Knights of Columbus
Msgr. Borusky Council 10243 Green Bay, Wisconsin
NEWSLETTER
May 2000

Dateline: 2000 State Council Convention, Oshkosh...
Richard Rebman Elected
State Secretary

Though Richard was unaware of any opponents going into the Convention, one is never sure about how elections will run. At the gathering of the 99th Convention of the Wisconsin State Council of the Knights of Columbus in Oshkosh, our own Richard Rebman advanced from State Treasurer to the next office of State Secretary, the second highest position in the State Council. The election was held on the morning of Sunday, April 30, 2000, the second day of the Convention. State Secretary Carl Templin was elected unopposed 53rd State Deputy of Wisconsin. Carl appointed Father John Simon of Milwaukee to a term as State Chaplain and proceeded to give his acceptance speech. He expressed gratitude to all those who have supported him and revealed that his motto would be "Rise Up On Eagle's Wings," from a song with special meaning for him.

Following Carl's remarks the Convention immediately moved to fill the vacancy in the Office of State Secretary. Don Bettine again nominated Richard for election, noting that delegates in 1994 (State Warden, Appleton), 1996 (State Advocate, LaCrosse) & 1998 (State Treasurer, Middleton) had already placed their confidence in him as a qualified leader. Council 10243's members at the Convention; Randy Barrett, Rick Noe, Jim Barnett and Father Al Lis joined in the standing ovation after Richard was unanimously elected to his position and escorted to the dais. In his brief acceptance speech, Richard thanked the members of the Convention and promised to continue "to give 110%" to the Knights of the State. Right after his election, a very proud and pleased Richard removed his "State Treasurer" name badge and replaced it with one which read "State Secretary Elect."

In other election matters, State Advocate Richard Ammon of Monroe overcame a challenge by Leonard Huschka (DD20, LaCrosse) and advanced to the position of State Treasurer. State Warden Wayne Wood of Pulaski faced Mike McCormick (State Program Director) of Beaver Dam and Wood was elected State Advocate. The last election of the day placed McCormick, Richard Taddy (DD61, Campbellsport), Edward Vander Bloomen (DD12, Manitowoc) and Robert Abb (DD49, Janesville) in contest for the Office of State Warden. Mike McCormick was elected on the first ballot. State Deputy Wenzel Felber moved to the position of Immediate Past State Deputy and State Chaplain Father Jim Jackson from Park Falls and Immediate Past State Deputy Larry Lanners of Janesville retired from the State Team.

Also at the Convention, most resolutions were dealt with in a most expedient manner due to delegates addressing many as a block. No one questioned the raising of the State per capita tax by a dime. The Convention Mass on Saturday evening brought over 1200 people together in worship. Bishop Robert Banks of Green Bay presided; also present were William Bullock, Bishop of Madison and Raymond Burke, Bishop of LaCrosse and about thirty priests. Representing the Council 10243 family at the Convention were State Treasurer Richard & Janet Rebman, Grand Knight Randy Barrett, Deputy Grand Knight Rick Noe, Financial Secretary Jim Barnett and Chaplain Father Al Lis. Representing the Supreme Council were Supreme Director Kenneth Ryan of Boston, who will soon be ordained a deacon, and his wife, Carolyn. Other highlights at the Convention included the presentations of the prestigious Medallion Awards, numerous other awards, the State Charity Raffle drawing and, of course, the Hospitality Rooms. Randy Barrett and Father Al Lis attended a meeting of the 'Supplement Committee' with State Historian Erv Jankowiak and Father Al also took part in the Chaplains' meeting and Luncheon.

Grand Knight's Column
The weekend is over and another State Knights of Columbus convention has come to a close. The headline item, of course, is that Brother Richard Rebman is now the State Secretary elect. Please be sure to congratulate him on this great accomplishment the next time you see him.

As I reflect on the convention, the 40 or so resolutions that had to be dealt with, reports followed by speeches and all of the other formalities that fill the day and a half, I simply can't call it a boring event. There were a lot of positives to the weekend. First and foremost, Chaplain Father Al Lis, FS Jim Barnett, DGK Rick Noe and I all had the privilege of being there to support Richard in his campaign to move up the chain of command at State. We got to enjoy the camaraderie of each other's company. I got to renew acquaintances that I've developed in the past; this was my fifth convention and with the help of Richard and Father Al I have gotten to meet many Brother Knights from across the State. Truly the fraternal aspects of the convention keep it from being a boring event.

It is very easy to go to the convention and leave feeling very proud. Certainly we should be proud of Richard's accomplishments at the state level. Without a doubt Father Al is both very well known and connected within the State Knights of Columbus. In part because of these two gentlemen, and because of our Council's activities, we as a Council are also well known at the state level. State Deputy elect Carl Templin has taken notice of our Web Site and is asking for Roy Johnson's help in developing a State Web Site. We have three men who are part of the State Historian's team, which is developing the next ten-year supplement. Our efforts always rank high in State sponsored activities such as the Charity Raffle and MR (Tootsie Roll) Campaign. We continually meet the annual requirements for Family, Church, Community, Youth and Fraternal activities. I have found that the present and past State Officers are very aware of our efforts, in large part due to the outstanding newsletter we publish.

So, if you were to ask me about the convention, I'd tell you it was a great weekend, even if none of us won the $50,000 raffle prize.

Randy Barrett
Grand Knight

Next Meeting
The next regular meeting of Council 10243 is scheduled for Monday, May 15 at 7:30 PM with rosary preceding at 7:15. There is not an exemplification of the First Degree scheduled for this evening. As Council elections will be held at the regular June meeting, your input is important as we seek to determine the leaders of the Council in the next administration. Make it a point to be a part of this important meeting of your Council.

Second and Third Degree
An exemplification of the Second and Third Degrees was held on Palm Sunday, April 16 at DePere. Five of the twelve first Degree men of Council 10243 took part, and we welcome them to the ranks of full Knighthood in our Order:

David Doering
Dennis Duckett
James Janssen
Mark Keuler
Robert Thut

Also taking part as observers were Richard Rebman, Jim Barnett and Father Al Lis. The exemplification for just over sixty candidates was held in honor of Father Michael J. McGivney.

Web Site
One of the goals of State Deputy Elect Carl Templin is to get the State Council set up on a web site. Carl frequently visits our Council's site and has not only complimented the site but has expressed an interesting in working with whoever is responsible--namely Roy Johnson. Carl hopes to make use of Roy's expertise in getting something set up for the State Council. We are grateful to Roy for his willingness to help. We take pride in our accomplishments as a Council and also in our willingness to help the State Council and other Councils whenever we can do so.

First Degree
The First Degree Team has been invited to present an exemplification of the First Degree at Council 10552 at Ss. Peter & Paul on Sunday, May 21. The request was made by Team member Bernie Watzka. For this reason the Degree will not be exemplified at our May Council meeting.

Charity Raffle
The State Charity Raffle reported the best year ever with total of $636,575 in sales. Statewide this was an increase of 14.9% over last year and an average per-member sale of 3.2 tickets sold for each of the nearly forty thousand Knights in the State. In the Diocese of Green Bay sales were up 14.9%. Winners were announced at the State Deputy's Banquet on Saturday, April 29. The following is the unofficial list of winners which was distributed at the Convention. Sincerest congratulations to all!

50,000 Ed Melaski Rib Lake
25,000 Sharon Koepsell Mayville
15,000 Pat Mangin Reedsville
7,500 Fred Kaminski WI Dells
5,000 Art Gerg Waunakee
1,000 Tom Wineke Verona
Carol Beistle Hartford
Roger Gavit Rio
Julie McDowell Oconto
Mike Bolcerek Necedah
Lana Voigt West Bend
George Hunter Babbitt, MN
Margaret Wizner Ripon
Richard Martin Hillsboro
James Vockroth Beaver Dam
Judy Adler Waunakee
Josef Vollmer-Konig Hales Corners
Jeanette Brandt Hazel Green
Connie Blasay Jefferson
Dick Jamson Marinette
Donald Murphy Madison
John McDermott Oshkosh
Tom Pitzen Cuba City
Darryl Daudet Centerville, VA
George Anderson Neenah
Florian Schwartz Chilton
Kristen Eischen Random Lake
Donald Goffinet Benton
Robert Grygiel Pulaski
John Geis Wauwatosa

On the local (Council) level, Raffle Chairman Leon Janowski has supplied us with the following information: Our grand total of tickets sold this year was 1383 which is 133 over the goal we needed to reach in order to earn a bonus. Money brought in amounted to $6915. 85 members of the Council participated (38 members did not respond) which is 67% of our membership, slightly down from last year. Compare these figures with the 1999 totals--1226 tickets sold by 87 participants.

Hats off to our fifteen top sellers who sold twenty or more tickets for sales of at least $100:

Roger Heesacker (208)
John Schmitz (129)
Tom Gauthier (100)
Father Al Lis (70)
Richard Rebman (55)
Randy Barrett (52)
Jed Schatt (50)
Aaron Naze (37)
Jim Janssen (33)
Ian Forbes (29)
Roger Shaha (22)
Grant Turner (20)
Dave Whitton (20)
John Laurant (20)
Leon Janowski (20)

The top eight men sold 51% of the Council's total. Hats off to our ladies also; in many cases their assistance in sales helped raise our totals considerably.

Installation of State Officers
Newly elected Officers of the Wisconsin State Council will be formally installed on Sunday, August 20, presumably at Middleton (outside Madison), State Deputy elect Carl Templin's home. Since it is likely that Richard Rebman will be elected State Deputy in 2002, our Council inherits certain responsibilities including handling the Installation. It would be most appropriate for several members of the Council to attend this upcoming Installation in order to see how things are done. More information will be published as soon as it is received.

BCARC Awards
On April 7 DGK Rick and Mary Noe represented our Council at an awards dinner hosted by Brown County Association for Retarded Citizens. Nine Councils of the Knights of Columbus were among those receiving recognition. The Councils had contributed some of the proceeds from the Tootsie Roll drive or had supported BCARC in other ways. Each Council received a framed certificate and was recognized on a plaque kept in the lobby of BCARC's offices. In addition to Council 10243, other Councils recognized were 10552 (Green Bay), 4505 (Green Bay), 5844 (Luxemberg), 6279 (Green Bay), 10714 (Allouez), 5382 (Green Bay), 617 (Green Bay) and 4439 (Pulaski).

Special Days
May 15 - June 15
A = Marriage Anniversary
B = Birthday
O = Ordination Anniversary
+ = Date of Death

May
16 B David Burbach
16 A John & Lee Ann Laurant
18 B John Murphy
18 B Mason Powers
19 A Dan & Melanie Barrington
19 B Janet (Richard) Rebman
21 B Donna (Dan) Mullen
22 A Cliff & Dorothy Gigot
22 B Kevin Beck
22 B Leon Janowski
22 B Terry Misfeldt
22 B Mary (Don) Schneider
23 O Father Jerome Pastors
25 B Thomas George
26 B William Kaczmarek
27 B Mae (Eugene) Schmitz
27 B Robert Thut
28 A Bill & JoAnne Griesbach
29 O Father Doug LeCaptain
29 O Father Mike Seis
30 A Andrew & Jeane Schumacher
30 + George Capelle (1998)
31 A Al & Rosella Collins
31 B Dennis Duckett
31 B Michelle (Brad) Gauger
31 O Robert Jacqmin

June
01 A Roy D. & Emerine Johnson
01 O Father Dave Pleier
02 A Randy & Becky Barrett
02 A Dennis & Sandy Duckett
02 A Gary & Virginia Durocher
02 A Leon & Sheila Janowski
02 A Richard & Connie Rosin
02 B Ron Rentmeester
03 B Sarah (+Arnold) Chaloupka
04 B Pat (Howard) Erickson
05 B Ruth (Harold) Watermolen
07 A John & Marianthe Hale
07 A Robert & Kathryn Hieronimczak
07 A Mark & Lynn Janus
07 B Sandy (Dennis) Duckett
09 A Charles & Bev Rademacher
09 B Lynn (Mark) Janus
10 A Dennis & Ann Neiss
10 A George & Joan Raymaker
12 B Emerine (Roy D.) Johnson
12 B Janet (Gerry) Piontek
13 B Jeane (Andrew) Schumacher
14 A Mike & Mary Delvaux
14 B Wencil Froelich
14 B Dennis Neiss
15 A Brad & Michelle Gauger

Prayer

Prayer for the Easter Season

God of light and of grace,
you showed the splendor of your power
in the radiance of the Risen Christ
and you shed upon a world trapped in gloom
the True Sun and the Light of the World.
May your power,
which has burst the chains of sin and death,
illumine the darkest reaches
of all that you have made.
May we praise you for the brightness
of the light begotten from eternal light
and may we come to know and love
the brightness of your abiding presence.
May your Knights soar where Christ has led
in the service of our brothers and sisters
and so dedicate ourselves to
charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism
so that we will be for all the world
a sign of the glory of the Risen Christ.
May our lives be dedicated to bringing forth
the new heavens and new earth
that dawned upon the world
on the day of resurrection.
We ask this through Christ,
our light and our life,
and our Risen Lord, forever and ever.

History Supplement Committee
The Committee charged with producing the ten-year supplement for the State History Book met in Oshkosh on Convention weekend. Committee members Father Al Lis and Randy Barrett took part in the meeting. Jason Vandermause was not able to attend. The supplement will cover the years 1992-2002. The chair of the committee is PSD Erv Jankowiak, State Historian. The committee serves at the pleasure of the State Deputy, and work continues as we await word from State Deputy-Elect Carl Templin as to whether the State Historian and the members of the committee are re-appointed.

Chaplain's Column
One of the rewarding things about attending State Conventions is being recognized. Granted, I have been running around these things for a number of years now, but it seemed as if a lot of people for one reason or another remembered who I was. Brothers of our Council and many outside know how infrequently I wear a Roman collar, and some at the Convention jokingly asked how much it cost to rent one. The problem for me was that I have a fairly good memory for faces and for encounters, but names are something I've never been really good at. I found myself shaking hands with numerous people and in the course of the encounter remembering what it was that we had in common, but I could not remember their names for anything. That was fine, because how often in conversation to we really address another person by their name? I got to thinking about that on the drive home, and found an interesting connection with Christianity. Among the people who annoy me the most are those who can quote chapter and verse of every reasonably interesting passage of scripture but who seem to be hard pressed to incorporate some of those values into their own lives. I wish I could quote and cite scripture as well, but the greater challenge for me would be that I really live by those words, not just be able to recite them. This season of Easter affords us many opportunities to hear some of the choicest portions of all our holy books. We can sing the 'alleluias' and recite the prayers and maybe we've even mastered all the tricky choreography of the ceremonies of the Easter Triduum. But, have we really gotten the message of the season? We have just celebrated the most important days of our Christian year, and we continue to celebrate the 'new life' and the 'rescuing from the power of death' and all the other phrases that are a part of what Easter is all about. Whether those phrases have become incorporated as Christian values may be quite another issue. I would suggest that, at some time in this time of the Easter Season, that we pick one Sunday gospel and read it over and over again until we think we may have gotten a message from the Spirit. Maybe a good homily or a chat with a spiritual director or confessor might help in this regard. Decide how a particular gospel may be an invitation to make some changes in how we are living our lives and determine some plan of action for making those values come alive. In doing so we will have really entered into the season--not just memorizing the peripheral practices but actually internalizing the message of Christ's good news.

Fr. Al Lis, O.F.M.
Chaplain

Ascension
Effective this year, the Solemnity of the Ascension, usually celebrated on Thursday of the sixth week of Easter, is transferred for the future to the following Sunday, the Seventh Sunday of Easter. In a letter announcing the change, Bishop Banks said, "The change of date is by no means intended as a lessening of the importance of the Ascension. Rather, the Sunday celebration affords us the opportunity to explain and celebrate with more of our people the fullness of the Redemption we have in Christ." Ascension Thursday, which would have been celebrated this year on June 1, is transferred to Sunday, June 4.

Fourth Degree
Oconomowoc was the site of an exemplification of the Fourth Degree for about sixty-five candidates on the blustery weekend of April 8-9. While there were no candidates for Council 10243, one candidate for the Marquette Assembly 1197 from another local Council attended the exemplification. Also taking part from the Council 10243 family were Richard & Janet Rebman and Father Al Lis.

Clergy Night
Abbot Pennings Council 3955 in DePere sponsored its tenth annual Clergy Night for the priests and religious of the area on May 1. A fine meal was served at the Swan Club in DePere and entertainment provided by The Odd Couple. About 150 were in attendance including Council 10243 's State Secretary elect Richard & Janet Rebman, Father Dave Pleier, Father Jerry Pastors and Father Al Lis. Many thanks to GK George Garrity, Vocations Chairman Herbert Kocken and the brother Knights and families of Council 3955 for coordinating this annual event in support of our clergy and religious.

Council Picnic
Plan on attending our annual Council Picnic, scheduled for Sunday, May 21 at Preble Park. As coordinator Rick Noe said, "It's got to be drier than last year!" See the notice on the next page for further information.

The Spotlight is on Carl Templin
It has been a while since there has been a State Deputy from the Diocese of Green Bay, but we can probably take at least partial credit for Carl. Carl Templin, who has resided in Middleton for the last twenty years, is originally from Shawano. He was elected 53rd State Deputy of Wisconsin at the Convention in Oshkosh on April 30. As a child growing up in Shawano he remembers some of the images common to so many other men in the Knights--the Honor Guard. He recalls their presence at '40 Hours' and other activities at the parish. He also remembers that most of the men who were involved were leaders in the parish, and he wanted to be a part of that--not only for the regalia of the Honor Guard but because of all that they gave to the parish. While he was commuting from Shawano to St. Norbert College, he began thinking more seriously about membership. He joined the Knights in 1973 at the invitation of Jim Stachura, insurance Field Agent from Pulaski and two years later became a part of the Fourth Degree. He moved to Middleton on a job-related transfer in 1981.

Carl is Director of Communication Services for the Wisconsin Health and Hospital Association, an advocacy group that claims as members all but four of the 122 community hospitals in the State. His average day includes writing, editing and printing publications and Newsletters. He also addresses media relations and has some involvement in educational services, legal analysis and the like. Besides all of that he has found the time for a spare job in sales at JC Penney to help save for anticipated college expenses for his children, though he admits this latter job may have to go because of the time demands of his new position in the Knights.

In his time at Shawano he served in various positions in the Council (#2836) including Grand Knight. Upon the move to the Madison area he transferred to the College Council at Madison (#6568), a Council which recently gave us Jason Vandermause and John Murphy. He served that Council in various ways including as Financial Secretary, an important position of stability in College Councils that tend to have a high turnover. He is currently a member of #4549 in Middleton. Also interested in Degree work, Carl has served on Degree Teams at all four levels and remains active in Third And Fourth Degree Exemplifications. His time in the Knights also saw service as a District Deputy (#47) from 1986-91. At the State Convention at Appleton in 1994, he ran to fill a vacancy in the Office of State Advocate and narrowly defeated another contender for that Office, Richard Rebman of Council 10243. Richard ended up in the next position of State Warden and has been following Carl up the ranks of State Offices since then.

Because it seemed clear over the last several months that Carl would come out of the recent Convention as State Deputy-elect, he has been spending some time trying to get a 'team' together. As State Deputy he needs to make various appointments of District Deputies, State and Diocesan Coordinators and the like. Because of the demands of the Office, he realizes that the part time job will probably have to go, but he also recognizes that he has responsibilities to his family that must be given priority. He is not planing to miss out on the lives of his children Kristen (17) and Jon (15) who have accompanied him to various KC functions. True to his career in the communication field, he wants to maintain good communication among the Knights in the State. Among his ideas is to have full-page ads in each of the five Diocesan newspapers to occasionally replace the monthly NEWSLETTER of the State Council, "Wisconsin Knights" which sometimes doesn't trickle down from the leadership of local Councils. Reflecting on the important position he is about to occupy, Carl feels excitement as well as apprehension. He is certainly excited about the opportunities that he will have to make a significant contribution to the leadership of the Knights in the State, and he has several ideas which he feels may be of benefit to the Order. There is also a little uneasiness: He wants to be sure he doesn't fail in front of people who have supported him and put their faith in his leadership. His engaging style should make people feel comfortable with him, and we look forward to his leadership as we offer Carl our congratulations and our prayerful and fraternal support.

May 2000

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