Happy New Year to all and to your families!

Your humble servant has returned for the midyear District Deputy Workshop and do I have a lot of material for the four Councils comprising District 27. In order to disseminate the materials, I am planning a District meeting early in February. The meeting will be at St. Elizabeth Church, as soon as I can coordinate a date, which I will then publish for all Councils to attend.

Both the Supreme and the State Councils continue to emphasize recruiting as the top priority for all Councils and Districts. District 27 is standing fairly well, but I encourage all Councils to continue to recruit. I think that recruiting is to be something that all of us do continually. I know that in some instances we each see the same parishioners who attend the usual Mass with us at the same time each weekend. Constantly talking to the Catholic men of the parish can eventually seem to get old. The arguments are that the squeaky wheel (you, the K of C member) gets the oil (a potential candidate who actually signs up on an interest card). But the opposite can happen, that a Catholic man of the parish gets turned off by the constant harassment.

So what are we to do? Change tactics. Councils might consider a Wheelchair Weekend at all or selected Masses. These events usually turn into outstanding recruiting events with double digit candidates indicating their desire to join a group that is doing this type of good work.

Another approach is to invite non-member men and their families to a Dinner with the Pastor. The difference is that the Pastor invites all of the non-K of C men and their wives and children to attend. The “trick” here is to get your Field Agent or even the General Agent involved. Why? Because the FA And the GA have materials available that are ideal for recruiting. The materials include short DVD like The Experience of a Lifetime. Running these during the sit down dinner is an excellent way to spark interest, not only with the husbands and fathers, but also with the wives and family members.

Also, the GA can and often will provide the supplies for a pasta dinner or whatever you serve.

The follow up after such events includes the home visit by the Council recruiting team and a First Degree soon thereafter. Supreme ahs made it easier for the next year and a half for all Councils to conduct First Degrees with new materials distributed recently to all Grand Knights. If any Council has questions about the use of these materials, please contact me directly and we can ensure that your Council is prepared to deliver meaningful First Degrees.

Vivat Jesus!,