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GRAND KNIGHT’S HANDBOOK KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS SUPRME COUNCIL OFFICE 1 COLUMBUS PLAZA NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 06510-3326 www.kofc.org

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Page 1: grand Knight Handbook - Mississippi Knights Of · grand knight’s handbook knights of columbus suprme council office 1 columbus plaza new haven, connecticut 06510-3326

GRANDKNIGHT’S

HANDBOOK

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUSSUPRME COUNCIL OFFICE

1 COLUMBUS PLAZANEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 06510-3326

www.kofc.org

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COUNCIL OFFICERS’ CHECKLISTDUE DATE FORM/REPORT/ACTION

July 1 Council Per Capita Tax Levied by Supreme Council.($1.75 per member)

July 1 Report of Council Officers. (#185)

July 10 Suspension of Council if April Catholic AdvertisingFund is not paid.

August 1 Service Program Personnel Report. (#365)

August 15 Semiannual Audit Report. (#1295)

September 1 Columbian Squires Officers and Counsellors Report(#468)

September 1 Notice of Appointment of Round Table Coordinator(#2629)

October 1 Catholic Advertising Fund charges levied by SupremeCouncil (50¢ per member)

October 10 Suspension of Council if July Per Capita Tax is not paid.

January 1 Council Per Capita Tax Levied by Supreme Council.($1.75 per member)

January 10 Suspension of Council if October Catholic AdvertisingFund is not paid.

January 31 Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity. (#1728)

February 15 Semiannual Audit Report. (#1295)

April 1 Catholic Advertising Fund charges levied by SupremeCouncil. (50¢ per member)

April 1 Applications for Refund Support Vocations Program(#2863) due at Supreme Council office between nowand June 30.

April 10 Suspension of Council if January Per Capita tax is notpaid.

June 30 Application for Columbian Award (#SP-7) due atSupreme Council office.

June 30 Applications for Corps d’Elite Award (#278) andBrother Barnabas Award (#279) due at SupremeCouncil office.

June 30 Annual Report of Knights of Columbus Round Table(#2630).

Immediately Membership Document. (#100) Submit after initiation.

As Required “Notice of Intent to Suspend.” (#1845)

As Required State/Provincial entries for International ServiceProgram Awards Contest — Church, Community,Council, Family, Youth to State Councils.

As Required State/Provincial entries for International “Family of theYear” Contest to State Councils.

Monthly “Family of the Month” selection. (#1993)

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TABLE OF CONTENTSCouncil Officers’ Checklist ................................................................... 2

Responsibilities of the Grand Knight at a Glance ................................ 5

Duties of the Grand Knight ................................................................... 7

Organizational Chart ............................................................................. 8

Responsibilities of the Grand Knight .................................................... 9

Council Meetings .................................................................................. 9

Council Meeting Seating Arrangements ............................................. 11

Officers’ Meetings ............................................................................... 12

Appointing Membership and Service Program Directors ................... 12

Admission Committee ......................................................................... 15

Knights of Columbus Parish Round Table Program ........................... 16

Columbian Squires .............................................................................. 17

Degree Exemplification ....................................................................... 19

Financial Obligations ........................................................................... 21

Audits .................................................................................................. 23

Audit Report ........................................................................................ 24

Receipts and Payments ...................................................................... 25

Collection of Council Dues ................................................................. 27

Application for Membership and the Admission Committee ............. 29

Completing the Audit Report .............................................................. 32

Duties of Council Officers ................................................................... 42

Financial Secretary Personal Computer (FSPC) Software ................. 52

Instructions for Honorary/Honorary Life Ceremonial .......................... 53

Honorary (Honorary Life) Membership Ceremonial ............................ 54

Membership Procedures ..................................................................... 56

Ordering Supplies Properly ................................................................. 63

Proper Protocol ................................................................................... 66

Qualifications for Membership ............................................................ 70

Supreme Council Awards ................................................................... 71

Parliamentary Law .............................................................................. 78

Subject Index ...................................................................................... 79

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FOREWORDIt is intended that this booklet be descriptive of the importantelements of the grand knight’s duties, thereby enabling him tocarry out his responsibilities in a way that will mean growthand progress for his council and that will give him the satis-faction at the end of his term that he has contributed animportant page to the history of our Order.

Resolution for Membership GrowthAdopted by the delegates at the

121st Supreme Convention in Washington, D.C.WHEREAS, it is the policy of the Knights of Columbus

to fulfill Father Michael J. McGivney’s vision to extend to eachand every eligible Catholic man an invitation to become amember of this great Order; and

WHEREAS, membership in the Order symbolizes anindividual’s commitment to his faith as a practicing Catholic,his profound love for his country and his steadfast dedicationto serving his community; and

WHEREAS, membership growth is crucial to both thevitality of the Order and the Order’s ability to carry out themany magnificent activities, programs and services is pro-vides for its members, its Church, and society; and

WHEREAS, the members of this 121st SupremeCouncil have become determined to dedicate themselves tostrengthening and increasing the Order’s membership so thatothers can experience, first hand, the allegiance of fraternal-ism and the fulfillment from charitable service;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that it is theresponsibility of each and every Brother Knight to work towardfulfilling Father McGivney’s vision by making council andmembership growth a leading priority;

FURTHER RESOLVED, that we urge every member tocommit himself to bringing in at least one new member eachyear; and

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the leadership at everylevel of the Order; the Supreme Officers and Directors, StateDeputies, District Deputies and Grand Knights understandand accept their special responsibility to increase the mem-bership of the Order.

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� Be familiar with the Grand Knight’s Handbook (#915) andthe information it contains.

� Foster an atmosphere of cooperation and teamwork in thecouncil.

� Establish council goals (both membership and program-ming) for the fraternal year.

� Be familiar with the “Charter, Constitution and Laws” ofthe Order, and the council’s by-laws.

� Appoint a membership director and a programming direc-tor, then works with them in appointing committees.

� Appoint a lecturer.

� Appoint a chaplain.

� Presides at all council meetings and functions (seeMethod of Conducting a Council Meeting flyer [#1937]).

� Host monthly council officer meetings.

� Act as an ex officio member of all committees.

� Ensure that all reports and reporting forms require — bythe state council and supreme council (see the CouncilReport Forms Booklet [#1436] and the Order’s Web site)are filed on time.

� Interact with the financial secretary and treasurer to ensurethat the council is meeting financial obligations to theSupreme (per capital tax and Catholic Advertising Fund)and state councils and others.

� Oversee the council’s membership procedures in conjunc-tion with the financial secretary.

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� Monitor the council’s progress in obtaining Supreme andstate council awards.

� As Chairman of the Board of Trustees, works with trusteesto ensure proper procedures are followed as they relate tofinancial matters. Prepares and conducts the semiannualaudit.

� Serve as a member of the advisory board of a circle spon-sored by the council.

� Appoint an Admission Committee and monitors its activity.

� Work with the treasurer and financial secretary in prepar-ing a council budget.

� Attend the semi-annual district meetings as well as theannual state meeting.

� Schedules and monitors council First Degree exemplifica-tions, and assists district deputy with higher degree exem-plifications as needed.

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The grand knight is the highest ranking elected officer of hiscouncil and is responsible for observing the laws of theOrder and his council. The office of grand knight is one thatis rich in opportunities to serve his fellow Knights and to leadhis council in service to family, Church and community.Additionally, the grand knight must ensure the membership,insurance and programming growth of his council and theinvolvement of all its members.

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Section 135 of the Laws of the Order governs the duties ofthe grand knight. References to other business related to theoffice of grand knight can be found on page 103 of the“Charter, Constitution and Laws.” A copy of the laws shouldbe in the grand knight’s possession. A new, up-to-date issueis published each year following the Supreme Council meet-ing in August. Copies of the “Charter, Constitution andLaws’’ (#30, available in English, French and Spanish, 20¢each) may be obtained from the Supreme Council SupplyDepartment.

Each grand knight should also read the by-laws of his owncouncil and learn what specific duties and functions theyprescribe for him. If the council does not have a set of by-laws, he may obtain a copy from the office of the supremeadvocate that is recommended for adoption by subordinatecouncils.

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Capellán

Secretario Financier

Lector

Asignados

DIPUTADO DE DISTRITO

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

STATE COUNCIL

Grand Knights, Past Grand Knights, StateOfficers and last living Past State Deputy

DISTRICT DEPUTY

SUBORDINATE COUNCIL

Chaplain

Financial Secretary

Lecturer

Grand Knight

Deputy Grand Knight

Chancellor

Recorder

Treasurer

Advocate

Warden

Guards

SUPREME COUNCIL

State Deputy, last living Past State Deputy, Territorial Deputy,delegates to the Supreme Council, Supreme Council Officers,

Board of Directors and Past Supreme Knight.

CHAPTERS

Elected

Appointed

®

Trustees

BOARD OF DIRECTORS/

SUPREME COUNCIL OFFICERS

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The grand knight is primarily responsible for the successfulconduct of his council. He will not be able to perform all itsbusiness details, but he must see that they are done properlyand on time. This is done through constant supervision ofthe work of all officers, directors and committees.

During their term of office, the grand knight and officersshould set as their goal — “a better council.’’ Obviously thistask is far too much for one man alone. It must be achievedby teamwork—

• through generous and eager cooperation with the council’sofficial “family,’’ and

• by voluntary participation of all members in the affairs ofthe council.

It is the grand knight’s obligation to inspire mutual coopera-tion and voluntary service among the officers and members.

In addition, the grand knight is directly responsible for coop-eration with other Columbian groups and leaders, whichinclude: Columbian Squires, Fourth Degree assemblies,chapters, district deputy, other councils, state deputy andstate council — its officers and representatives.

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As provided in Section 135 of the “Charter, Constitution andLaws’’, the grand knight presides at all meetings of the coun-cil. Section 125 of the Laws outlines the order of business tobe followed. Ceremonial procedures for the meeting areexplained in “Method of Conducting a Council Meeting”(#1937).

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To ensure dignity, decorum and efficiency in the conduct ofmeetings throughout the Order, the grand knight is remindedthat there is an approved arrangement of the council cham-ber. A chart for the arrangement of the council chamber isprinted on page 11.

There is also a proper way for a member to gain admissionto a meeting and to conduct himself while there. This infor-mation is contained in the instructions given by the financialsecretary during the First Degree. The observance of theseformalities may seem to be a small thing, but lack of theirobservance can lead to disorderly, unproductive meetings.And our council meetings are where the business of theOrder is ultimately conducted.

The grand knight should understand and be familiar with thefundamental principles of parliamentary law. “ParliamentaryLaw,’’ a brief overview of the rules and regulations for guid-ing a meeting, is contained on page 78 of this manual. Forfurther assistance, the grand knight should obtain a copy of“Robert’s Rules of Order” from his local library or bookstore.

Although members should be encouraged to present mattersthat they think would command the interest and attention ofthe council and while full opportunity for discussion of thesematters must be afforded, any needless consumption of timeshould be avoided. If at all possible, the business portion ofa council meeting should be completed within an hour. Inthis manner, the lecturer will be given ample time to presenthis “Good of the Order’’ section of the meeting. Concise,interesting meetings that are conducted in a business-likemanner will encourage and hold council attendance. Muchcan be accomplished toward this end by holding officers’meetings separate from council meetings.

Experience has shown that when meetings are always start-ed absolutely on time, members will be there for the begin-ning of the meeting. When the busy member who arrives atthe meeting on time finds with dismay that the meetingdoesn’t get underway for a half-hour or more, he will soon

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SEATING ARRANGEMENTSFOR

COUNCIL MEETING

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stop coming to meetings. Why? He simply won’t waste timewaiting for meetings to begin. Meetings started on time canbe completed early enough to allow for visiting and stillenable the members to arrive home at a reasonable hour.

The district deputy must visit each council regularly, at leastonce every second month, and he should notify the grandknights of his councils in writing and in advance when he ismaking an official visit. The district deputy is a personal rep-resentative of the supreme knight and the state deputy.Grand knight and council officers should treat him with therespect due his important position. During his visit, the dis-trict deputy should be seated in front near the grand knight,and when he is called upon to speak, (as he always shouldbe), all members should rise for his introduction.

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A great deal may be gained by holding a meeting of thecouncil officers at least once a month or preferably beforeevery regular council meeting. Such meetings should be heldat a time convenient for most all the officers. By discussionamong themselves of matters that relate to their respectiveduties, to the general welfare of the council, and programsthat are to be presented to the council, the officers are ableto keep intimately acquainted with everything that is of inter-est and concern. In addition, they can equip themselves withinformation to more intelligently advise the council on mat-ters that come before it during meetings or discussions. Allofficers’ meetings should be called by the grand knight.

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At the beginning of his term, the grand knight should appointany standing committees that are called for by the laws of

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the Order or by the by-laws of his council, including the pro-gram director and the membership director called for underthe Order’s Service Program. The appointment of the direc-tors for Church, community, council, family and youth activi-ties is the responsibility of the grand knight upon the recom-mendation of the program director. This same rule shouldapply to the membership director in his selection of chairmenfor his committees.

At the start of each fraternal year, the Supreme Council officeforwards to each financial secretary of record a packet ofprogramming materials. Contained in this “Surge . . . withService” kit are items to be used during the fraternal year bythe council officers, programming directors and membershipdirector. When the financial secretary receives the kit heshould as soon as possible present it to the grand knight,who should immediately distribute the materials, as indicat-ed, to his fellow officers, programming directors and mem-bership director.

After reading the “Surge . . . with Service” program manual(#962), the grand knight will have a better understanding ofthe aims of the Service Program, its structure and its execu-tion. The grand knight will also be in a better position toappoint and advise others in their selections of the men bestqualified and most interested in the various committees andpositions.

In selecting the program director and membership director,the grand knight should seek men who command therespect of the membership of the council and have the abilityto organize and supervise the work of the various directors.These positions demand time, talent, dedication and enthusi-asm; therefore, selections should be made carefully.

The most important step in a successful membership pro-gram is the organization of the council’s membership com-mittee. The first step in setting up this committee is for thegrand knight to appoint a membership director to oversee allmembership programs and to direct recruitment activities.

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After conferring with the membership director, the grandknight should appoint a membership committee of three ormore Knights, an insurance promotion chairman, and aretention chairman and committee. The membership directorand recruitment committee members should immediatelybegin to set goals and plan specific recruitment, retentionand insurance promotion activities for the year. They shouldat this time also begin to set a schedule of recruitment activi-ties that best suit the council’s goals and resources.

The names and membership numbers of all membership andservice program committee members should be reported tothe Supreme Council Department of Fraternal Services, onthe “Service Program Personnel Report Form” (#365). Alongwith space provided on the report form to include the recruit-ment committee, retention and insurance promotion chair-men, areas to list the chaplain, lecturer and any of the follow-ing appointments in the council: Pro-Life chair couple, healthservices, public relations, Columbian Squires are also includ-ed. The completed report must reach the Supreme Counciloffice no later than August 1. A copy of form (#365) is includ-ed in the Supreme Council’s “Council Report Forms Booklet”(#1436) included in the “Surge . . . with Service” kit and isalso available on the Order’s Web site. Councils not inreceipt of the council report forms booklet should contactthe Supreme Council Department of Fraternal Servicesimmediately.

Upon receipt of the reporting form, the directors and chair-men will be recorded on the appropriate mailing list and eachwill begin receiving Program Supplement, which is issued 18times a year and consists of numerous program suggestionsfor councils to undertake, and Knightline, which containsnews of the Order and the Supreme Council office. Duringthe course of the fraternal year, special program informationmay be mailed to individual directors and chairmen.

Activities and events sponsored by the council in connectionwith the Service Program should be outlined, planned andrecorded at least six months in advance. Monthly meetings

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should be held by the program director and membershipdirector for members of their groups. Advance planning willprove an effective method of assuring interesting meetingsand successful sponsorship of council projects. Councilreports should be made monthly by the various directors.

Success of the grand knight’s administration depends greatlyon the program executed during his term of office. It is of theutmost importance, therefore, that a program of worthwhileand interesting activities be arranged. The Service Programmaterial, supplied by the Supreme Council office, is designedto assist the council in planning such a program.

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It is extremely important that all new council officers under-stand the purpose of the Admission Committee – a) Informthe new member of the workings of the Order, both at theinternational and local levels. b) To determine the interests ofnew candidates for subsequent involvement in council activi-ties. c) To establish the candidate’s practical Catholicity.

The specific procedures to be followed in reviewing candi-dates are:

1. The grand knight shall appoint an Admission Committee. Itis recommended that the chancellor be the chairman of thiscommittee and that the committee include the financial sec-retary, treasurer, membership director, program director, andany other members (such as the chaplain and insurance rep-resentative) that the grand knight determines.

2. The committee shall take the following actions and determine:

• Determine the Catholicity of the candidate. It is suggestedthat the council chaplain meet the candidates and thattheir pastors be consulted.

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• Present the candidate with a brief history of the Order, atthe international and local levels, including programs andactivities.

• Inform the candidate of what membership can do for him.

• Use the Admission Committee Questionnaire (#391) todetermine the candidate’s interests and encourage hisinvolvement in the council’s service program.

• Advise the candidate of what is expected of him:

• Timely payment of dues

• Attendance at meetings

• Participation in programs

• Assume a leadership role

• Advancing through the higher degrees

3. Applications for membership from priests and religiousshall not be referred to the Admission Committee but shallbe presented directly to the council.

4. In cases of reapplication by a former member who hasbeen in an exit status for a period of more than seven years.The applicant must appear before and be approved by theAdmission Committee. In addition thereto the reapplicantmust establish to the satisfaction of the committee that hehas received the degrees of the Order. If this cannot beestablished the reapplicant shall be required to take any orall degrees.

See the “APPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP AND THEADMISSION COMMITTEE” section of the “REFERENCEGUIDE” of this manual for more detailed information.

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Knights “have nothing less than a moral obligation to offerevery eligible Catholic man the opportunity and the privilegeof membership in our Order. Also, we must have a Knights of

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Columbus presence in every parish.” Those were the wordsof Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson as he addressed his firstmeeting of state deputies.

A Knights of Columbus presence may be established in oneof two ways: by the institution of a new council or by theestablishment of the Round Table.

Through the Round Table a council works closely with thepastor of each parish or mission that it serves. All Knights ina parish, regardless of their council affiliation, are part of theRound Table. The program, as explained in the brochure TheKnights of Columbus Parish Round Table (#2632), makes thetremendous manpower of the Order readily available to thepastor to help him achieve his plans and goals. By means ofthe Round Table a local council may easily achieve a maxi-mum level of service to all parishes with which it is affiliated.

Simply stated, the Knights of Columbus Parish Round Tableinitiative provides the opportunity for brother Knights to sup-port their parishes with the programs their pastors deem nec-essary.

One fact must be made crystal clear. The Round Table initia-tive – an offer to serve – should not interfere with any existingor contemplated parish program or group. The pastor setsthe programs. It is simply a matter of going to him and ask-ing, “Father, what can the Knights of Columbus do to help?”

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The Columbian Squires is the official youth organization ofthe Knights of Columbus and as such deserves first consid-eration in your council’s youth program. A council that spon-sors a Columbian Squires circle, or plans to institute or reac-tivate a circle, must first have an Advisory Board to supervisethe circle and its operation. This Advisory Board is composedof the grand knight, deputy grand knight and chaplain. It isthe responsibility of the grand knight, along with other

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Advisory Board members, to assist in providing the Squirescircle with a meeting place, a chief counsellor, a father priorand counsellors. The Advisory Board oversees all Squiresceremonials and is responsible for the circle’s faithful obser-vance of all laws and regulations.

The grand knight should encourage council/circle coopera-tion and occasional activities jointly sponsored by bothgroups. Squires, when reaching the age of 18, should berecruited for membership in the council. The grand knight willbe notified by the Supreme Council office whenever one ofhis circle’s Squires has turned 18.

The Squires Newsletter is mailed monthly to each grandknight of record. Also, in October and April, each sponsoringcouncil’s grand knight will receive from the Supreme Counciloffice the Grand Knight’s Status Report summarizing the cir-cle’s condition and activity of his council’s circle.

The circle’s records for the July to December and January toJune periods should be audited by the grand knight, deputygrand knight and the circle’s chief counsellor and chiefsquire. The council’s squires chairman or chief counsellorshould report at each council meeting on the status of thecircle.

NEW CIRCLE DEVELOPMENT Grand knights whose councilswish to institute a new circle or reactivate an inactive circleshould order a Squires Inquiry Kit (#1936) from theDepartment of Fraternal Services at the Supreme Counciloffice. An informative audiovisual production that explainsthe Columbian Squires program, Something More, can beordered at no charge, except postage and handling, from theDepartment of Fraternal Services. After filing of the “Noticeof Intent to Establish a Columbian Squires Circle” (#457), theAdvisory Board should appoint one Knight as chief counsel-lor for the circle and a priest to serve as father prior. Bothshould be Knights from the sponsoring council. Two or threeadditional Knights should be recruited to fill out the counsel-lor team. The Department of Fraternal Services will provideyour council with counsellor and Squire recruiting materials.

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The state squires chairman or a member of his committeeshould be contacted to arrange for a ceremonial team to per-form the circle’s first investiture. By sponsoring a Squires cir-cle, your council can help bring the Order a little closer to theOrderwide goal of ‘‘A Circle in Every Council.”

Sponsorship of a Columbian Squires circle in good standingfulfills all of the youth activity requirements for the ColumbianAward.

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FIRST DEGREE The grand knight is in charge of the FirstDegree which shall be conferred during a regular meeting.The conferring officers need not be current chair officers.They serve at the pleasure of the grand knight of the council.They must be able to deliver their respective charges in aninspiring manner, AND FROM MEMORY. It is preferable thatthe conferring officers leave their stations to deliver theircharge in front of the candidates. Conferring officers shallrobe for this degree. (Until such time that a council canobtain robes, business suits are permissible provided desig-nated officers’ jewels are worn.)

The work of the admission committee will have been com-pleted so that the practical Catholicity of each applicant hasbeen fully determined including the completion of theAdmissions Committee Questionnaire by each applicant.Candidates from other councils cannot be initiated withoutevidence of their acceptance in that council, duly signed bythe grand knight and attested to by the financial secretary.

A First Degree team cannot perform until certified by the dis-trict deputy.

For complete details, refer to the First Degree CeremonialBook.

SECOND DEGREE The district deputy shall be in charge ofthe Second Degree. He may conduct a Second Degree either

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separately or in conjunction with the Third Degree. He shallnotify the state deputy of his intentions and abide by thedecision of the state deputy. In no event can the SecondDegree be conducted in conjunction with the First Degree.The rules provide that the district deputy shall open themeeting in the Second Section in accordance with the pro-cedures set forth. The conferring officers serve at the plea-sure of the district deputy. They must be able to deliver theirrespective charges in an inspiring manner, AND FROM MEM-ORY. It is preferable that the conferring officers leave theirstations to deliver their charge in front of the candidates. Theconferring officers shall wear robes for this degree.

A team cannot perform until certified by the state ceremonialchairman or his representative.

Candidates from councils other than the host council shallbe advanced only at the request of their grand knight andshall produce a current membership card.

THIRD DEGREE The state deputy is in charge of the ThirdDegree and is himself directly responsible to the board ofdirectors for its proper exemplification.

The host district deputy requests approval of site and date ofdegree from the state deputy. The host district deputy mayalso request assignment of a team of his choice from thestate deputy. However, the final decision on all team assign-ments rests with the state deputy.

It is absolutely forbidden to give the work of any degree topriests except by observation on their part. Priests shall par-ticipate in all pledges and the knighting ceremony. They shallstand for the latter.

The bar shall be closed prior to and during the exemplifica-tion of all degrees.

GENERAL The warden of the council is responsible for thesafekeeping of the council’s ceremonials and ceremonialequipment. The grand knight should check with him at thebeginning of the term to make certain that everything needed

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for ceremonial work is available and in proper condition andshould also check with him before every degree exemplifica-tion to make certain that all details incident to the exemplifi-cation have been looked after.

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The following is offered to assist grand knights in becomingacquainted with the financial obligations of his position asrapidly as possible and thus to prevent future misunder-standings.

Per Capita Tax [PCT]—Councils are billed in January andJuly at $1.75 per member based on the members of recordon file at the Supreme Council office on the first of each ofthose months.

Catholic Advertising Fund [CAF]—Councils are billed in Apriland October at 50¢ per member based on the members ofrecord on file at the Supreme Council office on the first ofeach of those months.

The financial secretary receives a billing each month from theSupreme Council office indicating all charges and credits aswell as any changes in membership. The financial secretaryshould show each month’s billing to the grand knight so thatthe grand knight will be fully aware of his council’s financialstanding as it relates to the Supreme Council office. Eachmonth the grand knight receives a membership and financialstatement from the Supreme Council office that containssimilar information.

Is there a time limit on council payments to the Supremeoffice?

Yes! Section 156 provides that assessments [includingCatholic Advertising Fund charges] must be paid within threemonths and ten days [100 days] of the first of the month inwhich the billing is received as follows:

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Assessment Due Suspended

Jan. PCT On Receipt April 10April CAF On Receipt July 10July PCT On Receipt Oct. 10Oct. CAF On Receipt Jan. 10

It is suggested that payments be forwarded to the SupremeCouncil office within 65 days after the billing date to allowsufficient processing time prior to the suspension date.

What happens when a council fails to make payment by thefinal date?

Section 156 provides that a council failing to make the pay-ment shall be “ipso facto” suspended. The board of directorsrequires the supreme secretary to issue suspension noticesto the grand knight, district deputy, state deputy andsupreme director if there is one in the jurisdiction in whichthe council is located. Letters are also generated to thecouncil membership notifying them that they are in danger oflosing their fraternal benefits because the council is facingsuspension.

How Can A Council Have Its Suspension Lifted?

By paying the amount in arrears.

Who Initiates Payment Of Supreme Council Office And StateCouncil Obligations?

The financial secretary, [section 139 (8)]. The financial secre-tary should issue an “Order on Treasurer” (#157) authorizingthe treasurer to issue the check in payment. The grandknight must countersign the order on treasurer.

Is Council Action Required To Pay A Supreme Council OfficeOr State Council Obligation?

No. Section 145 provides that no approval is required.

Are The Records Of The Financial Secretary And TreasurerOpen For Inspection?

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Yes. The state deputy, district deputy, board of trustees andgrand knight, or their representatives [section 243] shall haveaccess to the council records upon request to the officer orofficers involved. Such requests must be within reason anddemands shall not be made capriciously.

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It is the duty of the grand knight, as the chief officer of thecouncil, to make certain that the laws of the Order that spellout how its monies should be handled by the financial secre-tary and treasurer are fully observed. The grand knight is alsothe chairman of the board of trustees of the council, and assuch he should make absolutely certain that the records andaccounts of the council are audited semi-annually by thetrustees, as required by the laws of the Order. These auditsshould never be made by the financial secretary or the trea-surer, inasmuch as it is their accounts that are being audited.Too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the importanceof these audits being made.

One copy of this report must be filed with the supreme sec-retary, another with the state deputy, another with the districtdeputy and another with the council.

When the time for the audit arrives — January and July —the grand knight, as chairman of the trustees, shall notify thetreasurer and financial secretary to deliver their books andrecords to him. Then he and the trustees should carefullyand methodically audit them as quickly as the circumstancesallow, make memos as they think advisable, fill out the reportforms and return the books to the respective officers. Toaudit the books is not a difficult matter. Instructions on howto prepare an audit will be found below and in the FinancialSecretary’s Handbook’ (#1410). The “Semiannual CouncilAudit Report” (#1295) can be found in the Council ReportForms Booklet (#1436) and on the Order’s Web site.

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AAAAUUUUDDDDIIIITTTT RRRREEEEPPPPOOOORRRRTTTT

Section 145 of the Laws of the Order requires that the grandknight and the trustees audit the accounts of the financialsecretary and treasurer at least every six months, and inJanuary and July report thereon to their council, districtdeputy, state deputy and the supreme secretary on formsapproved by the board of directors and furnished by theSupreme Council. Under no circumstances should either thefinancial secretary or treasurer prepare the audits, but eachshould be readily available to the trustees to answer ques-tions regarding the records. The trustees are charged withthis duty, and in accepting office they are accepting theresponsibilities the office entails. (see page 32 of theReference Section for detailed information on completing theaudit.)

Trustees who sign an audit prepared by the financial secretaryor treasurer are acting in an irresponsible manner. The reportmade to the council, district deputy, state deputy and thesupreme secretary indicates that the trustees have examinedthe records of the financial secretary and treasurer. If theyhave not done so, the trustees cannot know that the figurestherein are correct.

If the trustees and grand knight cannot personally make theaudit, they should arrange to have one made by a qualifiedmember at the expense of the council. A responsible financialsecretary will require that his records and accounts be exam-ined periodically according to the Laws for the protection ofall concerned, including his own. Protection of self-interest ofthe financial secretary will also help to safeguard the financialaffairs of the council. The grand knight and trustees mustarrange for the audit to be accomplished without deprivingthe financial secretary of his records for more than one week.The business records of any council can be properly exam-ined within a week to assure accuracy and completeness.

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The bonding company, which takes an active concern inaudits, can refuse to honor the bond on either the financialsecretary or treasurer for the following reasons:

• Failure of the trustees to conduct the audit, or signing anaudit prepared by the financial secretary or treasurer

• Failure to have on file at the Supreme Council office twoconsecutive Audit Reports for the periods immediately past

RECORDS AND ITEMS NEEDED TO PREPARE THE AUDIT:FROM THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY . . .

• Cash receipts records• Warrant Voucher stubs• Receipts, Treasurer to Financial Secretary• Latest Council Roster• Council Statements for the audit period• Cash and checks on hand, if any• Bills or invoices requiring payment• Copy of last council audit• Member’s Ledgers• FSPC Files/Reports

FROM THE TREASURER . . .

• Treasurer’s Cash Book• Check book, bank statements, cancelled checks and

Warrant Vouchers for the audit period• All bank books, regardless of purpose of account• All documents reflecting cash or liquid assets such as

stocks, bonds, notes, etc

FROM THE RECORDER . . .

• Minute Book

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The grand knight should stay informed at all times as to thecondition of the council’s finances, its income, and its obliga-

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tions. All monies that come to the council from any sourceare received and collected by the financial secretary. He thenturns these monies over to the treasurer at the end of eachmeeting.

The treasurer must give the financial secretary a receipt for allmonies turned over to him and this receipt must be given tothe grand knight, who reads it at the next council meeting. Inthis manner the grand knight is completely informed ofmonies received by the council.

Following each meeting of the council the treasurer mustdeposit the monies received from the financial secretary tothe credit of the council in a bank approved by the trustees ofthe council and he must furnish to the grand knight a receiptof such deposit. Of course, the amounts of these two itemsmust be identical, i.e., the amount of the money turned overto the treasurer by the financial secretary and the amountwhich the bank receipt shows the treasurer deposited to thecredit of the council. This receipt must be read by the grandknight at the next council meeting. The grand knight and thecouncil are thus kept informed of the fact that moniesreceived by the council have been properly deposited to itscredit.

Under no circumstances is the financial secretary permittedto deposit the money in the bank or perform any other duty ofthe treasurer. The two offices are intended to be a checkagainst each other and therefore, neither officer is permittedby law to perform any of the duties of the other.

By the reading of bills against the council at every councilmeeting, the grand knight and membership know what oblig-ations are being incurred. And since he must countersign allorders for payment of council bills that are drawn by thefinancial secretary on the treasurer and countersign all checksdrawn and signed by the treasurer [section 135 (5)], he knowswhat obligations are being incurred by the council andwhether these are being properly handled.

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CCCCOOOOLLLLLLLLEEEECCCCTTTTIIIIOOOONNNN OOOOFFFF CCCCOOOOUUUUNNNNCCCCIIIILLLL DDDDUUUUEEEESSSS

The grand knight should be certain at all times that the finan-cial secretary is sending dues and assessment notices formonies owed to every member of the council 15 days beforethe beginning of each billing period. If payment is notreceived, a second notice is forwarded 30 days later. If pay-ment is still not received at the end of the first month in whichthe member has failed to pay his dues, a “Knight Alert” letter(#KA1) is sent to the delinquent member, signed by the grandknight and trustees. The financial secretary also provides thenames, addresses, telephone numbers and amounts of delin-quency for each member in arrears to the retention commit-tee. The committee is comprised of the grand knight, chair-man ex officio; the trustees; financial secretary; treasurer; andproposer, if available. The grand knight will assign a memberof the retention committee to personally contact the delin-quent member to remind him of his obligation. The committeemember will provide a written report of his findings to thegrand knight. If the member is experiencing financial difficulty,the grand knight will direct two committee members to visitthe member and make arrangements to accommodate himwith a payment plan. Again, a full report is to be made to thegrand knight on the results of the visit.

If at the end of the second month, the member still has notpaid his dues, the “Notice of Intent to Suspend’’ (#1845) is tobe prepared and signed by the financial secretary, counter-signed by the grand knight and distributed as follows:

A. The “Original Copy’’ is sent to the delinquent member.

B. The “Supreme Council Office Copy’’ is forwarded to theDepartment of Membership Records. The supreme knightwill mail a personal letter to the delinquent member, con-veying the supreme knight’s interest in having the memberretain his “good standing” status.

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C. The “State Council Copy’’ is mailed to the state deputy.He will write to the member, offering assistance and advis-ing him that the district deputy in his area is available tohelp with any particular problems.

D. The “District Deputy Copy” is sent to the district deputy.He will telephone the delinquent member to discuss thearrearage situation. In the course of the telephone visit,possible solutions will be suggested, and the districtdeputy will volunteer to assist the member, if the needexists. The district deputy will also determine whether per-sonal contact has been made by the council. Theresponse and reaction received from the delinquent mem-ber is recorded on the reverse side of the “District DeputyCopy” of the Form #1845 and forwarded to the statedeputy for his perusal.

E. The “Council Copy’’ is retained for council files.

If the delinquent member does not meet his obligation orarrange a satisfactory payment schedule within 60 days fol-lowing the processing of form (#1845), the council may file aForm #100 Membership Document indicating suspension.However, the suspension will not be processed at theSupreme Council office unless a “Notice of Intent toSuspend,” has been on file for the required 60 days. The“Notice of Intent to Suspend” becomes null and void 90 daysfollowing the date it is recorded at the Supreme Counciloffice. After the 90-day period has elapsed, the form will beremoved from the file under the assumption that the councilhas been successful in retaining the member. If subsequentlythe member on whom the council previously filed a “Notice ofIntent to Suspend” should again become delinquent, theentire billing/retention process must be reimplemented asdescribed above.

These billing procedures are designed to help the councilretain a member. It is the grand knight’s duty to see that theproper procedures for collection of council dues are followed.

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APPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP AND THEADMISSION COMMITTEE

Specific procedures have been adopted in regard to theadmission of new members into the Order:

1. There shall be no investigating committee in any coun-cil.

2. Within five days after an application for membership ispresented to him, the grand knight shall refer the appli-cation to the Admission Committee and the chairmanof said committee shall immediately notify the appli-cant to appear before it for examination as to his quali-fications for membership.

3. The admission committee has the power of rejectiononly if five committee members file a written reportwith the grand knight certifying that the applicant is nota practical Catholic. If this is done, said applicant shallbe deemed rejected, the fact shall be noted in theapplication by the grand knight, and the grand knightshall promptly advise the proposer. Whether or not anapplicant is a practical Catholic is for the Church todecide. Therefore, it is expected that before a writtenreport is filed, the committee will have discussed thesituation with the chaplain of the council or the appli-cant’s pastor and will be bound by the decision ofeither.

4. Having determined that the applicant is a practicalCatholic, the Admission Committee shall submit to thegrand knight its report and recommendations withinten days following the date when the application wasdelivered by the grand knight to the chairman of the

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Admission Committee. At the first meeting of the coun-cil following receipt by the grand knight of the reportand recommendations of the admission committee, orupon expiration of ten days following delivery of theapplication to the chairman of the admission commit-tee, if there is no report from the Admission Committeewith respect to the application, the grand knight shallproceed with reading the application. Except whennotice of application shall be published as provided inSection 110, the council shall proceed forthwith (at thesame meeting) to ballot for the admission of suchapplicant after said reading. Prior to balloting after thefirst and only reading, the warden shall determine andreport to the grand knight and the deputy grand knightthe number of members present, and the recorder shallrecord in the minutes of the meeting the report of thewarden.

5. The grand knight cannot delay the processing of theapplication under any circumstances, unless the appli-cation is rejected because the applicant is not a practi-cal Catholic as shall be determined by at least fivemembers of the committee, he shall read the applica-tion at the first meeting following the ten days allowedfor the report of the Admission Committee. This read-ing is not restricted to a regular meeting or a businessmeeting.

6. Balloting shall be by distribution to the members pre-sent of a blank slip of paper and each member shallwrite thereon either the word “yes’’ or “no’’ and nothingmore.

7. Balloting for candidates shall be the responsibility ofthe warden. After exhibiting the ballot box to the grandknight and deputy grand knight, the warden shalldeposit the same on the salutation table and take hisplace six feet therefrom. He shall then request that allthe officers vote by depositing their ballots in the ballot

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box and after they have voted, he shall request themembers to vote in the same manner. They shalladvance in single file and deposit their ballots. After allwho desire to do so have voted, the warden shallexhibit the ballot box to the grand knight and deputygrand knight and they shall examine and count the bal-lots. If the number of negative ballots cast does notexceed one-half of the members PRESENT, the appli-cant shall be declared elected. The grand knight shallannounce the result but the exact number of negativeballots shall not be stated. The law requires a negativevote of more than one-half present and not a negativevote of one-half of those voting.

8. If more than one candidate is to be balloted for at ameeting, the grand knight may announce that the firstballot shall be a general one upon all the candidates,and that if not more than one-half of those presentshall cast negative ballots upon such general ballot, noother ballots shall be taken. If the announcement ismade by the grand knight and not more than one-halfnegative ballots of those present are cast upon saidgeneral ballot, all candidates so balloted for shall bedeclared elected. If more than one-half negative ballotsof those present are cast upon said general ballot, anindividual ballot shall be taken on each candidate.

9. Applications for membership from priests and religiousshall not be referred to the admission committee butshall be presented directly to the council for ballotingwithin ten days after they are received by the grandknight.

10. This law became effective August 20, 1964, and isabsolutely binding on all councils and on all applica-tions for membership after that date.

11. The revision of the laws by the Supreme Council at its1968 meeting imposes another duty to the admissioncommittee in cases of reapplication by a former mem-

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ber who has been in an exit status for a period of morethan seven years. The amendment requires the appli-cant to appear before and be approved by the admis-sion committee. In addition thereto the reapplicantmust establish to the satisfaction of the committee thathe has received the degrees of the Order. If this cannotbe established the reapplicant shall be required to takeany or all degrees.

There should be a minimum of delay between the finalacceptance of an applicant by the council and his initiationin the First Degree. Also very important is the fact that theinsurance of an applicant does not become effective untilhe is initiated in the First Degree.

COMPLETING THE AUDIT REPORTAll three sections of the Audit Report (#1295) must becompleted, and the audit must be signed by the grandknight and at least two trustees. If an entry is not applica-ble, the word “none” should be inserted on the line. Failureto complete any section or affix required signatures willnecessitate return of the report to the grand knight. Pleaserefer to page 39 for a sample Audit Report.

SCHEDULE A — MEMBERSHIP — A major objective ofthe semiannual council audit is to reconcile local councilmembership records with those maintained by theSupreme Council Department of Membership Records. Thesources for information necessary to complete Schedule Aof the Audit Report are: (1) records the financial secretarymaintains on ledger cards, ledger sheets or FSPC ledgers,depending on the accounting system used by the council;(2) semiannual Council Rosters provided by the SupremeCouncil office and (3) monthly Council Statements sentfrom the Supreme Council office. The latter is especiallynecessary for associate to insurance, insurance to associ-ate, transfers out of the council and, in some instances,death transactions recorded as a result of insurance claimsprocessing. All discrepancies between local council and

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Supreme Council records are to be reconciled, with anynecessary membership transactions being submitted to theDepartment of Membership Records, or . . . local councilrecords being corrected as necessary to ensure agree-ment.

Only those members for which the applicable membershiptransactions have been reported are to be listed on theaudit. If an addition or a deduction is being acted upon butas yet has not been submitted with sufficient time for pro-cessing, it is not to be indicated on the audit report. Eachtime a transaction is submitted to the Supreme Counciloffice, it is the financial secretary’s responsibility to verifythat it has been received and processed. This is accom-plished by reviewing the monthly Council Statements forthe audit period — August through January statements forthe January audit, February through July statements for theJuly audit. Again, only those members for which transac-tions have been verified as received and processed at theSupreme Council office are to listed on the audit as addi-tions or deductions.

For the purpose of preparing the semiannual audit only,inactive insurance members are excluded; they are not tobe considered as insurance members of the council. If aninsurance member is suspended or takes a withdrawal, hebecomes inactive and is considered a deduction.Conversely, an inactive member reactivating his member-ship is an addition to be recorded on the “Reinstatements& Readmissions” line. Also, the “Transfers — Assoc. toIns.” and “Transfers — Ins. to Assoc.” lines in the Additionsand Deductions sections must agree. For example, aninsurance addition as a result of an associate to insurancetransfer is also an associate deduction.

The figures for “Total Deductions” in the Deductions sec-tion are to be placed on the line “Minus Total Deductions”in the Additions section and must be subtracted from the

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figures for “Total for Period” to obtain the correct figuresfor “Number Members at End of Period.”

SCHEDULE B — CASH TRANSACTIONS — FINANCIALSECRETARY — “Cash on Hand Beginning of Period” willbe the figure from the previous Audit Report showing“Cash on Hand at End of Period.”

Figures for “Cash Received — Dues, Initiations” and “CashReceived from other Sources” will be the accounting peri-od summary from Records of Cash Receipts or from theFinancial Secretary’s Cash Book. “Total Cash Received”will be the total of the three previous items.

Amounts for “Paid to Treasurer” will be the total of the fig-ures shown on receipts from treasurer to financial secretaryfor monies received during the period by the treasurer fromthe financial secretary.

“Cash on Hand at End of Period” will be amounts shown“Paid to Treasurer” subtracted from amount shown as“Total Cash Received.” In most instances “Cash on Handat End of Period” will show a zero balance as most finan-cial secretaries pay all monies to the treasurer before theend of the audit period.

SCHEDULE B — CASH TRANSACTIONS — TREASURER— The “Cash on Hand Beginning of Period” will be the fig-ure shown on the previous audit from line “Net Balance onHand.”

The item “Received From Fin. Sec.” will be the accountingperiod total of the items in the Treasurer’s Cash Bookshowing monies received from the financial secretary. Thisshould agree with the amount shown in the financial secre-tary’s report on line “Paid to Treasurer.”

Under “Disbursements,’’ the amounts for per capita pay-ments and general expenses will be the accounting periodtotal of payments by the council as shown in the disburse-ments section of the Treasurer’s Cash Book.

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AUDIT PROCEDURES FOR SCHEDULE B — The proce-dure detailed below is recommended for use by auditors indetermining that dues payments were receipted, enteredon the appropriate Member Ledgers, turned over to thetreasurer, receipted by the treasurer, and deposited in thecouncil’s bank account. Conversely, it is effective in verify-ing that credits were not posted to Member Ledgers unlessthere is a record of payment having being received. Inorder to make these determinations, a representative num-ber of accounts should be “spot checked.” Proceed as fol-lows:

• Verify several receipts on each Record of Cash Receiptssheet to determine if credit was given on the appropriateMember Ledger for the amount shown.

• Verify several Member Ledgers to determine, in reverseorder, if credit given there was received and recorded onthe Record of Cash Receipts.

• Verify the totals on each Record of Cash Receipts sheetto determine that monies were turned over to the trea-surer and his receipt was issued.

• Verify each Treasurer’s Receipt to determine that theamounts shown were credited on bank statements asdeposits.

To determine if the treasurer’s check register is in balancewith the balance shown on the end-of-period bank state-ment, the following procedure is suggested:

• Determine that an authorized voucher exists for eachcheck issued and that the check was issued to the cor-rect payee in the correct amount.

• Review the endorsements on the checks to determinethat they are endorsed by the payee.

• Compare the cancelled checks to the CashDisbursement register and indicate and initial auditresults on the check register.

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SCHEDULE C — ASSETS AND LIABILITIES — This sectionwill provide insight as to the financial condition of thecouncil. From audit period to audit period it will indicatethe council’s financial progress — or lack of it — andwhere necessary will enable the trustees, state and districtdeputies, and the Supreme Council office to obtain a truepicture of the council’s financial status. However, in review-ing previous audits it is apparent that some councilsinclude figures in this schedule that are not applicable tothe audit period. This is particularly true relative to “DueSupreme Council: Per Capita’’ in the Liabilities column and“Due From Members’’ in the Assets column.

It appears that some councils are including as owed theper capita levy for the period following the one for whichthe audit is being made. For example, if an audit is beingmade for the period ending December 31, then the percapita levy for January of next year should not be shownon the “Per Capita’’ line. However, should that January levynot be paid by June 30, it would be included on the nextaudit.

Regarding the “Due From Members’’ line . . . if the financialsecretary follows the proper billing procedures, he will havesent the First Notices at least 15 days prior to the start ofthe period. Entries are not to be made for those membersbeing billed for the following period. To avoid confusion,billing notices should be dated as of the first of the monthof the start of the period (such as January 1 or July 1) notthe date the bills are being prepared. However, should anyportion of the bill remain unpaid into the next audit period,that portion is to be included on the ensuing Audit Report.

ASSETS — “Undeposited Funds’’ are monies in the pos-session of either the financial secretary or treasurer, orboth.

Assets labeled “Bank — General Acct.’’ and “Bank —Special Acct.’’ will be the reconciliation of the treasurer’scheckbook(s) showing the net cash balance(s).

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Outstanding checks should be deducted from the bankstatement.

“Due From Members’’ data is obtained from the financialsecretary’s Member Ledger records. Refer to “SCHEDULEC — ASSETS AND LIABILITIES” above for guidelinesregarding these figures prior to making the entries.

One indicator of the financial condition of a council is thenumber of members in arrears and the amounts owed. Becertain to include these figures on the report.

The treasurer will furnish the amounts for “Savings andInvestment Accounts” from his cash book which shouldshow transfers of cash to savings accounts or purchase ofinvestments. If the council owns stocks or bonds, thetrustees should make a count of the investments anddetermine that all earnings on investments are properlycredited to the council accounts.

“Total Current Assets” is the total of the five previous lines.

LIABILITIES — Figures for the Liabilities section relative tothe council’s obligations to Supreme, state, as well as mis-cellaneous will be supplied by the financial secretary fromhis records and from unpaid bills in his possession.

Advance payment of dues by members should be includedin “Advance Payments By Members.” It is a liabilitybecause it represents dues payment not yet chargeable tothe members.

When a member is suspended, the amounts he owes willappear in the Audit Report for the period in which he wassuspended. If using a manual accounting system, hisMember Ledger should be removed from the council file onor before the end of the period in which he was suspend-ed. FSPC users must delete any outstanding balance fromthe ledger screen. This procedure will ensure that a billingnotice is not produced during the next billing period and

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eliminates the carry-over from one period to another ofuncollectible dues or other charges on members who havebeen suspended.

The figure for “Total Current Liabilities” is also entered inthe Assets column in the space designated “Less: CurrentLiabilities” and is subtracted from “Total Current Assets” toobtain “Net Current Assets.”

If liabilities exceed assets, the “Total Current Assets’’should be subtracted from “Current Liabilities” and theresulting figure shown in (parenthesis).

INVESTMENTS — Trustees are to itemize investmentassets on the appropriate lines provided for that purposeunder “Investments.”

Figures showing the value of “Real Estate” and “Furniture”should be obtained from the secretary of the council homecorporation.

ANNUAL BUDGET — It is strongly recommended that anannual budget be prepared in November or December ofeach year following guidelines established by the council.After adoption of the budget, it is good practice to transferfunds from the council’s general account to a savingsaccount, as appropriate.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES — Section 145 of the Order’sCharter Constitution and Laws outlines the duties of theboard of trustees and its chairman, the grand knight. Everytrustee is required to be familiar with this section and itsimpact on the council’s finances and obligations . . . andhis duties. Section 122 details the manner in which thecouncil manages its funds. Other sections dealing with thedisposition of council monies and funds are 139-1, 139-3,140-1, 140-2, 140-3 and 140-4.

Council by-laws may also contain laws and rules governingthe expenditure of monies. These by-laws are subject to

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approval by the supreme advocate in a manner consistentwith the Charter Constitution and Laws and the board ofdirectors.

HOME CORPORATIONS — Council officers and membersshould be well acquainted with all phases of operationswhere home corporations are concerned. Regular andcomplete reports should be made to the council by the

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corporation trustees. There should also be a periodicreview as to the manner in which various activities are con-ducted under the auspices of the corporation board.

COUNCIL STATEMENTComplete information on the council’s account with theSupreme Council is contained in the statement that is sentduring the first half of each month to the financial secretaryof every council. The grand knight should examine thisstatement every month and should arrange with the finan-cial secretary to make it available to him for this purpose.The statement will display at a glance whether the councilis meeting its obligations to the Supreme Council or expos-ing itself to the risk of suspension for nonpayment of them.

Each month the grand knight receives his own membershipand financial statement (see at right). On it is shown theprogress the council is making in its membership/insuranceprogram. The financial statement section indicates thecouncil’s financial standing in relation to the SupremeCouncil. On the bottom are instructions for reading theinformation provided. This financial statement is merely acondensed version of the monthly statement received bythe financial secretary. It is intended to keep the grandknight advised in the event the financial secretary fails tomake the regular monthly statement available.

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DUTIES OF COUNCIL OFFICERS

Since a more informed member will most likely prove to bea more active and involved member, every new Knightshould be introduced to council officers and ServiceProgram directors as soon after his First Degree as possi-ble, and a brief description of the office or position shouldbe made at this time.

The following descriptions may be used to introduce newmembers to the variety of Knights who serve the localcouncil. The duties of council officers are also found in the“Charter, Constitution and Laws,’’ (#30), available inEnglish, French and Spanish from the Supreme CouncilSupply Department at a small fee, the “Duties of CouncilOfficers” flyer (#4241), or on “Those Who Serve,’’ an infor-mational VHS videocassette available at no charge, exceptfor shipping and handling, from the Supreme CouncilDepartment of Fraternal Services.

GRAND KNIGHT

The grand knight is responsible for the overall welfare ofthe council. Elected annually by the council membership,the grand knight must provide thoughtful and inspiredleadership to the council officers, the Service Programdirectors, chairmen and members of the council.

More specifically, his duties include: presiding over councilmeetings, details of which are outlined in the flyer, “Methodof Conducting a Council Meeting’’ (#1937); acting as an exofficio member of all committees; appointing the member-ship and program directors and working with them on theselection of Service Program activities chairmen and mem-bership recruitment teams and retention chairmen; conven-ing officers for a monthly meeting; appointing special com-mittees not mandated by the laws of the council; oversee-ing the proper exemplification of the First Degree; and,finally, making sure that all reports and reporting forms

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required by the state or Supreme Council offices are sub-mitted on time.

Another area of the grand knight’s duties is overseeing theimportant work of the council’s admission committee.Immediately after entering upon his term of office, thegrand knight must appoint an admission committee com-posed of seven members. The grand knight monitors theirwork and makes sure their results are in line with the lawsgoverning the actions of the committee.

The grand knight also interacts with the financial secretaryand treasurer to ensure the council is meeting its financialobligations to the Supreme and state councils, and others.The grand knight countersigns all orders drawn and signedby the financial secretary and all checks drawn and signedby the treasurer. He also reads the vouchers from thefinancial secretary of moneys paid to the treasurer andfrom the treasurer of moneys deposited in the bank. Bythese procedures, the grand knight monitors the perfor-mance of the financial secretary and treasurer, working withthem to help the council meet its financial obligations.

In accordance with section 130 of the “Charter,Constitution and Laws’’ (#30), each financial secretary,upon appointment by the supreme knight, is bonded auto-matically in the amount of $5,000.00. Additional bondingmay be provided at a cost of $7.00 per thousand by con-tacting the office of the supreme secretary. The same willapply to the council treasurer when the “Report of Officers’’(#185) is received at the Supreme Council office.

The grand knight is a member of the Advisory Boardcharged with general supervision of a Columbian Squirescircle sponsored by his council.

Finally, the grand knight, together with the deputy grandknight and trustees, is responsible for recommending achaplain to the ordinary of the diocese for his appointment

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in accordance with section 128 of the “Supreme Charter,Constitution and Laws” (#30). He also appoints a lecturer.

DEPUTY GRAND KNIGHTThe deputy grand knight is the second in command in thelocal council. He is also elected annually, assists the grandknight in the operation of council affairs and is responsiblefor any duties assigned to him by the grand knight. In theabsence of the grand knight, the deputy grand knight pre-sides at council meetings and functions as the grandknight would. The deputy grand knight is a member of theAdvisory Board charged with general supervision of aColumbian Squires circle sponsored by his council. It issuggested that the deputy grand knight and the board oftrustees serve on the council’s retention committee.

CHANCELLORThe chancellor is elected annually to serve the council in avariety of ways. Primarily, he assists the grand knight anddeputy grand knight in the execution of their duties andtakes charge of the council during the incapacity orextended absence of both.

With the cooperation and support of the grand knight, thechancellor has the important duty of strengthening themembers’ interest in council activities. It is recommendedthat the chancellor serve as the chairman of the council’sAdmission Committee.

The chancellor is also a member of the council’sColumbian Squires circle ceremonial team.

RECORDERThe recorder is responsible for keeping a true record of allthe actions of the council and maintains all correspon-dence of the council. He should use the “Recorder’sMinute Book’’ (#1403, available from the Supreme CouncilSupply Department) to record the minutes of all council

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meetings.

FINANCIAL SECRETARYThe financial secretary’s important role is underscored bythe fact that he is not elected by the membership but, hisappointment – upon the recommendation of the grandknight and trustees – is approved by the supreme knightfor a period of three years. His work has a direct effect oncouncil members, his fellow officers, the state council andthe Supreme Council.

Basically, the financial secretary’s duties revolve aroundtwo key areas of council activities: financial records andmembership records. The financial secretary collects andreceives all moneys that come into the council from anysource. He then turns that money over to the treasurer fordeposit in the council account.

In accordance with section 130 of the “Charter,Constitution and Laws’’ (#30), each financial secretary,upon appointment by the supreme knight, is bonded auto-matically in the amount of $5,000.00. Additional bondingmay be provided at a cost of $7.00 per thousand by con-tacting the office of the supreme secretary.

One main function of the financial secretary is to collectmoney, in the form of dues, from members. He sends outbilling notices before the start of the billing period and initi-ates retention measures to prevent members from beingsuspended for nonpayment of dues.

The compilation of membership records is another of thefinancial secretary’s important roles. He must ensure thatnew members sign the constitutional roll of membership atthe time of their First Degree. The financial secretary alsoapplies to the Supreme Council office for honorary andhonorary life membership cards for qualified members.

Besides these two major responsibilities, the financial sec-retary has several others. They include: handling supply

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orders for members with the Supreme Council SupplyDepartment; filing the “Report of Officers’’ (#185) with theSupreme Council office; and reporting allmembership/insurance transactions to the SupremeCouncil office in a timely and correct manner.

When a financial secretary wishes to retire from his office,he should send a brief statement of resignation to thesupreme knight. The statement should designate a finaldate by which the resignation is to be effective accordingto the wishes of the financial secretary. It is to be remem-bered, however, that every financial secretary has beenappointed on the condition that he will remain in the office,if needed, until the supreme knight has been able toappoint the new financial secretary. Upon receipt of thefinancial secretary’s letter of resignation at the SupremeCouncil office, the appropriate forms for the nominationand appointment of the new financial secretary will be for-warded to the grand knight.

Because the duties and responsibilities of the financial sec-retary are so varied and complex, a Financial Secretary’sHandbook (#1410) and an audiovisual production, TheFinancial Secretary—Our Answer Man, available at nocharge, except postage and handling, from the SupremeCouncil Department of Fraternal Services, have been creat-ed to help him and council members understand his taskmore completely.

The Supreme Council also makes available personal com-puter software and associated reports and supplies toassist financial secretaries to automate recordkeeping/billing tasks. Information on hardware require-ments and ordering information for the software and sup-plies may be obtained by contacting the SupplyDepartment or the Department of Membership Records.(See the “Financial Secretary Personal Computer” sectionon page 52 for more information.)

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TREASURERThe treasurer is the elected official in charge of handling allcouncil funds. He receives money from the financial secre-tary and issues a receipt for such. He is also responsiblefor depositing all money in the proper council accountsand providing a voucher or certificate of deposit to thegrand knight for each transaction.

The treasurer is also responsible for issuing payments tothe Supreme Council on all assessments made by it to thecouncil and for all orders of the council.

Finally, the treasurer is responsible for keeping accurateaccounts of the monies in the general expense fund of thecouncil and the amount of money in any special fundsestablished by the council. He must be able to provide up-to-date records on these accounts to the grand knight,financial secretary or board of trustees.

In accordance with section 130 of the “Charter,Constitution and Laws’’ (#30), the treasurer is automaticallybonded in the amount of $5,000 upon receipt of the“Report of Officers’’ (#185) at the Supreme Council office.Additional bonding may be provided at a cost of $7.00 perthousand by contacting the office of the supreme secre-tary.

LECTURERThe lecturer is appointed by the grand knight to providesuitable educational and entertaining programs under the“Good of the Order” section of the council meeting. The“Good of the Order” may include such items as speakers,presentations on special topics, etc. The lecturer is respon-sible for presenting the “Good of the Order’’ section atcouncil meetings. The lecturer must be knowledgeable ofall aspects of council programming in order to providemembers with informative and entertaining programs. If themeetings have been conducted in accordance with theceremonials and the agenda, there will be ample time at

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each meeting for the lecturer to present a worthwhile pro-gram that will help build meeting attendance and providebenefits to the membership that is present.

ADVOCATE

The advocate is the parliamentarian for the council. Heneed not be a member of the legal profession; however, heshould be thoroughly familiar with all of the laws of theOrder as stated in the “Charter, Constitution and Laws’’and with the council by-laws. When a by-law is to berevised, the advocate serves as chairman of the revisioncommittee.

The advocate should also have a working knowledge of“Robert’s Rules of Order,’’ and the Supreme Council flyer,“Methods of Conducting a Council Meeting’’ (#1937). Anunderstanding of both of these will help keep meetings ontrack.

When needed, the advocate shall seek legal assistancefrom the state advocate. In matters of trail of council mem-bers, the advocate shall prosecute the charges on behalf ofthe council.

WARDEN

The warden is responsible for supervising and maintainingall council property, except that which belongs to the finan-cial secretary.

He sets up the council chambers for meetings and degreesand appoints and supervises guards for ceremonial exem-plifications. The warden should also oversee the inside andoutside guards and make sure they are fulfilling the dutiesassigned to them.

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INSIDE/OUTSIDE GUARDSThe guards attend the doors of the council chamber,checking on current membership cards before allowingentrance.

BOARD OF TRUSTEESThe board of trustees consists of the grand knight andthree members elected by the council. Trustees superviseall financial business of the council. They serve as auditorsfor the semiannual audits and oversee the work of thefinancial secretary and treasurer. The grand knight is thechairman of the board. It is suggested that the board oftrustees and the deputy grand knight serve on the council’sretention committee.

Trustees are elected for terms of three years, two yearsand one year. At each regular election, the position of eachtrustee will be voted upon, and the current three and twoyear trustees move on to become two and one yeartrustees, respectively.

CHAPLAINThe priest chosen to serve the council as chaplain will pri-marily act as spiritual advisor to the brother knights andfamilies of that council. Since he will more than likely havea fulltime ministry demanding the major part of his timeand effort, no specific duties with regards to running thecouncil have been assigned to him. He is expected, how-ever, to make a report at council meetings. The chaplain’sreport, scheduled in the “Method of Conducting a CouncilMeeting’’ (#1937), consists of any business matters relativeto his office and a brief talk by him on any religious mat-ters. The chaplain should also serve as an advisor to theChurch activities director and members of that committee.

Section 128 of the Laws explains that “the grand knight,deputy grand knight and board of trustees may annuallyselect a priest to act as chaplain, but such selection must

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be made in accordance with any rules established by thebishop of the diocese in which the council is located.” It isthe responsibility of the grand knight to follow any estab-lished rules of the diocese. If questions arise, the grandknight should contact the state deputy or the chancery’soffice of the diocese.

Deacons and religious brothers cannot serve as a councilchaplain, but may be designated as the “spiritual director”of the council.

After the selection of the chaplain, the grand knight, theprogram director and the director of Church activitiesshould conduct a meeting with the council chaplain to out-line the work of the council in the field of Church activityfor the fraternal year.

In addition, as early as possible after the election of offi-cers, there should be a meeting of all council officersincluding the council chaplain to discuss particular pro-grams in which the chaplain will participate.

Since the chaplain is a priest, it is expected that the coun-cil officers will provide him with as many opportunities aspossible to exercise the teaching phase of his ministry forthe benefit of the council members themselves, their fami-lies and the community. Every opportunity should be pro-vided the chaplain to help train the members of the councilin their rightful positions as Catholic leaders. Through sucha program the chaplain can make a great contribution tothe development of a better informed Catholic leadershipby clearing up any questions which the members may haveand by interpreting religious information which comes tothem through secular newspapers, the radio, television,etc. The chaplain should also cooperate with the council inconducting public affairs of a Catholic nature — such aslectures, special religious services, publication of Catholicadvertisements and assistance to the clergy in the commu-nity through intelligent and trained Catholic manpower.

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Occasionally there arise in a community, in a jurisdiction oron a nationwide basis controversial questions in which theposition of the Church or of Catholics is involved. Beforeany public action is taken with regard to such a matter, thecouncil officers and the committee chairmen involvedshould sit down with the chaplain and discuss the matterthoroughly, so that if the council does take a position, or ifit should ask its members to take a position, the questionwill be thoroughly understood and handled properly.

A copy of the Surge . . . with Service’ program manual(#962), the Chaplain’s Handbook (#945), the VocationsHandbook’ (#1942) and the Knights of Columbus MemorialService (#2942) should be given to the council chaplain inorder that he may familiarize himself with the organizedprograms of the Order and be in a position to assist thecouncil, particularly in the development of Church activityprograms.

Following the order of business outlined in the “Method ofConducting a Council Meeting’’ (#1937) and to give greaterimportance to the role of the chaplain at council meetings,the chaplain will report to members immediately after thegrand knight’s report or whenever he so desires. He is alsoprovided an opportunity for a summation just prior to theclosing prayer.

Council chaplains can enhance the interest at councilmeetings by arranging to conduct special informationalprograms for a specified time period during the chaplain’sreport section of the council meeting. The advice andcounsel of the chaplain are often needed by the officersand members and, therefore, his presence at as manymeetings as possible would be most helpful.

The chaplain is also a member of the Advisory Boardcharged with general supervision of a Columbian Squirescircle sponsored by his council.

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FINANCIAL SECRETARY PERSONAL COMPUTER —FSPC — SOFTWARE AND SUPPLIES

The Order has available the Financial Secretary PersonalComputer (FSPC) program to help the Financial Secretarywith his clerical duties. This is an opportunity for theFinancial Secretary to save valuable time performing rou-tine tasks such as billing members, recording payment ofdues and preparing membership cards for the council. Thispowerful program is a great way to keep track of the coun-cil’s history and the members who created it.

• 100% IBM Compatible Computer — with PentiumProcessor (Pentium — 100 or higher recommended)(Note: No Apple/MAC version is available or is plannedfor the future.)

• Windows®98 or Windows®98 Operating System

• 3.5” — DS/DD 1.44 MB disk drive

• CD-ROM Drive

• 16 MB or more of RAM

• Minimum of 20 MB of available hard disk space

• Microsoft or compatible mouse

• SVGA Color Monitor

• Printer (Windows capable laser, inkjet, or dot-matrix —inkjet or laser recommended)

• Modem & Internet Connection recommended

If you do not meet these requirements, there is the FSPCfor MS-DOS program available.

For the latest information, news and updates for the FSPCprogram, please visit the FSPC Web site at www.fspc.org.

Ordering information is contained in the Knights ofColumbus “Supply Catalog” (#1264) and is available bycontacting the Supply Department or Department ofMembership Records directly.

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HONORARY AND HONORARY LIFE CEREMONIAL

Members who have attained the actual age of 65 years andwho have been members of the Order for 25 consecutiveyears shall be designated as Honorary members; and ondue request in writing (submission of a Form #100 by thefinancial secretary), they shall be exempt from general fundcharges except payment of $10 per annum which shallinclude state and Supreme Council per capita charges andlevies.

Members who have attained the actual age of 70 years andwho have been members of the Order for 25 consecutiveyears and those who have been members of the Order for50 consecutive years, regardless of age, shall be designat-ed as Honorary Life members; and on due request in writ-ing (submission of a Form #100 by the financial secretary),they shall be exempt from further payment of dues, percapita charges and assessments.

When a member has attained either the actual age of 65 or70 and has been a member 25 consecutive years or whohas been a member for 50 years, regardless of age, he isentitled to have this distinction conferred regardless ofwhether he continues to pay dues or takes advantage ofthe reduction or exemption. The written request relatesonly to the dues reduction or exemption and not to thehonor conferred.

If the member has been a member for 25 consecutiveyears and has reached age 70 or has been a member for50 years, regardless of age, the only change in the follow-ing ceremonial is to substitute the words “Honorary LifeMember’’ for “Honorary Member” wherever the latterappears.

The honor may be conferred upon one individual memberor in groups of two or more. If a group, change singular toplural where necessary.

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The following items should be obtained by the financialsecretary prior to the ceremony. A Honorary membershipor Honorary Life membership card may be requested bycompleting and submitting a Form #100 to the SupremeCouncil Department of Membership Records. Honorarymember (#1457) and Honorary Life member (#1458) certifi-cates are available at no charge from the Supreme CouncilSupply Department. Honorary member (#PG-109) andHonorary Life member (#PG-110) lapel pins are availablefor purchase through the Supreme Council SupplyDepartment.

Careful preparations for this solemn ceremony should bemade and every care taken to make its impressions lasting.Each officer should be prepared to deliver his part withoutnotes or prompting. For an officer to read his part is strictlyforbidden.

This ceremony may be conducted with the presence of thefamily and other guests or in private under “The Good ofthe Order.’’

Council officers should be robed for this ceremony.

HONORARY (HONORARY LIFE)MEMBERSHIP CEREMONIAL

G.K. — Our laws provide for conferring a degree of honorupon any member of this council who by reason of ageand years of service is worthy of that distinction. TheWorthy D.G.K. will announce the name(s) of our brother(s)to be so honored today (or tonight).

D.G.K. — Worthy G.K., the Worthy F.S. has certified to methe name(s) of Brother(s) ____________________________ asmeriting this honor. (Asks brother(s) so to be honored tostep forward.)

Chan. — Worthy G.K. and brothers, the Knights ofColumbus is a strong lay arm of the Church. In the solemnceremony of initiation, you promised unswerving loyalty to

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her. You learned also the powerful lesson of unity; andunity, my brothers, means keeping ourselves together incarrying out the high aims and purposes of our Order.When receiving Knightly honors in this Order, you werepronounced the hope of Church and State. Be you ever,therefore, valiant sons of Holy Church and upright and loyalcitizens of the State.

Our Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ on earth, looks withgracious favor upon this our Order and asks our valor andaid in subduing the forces of error and irreligion that attackthe Citadel of Christ.

The Order has acquired fame and honor throughout theland for its community service work, its works on behalf ofthe Church, its pro-life work, its work with Catholic educa-tion, its work to support and foster religious vocations, itsinvolvement with the Vatican, its fraternity, charity andbenevolences.

How important it is, therefore, that each member of thiscouncil should continue steadfast in his fidelity to theOrder. The brother who would surrender or abandon hismembership is like unto the soldier who fails his country inthe time of stress and struggle — our Order becomes likeunto the cable whose strands become bruised or broken.

Let us be ever mindful, therefore, brothers, to maintain ourmembership in the Order to the end that our Knightlyforces be not weakened or diminished in the ever impend-ing battle for God and for truth and that we be betterenabled to promote and carry on our humanitarian work.

And so I say, Worthy G.K., that the purpose of this ceremo-ny is to seek out and reward the persistent and faithfulmembers of this council; and from this station I pronouncethe brother(s) designated by the Worthy D.G.K. trulydeserving of the honor you are about to confer.

(One Rap)

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G.K. — (Addressing the brother[s]) Brother(s),_______________, the Supreme Council of our Order hasempowered ________Council No. _______________ to con-fer upon you the title of Honorary Member (Honorary LifeMember) and this decoration of honor and loyalty. Youhave merited this distinction because you have kept your-self in good standing in the Order for (announce the actualnumber of years applicable) and with self-sacrifice andunselfishness have aided the Order in the accomplishmentof its noble aims. Whether as a humble member in theranks or as one honored by your brothers with place orposition in this society, your earnestness and zeal havebeen noted by your superior officers as well as by yourbrothers of the council. The Order needs such men, men ofcharacter, men of principle — stalwart Catholic men. Byvirtue, therefore, of the authority conferred upon me by thesupreme council of the Order, I pronounce you anHonorary (Honorary Life) Member of the Knights ofColumbus — and by like authority I bestow upon you thisHonorary Member (Honorary Life Member) travel card andlapel pin, a mark of merit and distinction among yourbrother knights. It symbolizes your loyalty, devotion andobedience to the principles of our honored Order.

(G.K. hands the travel card to the brother(s) and inserts theemblem in coat lapel. The brother(s) should be called uponto give expression of his (their) thought and feelings, afterwhich proceed as follows.)

The council sings one stanza of an appropriate hymn.

(After which proceed with the remaining business under“Good of the Order,” or the next order of business is con-ducted at such time if conducted during a council meet-ing.)

MEMBERSHIP PROCEDURES1. NEW MEMBER — The initiation of new members is to

be reported to the Supreme Council office within 24

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hours of the degree ceremony using the MembershipDocument (#100). Submission of a Form 100 should notbe delayed awaiting reception of higher degrees of theOrder. It is the First Degree that establishes member-ship, and the recording of that degree is required tocontinue new insurance applications in force. However,after receipt of the Second and/or Third Degree, a sub-sequent Form #100 (or other listing with the requiredinformation and the degree[s] date[s]) is to be submittedas necessary.

All candidates must accept or decline the insuranceoffer in Section 5 on the front of the Form #100. If thecandidate is married, he must do the same for his wife.If the insurance offer is declined for both parties, theoriginal copy of the Form #100 is sent directly to theSupreme Council office and the duplicate is sent to thegeneral insurance agent. The council copy is retainedfor local council records.

If the candidate accepts the insurance offer, he com-pletes the seven sections on the reverse side of theoriginal copy of the Form #100. If the candidate’s wifeaccepts the insurance offer, she completes the eightsections on the reverse of the duplicate copy. Note thatthe candidate must sign as applicant for insurance onhis wife. For legibility, the duplicate copy of the Form#100 should be detached before the wife completes thereverse side. The financial secretary collects from thecandidate or the proposer $50.00 for annual premiumor $25.00 for semi-annual premium for each proposedinsured. The financial secretary shall retain all copies ofthe Form #100 and the premium payments until thecandidate receives his First Degree.

Immediately following the First Degree, the financialsecretary will send to the general insurance agent boththe original and duplicate copies of the Form #100, thepremium payments, and the general agent copies ofTransmittal Form (#175FS). This is done if either thecandidate, his wife, or both accept the insurance offer.

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(NOTE: The field agent may pick up these documentsfor delivery to the general agent.) The council copy ofthe Form #100 and the financial secretary copy of theTransmittal Form (#175FS) are retained for councilrecords.

2. JUVENILE TO ADULT — Juvenile to adult constitutes aspecific category of new member transaction, and thepreceding section applies to this transaction as well. Anapplicant for membership who holds an in-force insur-ance policy issued while he was under 18 years of ageis to be processed as a juvenile to adult transaction.The juvenile policy number should be included on theForm #100 if available. If the prospect applies for mem-bership prior to his nineteenth birthday, the maximuminitiation fee that can be charged is $5.00.

3. REINSTATEMENT—This transaction can be used ifmembership termination has been for a period of threemonths or less. To reinstate his membership, the appli-cant pays to the financial secretary of his former councilall arrearages, whereupon the financial secretary shallnotify the Supreme Council office on a Form #100.Reinstatements can only take place in the council fromwhich the member was suspended or took a withdraw-al. A reinstatement will not reflect a break in member-ship. No council action is required.

4. READMISSION — This transaction is appropriate ifmembership termination has been for a period of morethan three months and up to seven years. The applicantmay be readmitted in any council of his choice providedthat the council action, which is required, is favorable.No action is required of the admission committee. Hemay do so in two ways:

A) If he left his former council with a withdrawal card,he merely attaches the card to his Form #100 andpays only future dues (quarter annual minimum).

B) If he was suspended from his former council for fail-ure to pay his dues, it will be required that he pay

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$7.50 in lieu of all arrearages. The financial secretarywill forward the Form #100 to the Supreme Counciloffice which, if two councils are involved, will chargethe receiving council $7.50 and credit the formercouncil a like amount. Please note that no monetaryadjustment is made when a member readmits intohis former council. Further, when a member is seek-ing readmission into his former council and hisarrearages total less than $7.50, he is to be chargedthe actual amount of the arrearages.

Years of membership prior to suspension or the date ofwithdrawal unless it is the twenty-five years of consecu-tive membership required, do not count toward therequirements for honorary or honorary life membership.

5. REACTIVATION — The laws provide for an inactiveinsurance member suspended for non-payment of duesto reactivate his membership for a payment not toexceed $5.00. If the member left the Order with a with-drawal card, no fee is required. Years of membershipprior to suspension or the date of withdrawal unless it isthe twenty-five years of consecutive membershiprequired, do not count toward the requirements for hon-orary or honorary life membership.

6. REAPPLICATION — This transaction is to be used if theapplicant has been terminated for a period of more thanseven years. The former member makes application tothe council of his choice and pays a $7.50 re-entry fee,monies which will be kept by the new council. Thereapplicant need not retake his degrees if he satisfiesthe Admission Committee to that effect. If he is in pos-session of a withdrawal card, he attaches this card tohis Form #100 and pays only future dues (quarter-annu-al minimum). Years of membership prior to suspensionor the date of withdrawal, unless it is the twenty-fiveyears of consecutive membership required, do notcount toward the requirements for honorary or honorarylife membership.

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7. TRANSFER — A member in possession of a currentmembership card may transfer to any council of hischoice by making application on a Form #100. Thereceiving council accepts the application for transferunder the elective procedures. Please note that a trans-fer is initiated only by the receiving council. Memberscannot be transferred out of a council. It is suggestedthat the financial secretary of the receiving council esti-mate any arrearages the applicant may owe his formercouncil and collect this amount (if any) in addition to therequired advance dues.

Upon receipt of the transfer application, the SupremeCouncil office will immediately transfer the applicant tothe new council and advise the former council of theeffective date on an Account Adjustment for TransferForm (#142) (dues adjustment) in triplicate.

The financial secretary of the former council will enterdegree information, annual dues, date to which thedues were paid, and the credit or past due balance.Following completion, the appropriate copy is retainedfor council files and the remaining two copies returnedto the Supreme Council office.

Upon receipt of the completed Form (#142,) theSupreme Council office will charge or credit the formercouncil and enter an offsetting charge or credit to thereceiving council. The new council copy of the Form#142 is then mailed to the financial secretary of thereceiving council. He will adjust the account of thetransferee and record degree dates and other member-ship information on the ledger card.

8. WITHDRAWAL — The withdrawal transaction cannot bereported by using the Form #100. Rather, a personalsigned communication from the member requestingwithdrawal (resignation) is required to be sent to thecouncil or assembly and forwarded to the SupremeCouncil office. A member can resign whether he is cur-rent in dues or in arrears. The only stipulation is that hemust be eligible for re-entry as of the date he files his

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letter of withdrawal with the council or assembly.Withdrawal is not an option for a felon, nonpracticalCatholic, or someone who has been suspended orexpelled under Section 162 of the Order’s Laws. Thosemembers who apply for and are granted a withdrawaldo not maintain continuous membership. The member-ship record will reflect a break in service.

If the applicant for a withdrawal card is an insurancemember, he will be recorded as an inactive member andwill remain in that status on the council roster as long ashis insurance is in force. The council continues to beresponsible for Supreme and state council assessmentson inactive members. However, a $9 credit is applied tothe council’s account the month following the anniver-sary date of the member’s insurance policy to offsetsuch assessments.

9. SUSPENSION — NON-PAYMENT — Section 168,Paragraph 3 of the laws of the Order states that amember must be in arrears at least three months beforehe can be suspended for non-payment. Because thiscategory of suspensions represents the largest group oflosses to our Order each year, it is of vital importancethat proper billing procedures be followed before activemembership is terminated by suspension. Please referto page 27 of this handbook for details on collection ofcouncil dues.

As in the case of a withdrawal, a suspended insurancemember goes to an inactive status and remains on thecouncil rolls. Because of this fact, the council is respon-sible for supreme and state-levied assessments andalso receives the annual $9.00 credit, as explained inthe preceding section.

10. DEATH — As soon as possible after the death of acouncil member, a Form #100 is to be completed andsubmitted to the Supreme Council office for process-ing. It is imperative that the complete date — month,day and year — of death and survivor information beincluded on the Form #100. Death notices received at

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the Supreme Council office within six months of thedate of death will enable the supreme knight to write tothe survivor, expressing condolences on the death ofthe member. Notices received in excess of six monthsfollowing the actual date of death are not consideredtimely; the supreme knight’s condolence letter is notsent in these instances.

11. DISABILITY — RELIEF FROM PAYMENT —Thosebrother Knights who are unable to engage in any occu-pation for a period of at least six months may apply forwaiver of dues under Section 118(e) of the Order’slaws. Evidence of total disability must be furnished tothe Supreme Council office, along with the Applicationfor Relief from Payment of Council Dues and Supremeand State Council Per Capita Charges Form (#1831).Form (#1831) must be signed by the disabled member,the grand knight, financial secretary and district deputy.All disability waivers expire on December 31 of eachyear and must be renewed during the 90 days prior toexpiration. A letter is sent from the Supreme Counciloffice requesting confirmation of continued disabilityduring October and must be signed by the grandknight, financial secretary and district deputy. The letteris then to be returned directly to the supreme secre-tary’s office.

Council members who are exempt from dues paymentunder Section 118(e) and 118(d) are to be issued amembership card (#154) on a calendar year basis. Inthe case of a member qualified for exemption underboth Sections 118(e) and 118(d) — honorary life — thehonorary life designation takes precedent. Should amember of your council on disability exemption qualifyfor honorary life, a Form #100 should be submittedrequesting the latter classification.

Specific guidelines pertaining to application for andrenewal of relief under Section 118(e) appear on pageD-9 of the Financial Secretary Handbook.

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ADDITIONAL PROCEDURES — Procedures for additionalmembership transactions — honorary/honorary life; datachanges; suspension for non-practical Catholicity, felonyconviction and misconduct — can be found in Section D ofthe Financial Secretary Handbook.

ORDERING SUPPLIES PROPERLYlt is the responsibility of the grand knight to instruct his offi-cers, directors and chairmen of the proper and efficient pro-cedures to be used when ordering supplies from theSupreme Council office. Your financial secretary can alsolend some assistance in this matter as it is he who is ulti-mately responsible for the ordering of any programmingmaterials.

Service Program directors should order materials for pro-jects or functions through the financial secretary. Theyshould not order materials for other directors. Such unau-thorized, although well-intentioned, actions work at cross-purposes and inevitably result in the duplication of letters,orders, efforts and shipments.

For example, if a membership recruitment program isplanned, the membership director or some definiteappointee of his may order the necessary folders, booklets,forms, etc., through the financial secretary. No one elseshould interfere unless it is specifically agreed that he is todo so .

The Supreme Council office does distribute to councilsannually copies of the “Supply Catalog” (#1264), the“Knights of Columbus Promotional Catalog” (#4230) andthe “Knights of Columbus Gift Catalog” (#1427) which con-tain listings of the items available from the SupplyDepartment. Make these catalogs available to your direc-tors and committee chairmen; they contain a complete list-ing of the Supreme Council’s Service Program materialsand promotional items.

All directors should be informed that every order shouldbear the name, address, council number and location, and

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title of the individual sending it. All orders to be charged tothe council’s account at the Supreme Council office mustbear the signature of the grand knight or the financial secre-tary, and must be on a #1 Requisition. Any orders notreceived on a completed requisition will be returned.

The financial secretary should always have available a suffi-cient supply of the official Supreme Council requisition (#1).Directors should be familiar with this form and the properprocedures to be used when completing it.

Membership cards #154, #2724 and #2725 are not auto-matically distributed to councils and the cards are availableon July 1 of each fraternal year. Membership cards must beordered by the grand knight or financial secretary using a#1 requisition form.

When the Supreme Council office suggests the use ofbooks, pamphlets, and other items that are published, man-ufactured, or sold by various companies, the address of thesource is invariably furnished. Directors should be careful tofollow the instructions given for obtaining such material.Requests sent to the Supreme Council office for theseitems can only result in a return letter suggesting that theorders be placed with the correct source. Much valuabletime is wasted in this manner — particularly if the councilneeds the material for special occasions or by certain dead-line dates.

It should also be stressed that much time is required whileordered material is in transit from the Supreme Counciloffice to the council. A safe margin of time is allowed if anorder is in the Supreme Council office at least four weeksbefore the date the material is actually needed.

If this is not possible and material is urgently needed, atelephone call to the Supreme Council Supply Department(203-752-4214, -4451, -4244 or -4721) permits shipmentthe same day the order is received. Emergency requests willbe limited to five items only.

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Orders may also be sent via fax (800-266-6340). If order isfaxed, please do not mail faxed orders.

Orders should always contain explicit instructions as to theamount or number of items needed. For example, if a cer-tain recruiting pamphlet is wanted, orders should stipulatehow many copies are needed. Vague references to “a sup-ply’’ or “some’’ or “a few’’ often result in a small shipmentbeing made — which in turn requires a further letter ororder to make up the difference in the amount needed forthe council’s purpose.

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Please remember that the Supreme Council office cannotpossibly know or guess to exactly what use material will beput, how many copies are needed, or how it will be distrib-uted. A simple statement such as, “Please send me 25copies of the folder, (title)’’ will bring you what you wantand as many as you need.

Pamphlets, folders, booklets and releases should alwaysbe ordered by their full and correct titles and appropriatenumbers. It takes little extra time for you to ascertain thecorrect title and number, and much time can be saved ingetting the material to you when this information is sup-plied in all orders.

Items will be shipped the least expensive way, unlessrequested otherwise, and charged to council. Shippingcosts for all items, except membership recruitment sup-plies, will be billed to the council. All supply requisitions(#1) should be signed by the grand knight or financial sec-retary before they are submitted to the Supreme CouncilSupply Department.

All shipments into Canada are subject to GST. This appliesto both cost of goods and shipping cost. This will becharged through normal billing procedures.

PROPER PROTOCOLProtocol, it is well to remember, is basically courtesy.Special rules have been established pertaining to properconduct in handling certain situations. Where there is nospecific rule governing a situation, you will not go wrong byemploying common courtesy.

A guest at your council should be treated in the same man-ner as a guest in your home. You should never do to aguest at your council what you would not do to a guest atyour home.

INVITATIONS — Guests should be sent proper invitations inwriting well in advance but at least six weeks before the

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event. All invitations should be sent in the name of andsigned by the grand knight, although you may request thatreplies be directed to a chairman or committee member.

Your district deputy, as special representative of thesupreme knight and state deputy, should be invited to allcouncil functions. It should be understood that his sched-ule may not permit him to attend all affairs, in which casehe would so notify you in ample time.

Invitations should be extended to the district deputy foreach function — not a blanket invitation to attend allevents. If tickets are being used for a function, they shouldbe forwarded, suitably marked, along with the invitation. Astate officer or a district deputy should not be expected toattend merely because he has been given a blanket invita-tion and then receives the council publication announcingthe event.

When an invitation is extended to anyone it should containall details such as dress, extent of participation, etc. It isembarrassing for a guest to appear and find he is the onlyone at the head table not in a tuxedo or the only one wear-ing one.

GUEST ACCOMMODATION — All guests should be greet-ed by the grand knight. Courtesy would indicate that thegrand knight be assisted by someone who would take careof the guests’ hats and coats, someone to introduce themto others in attendance and someone to stay with them.

Guests, including the district deputy, should not be lefttalking to themselves. They usually do not know many atyour council, therefore they should not be alone for anyperiod of time. Various persons should be alerted to con-verse with and keep company with the guests during theirvisit. (Not necessarily the same person or persons for theentire visit. The time can be split up among the members,each visiting with the guests for a short while.)

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SPEAKERS — Whoever sets up the program shoulddecide in advance those he wants to speak and let themknow they are expected to speak. Never ask an invitedguest to speak unless he has been forewarned. So manytimes a grand knight or a committee chairman or a masterof ceremonies will approach a guest just before or evenduring a program and ask if he wants to talk. This gives theimpression that they would prefer he did not but if he want-ed to speak they would permit it.

A state officer or district deputy should always be given anopportunity to speak whenever they appear at a function ormeeting. When several officials are present, it might benecessary to call on the senior ranking officer only tospeak. In any case, all should be recognized and accordedthe proper respect.

HEAD TABLE — Seating is usually arranged by rank fromthe middle out to either end. Guests are introduced fromthe right toward the middle then from the left toward themiddle, excluding speaking members at the head table.The wives of all those seated at the head table should alsobe included in the dais.

At a speaking program, guests are introduced from thelowest rank up to the speaker of the occasion. Personsintroduced from the audience for recognition (a practicethat should be discouraged) should be ranked from topdown as opposed to speakers who appear from the lowestup.

The following priority list should apply for speaking pro-grams and seating arrangements: clergy, Knights ofColumbus (in ranking order), civic dignitaries and other fra-ternities (Lions, Elks, etc.).

When more than one priest is present and a speaker doesnot wish to mention each by name, he should say “Rev.Monsignori’’ and/or “Rev. Fathers.’’ Never use “Reverend

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Clergy’’ unless clergymen of different faiths are represent-ed.

MEETINGS — A state officer, district deputy, priest or spe-cial guest should be accorded due recognition of the officeor position he holds. He should always be seated in aplace of honor commensurate with his position.

If a state officer, district deputy, priest or special guestshould arrive while the meeting is in progress, the grandknight should instruct the warden to escort him to the ros-trum. When the guest appears in the council chamber, thegavel should be rapped three times, for all to stand.

A district deputy should always advise the grand knightwhen he will be attending a meeting or function. He shouldnever appear unexpected even at a regular meeting.

At a meeting, a program or a banquet, the invocation — bya priest if one is present — is always the first order of busi-ness followed by the Pledge of Allegiance in the UnitedStates or by playing of the national anthem. During thePledge of Allegiance or national anthem, all in attendance,including the head table or guests, should face the flag.

PROTOCOL BOOKLET — The Supreme Council’s“Protocol’’ booklet (#1612) includes additional rules of eti-quette for the councils. The booklet is available at nocharge from the Supply Department.

RECEPTION OF VISITING OFFICERS — Upon announce-ment of a visiting grand knight, district deputy, state orsupreme officer at the door, the grand knight shall givethree raps of gavel, the council shall rise, the visiting officershall then be admitted, and invited to a seat at the headtable. (The visiting officer may or may not accept the invita-tion, suiting his pleasure.)

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QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIPThe qualifications for membership in the Knights ofColumbus are set down in Section 101 of the Laws of theOrder. They are as follows: “Only practical Catholics inunion with the Holy See shall be eligible to and entitled tocontinue membership in the Order. An applicant for mem-bership shall not be less than 18 years of age on his lastbirthday.’’

There are no other requirements. Nothing is said about thecandidate’s profession, education, national background,the color of his skin, his nationality, his cultural level or hisfinancial status

PRACTICAL CATHOLIC — Guidelines have been estab-lished to assist in judging the practical Catholicity of anapplicant or member. These guidelines will help the grandknight perform his duties as an informed and responsibleCatholic gentleman when conducting sessions of his coun-cil’s admission committee. The main components of thisrequirement may be described as follows:

• A practical Catholic in union with the Holy See is onewho, in general, regulates his life according to the teach-ings of Christ and the Church, and endeavors to observethe commandments of God and of the Church.

• A practical Catholic strives to have a greater knowledgeof the teachings of Christ and his Church, and to accept,respect and defend the Church’s authority (vested in theSupreme Pontiff, the hierarchy and clergy united withhim) to teach, govern and sanctify the faithful.

• A practical Catholic gives material and moral support tothe Church and her works on all levels, promoting theprograms of the parish and diocese and comes to theaid of the missions, the needy, the underprivileged;espousing and advancing the just causes of minoritygroups; endeavoring to eliminate unjust discrimination,prejudice, etc.; supporting the Church in her defense of

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marriage and family life and in her crusades againstdivorce, abortion, pornography and all the evils of today.

• If a Catholic marries outside the Church, that is, contraryto the laws of the Church, he ceases to be a practicalCatholic and hence may not be a member of the Knightsof Columbus. A man who, living in a valid marriage,obtains a civil divorce and remarries outside the Churchceases to be a practical Catholic and hence loses hisright to join or continue in the Order of the Knights ofColumbus. If his former marriage is declared null by theChurch and he remarries validly according to theChurch’s laws, he may be reinstated into the Order.

• A Catholic who is a member of a forbidden, secret soci-ety is not a practical Catholic and hence may notbecome a member of the Knights of Columbus.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS — If a member of the Order ismarried, he should be a faithful and devoted husband andfather. Married or unmarried, the knight should always bean exemplary Catholic gentleman and a dutiful patriotic cit-izen.

DETERMINING QUALIFICATION — Before a candidate ispresented for membership, his sponsor should be sure thatthe candidate possesses and manifests the necessaryqualifications for membership. These are then appraised bythe admission committee and a subsequent ballot by themembership determines acceptance or rejection. This is inkeeping with the lodge system under which the Order ofthe Knights of Columbus operates. If questions arise at anytime during the admission process as to the candidate’spractical Catholicity, the proposer or the admissions com-mittee should consult the candidate’s pastor.

SUPREME COUNCIL AWARDSEvery fraternal year, thousands of councils throughout theOrder qualify for one or more of the awards given out bythe Supreme Council for outstanding achievements in pro-

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gramming, membership recruitment and retention and pro-motion of the Order’s insurance program. The variouscouncil awards (Columbian, Fr. McGivney, Founders’ andStar Council) and the special Contest of Champions,Century Club and Insurance Promotion awards should beeagerly sought by each and every council. Winners ofSupreme Council awards are named on or about August 1of each fraternal year.

STAR COUNCIL AWARDREQUIREMENTS:

1. Achieve Columbian Award.2. Achieve Father McGivney Award.3. Achieve Founders’ Award.

(In order to qualify for any awards, councils must not besuspended by the Supreme Council office for nonpaymentof per capita, Catholic Advertising or supply charges. Forcouncils in the Philippines, annual council awards can onlybe won if the council is current in the payment of per capi-ta charges and supply charges to the Philippines NationalOffice.)

COLUMBIAN AWARDREQUIREMENTS:

1. Service Program Personnel Report Form (#365) must becompleted and returned to the Supreme CouncilDepartment of Fraternal Services by August 1. Report#365 is in the Council Report Forms Booklet (#1436)and on the Order’s Web site.

2. Council must annually conduct and report at least four(4) major involvement programs in each of the followingsections of the Service Program: Church activities, com-munity activities, council activities, family activities andyouth activities. (Sponsorship of a parish Round Tablefulfills all four Church activity requirements. Sponsorship

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of a Columbian Squires circle in good standing fulfills allfour youth activity requirements.)

The application form to be used in reporting these pro-grams is included in the is in the Council Report FormsBooklet (#1436) included in the “Surge . . . with Service”kit mailed at the start of the fraternal year to every finan-cial secretary of record and on the Order’s Web site.Councils not in receipt of this or any form should con-tact the Supreme Council Department of FraternalServices. The completed application must reach theSupreme Council office by June 30.

3. The Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity Report Form(#1728) must be completed and returned to theSupreme Council Department of Fraternal Services byJanuary 31. Survey form (#1728) is in the CouncilReport Forms Booklet (#1436) and on the Order’s Website.

FATHER McGIVNEY AWARDREQUIREMENTS:

1. Service Program Personnel Report Form (#365) must becompleted and returned to the Supreme CouncilDepartment of Fraternal Services by August 1. Report(#365) is in the Council Report Forms Booklet (#1436)and on the Order’s Web site.

2. Achieve membership quota:

a. Quota for councils with 30-100 members will be anincrease of 5 membership additions over deductionsbased on total active membership of the council asof July 1 . Quota for councils with 101 or more mem-bers will be a 5% increase of membership additionsover deductions based on the total active member-ship of the council as of July 1. Minimum of 30 mem-bers required. (Inactive insurance members are not

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included when computing the July 1 quota at theSupreme Council office.)

b. Additions will be credited for new members, juvenile toadult membership, reinstatements, reactivations, read-missions and reapplications processed and recordedat the Supreme Council office between July 1 and June30.

c. Deductions to be charged against the quota include allsuspensions and withdrawals processed and recordedat the Supreme Council office between July 1 and June30.

d. Net gain or loss to be affected only by items (b) and (c)in this section. Transfers in or out of the council anddeaths will not be counted toward or against the quota.(Monthly computer reports reflecting membership gainsand losses will be supplied to each grand knight, finan-cial secretary and the council membership director.)

(Note: New councils must meet the required membershipquota. New council quota is based upon the number ofmembers recorded on the Notice of Institution, minimum 30members required.)

Achievement of the membership quota will be automaticallydetermined at the Supreme Council office through receiptand recording of membership documents (Form #100) as ofJune 30.

There is no application form to be completed for the FatherMcGivney Award.

FOUNDERS’AWARDREQUIREMENTS:

1. Service Program Personnel Report Form (#365) must becompleted and returned to the Supreme CouncilDepartment of Fraternal Services by August 1. Report

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#365 is in the Council Report Forms Booklet (#1436) and onthe Order’s Web site.

2. Achieve insurance quota:

a. Quota for councils with 30-100 members will be anincrease of 3 insurance additions over deductionsbased on total active membership of the council as ofJuly 1. Quota for councils with 101 or more memberswill be a 2.5% increase of insurance additions overdeductions based on the total active membership ofthe council as of July 1. Minimum of 30 membersrequired. (Inactive insurance members are not includedwhen computing the July 1 quota at the SupremeCouncil office.)

b. Additions will be credited for new insurance members,insurance reinstatements, reactivations, readmissionsand reapplications, juvenile to adult insurance member-ships, and associate to insurance transfers processedand recorded at the Supreme Council office betweenJuly 1 and June 30.

c. Deductions to be charged against the quota include allinsurance suspensions and withdrawals and transfersfrom insurance to associate membership processedand recorded at the Supreme Council office betweenJuly 1 and June 30.

d. Net gain or loss to be affected only by items (b) and (c)in this section. Transfers in or out of the council anddeaths will not count toward or against the quota.(Monthly computer reports reflecting insurance gainsand losses will be supplied to each grand knight, finan-cial secretary and council membership director.)

(Note: New councils must meet the required insurance mem-ber quota. New council quota is based upon the number ofmembers recorded on the Notice of Institution, minimum 30members required.)

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3. Achievement of the insurance quota will be automaticallydetermined at the Supreme Council office through thereceipt and recording of associate to insurance membertransactions as of June 30.

4. There is no application form to be completed for theFounders’ Award.

CONTEST OF CHAMPIONSSpecial awards will be presented to two councils in eachjurisdiction each fraternal year on the following basis:

1. One award to the council in each jurisdiction that showsthe highest percentage of membership quota attainedbased on additions over deductions processed andrecorded at the Supreme Council office between July 1and June 30. To be eligible for this award, a council mustattain its assigned membership quota.

2. One award to the council in each jurisdiction that showsthe highest number of membership additions over deduc-tions processed and recorded at the Supreme Counciloffice between July 1 and June 30. To be eligible, a coun-cil must attain its assigned membership quota.

(Note: There is no application form to be completed for theContest of Champions Award. New councils instituted afterJuly 1 of a given fraternal year are not eligible to qualify forthis award during that fraternal year.)

CENTURY CLUB AWARDREQUIREMENTS:

1. Attain will be a membership increase of at least 100 addi-tions over deductions processed and recorded at theSupreme Council office between July 1 and June 30.

2. Additions will be credited for new members, juvenile toadult memberships, reinstatements, reactivations, read-missions and reapplications,

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3. Deductions to be charged against the quota include allsuspensions and withdrawals.

4. Net gain or loss—to be affected only by items (2) and (3)above. Transfers in or out of the council and deaths willnot count toward or against the quota.

(Note: There is no application form to be completed for theCentury Club Award. To qualify, new councils must record anincrease of at least 100 members over the number of mem-bers recorded on the Notice of Institution, minimum 30 mem-bers required.)

INSURANCE PROMOTION AWARDSpecial awards will be presented to two councils in eachjurisdiction each fraternal year on the following basis:

1. One award to the council that shows the highest percent-age of insurance membership quota attained based onadditions over deductions and recorded at the SupremeCouncil office between July 1 and June 30. To be eligible,a council must attain its quota of 2.5% increase of insur-ance member additions over deductions based on thecouncil’s total membership, less inactive insurance mem-bers, and have a minimum net gain of five insurancemembers as of July 1.

2. One award to the council in each jurisdiction that showsthe highest number of insurance member additions overdeductions processed and recorded at the SupremeCouncil office between July 1 and June 30. To be eligible,a council must have a minimum net gain of five insurancemembers.

(Note: There is no application form to be completed for theInsurance Promotion Award. Achievement of the award willbe automatically determined at the Supreme Council officethrough the receipt and recording of insurance membertransactions as of June 30. New councils instituted after July

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1 of a given fraternal year are not eligible to qualify for thisaward during that fraternal year.)

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PARLIAMENTARY LAW(A compact guide for proper conduct of a meeting)

MAY

* INTER- SECOND DEBAT- AMEND- VOTE MAY BE

MOTION RANK RUPT REQUIRED ABLE ABLE REQUIRED RECON-

SPEAKER SIDERED

Adjourn ............................................................. 1 No Yes No No Majority No

Adopt report (treated as main motion) ............. 12 No Yes Yes Yes Majority Yes

Amend motion .................................................. 10 No Yes Yes Yes Majority Yes

Close Nominations ............................................ 12 No Yes No Yes Two-thirds Yes

Information, request for ................................... No Yes No No No None No

Limit or extend debate ..................................... 7 No Yes Yes Yes Two-thirds Yes

Main motion ..................................................... 12 No Yes Yes Yes Majority Yes

Order of business, call for ................................ 4 Yes No No No None No

Parliamentary inquiry ....................................... No Yes No No No None No

Point of order .................................................... No Yes No No No None No

Postpone definitely ........................................... 8 No Yes Yes Yes Majority Yes

Postpone indefinitely ........................................ 11 No Yes Yes Yes Majority Yes

Privilege, question of ........................................ 3 Yes No No No None No

Question, previous ............................................ 6 No Yes No No Two-thirds Yes

Ratify action taken (treated as main motion) ... 12 No Yes Yes Yes Majority Yes

Recess .............................................................. 2 No Yes Yes Yes Majority No

Reconsider (treated as main motion) ............... 12 Yes Yes Yes No Majority No

Refer or commit motion (to committee) ........... 9 No Yes Yes Yes Majority Yes

Rescind (treated as main motion) .................... 12 No Yes Yes Yes Two-thirds Yes

Substitute motion (see amend) ........................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Suspend rules .................................................. No No Yes No No Two-thirds No

Table motion ..................................................... 5 No Yes No No Majority No

Withdraw motion .............................................. No No No No No Majority Yes

*Note: Numbers indicate precedence of motions. “No” indicates no rank. These motions, which can be

quickly disposed of, are usually incidental to a pending motion and generally involve matters of con-

venience or requests for information.

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SUBJECT INDEXPAGES

Admission Committee ......................... 15-16, 43Advocate .............................................. 48Appointments ...................................... 45, 47, 49Assessments ....................................... 21-23Audiovisuals ......................................... 18, 42, 46Audits ................................................... 23-25, 32-42Board of Trustees ................................ 49Bonding ............................................... 43, 45, 47Catholic Advertising Fund ................... 21-23Century Club Award ............................ 76-77Ceremonials ......................................... 10, 19-21, 53-56Chancellor ............................................ 44Chaplain ............................................... 49-51Columbian Award ................................ 72-73Columbian Squires .............................. 17-19Contest of Champions Award ............. 75Council Statement ............................... 27-28Death Transactions .............................. 61-62Deputy Grand Knight ........................... 44Disability Transactions ......................... 62Dues ..................................................... 27-28Duties of Council Officers .................... 42-52Father McGivney Award ...................... 73-74Financial Matters ................................. 21-28, 43Financial Secretary .............................. 45-47Financial Secretary Personal Computer

(FSPC) Software................................ 52First Degree ......................................... 19-21Founders’ Award ................................. 74-75Grand Knight ....................................... 9-15, 42-44Guards ................................................. 49Honorary/Honorary Life Ceremonials .. 53-56Insurance Promotion Award ................ 77Juvenile to Adult Transactions ............ 58

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KNIGHTLINE ........................................ 14Lecturer ................................................ 48Meetings .............................................. 9-12, 47, 69Membership

Admission Committee ...................... 15-16, 43Balloting ........................................... 30-31Cards ................................................ 64Director ............................................. 12-15Procedures ....................................... 56-63Qualifications .................................... 70-71

New Circle Development ..................... 18-19New Member Transactions .................. 56-58Officers’ Duties .................................... 42-52Officers’ Meetings ............................... 13Organizational Chart ............................ 8Parliamentary Procedure ..................... 78Payments ............................................. 21-23, 25-26Per Capita Tax ..................................... 21Personal Computer Software (FSPC) .. 52Practical Catholicity ............................. 15-16, 70-71Program Director ................................. 12-15PROGRAM SUPPLEMENT .................. 14Protocol ............................................... 66-69Reactivation ......................................... 59Readmission ........................................ 58-59Reapplication ....................................... 59Receipts ............................................... 35, 38Reinstatement ...................................... 58Recorder .............................................. 44-45Round Table Program........................... 16-17Seating Arrangements ......................... 11, 67-69Second Degree .................................... 19-20Service Program Directors .................. 12-15Service Programs ................................ 12-15SQUIRES NEWSLETTER ..................... 18Star Council Award .............................. 72Supplies ............................................... 63-66Suspension Transactions ..................... 61Third Degree ........................................ 20