From the desk of the Grand Knight

A big Thank You goes out to all of those who helped make the football game food stand A success . Thank You again

It has been a great fall. Harvest is done and all the field work is going on now. Be safe Have a great Thanksgiving with your family, I know the food will be good.

Santa will be at the K.C. Hall greeting all the children with treats. along with  Homemade chicken noodle soup. It is always very good!. I would like to thank all Ladies who made the noodles and the soup.

We just celebrated 11-11-11. It is good to be giving back to our heroes. The Knights honor Veterans and their service through lasting volunteerism. These men and women fought For our freedom, and know we honor them.

Thank-you

Butch Baetsle

Just a few things about our order

Degrees and principles

The Order is dedicated to the principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. A First Degree exemplification ceremony, by which a man joins the Order, explicates the virtue of charity. He is then said to be a First Degree Knight of Columbus; after participating the subsequent degrees, each of which focuses on another virtue, he rises to that status. Upon reaching the Third Degree, a gentleman is considered a full member. Priests do not participate directly in Degree exemplifications as laymen do, but rather take the degree by observation.

The first ritual handbook was printed in 1885, but contained only sections teaching Unity and Charity. Supreme Knight Mullen, along with primary ritual author Daniel Colwell, believed that the initiation ceremony should be held in three sections "in accord with the Trinity of Virtues, Charity, Unity, and Brotherly love.'" The third section, expounding Fraternity, was officially adopted in 1891. The third degree is the highest degree a Knights of Columbus member can obtain. The fourth degree is a separate honor and is not higher than the third degree. A member must be a third degree Knight before becoming a fourth degree however.

Fourth degree

The Fourth Degree is the highest degree of the order. It is an extension of the third degree. Members of this degree are addressed as "Sir Knight". The primary purpose of the Fourth Degree is to foster the spirit of patriotism and to encourage active Catholic citizenship. Fewer than 18% of Knights join the Fourth Degree, which is optional;.. A Knight is eligible to join the Fourth Degree after six months from the date of his First Degree, providing he has completed the 2nd and 3rd degrees beforehand.

Assemblies are distinct from councils, and are led by a separate set of elected officers

Each assembly is led by a Navigator. Other elected assembly officers include the Captain, Admiral, Pilot, Scribe, Purser, Comptroller, Sentinels and Trustees. A Friar and Color Corps Commander are appointed by the Navigator. Assembly officers are properly addressed by using the title "faithful" (e.g. Faithful Navigator). Assemblies are numbered in the order in which they chartered into the Order, and are named by the local membership.

The emblem of the Order dates from the second Supreme Council meeting on May 12, 1883, when James T. Mullen, who was then supreme knight, designed it.

The emblem consists of a shield mounted upon the Formee cross  (having the arms narrow at the center and expanding toward the ends). The shield is that associated with a medieval knight. The Formee cross is the representation of a traditional artistic design of the cross of Christ through which all graces of redemption were procured for mankind. This then represents the Catholic spirit of the Order.

Mounted on the shield are three objects: a fasces (a bundle of rods bound together about an ax with the blade projecting) standing vertically and, crossed behind it, an anchor and a dagger or short sword. The fasces from Roman days, carried before magistrates as an emblem of authority, is symbolic of authority which must exist in any tightly-bonded and efficiently operating organization. The anchor is the mariner's symbol for Columbus, patron of the Order, while the short sword or dagger was the weapon of the Knight when engaged upon an errand of mercy. Thus, the shield expresses Catholic Knighthood in organized merciful action, and with the letters, K Of C proclaims this specific form of activity.

Each Knight receives the emblem as a lapel pin upon initiation.

Fourth Degree emblem

The triad emblem of the Fourth Degree features the dove, the cross and the globe. Taken spiritually the sacred symbols typify the union of the Three Divine Persons in one Godhead, referred to as the most Blessed Trinity. Red, white and blue are also the colors of the flag of the country in which the Knights originated. They are used to stress patriotism, the basic principle of the

Fourth Degree.

Globe

The globe is a symbol to represent God the Father, the Creator of the Earth and the Universe in the Catholic tradition. It is styled as a blue globe with the continents of the Western Hemisphere in white.

Cross

The red cross is a symbol for God the Son the Redeemer of Mankind in the Catholic tradition. This is styled as a red cross with gold borders and gold knobs at the end of each of the points. This cross is known as the Isabella cross, after the Queen  of Spain who sponsored Columbus.

Dove

The white dove is a symbol of God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of Humanity in the Catholic tradition. The dove is also a symbol of peace. Columbus' name in Italian (Colombo), also means "dove."

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