After many prayers, much thought and safety considerations, combined with our survey results, the convention committee unanimously agreed that we cannot in good conscience hold our 100th anniversary convention as originally planned. With the coronavirus still looming large, the safety of our members and their families is our number one concern. With that in mind, a scaled-down convention will be held April 16 - 18, 2021.
The business meeting portion of the convention will be virtual similar to last year. We have not identified the platform we will be using for this portion of the convention but it has to be one that will allow voting and motions from the floor. We expect the business portion of the meeting to last between 1 – 1 ½ hrs.
The business meeting is only one portion of the convention. We will be live streaming (media to be determined) the charity drawing, an awards ceremony, and a tribute to all our Brother Knights we've lost since our last convention. Additionally, we will be celebrating Mass with the Bishop at the Cathedral. At the conclusion of the Mass the Bishop has agreed to present some of our major awards.
Despite the fact that we will not be able to meet in person, we need a couple of things from each council. First of all, we will need the name, membership number, phone number, and email address of each delegate. This information is needed to authorize them the opportunity to vote on elections and resolutions, as well as to make motions from the floor. I would like to have all this information by April 1, 2021. Secondly, we need a list of Deceased Members Information. There is a form for this located as Enclosure 6 of the "Call to Convention" that was emailed to each council on December 18, 2020 as well as being posted on the state website. In order that we have enough time to provide a fitting tribute please submit this list by April 1st as well. Please forward these items to your District Deputy for consolidation.
Brothers, we started planning this convention a year and a half ago and we were really looking forward to celebrating 100 years of service to God's people. And while we are all disappointed that we cannot safely gather as one body to celebrate this milestone, we can continue to move forward and serve God by serving his people and living the Gospel of Matthew 25.
