2018 Ontario State Convention Resolutions

Contents

Table of Contents

Resolution 10: Donations to Hospice/Palliative Care Institutions or Organizations that Participate in "Medical Aid in Dying"................... 6

Resolution 11: Amendment to the Ontario State By-laws......................... 7

Resolution 12: Amendment to the Ontario State By-laws.................................................................. 8

Resolution 14: Amendment to Online Members............ 10

Resolution 15: Develop a Modernizati............. 12

Resolution 16: Opposition to "Safe Access to Abortion Services Act".. 13

Resolution 17: Opposition to Federal Government "Attestation Requirement" ........ 14

Resolution 18: Amendment to Knights of Columbus Membership Criteria to Allow Practical Catholic Women into the KofC Insurance Program ......... 15

Resolution 21: Permit New Uniform and Current Regalia at the Choice of the Supreme Knight .... 19

Be it Resolved: That Ontario Knights and their families pledge unbending support to our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and assure Him of our eternal love and prayers; and

Be it further resolved: We thank our Holy Father, Francis, for his humility, understanding and

promotion of charity to those in need.

Be it Resolved: That Ontario Knights and their families pledge unbending support to Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, and assure Him of our eternal love and prayers.

Be it resolved: That we offer our prayers, support and deepest appreciation to Our Supreme Chaplain, Most Reverend William E. Lori, for his years of service and his unconditional commitment to God, the Church and to the Order, and;

Be it further resolved: That we look forward to many more years of his spiritual guidance and pastoral service.

Be it resolved: We offer our support to Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, for whom we offer our prayers and deepest appreciation for his years of service and his unconditional commitment to God, the Church and to the Order, and;

Be it further resolved: That we look forward to many more years of his spiritual guidance and pastoral service.

Be it resolved: We offer our prayers and support to all Past State Chaplains, and our current State Chaplain, Most Reverend Bishop Marcel Damphousse, as well all Council Chaplains for their Spiritual Leadership, great work and their dedication to the growth of the Order and the Church;

Be it further resolved: That we look forward to many more years of their spiritual guidance and pastoral service.

Be it further resolved: That we thank the Supreme Knight, the Supreme officers, the Board of Directors and the staff of the Supreme Council for their excellent service and their exemplary leadership during the past fraternal year.

Be it resolved: We pray for and promote the cause for the canonization of the founder of our Order, the venerable servant of God, Father Michael J. McGivney, and continue to seek his intercession.

8. Support for Armed Forces, Veterans and First Responders Be it resolved: We honour the members of our Armed Forces, Veterans, and First Responders, for their heroic service to our country, and we pray for their safety.

Resolution 9: Donations to Hospitals that Participate in "Medical Aid in Dying"

Whereas: The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic fraternal organization that supports and upholds the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on the sanctity of life;

Whereas: In previous Ontario State conventions, resolutions were passed that opposed euthanasia and assisted suicide (now known as "Medical Aid in Dying") and resolutions supporting hospice/palliative care were also passed;

Whereas: In the past, a resolution at an Ontario State convention passed stating that Councils should not donate directly to hospitals (or other medical institutions) that perform abortions because it was a form of cooperation with evil;

Whereas: Public hospitals in Ontario have been pressured by the provincial government to participate in "Medical Aid in Dying."

Therefore, be it resolved that: Knights of Columbus Ontario State councils will obtain from a hospital their policy on "Medical Aid in Dying" before donating;

be it further resolved: Knights of Columbus councils will not donate to a hospital that participates in "Medical Aid in Dying."

Resolution 10: Donations to Hospice/Palliative Care Institutions or Organizations that

Participate in "Medical Aid in Dying"

Whereas: The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic fraternal organization that supports and upholds the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on the sanctity of life;

Whereas: In previous Ontario State conventions, resolutions were passed that opposed euthanasia and assisted suicide (now known as "Medical Aid in Dying") and resolutions supporting hospice/palliative care were also passed;

Whereas: In the past, a resolution at an Ontario State convention passed stating that Councils should not donate directly to hospitals (or other medical institutions) that perform abortions because it was a form of cooperation with evil;

Whereas: Some hospice/palliative care institutions or organizations have stated that they will participate in "Medical Aid in Dying" (e.g. euthanasia and assisted suicide) while other hospice/palliative care institutions or services have indicated that they will not participate in "Medical Aid in Dying."

Therefore, be it resolved that: Knights of Columbus Ontario State councils will obtain from

hospice/palliative care institutions or organizations their policy on "Medical Aid in Dying" before donating;

be it further resolved: Knights of Columbus councils will not donate to hospice/palliative care

institutions or organizations that participate in "Medical Aid in Dying."

Resolution 11: Amendment to the Ontario State By-laws

Whereas: The Standing Rules Governing Election of State Board Officers for the jurisdiction of Ontario was developed by a committee that consisted of Past State Deputies; District Deputies; Grand Knights and members from Ontario State;

Whereas: The Standing Rules Governing Election of State Board Officers for the jurisdiction of Ontario has been revised several times unilaterally by the Ontario State Board since;

AND

Whereas: It is desirable to have a set of Standing Rules Governing Election of State Board Officers for the jurisdiction of Ontario that should not be changed without the expressed approval of the delegates attending an Ontario State Convention.

Resolution 12: Amendment to the Ontario State By-laws

Whereas: The Standing Rules Governing Election of State Board Officers for the jurisdiction of Ontario was developed by a committee that consisted of Past State Deputies; District Deputies; Grand Knights and members from Ontario State;

Whereas: It is desirable to have a set of Standing Rules Governing Election of State Board Officers for the jurisdiction of Ontario that are fair and equitable to all candidates seeking election for office on the Ontario State Board.

Whereas: It is desirable to have a set of Standing Rules Governing Election of State Board Officers for the jurisdiction of Ontario that allows the delegates attending the annual Ontario State

Convention an opportunity to assess the Candidates seeking office on the Ontario State Board.

Officers for the jurisdiction of Ontario be adopted (see attached).

Resolution 13: Commitment to Maintain the Squires Program in Ontario

Whereas: Supreme Council has directed that charters will no longer be granted for new Squires circles;

Whereas: Supreme Council has directed that re-activation of Squires circles will no longer be

entertained;

Whereas: Supreme Council has directed that all those involved with the Squires program must

subscribe and pass the Order’s Safe Environment program and background checks, Members in certain youth leader roles who do not comply within 45 days are deemed ineligible to serve as a youth leader and will be removed;

Whereas: Columbian Squire Circles with one or more counselors who have failed to comply with safe environment requirements (Training and Background Check) of the Knights of Columbus within the mandated 45-day compliance period are subject to permanent dissolution upon 15 days’ notice.

Therefore, be it resolved that: Should Supreme withdraw its support of the KofC Squires program, the Ontario State Council will adopt an Ontario State Squires program in a seamless transition.

AND

be it further resolved: The Ontario State Council will create a committee lead by the Ontario State Council to oversee and develop a contingency plan in the eventuality of Supreme Council withdrawing its support of the KofC Squires program.

.

Resolution 14: Amendment to Online Memberships

Whereas: The Knights of Columbus Order initiated a pilot e-membership project on a limited basis and has already expanded the pilot to a larger number of State Jurisdictions;

Whereas: The KofC e-membership pilot claims to not create a new class or type of membership

but does by its very nature create a new category of membership, called the "non-degreed" member;

Whereas: One of the unifying strengths of the KofC is the bond of brotherhood created by sharing the edification of the beauty and dignity of lessons exemplified to them during each of the Order’s degree ceremonials;

Whereas: There is no requirement for a new "non-degreed" member to undertake event he

Admission (formerly known as the First) Degree of the Order within a specific time frame;

Whereas: The lack of requirement to undertake any of the degrees of the Order fractures the

membership of the Order into "degreed" and "non-degreed" members;

Whereas: Membership obtained online contains no requirement for joining a local Council where available;

Whereas: An e-membership provides all of the fraternal benefits of membership available to a

"non-degreed" member that is available to a "degreed" member;

Whereas: this raises the question of why one would bother to ever take a degree;

Whereas: the division of the membership in this way into a "degreed" and a "non-degreed"

membership categories can only serve to erode the integrity and significance of fraternal

membership in the Order by reducing it to a simple online registration procedure;

Therefore, be it resolved that: Ontario state Council work to preserve the integrity of membership in the Order by petitioning the Supreme Council to limit the splitting of the Order into "degreed" and "non-degreed" groups by an immediate "cease and desist" from this online membership initiative.

be it further resolved: failing the above paragraph, Ontario State Council work to preserve the integrity of membership in the Order by petitioning the Supreme Council to limit the splitting of the Order into "degreed" and "non-degreed" groups by restructuring and rebranding the current initiative into an "application-for-membership" only initiative, in the format of an online form 100, such that membership for applicants would only be completed by the usual process in a local Council and an Admission (First) Degree;

be it further resolved: failing the above two paragraphs, Ontario State Council work to preserve the integrity of membership in the Order by petitioning the Supreme Council to add a fixed term to the new e-membership after which time said "non-degreed" members would be required to apply to a local Council for formal admission to the Order through participation in the Admission (First) Degree.

Resolution 15: Develop a Modernization Plan

Whereas: the overall framework of the Knights of Columbus organization, including its brand

management, recruitment practices, entry requirements and rituals, are outdated and needs to be radically overhauled if it is to continue attracting and retaining able and energetic members, as we move towards the second quarter of the twenty-first century;

Whereas: the Knights of Columbus has been reasonably successful throughout most of its 130 years of existence;

Whereas: The Knights of Columbus has become the primary men’s fraternal association in Catholic parishes throughout North America;

AND

Whereas: The Knights of Columbus has developed an extensive charitable program;

AND

Whereas: it is currently rapidly losing its relevance and influence in the broader Catholic community – where the vast majority no longer attend regular church services.

Therefore, be it resolved that: the Ontario State Council engage a qualified independent third party entity to develop a "Modernization Plan" with the first step being the production of a benchmarking report to assess other dynamic, charitable and advocacy organizations, with a 31 December 2018 deadline for publishing the report.

Resolution 16: Opposition to "Safe Access to Abortion Services Act"

Whereas: the Ontario Legislature passed the "Safe Access to Abortion Services Act" into law and adopted on or around 1 February 2018;

Whereas: The new law imposes outright suppression of pro-life viewpoints, with the invention of the need for broad areas of "no-go" zones, around abortion clinics, and potentially pharmacies and hospital the effect of which is an overreach on the law’s dubious objectives and would impose unfair restrictions on peaceful counselling, or prayer efforts such as "Forty Days of Life"

AND

Whereas: Our Bishops and numerous Christian and Catholic advocacy organizations have opposed the law as an engagement of censorship, or denial of speech based on its content, to prevent opposing viewpoints to be made available to women and their caregivers, and the general public on matters that are explicitly about life and death.

be it further resolved: The Knights of Columbus engage efforts to oppose this new law by public statements, or other means to be determined by the Ontario State Board.

Resolution 17: Opposition to Federal Government "Attestation Requirement"

prospective employers or organizations to sign an attestation statement that they support abortion rights and other issues related to fluid genders and sexuality;

Whereas: The Knights of Columbus is a Roman Catholic fraternal organization, which defends the right to life of all human beings from the moment of conception to natural death, based on both scientific grounds and the teachings of the Roman Catholic church, which believes that all human beings deserve equal respect, as formed in the image and likeness of God;

Whereas: our Bishops and numerous Christian and Roman Catholic advocacy organizations have made clear that the current attestation requirement is a form of outright discrimination to deny faithful Roman Catholics from government programs is a breach of our constitution.

be it further resolved: The Knights of Columbus support our Worthy State Deputy in his leadership in opposition to this discriminatory provision.

Resolution 18: Amendment to Knights of Columbus Membership Criteria to Allow Practical Catholic Women into the KofC Insurance Program

Whereas: Father Michael J. McGivney, having gathered a group of men to form a lay organization with the goal of providing for the families of deceased members of the Holy Catholic Church;

income;

AND

Whereas: the Knights of Columbus Order is widely hailed as a force of public good for Roman Catholic families. Yet still practices gender based discrimination refusing to provide access to the benefit of protection of insurance to Roman Catholic women (who once again are in union with the Holy See, but who are not married to a KofC) as was the dream of the venerable Fr McGivney.

Whereas: the Knights of Columbus is an international Catholic Men’s organization with 1.9

million members and more than 15,000 councils worldwide;

Whereas: the Knights of Columbus espouses 4 virtues of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism;

Whereas: the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors by setting the expiration date of the current regalia to the end of the fraternal year, so that this timeline precludes resolutions received at the next Supreme Convention this not allowing a reaction to the change before such deadline;

AND

Brother Sir Knights and appreciate their service to the Order, in particular their Honour Guards in the current regalia;

Therefore, be it further resolved that: the Ontario Knights of Columbus request that the Supreme Directors repeal the adoption of the new uniform and reinstate the previous regalia for the Good of the Order;

AND

AND

resolution.

Whereas: the name sake of the Knights of the Columbus "Christopher Columbus" was a naval

entity a naval based regal is more fitting than an army style;

Whereas: the Canadian public recognize and state: "Here come the Knights."

Whereas: the cape and chapeau draw attention and admiration from younger children;

Whereas: the cape and chapeau that brought some young men to join the Knights of Columbus.

Resolution 21: Permit New Uniform and Current Regalia at the Choice of the Supreme

Knight

Whereas: the Knights of Columbus is a fraternal society dedicated to the wellbeing of its members,and moreover a Catholic one holding itself to the highest standard of integrity, transparency and fairness;

Whereas: a large number of Sir Knights who can’t afford the new uniform and have spent

considerable resources purchasing the current regalia;

Therefore, be it resolved that: the Ontario State Council of the Knights of Columbus recommends to the Supreme Council that any Sir Knight be given the option to wear either the new uniform or the current regalia for as long as any Sir Knight desires.

Whereas: the current Knights of Columbus regalia is very distinctive, is well known and has

attracted a great deal of favourable attention;

Whereas: swords are no longer allowed in some public places because of the increase in violence currently being experienced in North American society, for example the wearing of swords is no longer allowed in the Canadian March for Life in the capital city of Ottawa;

Whereas: most men do have a dark suit and a white shirt although they may not have a tuxedo,

suitable white dress shirt bow ties and cummerbund;

Whereas: dressing in a dark suit, white shirt and tie would be much easier than putting on a tuxedo and consequently be an encouragement for more to participate in events;

Whereas: the existing regalia with social baldric is still distinctive and has initiated conversations with complete strangers who have recognized a knight wearing it and wanted to talk;

regalia;

Whereas: a significant part of the investment for the regalia lies in the tuxedo and the sword with the baldrics;

Whereas: there have been many concerns expressed that the change in regalia being proposed

attractive and distinctive regalia.