Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/88465
National President's Message Dear Members of the National Catholic Society of Foresters, As I drive home to Iowa on the weekends, I am in awe of the beauty all around us that only God can create. The rolling clouds as they move through the sky, the changing colors of the leaves, the fall flowers that are at their peak right before a hard killing frost, the harvesting of the fields – yes, autumn is upon us. Cattle and sheep are seen gleaning the fields, flocks of wild turkeys, gaggles of geese, herds of deer – these are all God's creations, and they are good. Lurking out there are the scavengers of the animal world like the turkey buzzards or the coyotes. A coyote killed one of my calves this last weekend; evidently the calf wasn't strong enough to get away. The devil is like the coyote; he preys on people that are weak and unprotected. A retired priest visited my parish last month, in his sermon he talked about reading the Bible. If you read the Bible five minutes every day, it will take you seven years to complete – that is four years for the Old Testament and three years for the New Testament. He extended a challenge to the congregation. I accepted the challenge, so along with my morning prayers, I started my five minutes with the Gospel of Saint Mark in the New Testament. I am now extending the challenge to each and every member, take five minutes a day with the good book and God will protect you and make you strong against the devil. YEAR OF FAITH Pope Benedict XVI has declared October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013 a "Year of Faith". This is an opportunity for every Catholic to turn towards Jesus Christ, and encounter him in the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, and to rediscover the faith and the church. Pope Benedict announced that the "door of faith is always open for us", there are two ways of entering through this door. The first is the way of "content", by studying, learning and meditating on the truths of the church. The Apostles Creed is the prayer that points out our beliefs. The second is the way of "act". This is the decisions that we make based on the love and mercy we have experienced from God in our lives. The two intermingle. Let's celebrate, live and pray and make this a wonderful "Year of Faith". The last "Year of Faith" was called by Pope Paul VI in 1967 to commemorate the martyrdom of the apostles Peter and Paul. We are also celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II and the 20th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Visit the US Bishops web site: www.USCCB.org, for reflections. NCSF BOARD The entire Board of Directors had the opportunity to attend the annual meeting of American Fraternal Alliance, held in New Orleans. On pages 28 & 29 in this magazine, you will find a summary from the board members of their thoughts and experiences. A board institute was held on September 6th which dealt with the duties and responsibilities of the Board of Directors. Two main points were the strategic and the fiduciary responsibilities. The strategic role is to partner with management to develop direction for the continued on page 4 2 National Catholic Forester ... If you are not active in your community, get active and spread the love, benevolence and charity on which our Society was founded.