Officers Online: A Council Officer’s Best Resource

During the Fraternal Year, you will often come across situations you have not previously had to handle. You ask your fellow offers about it, but no one seems to know or have a straight answer. You may get a lot of “well, I think this,” or “I think that,” but with no clear direction. Before picking up the phone and calling someone at the State Office, or higher up, there is a resource you can consult which probably contains the solution, and then some—the Officers Desk Reference or “ODR.”

The ODR is found in Officers Online, available to all District Deputies, Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries on the Supreme website. Since 2015, the Supreme Advocate, with the authority of the Supreme Board of Directors, has published the ODR to provide definitive guidance on the interpretation of the Constitution and Laws of the Order, Laws and Rules Governing the Fourth Degree, and Council and Assembly governance. As the “Welcome” to the ODR indicates, “The guidance published in the Officers’ Desk Reference shall be binding on Subordinate Units of the Knights of Columbus, their officers, and members to the extent set forth by the Supreme Advocate.” The ODR is updated on a regular basis.

The ODR provides guidance on some everyday subjects, such as membership requirements, as well as less frequented topics, such as filing an information tax return (990n) or obtaining an EIN. There is no need to run out and hire an attorney to do this when there are step by step instructions in the ODR. How do you discipline a member? Check the ODR. What do you do if one of your members is convicted of a felony? Does it matter if it happened before he became a Knight? Check the ODR. Who can display the emblems or marks of the Knights of Columbus and when? Check the ODR. I think you get the picture.

Most situations or circumstances you encounter during the Fraternal Year are addressed in the ODR. Please take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the table of contents, so that you can become aware of the gold mine of information which it contains. The Supreme Advocate’s guidance provided in the ODR will save you a lot of time and aggravation and set you on the right path to address your issue. If you read the provisions of the ODR pertaining to your issue and you are still not sure what to do, then you may contact me at pelsd66@gmail.com. But always check the ODR first. You will be glad you did.