To serve. - Knights of Peter Claver

100th ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION
August 2015
Solemn Opening Mass
The principal celebrant and homilist was His Excellency the Most Reverend
Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
and Archbishop of Louisville, KY who is also a member of our Noble Order.
The Mass Concelebrants were Most Reverend Martin D. Holley, Most
Reverend J. Terry Steib, Most Reverend Shelton J. Fabre, Most Reverend
George V Murry, and Most Reverend Fernand J. Cheri.
We were pleased to have Reverend Msgr. John Cisewski, Reverend Msgr.
Edward B. Branch, Reverend Vernon Hugeley, and Reverend Daniel Green. The
Bishop Joseph A. Francis Choir under the direction of Brother W. Clifford Petty
accompanied by Yvonne R. Matthews, pianist, and Lauren A. Warner cantor were
instrumental in giving us a very spirit-filled Mass. Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz shared one
of his fondest quotes from Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, known in the world
as Edith Stein which read “Do not accept anything as the truth if it lacks love and do
not accept anything as love that lacks truth. One with the other becomes a
destructive lie.” He urged us to renew our commitment to family; help someone in
need, and be ambassadors of love and truth in Christ Jesus.
Lastly, he shared what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about the Holy
Eucharist – “Bodily nourishment restores lost strength so the Eucharist strengthens
our charity which tends to weaken in daily life. By giving himself to us, Christ revives
our love, breaks our disorder attachments and roots in him.” Bishop Kurtz stated that
“The Lord wants to give us much more than we ask for. He wants to transform our
lives. He wants to give us strength in charity reviving our love, breaking the bond of
disordered attachment, and rooting us as a strong plant is rooted in his heart.
Serving our God
To serve.
You only need
a heart full of grace
and a soul
generated by love.
- Martin Luther King
In This Issue

Daily Mass

Supreme Knight and
Supreme Lady Annual
Report

Executive Director
Annual Report

District & State Winners

Convention Banquet

What’s Going On in KPC

Foundation Gala
Supreme Knights Annual Report
Well, good morning all. Members of the National Council Board of Directors, Most
Esteemed and members of the National Court Board, members of the Episcopate,
Presbyterate, Consecrated Religious and most especially, my dear Brothers and Ladies.
Good morning and thank you for joining us for this 100th Annual Convention of the
National Council and 85th Annual Convention of the National Court. Let me begin by acknowledging and expressing gratitude first to the First Lady, Kanobia Russell Blackmon.
Kanobia, I'm appreciative of your leadership and grace that you represent throughout the
nation in your public life or on behalf of the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary,
but also your incredible patience in private life with me. I know these sentiments are
shared by many people in this room!
Five years ago, about 250 miles away (in St. Louis), I assumed the office of Supreme Knight
and Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of this fine organization and as the
years have vividly expressed the magnitude of the responsibility of which I've had to
undertake for the good of The Order. My, my, what I have learned. What a blessing it has
been for me to serve our Noble Order, in which your work in the name of God for the good
of society has provided care for countless people over the last century. In 2010, I trusted
my impassioned belief that the organization should be run from a central point of
leadership. The Board of Directors lead by a strong Supreme Knight while always being
considerate of the concerns and the needs of the Ladies division has provided an
atmosphere conducive to setting the tone for the organization's priorities and objectives.
MOST WORTHY
F. DeKARLOS BLACKMON, Obl.S.B.
So, as your Supreme Knight, I have endeavored to lead the Board of Directors with a firm vision to be at the service of the entire
membership. I have worked to help The Order to reflect at every level its fundamental identity as authentically Catholic and viewed with
all things which orient society back to God. Televised around the world yesterday was a very good example of that. As I have stated
previously, each of us from the National Council Board of Directors to the rank and file of our Noble Order, including me, must always
step up our game and not cower from confronting tough decisions however unpopular they may be because Lord knows over the past
years I have fallen on the unpopular side of many, many issues. However, I pray earnestly that the membership has seen with my
decisive leadership over the past five years, we have come out much stronger on the other side of the unprecedented challenges we faced
yesterday.
While nothing is perfect, working with the Executive Director I have been striving for perfection in every aspect of my work on behalf of
the Order. We have worked arduously to strengthen the familial bond of the entire organization; the Knights Division, the Ladies
Division, the Junior Knights and the Junior Daughters. We have ushered in a new day of efficiency, collaboration, communication,
cooperation among Clavers to promote positive change and growth in the Knights of Peter Claver. Just think about when you came in for
registration. It wasn't like that many years ago, was it? You see, I firmly believe, that together Knights and Ladies can instill greater pride
in our Noble Order by increasing membership, increasing meaningful programs and increasing visibility in our respective communities
across these United States and abroad.
I am very pleased that we continue to find inventive and resourceful ways of providing quality programs for our youth, while at the same
time insisting that such programs are beneficial and affordable. I personally cannot say enough about people like Dr. Christopher Pichon. I
cannot say enough about people like Dr. Helen Taylor and about Lady Angelica Barrow. You see, these
educators have been advising me over the last year about issues concerning young people, youth and educational ministry. You may be seated. We have to listen to everyone's perspective and we have strong
leaders. Most of you probably didn't know all the people that I just mentioned. We need to communicate
and collaborate with one another. We need to get to know one another because there are great talents
among us. Pope Francis exhorts young people to be revolutionaries, to swim against the tide. To rebel
against a culture that sees everything as temporary and ultimately believes that they are incapable of
responsibility. Director General Pichon reminds us so very often of the imperative need to lead and mentor our young people as do Dr. Taylor and Lady Barrow. As a result, we have increased the awareness of Most Worthy and Kanobia Blackmon
the need to capture the attention of young people more fully.
A great opportunity presented itself this year at the Junior National Convention. The National Convention of the Junior Knights and
Junior Daughters held in Orlando was a phenomenal summit for young people. It was an opportunity for growth. Bishop Shelton Fabre
of the Diocese oh Houma- Thibodaux and chairman of the subcommittee on African Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops and I hosted an activity honoring the family as the fundamental unit in society among our high school youth. Having placed
this initiative as the utmost priority for the whole family of Claverism, Bishop Fabre and I look forward to joining our young people
and collaborating with them. We have to start now and not wait to work on the problems of the 35 year old. We need to start when
people are young to help them, to train them the way to go, to show them what right looks like. This is in part what we have been
doing in the Knights of Peter Claver and we need to increase that activity.
Priorities of The Order over the last year have been focused largely on building a more robust Order through expansion and the
stabilization of business operations. Many thanks to the efforts of the Family Expansion Committee, headed by worthy Deputy
Supreme Knight James K. Ellis. The efforts of the Deputy Supreme Knight, working collaboratively with our District and State Deputies,
is yielding fruit in terms of expansion. While the great work initiated by the Family Expansion Committee not only has met, but has
exceeded my initial expectations. I know those conference calls are tedious and unfortunately I have to admit, I give them all to Most
Esteemed (Supreme Lady). So, I miss most of them but, great work is produced. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!
My friends, the goal is to do everything in our power, everything in our power to bring every eligible Catholic man and woman into our
ranks and on behalf of my Director General, seize every opportunity to establish junior branches and junior courts. I was stopped by a
Grand Lady just this morning asking about a prospective Court in her area. Every subordinate Council and every subordinate Court
should have a respective Junior Branch and Junior Court. There is no excuse not to. There is no excuse for not having someone who
will step up as a Junior Knight Commander or a Junior Daughter Counselor because if we have no one to do that, we may as well not
have a Council or a Court. Because, apparently the Council and the Court are dead! Oh, you can say amen. Amen. We have to step
up. We are not trying to preserve ourselves. You know, there is a misguided notion that our young people are the church of tomorrow.
You see, we have this idea that the church of tomorrow, when we die, we will give it over to them. Well, young people are the church
and the Order of today because we don't want to get to that point where our arthritic hands can no longer hold the reins and we
attempt to give it to young people, that church of tomorrow, only to find that they have vanished. Let us share responsibility in 2015
with our young people, with our emerging leaders.
There are no adequate words in the English language to articulate my gratitude in a very special way for the Executive Director. I
think we should probably all be on our feet for that (stand up). We are much better on the other side of yesterday as a result of his
leadership. This man, working with the Board, has clearly stabilized our business operations. The greys (hair) have stopped coming as
a result of him being in the National Office. I think that he's probably getting more, but I'm clearly getting less!
In about a year, members throughout The Order will have to cast their votes for and in some cases re-elect officers, not only on the
local level, but also conference and national leadership. Yes, I'm sure as you look around here today and you had your district and state
meetings yesterday, you know that we are in the run up to the national elections of 2016. The politics have begun in earnest. Some
members have asked me frankly, Most Worthy, who do you suppose your successor should be? And, because I'm a very smart man, I
respond when that question is presented to me at face value to express what is in my heart because I believe that my successor should
be imbued with the qualities of a model Christian. Living a life in and of Christ and modeling and offering credible testimony with his
life in word and in deed. But, you know, when you think about it, this is not uncommon for any office that we would elect someone to.
We should expect this from every member of the Order, whether they hold an office or not. The challenge for those with the charge to
elect others is to seek people for office who are always willing to effect the more difficult moral right as opposed to the very easy
wrong. Seeking office must never, ever be about what one can receive. Rather, it should be about what one can give and what we expect for that person to give in humble service to The Order. We must never, ever allow one to achieve an office to settle a score, to
lord that office over others because we know that to do so would be antithetical to living in and of Jesus Christ, who we claim to be our
personal Lord and Savior. When seeking leaders throughout the Order, I recommend we seek those who have demonstrated the ability
to one; work consultively, cooperatively and collaboratively with others. Two, we want that person to be holy. We want that person to
have the ability to promote the Catholic faith. We want that person to be able to work with and respect women and youth and we want
women to respect men. We want our leaders to be able to nurture vocations to the priesthood, the religious life, but remember
vocation to family life. We have far too many broken families. We need to reach out to help someone. That mother that's struggling,
that you all talk about in church; help her. Don't just talk about her kids and what she ought to be doing, be a real Claver and get your
hands dirty. We want leaders who live a sacramental life and we want people who encourage others and respect the rights of others.
Let me start this one over because I want you to pay close attention to what I'm about to say. It is important that we have leaders who
encourage others and respect the rights of others to express their misgivings and objectives to our own planning and programming.
We need leaders to encourage all members to accept their responsibilities to exercise leadership within the Order regardless of
whether the members are officers or not. Most of all, we need leaders who exercise humility, knowing that at the end of the day our
task is to do what needs to be done without regard with who gets the credit and that's a little tough to do sometimes for some people.
As I close, I humbly ask that we keep ever before us the important responsibility to do what is best for the entire membership and the
works of our Noble Order. We must seize this opportunity to effect our virtuous, apostolic work in the name of Christ, in the name of
Claverism. Finally, as I often say, let us continue to pledge to focus on undertaking the important issues that face our Order with a
bold sense of purpose to build up our organization. It's not the DeKarlos' organization. It is our organization. When I leave office,
someone else will be here and the organization will move forward. Let us continue our pursuit towards the goal, the prize of God's
upward calling in Christ Jesus our Lord. My friends, I will make one announcement before my final statement and that is to announce
the (newly elected) President of the Saint Peter Claver Foundation, Dr. Geralyn Carmouche Shelvin.
Supreme Knights Annual Report– cont.
I am pretty certain that the National Council Board of Directors and the National Court Board will support you in this role. I pledge all of
my support to you and to support the needs of the foundation as it is the charitable arm of Knights of Peter Claver Incorporated. When
you get fired up and you need someone to talk you off the ledge, call Bishop Fabre! My friends, may the great challenges that are facing
our Order today and in the future be met as great opportunities. May God bless each and every one of you, may God bless the Knights of
Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary!
Supreme Lady’s Third
Annual Report
It is an honor and privilege to submit my third annual report as we convene the 100th
Annual Knights of Peter Claver National Convention and the 85th Annual Convention of
the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary. The executive director, his staff and the host
committee have been working tirelessly to ensure our convention will be successful and
we will return to our respective homes more knowledgeable and equipped to meet the
challenges we may encounter in our respective units.
Allow me to share the following update as it pertains to the Ladies Auxiliary:
EXPANSION: Since our last convention, there has been growth in each district/state. We
have added 397 ladies to the Auxiliary to include 276 new ladies, 76 ladies reclaimed/
reinstated, 29 juniors transferred to the senior division and 12 Sister Religious have
joined our ranks. An important achievement is the establishment of Court #400 in Los
Angeles, California on June 16, 2015. We welcomed 12 new Claver sisters. We now have
308 active courts. The ultimate goal is to ensure our Noble Order will remain a viable
organization for years to come. The way to accomplish this is to continue to recruit from
the outside, nurture our juniors and encourage our graduating seniors to transfer to the
senior division.
I commend the district/state deputies, area deputies, grand
ladies, and ladies for your dedication and commitment to increase and maintain the
membership of the Ladies Auxiliary.
JUNIOR DIVISION: The Junior Daughters Division just completed a successful 21st Biennial
National Convention held in Orlando, Florida, July 9-12th with approximately 1100 in
attendance. We express appreciation to all that had a part in ensuring the success of the
convention. Best wishes are extended to Immediate Past Junior Supreme Knight
Most Esteem
Creighton Guillory and Immediate Past Junior Supreme Lady Kyleigh Alana Chevis as they
Vertelle A. Kenion
pursue their future endeavors and for the leadership they provided to the Junior Division
for the past six (6) years. Congratulations to Junior Supreme Knight Carrington Guillory, Junior Supreme Lady Callia Cox, the newly
elected officers for the Junior Divisions and to the award recipients. National Counselor of Junior Daughters, Lady Katie Guidry Johnson
and the area counselors continue to expand and increase the growth of the Junior Division. Since the 2014 National Convention 358
junior daughters were added to the membership. There were two (2) new courts established (Courts 397 and 398) and four (4) courts
reactivated (25, 78, 135 and 297). To date, there are 164 junior courts and 1608 junior daughters.
EMERGING LEADERS: We are experiencing an exciting time in the development of our Noble Order. I have appointed Lady Anngelica
Barrow as chair for the Ladies emerging leaders. We may not agree on how to be inclusive of our emerging leaders but we must make
positive changes and empower them to take their rightful places in our Order and include them in the operations of our units. The
unending talents our emerging leaders bring to the growth of our units and our Noble Order are invaluable and needed to ensure we will
survive in the 21st century and beyond. Therefore, I encourage you to embrace our young leaders and be willing to share the reins for
the good of the Order.
BY-LAWS: You should have received correspondence dated April 28, 2015 from the National Advocate pertaining to the
process to be used in the approval of Court By-Laws. The process has been modified by the National Council Board of
Directors to expedite the processing and approval of by-laws.
AFFILIATES: We continue to collaborate with the following affiliates:

National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC). I attended the Advisory Committee meetings and prepared an article for the NBCC online
newsletter subscribers.
Supreme Lady’s Annual Report– cont.

National Council of Catholic Women- On behalf of the Ladies Auxiliary, I participated in the on-line election of officers held on June
30, 2015 for the officers –elect and I will be attending the Annual Convention September 9-12, 2015 in Orlando Florida.

Black Sisters Conference – Representing the Ladies Auxiliary, I attended the opening Mass for the 2015 Joint Conference of The
National Black Sisters’ Conference, The National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, The National Black Catholic Deacons Association
and The National Black Seminarians Association as they convened their conference in Charleston, SC, July 26th -29th.

National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) – received and disseminated several pieces of communication to our courts addressing
various issues and concerns.

World Union of Catholic Women (WUCWO) – I prepared a report for The World Union of Catholic Women acknowledging our
collaboration in the six (6) Resolutions adopted at the General Assembly held in Fatima, 2014. The report reflects our
participation in three (3) of the six (6) resolutions: Human Trafficking, Support of the Family and Rights to Clean Drinking water
and Sanitation, with the assistance of the Joint Pro-life Committee. Our collaboration is on-going and the remaining three resolutions will be addressed in the future.
In conclusion, we must realize that there must be continued renewal within our Noble Order and it is the responsibility of each of us to
ensure we bring new life to the Order. I pose this question to each of you, “What can you do to bring new life into our organization? “
There are a number of ways to ensure success in our respective courts. Allow me to share a few of them with you:
First and foremost, we must attend our monthly meetings regularly, be a participant and not just a “dues payer” or “joiner”, strive to
be a part of the successes, remember, if you do not attend the meetings, then you do not have the right to complain about what may or
may not be happening.
Review the purpose of our Noble Order, the constitution, by-laws and the operating procedures. It is easy to lose sight of our goals
and objectives.
Remember, our communication skills include talking but we must also be good listeners. Be polite instead of showing hostility. Exhibit
gentleness with firmness whenever you must take a stand. Encourage one another in positive undertakings and do not be known as a
fault-finder but one who is interested in getting things done and fixing what may be shortcomings. And so, “Let us pursue the things
that are of peace, and let us keep to the things that are for the edification of one another”. Romans 14:19
Mr. and Mrs. Kenion
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Good morning, everyone. It is indeed a privilege and an honor to stand before you yet again to give my
annual report. Before I get started, I would like to recognize the local Claver family from Kansas City, on
both sides of the river, for the outstanding work that they have done in preparing for this convention.
They are small in number, but very strong in spirit. Thank-you for your efforts to ensure the success of
this convention and for your warm hospitality!
ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE. All filings are up to date and we are in compliance within the
states where we are licensed. As the National Treasurer and Supreme Knight touched on, we are in
compliance with all of our regulatory agencies in the states with which we do business. All of our
filings have been filed early in advance of established deadlines. Over the past couple of years, we have
developed cross checking systems to identify errors. By completing the annual statements,
quarterly statements, and whatever filings in advance of the deadline, our staff accountant along with
the accountant consultant and actuary, are able to go through and basically audit the filings ourselves
before they are submitted to the state. In conjunction, the Board Audit Committee has been
established and is now functioning as directed by the Alabama Department of Insurance. The
GRANT JONES
committee is also involved in the review process. Collectively, the review process will put more sets of
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR
eyes on the books and the reports resulting in fewer mistakes which improves our standing with the
states we report to. The Alabama Department of Insurance and the Convention Insurance Committee
have been recommending for years that we hire a staff accountant. We did hire a staff accountant in
November of 2014. I must report that she is doing quite well and is really helping with the efficiency of our record keeping. The
importance of having an internal accountant is the ability to standardize the Order’s chart of accounts to provide consistent financial
reporting the membership and our reporting entities. Some of the numbers may fluctuate as we adopt the generally accepted accounting
practices and a more natural chart of accounts.
Standardization of financial reporting will greatly assist in
completing our annual statements in the format required by NAIC. If our monthly, quarterly, annual reporting internal accounting
software mirrors the NAIC system, the opportunity for mistakes is greatly reduced. In summary, some restructuring of our accounting
processes will help us be more efficient in our reporting.
FINANCIAL OPERATIONS. We continue to explore ways to save money but also increase quality of services to our members. Many
services such as paying dues and assessments, along with purchasing of supplies are now available online. Last year, we implemented the
direct purchasing of Third Degree Regalia from D. Turin and Company. Availability will be expanded this year to include lapel pins with
the goal of one stop shopping. A new member or existing member who wants some fresh regalia can get a fez, sash, and lapel pin from
the same place. That allows you to pay however you want in the convenience of your home or office but also increases efficiency. That
package does not have to be shipped to 1825 Orleans Avenue then repackaged and sent to you; it goes from the manufacturer directly to
you. Contracts that we have with service providers are always being reviewed for cost and efficiency with the goal of
driving down the prices we pay for goods and services. The latest thing we are doing to positively impact our operational costs is
shipped to 1825 Orleans Avenue then repackaged and sent to you; it goes from the manufacturer directly to you. Contracts that we have
with service providers are always being reviewed for cost and efficiency with the goal of driving down the prices we pay for goods and
services. The latest thing we are doing to positively impact our operational costs is investigating and leveraging our tax exemption status
as it relates to sales tax. We have been going through the different states where we do business and identifying the qualifications to be
exempt from sales tax. We actually have been successful in that in exempt from sales tax. We actually have been successful in that in several states. That 5 to 10 percent adds up to thousands of dollars on the bottom line. So that's what we have been doing to streamline
operations and enhance services available to the membership.
TAX ID NUMBERS FOR SUBORDINATE UNITS. It is necessary for subordinate units to file the annual 990n by May 15th each year. It is
essential that the subordinate unit’s contact person information is updated to reflect the current officer responsible for the annual filing
to ensure communications from the IRS are being received in a timely fashion. requests for new tax ID numbers (EIN) should be
directed to the National Office to ensure the unit is properly listed as a subordinate unit of the Knights of Peter Claver, Inc. We are
talking about Federal tax ID numbers, used for banking purposes. With heightened instances of global terrorism, banks use those
numbers to identify where money is coming from. As many subordinate units have experienced, even if your unit has an account that
ha been open for 20-30 years, and you go to make a change on the signature card the banks are polling to see if you have a Federal Tax ID
number for you a d if you don't have one they are asking you to obtain one before changes can be made to the account. So of course, you
have to go through that whole process to be able to do your basic banking. Don’t look at it as, “ well we don't have any money so we
don't need to file this.” Please file your annual 990n on time and keep your unit’s tax ID current
TECHNOLOGY. We continue to develop our Membership Management System and enhance technology based upon feedback from the
membership at large. It is a work in progress but going along very well. This year we introduced the Grant Management System, an
online system for primarily used in applying for our grants and special funds. When this system was rolled out, we tried to mirror the
Executive Director’s Annual Report– cont.
paper process as much as possible to ease in transition. Our goal moving forward is to better track the donations that we give to people. In
the system, there are several reporting options to help us track who has benefited, who we're giving money to, and where it's going. We will
be able to go back and look at historical patterns with the goal in mind to make better use of the charitable funds that we have. Keeping
more detailed records will enable us to eventually start getting matching funds to increase giving opportunities. In the world of grants,
obtaining matching funds is highly beneficial on the foundation side as a 501 C (3) entity and the first thing people who are considering
giving you money want to see is your records. They want to know what you are doing and how you are doing it which is part of that whole
process and that is what we are doing with the Grant Management System. Next year at this time the forms that go out will be a little bit
different. We will be asking more specific questions as to why people need money and there might be a few more hoops to jump through
but the overall process will be better and of more benefit in the long run.
2015 CONVENTION UPDATE. As has been mentioned in several reports that have been given about the Junior Convention in Orlando,
attendance was 1,057. One of the largest Junior Conventions we have had in a long time went really well and we're proud of that. As for the
Senior Convention here in Kansas City, a little bit less; 685 attendees are registered. This number is significantly less than recent 2
conventions, but we're here and we are going to make the best of it and have a great convention with small numbers!
ST. PETER CLAVER FOUNDATION. On January 1st of this year I assumed the role also as Executive Director of the Saint Peter Claver
Foundation in conjunction with being the Executive Director of Knights of Peter Claver Incorporated. This decision was made in
consultation with and the approval of the Boards of Directors of both organizations with the goal of bringing the foundation up to its
intention of serving as the true charitable arm of the Knights of Peter Claver Incorporated. With that, we are now integrating and
creating standards of financial reporting practices for the foundation. We will eventually start transitioning more of our charitable
programs to the foundation. The first one of which is the Augustus Tolton Fund which has been renamed the Tolton Educational Fund to
better reflect the purpose of that fund as not to confuse it with the Father Augusts Tolton (sainthood) application process. We hope to have
application packages ready to go out announcing the new Tolton Educational Program by next year. In the interim, we want you to continue
sending in your Augustus Tolton donations as we will continue collections to build up funds for that program.
WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES. As the National Treasurer touched on earlier, the Knights of Peter Claver in conjunction with the
Ladies Auxiliary have each pledged $25,000 for a total of $50,000 to support the upcoming visit of Pope Francis to the U.S. and the World
Meeting of Families. As a result of our $50,000 contribution, we will have a full page ad included in the official booklet, will be mentioned in
the opening session, and have our logo prominently displayed during the event in Philadelphia. We will also have an informational booth
setup to help promote the organization and let attendees know that we too are Catholic and we do support family values, and we support
the Pope. Of course we have made that donation, but it costs money to do that. That's why we are appealing to units and individual
members to contribute to the cause. There are several methods to contribute including online giving. We would encourage you to support
this very worthwhile endeavor the Order has undertaken.
FUTURE CONVENTION SITES—DATES AND RATES. Next year you'll see the Convention is in New Orleans, Louisiana at the New Orleans
Hilton Riverside. The dates are July 22-27, 2016 at a room rate of $145 per night. The 2017 Junior Convention is in Kansas City right in this
very same building. The dates are July 6-9, 2017 at a rate of $139 per night. Information on the 2016 Senior Convention will be coming out
around January, February. Later in 2016, we will start talking about the 2017 conventions.
ONLINE PAYMENT OF DUES AND THE FOURTH DEGREE. The ability to pay your dues and assessments online that means you can pay dues
24/7, at your convenience, which is great. But the larger benefit of that is we now have about 70 to 80 percent of all of our
income coming in online. We have money essentially coming in 365 days a year as a result of that. So even right now, you know we have a
lot of the staff here, but there are two people back in the office and operations continue. Our online capabilities really help overall
operations. So if you're not using it, call us we'll help you get online to do it. If you are using it and you know somebody isn't, spread the
word on that. It's safe, it's secure, really safer than sending a check into the office, because the mail could get lost and
account info compromised. Our systems are PCI complaint; you put your information in online it's safe and secure. Over the last year we
have fully integrated Fourth Degree and Ladies of Grace into the Membership Management System. The payment of annual
assessments and dues are now being billed as with other subordinate units of the Order. I know there was some confusion about that
among the Fourth Degree members. You can now go out there and download reports for your meetings just like you do in the Third Degree.
As for the payments, we are working with the Supreme General Assembly and the Supreme General Chapter to work out those conflicts and
some communication will be coming out on the matter soon. All Knights of Peter Claver Incorporated and should operate with consistency.
.
National Treasurer Report
Brother Omar E. Jones, National Treasurer reported that the Order has made aggressive strides to maintain
financial solvency while complying with all regulations of the Alabama Department of Insurance. The
Order remains solvent and financially stable resulting in a 2013 year end surplus in the amount of
$152,126. He reported that revenue, expenses, and investments are thoroughly reviewed with adjustments
made as needed.
Omar Jones
KPC Membership
What’s Going On
Charity Committee
The committee review process was streamlined with the establishment of the National Program Review Committee allowing review of
applications online. Of the submitted applications, ten (10) requests totaling $13,700 were approved. Disbursements provided
assistance for social aid, feeding the homeless, medical assistance, medical equipment, violence awareness, home repair, education,
literacy, family enrichment and child enrichment.
Soaring High Committee
The committee approved five (5) applications totaling $4,000 for disbursement. Funds were provided to Texas Afterschool Center on
Education, 21st Century; KPCLA Dorothy Houston Court 251 – Soaring High Tutorial Program; Religion Program; Dunbar Learning
Academy; and Corpus Christi/Epiphany Resource Center After School Tutorial Program.
Commanders and Counselors Report
The Commanders and Counselors met to discuss the results of the 2015 Junior Convention that was held in Orlando, Florida at the Grand
Lakes J.W. Marriott Hotel on July 9-12, 2015. There were over 1,027 Junior Daughters and Knights in attendance. The 2017 Junior
Convention will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Kansas City, MO. on July 6th - 9th.
Human Development and Social Justice Committee
The committee awarded funds in the amount of $5,455 to six (6) applicants. Recipients included Holy Cross, Council #284 – Blackland
Neighborhood Association; Charles H. Bright, Court #261 – Cure d’Ars Catholic Global Outreach Ministry; Our Lady of Victory, Court #63 –
St. Francis Diner; Holy Cross, Court #284 – Drive a Senior; Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Court #65 – Bishop Ott Shelter for Women and
Children; and St. Peter and Paul, Council #313 – Lyke House: The Catholic Center at AUC.
Pro-Life Activities Committee
This committee has met throughout the year via conference calls and onsite during convention. The highlights of their work included:
Continue Respect for Life Mass to be held the on Monday during convention.
Share “Right to Life Prayer” with each Court and Council to be used during the July meeting which is
designated as Black Family Month.
Share a “Respect for Life 30 Day Reflection” with Councils and Courts to be used as an awareness tools for
pro-life/respect for life tool. Continue to focus on education and participation regarding pro-life issues.

National Council of Catholic Women- On behalf of the Ladies Auxiliary, I participated in the on-line
election of officers held on June 30, 2015 for the officers –elect and I will be attending the Annual
Convention
September 9-12, 2015 in Orlando Florida.
Sickle Cell
The committee awarded funds in the amount of $16,100 to ten (10) applicants. Funds were disbursed in varying amounts to the following applicants: Sickle Cell Association of Austin - Marc Thomas Foundation - Court #284 Holy Cross; Savana Dorsey - Council # 379
Tampa; Amahad H. Williams - Court #267 - St. Joseph the Worker; Kathryn Davis C/O Sickle Cell Disease Association of America - Drexel
Court #1; Hailey Houston - Court #130 Our Lady of Grace; Ms. Felicia Lewis - Court #63 Our Lady of Victory; Darrell A. Hayes, Jr. - Court
#65 Our Lady of Prompt Succor; Pamela Kelly – Court# 008 Holy Ghost; Jewel Bell - Council #284 Holy Cross.
Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations
This committee assists bishops and religious superiors in promoting, championing and educating about the pastoral needs and
concerns for the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life within cultural diverse communities. Particularly, the committee fosters
What’s going on– cont.
the encouragement of more African-Americans to consider vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life. The
committee offered the following recommendations:

Priesthood Sunday – usually observed on October 26th, is to be celebrated at any convenient time during the year in the various
courts and councils

National Vocations Awareness Week – November 1-7, 2015 should be acknowledged and celebrated by every court and council
Scholarship Committee
The committee received seventeen (17) applications prior to the Convention via an online evaluative
program and the following scholarships were awarded:
The Thomas R. Lee Memorial Scholarship recipients will receive $4,000 each to be distributed $2,000 in years 2015 and 2016. The
recipients are Oshanae Smith – Jeanerette, LA; and Ke’Miya Taylor – Chicago, The Willie Polk Scholarships recipients will receive a
total of $1,000 each to be awarded in 2015. The recipients are Tyrone Williams – Pass Christian, MS; Mia Rochon - Pearland, TX;
Ashleigh Rogers – Houston, TX; Patrick Clay – Pearland, TX; Soriah Cleveland – New Orleans, LA; Breanna Menard – Harvey, LA; Vivian
Obia – Detroit, MI; Terrance Roberts – Chicago, IL; LaKyah Tyner – South Field, MI; Dominique Sterling – Chicago, IL; Xylia Parker –
Milwaukee, WI; Mikayla Tyner – Southfield, MI; Tana Johnson – Hannah, SC; Nicholas Reese – Atlanta, GA; Nyia Crenshaw – Long
Beach, CA.
Since the SAT/ACT scores have increased, the committee is recommending that the Scholarship guidelines be reviewed and updated
annually.

Be polite instead of showing hostility. Exhibit gentleness with firmness whenever you must take a stand.

Encourage one another in positive undertakings and do not be known as a fault-finder but one who is interested in getting things
done and fixing what may be shortcomings.
And so, “Let us pursue the things that are of peace, and let us keep to the things that are for the edification of one another”. Romans
14:19
Emerging Leaders
On Saturday August 1, 2015, the
Emerging Leaders actively participated
in a Community Service Project
at
Ivanhoe Neighborhood Counsel. The
Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council is a non-
profit
neighborhood
improvement
organization
composed of all of the
people
live
that
in
the
Ivanhoe
neighborhood and a growing number of
partners
committed
to
the
accomplishment of Ivanhoe’s vision of
becoming a clean,
truly
thriving
beautiful, safe and
community.
Ivanhoe
works for the community to beautify the
neighborhood, end crime, and develop
jobs.
Emerging Leaders
In November of 2014, the organization became a United Way Agency, a
major accomplishment that they had been pursuing for a number of years.
Ivanhoe was awarded a three-year grant. This grant will provide funding
assistance for their Positive Alternatives for Youth Programs, including the
addition of college preparedness classes.
There were seventeen (17) Emerging Leaders participating in this
Community Service Project; including the Newly Elected Jr. Supreme
Knight Carrington Guillory. The Emerging Leaders assisted the staff of
Ivanhoe in cleaning the basement, organizing their donations, data entry,
and passing out flyers in the community. The Emerging Leaders were
thanked for their assistance; it was greatly appreciated.
Foundation Gala
The second Annual Saint Peter Claver Foundation Gala was held on Sunday, August 1, 2015. The event honored the founders of the
Knights of Peter Claver, Supreme Knights, Supreme Ladies, members, the hierarchy, and our deceased members and benefactors.
Knowing many urban Catholic schools across the country struggle financially, the Founders’ Gala is committed to ensuring access to
quality education.
The Mistress and Master of Ceremony for the Gala was Bro. Will Jemison, Gulf Coast District President and Lady Anngelica Barrow,
National Emerging Leader Chairperson Ladies Division. The Keynote Speaker was The Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D., Archbishop
of Louisville, President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archbishop Kurtz gave a compelling message on “Putting the
Family First”.
The Saint Peter Claver Foundation (SPCF) continues to seek foundation donors and volunteers to serve on the board. The Most Reverend
J. Terry Steib, SVD. D.D., Bishop of Memphis was the Recipient of the annual SPCF Award for his continued dedication to educating youth.
Award Winners
SILVER MEDAL RECIPIENTS - LADIES DIVISION
Central States District - Lady Janice Gray Charles H. Bright Court #261
Gulf Coast District - Lady LaTanya Y. Brown, Katherine Drexel Court #1 and Lady Stephanie P. Danzy, St. James Major Court #172
Louisiana- Lady Eva Narcisse, Evangeline Court #49, Lady Lydia Bolden, St. Joseph the Worker Court #267, Lady Lynette Harrison,
Sacred Heart Court #60 and Lady Eula Lee, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Court #54
Northern- Lady Yvonne A. Jones, St. Felicitas/St. Ailbe Court #181
Texas -Lady Gwendolyn Reed-Lamothe, Queen of All Saints Court #138 and Lady Norma J. Woodson,St. Monica Court #151
Western - Lady Jennie Catherine Dudley, Sacred Heart of Jesus Court #121
GOLD MEDAL RECIPIENTS
Louisiana- Lady Elinor Nacoste-Eaglin Holy Ghost - Court #008 Nominated by Holy Cross Court #284
Texas
Award Winners– cont.
SILVER MEDAL RECIPIENTS (KNIGHTS DIVISION)
Gulf Coast District -Brother Bruce C. Taylor, Charles T. Smoot Council #286
State of Louisiana -Brother Dwight P. Gardner, Sacred Heart Council #31 and Brother Norman C. Gallo, Sr., St. Jude Council #394
Northern States District—Brother J.C. Gardner, Barrett Newell Council #279
State of Texas -Brother Sidney Brewer, St. Monica Council #151, Brother Brent E. Brown, Holy Cross Council #284
Western States District -Milton Martin Jones, Jr., St. James the Apostle Council 358
GOLD MEDAL RECIPIENTS –KNIGHTS DIVISION
Most Reverend Martin D. Holley, D.D. National Chaplain Knights of Peter Claver, Inc.
Dr. Norman C. Francis President of Xavier University 1968 - 2015
Brother Allen Parker, Sr St. Monica Council 151
2015 NATIONAL AWARD RECIPIENTS
COURT OF THE YEAR
St. Joseph the Worker Court #267 New Orleans, Louisiana
GRAND LADY OF THE YEAR
Grand Lady Diane A. Keller St. Joseph the Worker Court #267, New Orleans, LA
National Financial Secretary of the Year
Lady Marie Jacqueline Monroe, St. Lucy, Court #79, Churchpoint, LA
National Claver Family of the Year
Unit #313 Saints Peter and Paul, Decatur, Georgia
Counselor of the Year
Lady Geralyn Drummond, St. Peter Claver – Tampa, Court #379, Tampa, FL
Chris Pichon Devoted Service Award
Knight Craig Guillory, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Council #31, Lake Charles, LA
James A. Coleman, Sr. Commander of the Year
Knight Rogers Griffin, St. Francis of Assisi, Council #49, Breaux Bridge, LA
FYI Committee
MEMBERS:
Kanobia Blackmon
Arletta Chambers
Delphine Joseph
Sonya Pichon
KPC Ball Photos
CONSULTANT
Tobin Hawkins
CHAIRPERSON
Cheryl Flotte