“You Shall Be My Witnesses”College knights to celebrate College Councils Conference with focus on evangelization

College CouncilsNewsletter

NEWS FOR COLLEGE KNIGHTSwww.kofc.org/college SUMMER 2015

SEE WITNESSES, PAGE 3

In preparation for this year’s College Councils Conference, theSupreme Council selected the theme “You Shall Be My Witnesses.”

Taken from Acts 1:8, this year’s theme echoes our call to be global mis-sionaries in the new evangelization. The annual conferences provide a dynamic program of inspiring speak-

ers and leadership training, offering participants insight on how to bet-ter their councils and move forward with the mission of the Church andthe Knights of Columbus. This year’s theme continues in that tradition,addressing a responsibility faced by all Catholics and preparing collegeKnights for their work in the year ahead. Pope Francis reflected upon Acts 1:8 during Lent this past spring.

He said of the Church: “Her mission is to bear patient witness to theOne who desires to draw all creation and every man and woman to theFather. Her mission is to bring to all a love which cannot remain silent.

The Church follows Jesus Christ along the paths that lead to every manand woman, to the very ends of the earth (cf. Acts 1:8). In each of ourneighbors, then, we must see a brother or sister for whom Christ diedand rose again.”Supreme Knight Carl Anderson has elaborated upon this message

of caring for our neighbor in his monthly Columbia columns, most notably in the May 2015 issue. In it, Anderson notes: “In his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis called for a new missionaryspirit among Catholics. This challenge has particular resonance forKnights of Columbus, especially throughout North America and thePhilippines where we have benefited in so many ways from the devotionand sacrifice of countless missionaries.”The supreme knight further remarked: “In Father McGivney’s day,

people too often viewed Catholics through the lens of prejudice and bigotry. He had a simple answer: Live the principles of charity, unity andfraternity in ways people can see so as to overcome self-centeredness,greed and cynicism. Pope Francis similarly challenges us today with evengreater determination to be, in his words, ‘neighbors who care for eachother.’ This is truly the Knights of Columbus way of life.”In this time of adversity, when many of us bear witness to the struggle

of defending the practice of faith, both on our campuses and within ourcommunities, this charge to renew a missionary spirit among ourselvesand our fellow classmates is particularly relevant. Over a century ago, Father McGivney faced many difficulties in his efforts to serve a Catholiccommunity often scorned by the prejudices of his time, but throughstrength and compassion, his example served to influence others andchange the local negative conceptions directed at the Church and herfaithful. So, too, through our example must we show the world the valueand humanity of a civilization of love.

Knights GearAre you looking for ways to promote your Knights of

Columbus membership on and off campus? Check outwww.knightsgear.com for all of your Knights of Columbus apparel needs. From t-shirts to athletic shorts, pens to golf balls, Knights Gear has lots of clothing and accessories tochoose from, many of which can be personalized with yourcouncil name and number. Don’t see what you’re looking for?Email us at college@kofc.org and we’ll work with Knights Gearto develop your desired item(s). Knights Gear merchandise alsomakes for great gifts, so make sure to tell family and friends!

In the midst of summer, with another fraternal year behind us, it is a good time to reflect and planfor the future. Many of our brother Knights have graduated and are beginning their careers or

preparing for future studies. They have already made important decisions about their future, and welook forward to the fruits of their continued membership and brotherhood. For the rest of us thissummer is a time for reflection and planning. I encourage everyone to read Father Kalisch’s column(page 3) about taking advantage of the freedom that summer offers. Here in New Haven, the College Councils Department continues to make plans as we look

forward to this new fraternal year. But before we move forward it is important for us all to reflect onhow momentous our past year has been. Last fall at the College Councils Conference, I challenged each council to make 2014-2015 a

growth-oriented year, specifically in membership and charitable outreach. I am pleased to report thatmany councils answered this call through their fraternal activities. Thanks to your efforts, over 2,700men became new members of the Knights of Columbus through the college program this year. Whileall councils contributed to this growth, 20 took a strong lead and recruited 20 or more new members.It’s our goal that every college council welcomes this number or more into their ranks each year.Our presence on campus also grew through the development of new councils. This past year 22

new college councils were chartered, including nine in the United States. The Supreme Council stafflooks forward to working with these councils and visiting their campuses in the year to come.Councils also continued their strong commitment to programming with 68 councils earning the

Columbian Award, up from 34 last year. Additionally, 44 councils earned the distinction of StarCouncil status. We hope that councils will continue their great programming efforts and continueto make Star Council their ultimate goal. These impressive achievements have made the 2014-2015fraternal year one of the most successful years in the history of the college councils program!With our eyes toward the future we have begun to plan for an exciting year. To aid recruitment

efforts, we will be sending out new recruitment kits to each council. These will be useful in organizinga fall recruitment campaign. Each council that uses this kit should focus on recruiting 5-10 newbrother Knights in September or October. If every council participates we can grow the collegeprogram in the U.S. and Canada by 1,000 new college Knights this fall alone! In a special way we celebrate the 50th College Councils Conference, to be held Oct. 2-4. This

milestone is a true testament to the success of the college program. During the conference councilleaders will have an opportunity to thoughtfully reflect on our roles as Gospel witnesses on collegecampuses. Council officers should communicate this summer to decide which members would bestrepresent their council and carry back the conference’s important lessons. Attending the conferenceallows a council to learn directly from brother Knights from across the country and to more fullyappreciate the scope of fraternity and charity that the college program provides. This issue concludes our first full year of the relaunched College Councils Newsletter. Our aim is to

continue to bring you the most relevant news and ideas that help your council grow and succeed whileinspiring all of us to advance the Order’s mission of charity and fraternity on and off campus.Throughout history our fraternity has built up good and ordinary men and transformed them intogreat men capable of extraordinary actions. As the spiritual sons of Father McGivney we ask hisintercession as we strive to continue to offer a compelling witness and challenge to all Catholic men.

Thomas Perretta Jr.Manager of College Councils & Young Adult Outreach

Reflecting Back and Looking Forward

Your council plays an important role in fostering fraternity and acts of charity withinyour campus community. Don’t let your good works go unrecognized. By sharing yourcouncil’s story, you can be an inspiration toyour brother Knights, providing ideas for activities and encouraging others to followyour example. Please allow us to give recognition to your charitable and fraternalprojects by featuring your council in futureeditions of this newsletter. To submit, simplysend us a few sentences detailing your project (including the when, where, what,who, why and how of the activity) and photosto college@kofc.org. If you have any ques-tions about sending in photos, you may callthe College Councils Department at 203-752-4671. Your stories can be of inspiration toother college councils throughout the Order,so we look forward to sharing them.

Looking for Contributing

Authors and Stories

COLLEGECOUNCILSDEPARTMENT

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Update Your Contact Information Did you recently graduate? Have you moved recently? Is your dorm room from freshmenyear still listed as your address? Do you have another email address besides your schoolemail? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should update your contactinformation by visiting www.kofc.org/en/about/contact/address_contact.html.

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The Freedom Summer OffersFor many students, it paradoxically may seem easier to live our Catholic faith at school than back at home. Surrounded

by friends who easily and attractively volunteer with you, Mass and confession schedules that are user-friendly, and homilies that engage, living the faith on campus has become a way of life. At home and during the summer vacation,we have to try harder to be men of faith. There are the usual distractions of summer, the vices we fall into out of sloth or absentmindedness, and perhaps the irregular example of our families.

Luigi Giussani, founder of the lay movement Communion and Liberation, recognized this tension, as well as the freedom it offered students. He wrote:

“Vacation time is the noblest time of the year, because it is the moment when one becomes as involved as he likes in the value he recognizes as dominant for his life, or he doesn’t get involved in anything at all, and then he is, as I said, a fool. ... Man’s highest value, his virtue, courage, energy, what makes life worth living, lies in gratuitousness, in his capacity for gratuitousness. And it is in free time that gratuitousness truly comes out and affirms itself in an amazing way.The way one prays, one’s faithfulness to prayer, the truth of one’s relationships, one’s self-dedication, enthusiasm, humble approach to reality, emotional involvement and compassion toward things, all this is much more evident during vacation than during the year.

“On vacation one is free, and if he is free, he does what he wants. This means that vacation is important. First of all, it demands attention in the choice of companions and place, but above all it concerns the way one lives: If vacation never reminds you of what you should remember more often, if it doesn’t make you better toward others, but makes you respond more to instinct than to reason, if it doesn’t teach you to look at nature with profound intention, if it doesn’t make you make sacrifices joyfully, then your time of rest has not achieved its purpose. Vacation should be as free as possible. The criterion of vacation time is to have some breathing room and, if possible, room for breathing deeply.”

So as you embrace this noble time of life, to what do you desire to give yourself? Where are you increasing your capacity for gratuitousness, formercy, for generosity and love? How will your courage, energy and embrace of everything that makes life worth living draw you to become a manof prayer, friendship, truthfulness, dedication and compassion this summer? How you respond to the freedom summer offers says a lot about theman you are and whose disciple you have become.

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Father JonathanD. Kalisch, OPDirector of Chaplains andSpiritual Development

In a recent address to the leaders of the Knights of Columbus,Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori also addressed this theme:“The Knights are the strong right arm of the Church in many ways,but the principle way is in helping the Church to accomplish the mission the Lord gave her: ‘Go teach all nations and make disciples ofthem in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’And where do we start in the work of evangelization? Pope Francis hastold us two things. First, that all of us must be missionary disciples —that is to say, full-time Christians, real followers of Christ who havetaken the Gospel to heart and undergone what Pope Francis calls a‘missionary conversion.’ And second, he calls for this: that every organization in the life of the Church, whether it’s a parish or a school

or a Knights of Columbus council, must also undergo what he calls amissionary conversion. That is to say, the whole thing must be gearedup, wholly given over to the work of spreading the Gospel of Christand bringing people into Christ’s body, the Church.”As we prepare for the College Councils Conference and the frater-

nal year ahead, let us remember that our vocation to evangelize beginsin the way we act toward our brothers and sisters. Let us live lives thattruly bear witness to the Gospel so that we can be God’s living witnesses on our campuses. Registration for the 50th College Councils Conference is now open.

For further details, please visit www.kofc.org/collegeconference.

Supply Order RemindersCollege councils receive free fraternal supplies from the Supreme Office. In order to take advantage of this benefit, grand knights and

financial secretaries should submit completed Requisition Forms (#1) to college@kofc.org for processing. Please note, college councils stillpay shipping on all supply orders. In addition to normal council supplies (candidate’s kits, membership cards, envelopes), be sure to check out our line of college-specific

materials. We constantly strive to update and add to this list and welcome any ideas for materials that would be helpful to your efforts on campus. Contact us at college@kofc.org with any ideas or suggestions.

College Council Brochure Item # 4606 (English, Spanish, French)

College Council Poster – Leadership Development Item # 4733 ACollege Council Poster – Be the Difference Item # 4733 B

College Council Poster – True Brotherhood Item # 4733 CCollege Council Poster – Spiritual Formation Item # 4733 DCollege Council Poster – Building a Better World Item # 4733 EA Prayer for Study Item # 4791

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Supreme Knight Receives Pro-Life Award at Notre Dame

At a ceremony held at the University of Notre Dame (Indiana),Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and the Knights of Columbus

were honored with the annual Evangelium Vitae Medal, one of the nation’s most prestigious pro-life awards.

The supreme knight accepted the medal on behalf of the more than1.8 million Knights worldwide at the April 26 banquet. Conferred by the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, the citation for the Evangelium Vitae Medal lauded Anderson and the Knights for their long-time charitable outreach to “the most vulnerable membersof society: the widowed, the orphaned, the disabled, the elderly and the unborn.”

Named for a 1995 encyclical of St. John Paul II, the medal honorsindividuals “whose outstanding work proclaims the Gospel of Life bysteadfastly affirming and defending the sanctity of human life from itsearliest stages.” Past recipients include Mother Agnes Mary Donovan,

superior general of the Sisters of Life; Helen Alvaré, professor of law at George Mason University Law School; and Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities for the UnitedStates Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The supreme knight was joined at the event by members of localKnights of Columbus councils, including Notre Dame Council 1477,the Order’s first and oldest college council. Notre Dame Knights assisted with the evening’s Mass as lectors, ushers and altar servers.

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Developing a Plan for the Fall SemesterWhile enjoying your summer vacation be sure to keep in mind

the upcoming fraternal year. Before you return to campus, yourcouncil should have a complete schedule of officer and business meet-ings, plans for a recruiting drive, and the dates of significant events. Additionally, it’s time to make plans to attend the College CouncilsConference Oct. 2-4 in New Haven, Conn. Finally, your councilshould develop a budget to present at one of the first council meetingsof the semester. To aid you in these important tasks, we have some advice and suggestions.Schedule Meetings & EventsEvery council should have at least one general council meeting and

one officer meeting per month. Some councils may wish to have thesemeetings more frequently. These meetings should occur at regular intervals, such as the first Tuesday, second Sunday, etc. Plan these meetings out for the entire fall semester and note any conflicts causedby holidays or semester breaks, like Thanksgiving. Once you have themeeting schedule settled, share it with council members via your council’s Google calendar, Facebook page or website.While you may not know all of your council’s activities and pro-

grams for the coming semester, you should try to pencil in as many aspossible. Does your council have any signature events that occur at thesame time each year? Does your council have plans to celebrate Colum-bus Day? Will you organize a service project around Thanksgiving?Does your council host game watches for away football games or Monday Night Football? By penciling in events now, you can see whatweeks lack activity and get an idea of what types of programs might be missing. Do you have lots of service activities but few fraternal orfaith-based ones? Do you need to do more culture of life outreach?Planning today helps your council do more tomorrow.

Plan a Recruitment DriveEvery council should plan to hold a recruiting drive at the begin-

ning of the fall semester, and the key to a successful drive is preparingbefore your council returns to campus. Many councils find success byholding a Rush Week or Go Roman style recruitment drive. These recruitment drives begin with a promotional campaign that includes

Facebook posts, flyers, and announcements at student Masses that advertise a week of council activities leading up to a First Degree. Mostcouncils try to hold a variety of activities that touch upon the major aspects of our Order, including faith, fraternity and service. Ideally,your council should host its own First Degree, however, if you do nothave a degree team, now is the time to begin working with a localcouncil to host a degree as part of your recruitment drive. Followingthe First Degree exemplification, your council should have additionalscheduled events to keep up the excitement built during your recruit-ment drive. If your council can participate in club or activity fairs on campus, organizing your recruitment drive around that time maybe wise.

Register to Attend the College Councils ConferenceOne of the best ways to kick-start your council’s fall semester is to

attend the College Councils Conference, which will be held Oct. 2-4in New Haven, Conn. This year, the Supreme Council will offer travelstipends for two students, your council chaplain and your financialsecretary. Each grand knight should have received his council’s invitation and complete details about the travel stipend policy. Registration is currently live at www.kofc.org/collegeconference. Councils that annually attend the conference and regularly compete for Star Council and other programming awards are those which make the greatest impacts on their campuses. Make plans for yourcouncil to attend today!Draft a BudgetOne of the best ways to plan for the year ahead is by drafting a

council budget. For some councils this may be a regular activity, butfor others it can be a daunting and unfamiliar task. A budget helps tokeep your council financially stable while also ensuring that you’reworking to support a variety of causes. In drafting your council’sbudget you may realize that your council supports more national charities rather than local endeavors. Or, you may realize that yourcouncil supports numerous culture of life initiatives but few youthcauses. A budget can be a valuable tool that guides your council to success throughout the fraternal year.

For Officers

College Councils

Feb. 17-19, 1967Niagara University Council 5504 hosts the second College Councils Conference. Over 100representatives from 30 college councils at-tend the second conference. Also in attendanceare several Supreme Council employees. In their report of the conference, SupremeCouncil staff note, “The concept of service soobvious in their deliberations indicates thatthese young Knights of Columbus, beingtrained in the operation of the Order, are eminently equipped to carry on the program ofsocial action to which the Second VaticanCouncil assigned top priority in the apostolateof the laity.”

1968University of Notre Dame Council1477 hosts the College CouncilsConference.

March 7-9, 1969University of Dallas Council 5656hosts the College Councils Con-ference. Over 100 college Knightsfrom 43 college councils attend.

1973Recipients of the Outstanding College Council Award receivetrophies from Supreme Knight John W. McDevitt at the 1973College Council Conference, held at the Supreme Office.

1977Pontifical Catholic Universityof Puerto Rico Council 5923wins the Outstanding CollegeCouncil Award, the first andonly college council outsidethe United States to win thisaward so far.

1979St. Anselm College Council 4875wins the first of its record eight Out-standing College Council Awards. Atthe time, college councils competedfor the award by submitting scrap-books that contained photos, newsstories and descriptions of councilactivities from the previous fraternalyear. The process would be changedto a paper application process in the1990s.

1979Thomas P. Smith Jr., seated center,welcomes and registers attendees ofthe 1979 College Councils Confer-ence. Smith, who was in charge ofcollege councils at the time, is cur-rently Executive Vice President andChief Insurance Officer for theKnights of Columbus.

December 1966In preparation for the second college conference,Conference Chairman John Lawrence reaches outto the Supreme Council for their support and meetswith the deputy supreme knight to discuss the pre-vious year’s conference and plans for the comingyear. In a letter to Supreme Director Leo Stark, thedeputy supreme knight writes: “We certainly arestimulated by the deep-seated desire on the part ofthese college council officers and committeemen totranslate their experience and training into a layleadership through the Knights of Columbus that willbe effective not only on the college campus but inthe communities to which they will go followinggraduation from college.”

Sept. 17-19, 1982The College Councils Conferenceis moved from spring to fall. TheSupreme Council experimentedwith this to “allow more flexibil-ity in planning seminars” and to “allow more college councilmembers to attend.” The moveresults in a success and the conference has been held in the fall ever since.

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Feb. 18-20, 1966Realizing that college Knights could benefit from a discussionof their unique situation, Boston College Council 5278 hosts thefirst College Councils Conference. Over 70 college Knights from11 councils attend the weekend seminar, during which severalresolutions are passed, including the creation of a college coun-cil handbook and an annual College Councils Conference thatwill rotate between college campuses. Grand Knight David McCreesh and Conference Chairman William Higgins are criticalto the success of this first conference.

1970Supreme Council moves the College Councils Conference toNew Haven, where it has been held annually ever since.

1971College Knights tour the Supreme Council headquartersduring the 1971 College Councils Conference. The college councils display shown here was used at theSupreme Convention.

Conference Timeline

Oct. 2-4, 2015College Councils Conference celebrates50 years. The theme “You Shall Be MyWitnesses” was selected by SupremeKnight Carl Anderson for this conference.

Sept. 22-24, 2006Supreme Knight Anderson addressesCollege Knights at the awards banquet.The awards banquet used to be heldon the 22nd Floor of the Supreme Office Building until the conferenceoutgrew the space.

Oct. 3-5, 1986Carl Anderson, special assistant to PresidentRonald Reagan, delivers the keynote speech toattendees of the 21st College Councils Confer-ence. In his speech he discusses the confer-ence’s theme, “Making the Grade Beyond theClassroom,” by stating, “Certainly technicalskills are important, but who you are is moreimportant. The quality of your decision-making,your performance on any job, ultimately de-pends upon the quality of your character— andcharacter cannot be separated from the quality of all your past decisions and actions.”

Sept. 27-29, 2013College Knights gather to pray around Father McGivney’stomb in St. Mary’s Church in New Haven. Each year, Mass atthe parish is part of the conference’s scheduled events.

2001Due to the proximity of the CollegeCouncils Conference to the 9/11 terror-ist attacks, the conference is canceledfor the first and only time. U.S. MilitaryAcademy Council 8250 would receiveits recognition for Outstanding CollegeCouncil for the 2000-2001 fraternalyear at a later date.

1984Supreme Knight VirgilDechant stands withOutstanding CollegeCouncil Award winnersat the 1984 CollegeConference

2010Supreme Knight Carl Anderson standswith the recipients of the OutstandingCollege Council Award for 2010, Air ForceAcademy Council 8200 (Colorado).

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George Mason Hosts Spring Formal for Gabriel Project

By Chancellor Daniel Tillson

April 17 marked George Mason University Council 10806’s fourth annual Spring Formal and Fundraiser. Held at the Columbus Clubof Arlington, since its inception the event has raised over $12,000 for the Gabriel Project of Arlington, a pro-life crisis pregnancy

center. This year alone the event raised $3,144.50, which covers the cost of one childbirth!Over 200 students attended the night’s festivities. Most of the guests were from George Mason, however, a contingent of 30 students

led by George Washington University Council 13242 (District of Columbia) also joined the fundraiser dance.Several guests were in attendance, including Paul Phillipino, young adult coordinator for the Supreme Council. Phillipino spoke on

the importance of cultivating a culture of life, particularly within younger generations. Sr. Clare Hunter, F.S.E., director of the RespectLife Office for the Diocese of Arlington, accepted the check on behalf of the Gabriel Project and gave an inspirational talk on the abilityof young people to change the tide of the pro-life movement. Also present were local District Deputy Bill Weich and State AdvocateStephen Kehoe. Finally, Gerald Curren, the council’s field agent, provided beats for the dance. Before becoming a field agent, Curren hadowned his own DJ company, and he was stoked to spin the discs again!

The council looks forward to its continued partnership with the Gabriel Project and to its fundraiser dance next spring, which hopefully more local college councils will be able to attend.

U. Tennessee Council Hosts Retreat in Smokey Mountains

By Grand Knight Jay Quayle

The Knights of University of Tennessee Council 14341 recently renteda cabin for a spring retreat in the Great Smokey Mountains. It was

an exciting weekend for the members of the council, including a few newcomers who got to know all of the older Knights better!

Knights spent the weekend playing pool, watching movies, hiking in the snow, sharing fraternal meals, and participating in faith-filled conversations outside in the hot tub. Overall, the weekend was a greatbonding experience for the council and many memories were made.

In total, 15 Knights participated in the weekend, including one of theFOCUS missionaries serving the Tennessee campus. The council asked for$20 from all who participated to cover the cost of the cabin rental, but members made sure everybody who wanted to go was able to attendregardless of the cost.

The council at the University of Tennessee found a great benefit toholding the retreat, and we encourage other councils to plan similar typesof events. If any nearby councils would like to join us in hosting a retreator other event, we would be very interested in coordinating something withyou as well!

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Spike! For Special Olympics Volleyball Tournament FundraiserBy Grand Knight Chris Simon

Illini Council 2782 organized a volleyball tournament April 18,2015, to benefit Special Olympics Illinois. In its first year, the tour-

nament raised over $700 for Special Olympics.Teams of 6 to 8 members competed in pods (similar to World Cup

format), playing each team in their pod twice. Games were played to25 with rally scoring. Teams that won their pod advanced to singleelimination bracket play. Unfortunately, the council’s team did not

advance past pool play.Led by their financial secre-

tary, the council provided burgers, hot dogs, chips and drinks for participants. In total, 12 teams entered the tournament. The tournament allowed Knights the opportunity to interact with

a variety of student groups, including those based on other faith de-nominations, major-specific organizations, and Greek fraternities andsororities. Overall it was a great success, bringing together differentstudent organizations for good fun and a great cause. The councillooks forward to sponsoring thisevent again in the future!

SPECIAL OLYMPICSSoutheast Missouri State Council Sponsors Special Olympics Free Throw Contest

By Grand Knight Riley Bauer

SEMO Knights of Columbus Council 15294, with the help of Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO) Partnership Manager Mary Bauer, organized a free throw contest

on campus to benefit the upcoming Training for Life Center. The Missouri Knights haveaccepted a campaign challenge of raising $1 million over the next five years to help benefit this project. This facility will be located in Jefferson City, Mo., and will give Special Olympic athletes access to free healthcare, speech therapy, job training, sports activities and so much more. In addition to council members, three SOMO athletes and several cheerleaders assisted

in promoting the free throw competition, whichwas held at the campus’ Newman Center. Over50 students competed in the contest, which hadtwo brackets. Students could attempt 10 shotsfor $2 or 20 shots for $5. The individual whomade the most free throws won a gift card to alocal restaurant. The $5 bracket had a largerprize. The council also sold $5 lunches, withDeacon Tom assisting behind the grill. In total, the council raised $1,132 for Special

Olympics Missouri during this fundraiser. The council and the athletes were ecstatic withthe turnout for the first year of this event. Thecouncil looks forward to hosting this event againin the fall, with hopes of spreading awarenessand raising more funds for SOMO!

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Conception Seminary Continues Dominance of Annual Benedictine Bowl

By Deputy Grand Knight David St. Hilaire

April 26, Benedictine CollegeCouncil 4708 (Kansas) and

Conception Seminary Council13750 (Missouri) once again meton the gridiron. And as it has theprevious seven years, ConceptionSeminary left the field victorious.

This annual flag football game began in 2008 as a fraternal eventbetween the two schools with Benedictine roots. Several Benedic-tine Knights had previously studied at Conception Seminary andknew many of the seminarians there. They wanted to have a com-petitive, brotherly event and decided on flag football. The first gamewas played at Conception, while most recent games have been heldat Benedictine.

The format has evolved over the years, with the councils cur-rently battling for twenty-minute halves. Although the teams play onthe full size O’Malley Field, the councils only play eight men aside.Teams have four downs to move the ball 20 yards for a first down.

This year’s contest was a defensive struggle for most of the game.Conception led 14-7 at halftime, and the close scoring continuedinto the second half. With three minutes to play, Conception led21-14. That’s when Conception’s depth took over and they scoredtwo quick touchdowns to seal the victory 35-14. One bright spot for

the hosts was Donovan Temple-ton’s 80-yard scamper for atouchdown. Separated by less than 70 miles,

this celebration of sport has led toa deeper connection between thetwo councils and their Benedic-

tine roots. While they may be competitors on the gridiron, they always find a way to laugh and share a meal after the game.

For many members of the council, this friendly competition istheir favorite event of the year. It’s a great opportunity for a fierce butfriendly competition among brother Knights and seminarians. Everyyear, both teams play a great game and everyone has a blast doing it.

Although some of us will soon be graduating, we are leaving behind a few tips for Benedictine: For a win, the council will haveto recruit quite a few more players (to battle Conception’s depth).They’ll also have to beef up their offensive line to protect the quarterback more effectively.

Will Conception continue its dominance next spring, or willBenedictine finally break through and win for the first time in theseries? Either way, next year’s competition is sure to bring fraternityand fun.

Texas Tech Holds AnnualBarn Dance Fundraiser

Knights of Columbus Texas Tech College Council 14426 hostedtheir eighth annual Barn Dance April 18, 2015. The dance had an

attendance of over 175 people, featured Texas-country artist KimberlyDunn as the headliner, and raised $600 that benefited Catholic Charities. The dance is the largest fundraiser for the council, and plansfor the 2016 Barn Dance are already underway.

Report Newly Elected Officers Your financial secretary can report these changes via Member Management, or you can complete andsubmit the Report of Officers Chosen for Term (#185). Additionally, report your service personnel throughMember Management or by completing and submitting the Service Program Personnel Report (#365).

Scheduling Campus VisitsWe are now planning campus visits for the 2015 fall semester. If your council could benefit from a visit by amember of the College Councils Department, please reach out to us at college@kofc.org or 203-752-4671.

As you begin to prepare for the fall semester, please keep the following in mind.

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Campus Reminders

Register for the College Councils Conference Your council should make plans now to attend the 2015 College Councils Conference. This year’s conference will takeplace Oct. 2-4 in New Haven, Conn. Each council will receive travel stipends to send two students, your chaplain andyour financial secretary. For more information and to register, please visit www.kofc.org/collegeconference.

Contests & PromotionsWisconsin Wins March Madness Bracket Challenge

University of Wisconsin Council 6568 won the inaugural College Knights March Madness Bracket Challenge. By correctly picking 44 out of 63games (70 percent), Council 6568 edged out fellow Big Ten rival Penn State University Council 14047 for the top prize. The contest win is bittersweetfor the University of Wisconsin, though — their basketball team fell to Duke in the National Championship, 68-63. However, when it came to collegeKnights, the University of Wisconsin came out on top!

Sixteen schools and the Supreme College Councils Department entered brackets this year. We look forward to next year and hope even morecouncils participate!

This past spring, college councils had the opportunity to win prizesfor their recruiting efforts. From January through April, councils competedfor the highest intake among four divisions based on council size. Thetop three winners in each division received prizes, including $200 and acustom council banner for first place, $150 for second place and $100 forfirst place.

U.S. Naval Academy Council 14534 (Maryland) took top prize in Division I, recruiting 23 new members this spring. University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign Council 2782 placed second with 14 new members,and University of Notre Dame Council 1477 placed third with 10 newmembers.

Division II was the most contested division. George Mason Univer-sity Council 10806 (Virginia) placed first by recruiting 20 new members,followed by Loras College Council 9224 (Iowa) in second with 19 newmembers and Georgetown University Council 6375 (District of Columbia)in third with 18 new members.

Divisions III and IV had ties for third place, so both will receive theprize. University of Houston Council 15105 was the Division III leader with15 new members, followed by University of Florida Council 13900 with10. Pontifical College Josephinum Council 15009 (Ohio) and Universityof Nebraska Council 13015 tied for third with eight new members.

In Division IV, Fordham University Council 6077 (New York) led theway with 15 new members. Southeast Missouri State University Council15294 came in second with nine new members, while Indiana UniversityCouncil 15859 and Georgia Institute of Technology Council 14496 tiedfor third with eight new members.

Thank you to all of our contest participants! In total, over 80 collegecouncils brought in at least one new member between January and April.As you make your plans for the fall semester, we hope you will make recruiting campaigns an important part of your calendar. We also hopeyou will participate in our Fall Recruiting Contest, which will be announcedin the August College Councils Newsletter.

Spring Recruiting Contest Winners

Registration Now Open!

Oct. 2-4, 2015New Haven, Conn.

For details and registration, please visit:

www.kofc.org/collegeconference

50TH COLLEGE COUNCILS CONFERENCE