Knights of Columbus Wyoming State council



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	Diocese of Cheyenne seminarians at a gathering in August, 2009. Left to right: Deacon Tim Martinson, Linh Vu, Brian Hess, Father Ray Rodriguez, Dan Poelma, Hiep Nguyen, Louie Shea, Duy Nguyen, and Brian Willoughby.

t the annual meeting of the Wyoming State Council of the Knights of Columbus in Cheyenne in 1991 we passed a landmark decision to underwrite future vocations for our diocese. We concluded that two major concerns of young men considering the priesthood were: how will they pay for their education and will there be funds to provide for their retirement.

Mexican martyrs of the Knights of Columbus

Learn about the Knights of Columbus Mexican Martyrs.

To help make certain that their concerns could be met, the state council, meeting in full session, passed into being the Knights of Columbus Charitable Trust. This fund will distribute monies to the Bishop to help pay for the education of seminarians and monies to the St. Joseph Society for Priests Retirement.

The Knights of Columbus voted to ask every member to give $1 per month for 10 years to fund this trust. This would raise $300,000. This goal has been accomplished and the money invested in a permanent trust owned and controlled by the Knights of Columbus State Council. The trustees are Hilltop National Bank in Casper (the manager of the investment), the Knights of Columbus State Treasurer, and Past State Deputy Rev. Mr. Don Stewart.

The annual earnings of this fund are currently available to give to their two causes but the State Council voted to let the money continue to accumulate for now.

To build this fund further it was decided at the 2004 convention in Cody to start advertising the fund to the public. Our new goal is to build the fund to $3,000,000. This amount will earn enough annually to truly help with seminarian education. Only the earnings can be distributed each year; the $3,000,000 will stay invested. Currently we are planning to kickoff a fundraiser in all the Catholic churches of Wyoming in September 2005. A committee to plan this campaign has been formed.

Learn about the state of vocations in Wyoming.

We are also asking every knight to consider giving a large one-time gift or an annual gift to this trust fund. Please consider a contribution in your will as well. If you would like help in any area of estate planning please call Danny Berrett, the Charitable Trust Executive Secretary at the Diocese of Cheyenne Casper office, at 1–800–788–4616. She will put you in contact with estate planning help or answer your questions. You may also call Tom Pringle, Director of Stewardship and Development for the Diocese of Cheyenne, at 1–800–788–4606.

Your Brother in Christ,

Rev. Mr. Don Stewart
Charitable Trust Chairman