sen. McGee, http://www.mass.gov/legis/member/tmm0.htmThe revelation has hit the Knights hard, since the Order - known for its pro-life stance and fidelity to the Church as its "strong right arm" - had led the drive to collect the 170,000 petitions to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. "That was a Knights of Columbus effort from top to bottom," said Korten, who added that 500 KofC delegates at the state convention had unanimously approved a resolution demanding that the Legislature allow the people to finally decide the fate of same-sex "marriage."

More Bad News:
Knight of Columbus Calls Latest Survey of Catholics "Embarrassing"
From: http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=274.%20Here/oblocked::http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=274.Here

This report is based upon nationwide telephone surveys conducted by The Barna Group with a random sample of adults, age 18 and older, conducted between August 2006 and January 2007. In total, 4014 adults were interviewed, allowing for a maximum margin of sampling error of ±1.7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Within that aggregate, 876 self-identified Catholics were interviewed, providing data for that group with a maximum margin of sampling error of ±3.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
· Catholics were only half as likely as others to mention their faith as their highest priority in life.
· The typical Catholic person:
o donated about 17% less money to churches;
o was 38% less likely than the average American to read the Bible;
o 67% less likely to attend a Sunday school class;
o 20% less likely to share their faith in Christ with someone who had different beliefs;
o 24% less likely to say their religious faith has greatly transformed their life.
· Catholics were more likely than the norm:
o to say that Satan is not real;
o to believe that eternal salvation is earned; and
o to contend that Jesus Christ sinned while on earth.
· Catholics were twice as likely to view pornographic content on the Internet and were more likely to use profanity, to gamble, and to buy lottery tickets.
· Among the moral behaviors in which Catholics were indistinguishable from other Americans were illegally downloading copyrighted music from the Internet, stealing, engaging in physical abuse, getting drunk, using illegal, non-prescription drugs, lying, committing adultery, and seeking revenge.
· A series of 11 questions about the existence and extent of poverty in the U.S., and people’s personal responses to poverty, showed no distinctions between Catholics and other adults.
· The survey data portray Catholics as people whose lifestyles and thought patterns are more influenced by the social mainstream than by the core principles of the Christian faith.
· The survey showed that American Catholics are more similar to non-Christians living in the U.S. than they are to the nation's Protestant adults.
· George Barna [who directed the study] commented:
o "... Catholics have largely lost touch with much of their substantive spiritual heritage. They ... have much less of a commitment to knowing and practicing the commands of Christ. For instance, the data show that some of their long-held distinctives, such as being champions of social justice, are no longer a defining facet of their community."
o "The faith of tens of millions of Catholics is affected by the prevailing culture more than by the central principles and teachings of the Bible. Spiritual leaders who are passionate about remaining true to the scriptures and to Catholicism’s historic commitment to Jesus Christ and the Word of God must address this spiritual drift within the body. If they fail to do so, in the next quarter century American Catholicism could well lose its ability to shape people’s minds and hearts in ways that conform to the historic teachings and purposes of Christianity."

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