Highlights of the meeting: The 2022 calendar and budget were discussed and approved. Actions needed for the 15 January installation of officers were discussed including the corporate communion, ticket sales for the trip to Ireland raffle and the past President’s dinner at the club following the installation.
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. at the George Brent Council of the Knights of Columbus on Stonewall Road in Manassas by President Pat Sullivan.
Recitation of the opening prayer & Pledge of Allegiance:
Our Father x
Hail Mary x
Glory Be x
Pledge of Allegiance x
Roll call of Officers for Fraternal Year 2022:
Position Name Present/Absent/Excused
President: Patrick Sullivan P
VP: Dan O’Leary P
Treasurer Rick Ring P
Chaplain Father Edouard Guilloux E
Financial Secretary: Rich Aleksy P
Recording Secretary: Mike Eggleston P
Standing Committee: Doug Morrison P
Marshal: Greg Murray P
Sentinel: Greg Gibbons P
Immediate Past President Tom Masarick A
After the roll call it was noted that a quorum (minimum of 15) for the meeting had been achieved.
Minutes from previous meeting, Mike Eggleston: Minutes were distributed to all members in December and were posted to the division website in January. No comments on the minutes were received. Doug Morrison made a motion to approve and Pete Hawkins seconded. The minutes as posted on the website were approved by a unanimous vote.
Reading of communications and correspondence, Mike Eggleston:
House of Mercy sent a thank you letter to Rick Ring for the Division’s $450 donation.
President’s Report, Pat Sullivan: The President’s Report is at Attachment 1.
Introduction of new candidates: None.
Catholic Action, Father Edouard Guilloux: No Report.
Report on the Sick/Visitation, Bill Yochem: No Report.
Report on the Standing Committee/Grievance, Doug Morrison: No Report.
Organizer/Membership, Pete Hawkins:
Pete Hawkins presented the 2022 Calendar distributed to the membership just prior to the meeting. The calendar is also at Attachment 2. He focused on the period of January through March presented below:
Discussion of the calendar follows:
The National LAOH Embracing Our Heritage Program has a special on Saturday, 15 January at 11 A. M. one their National Webinars. It is entitled “Remembering Bloody Sunday, 50 Years Ago.” People can register for this. Google the National LAOH Website.
15 January Raffle Ticket Sales: JP needs salesmen and will be selling this weekend at All Saint’s masses. Goal is to sell 100 tickets this weekend.
15 January Installation of Officers will be conducted after the 5:30 Mass in the All Saint’s Chapel. A dinner is scheduled after the installation. A rehearsal of the installation will be conducted for officers downstairs after this meeting.
4 February Beer Tasting Fundraiser (Details were forwarded to members on 7 January).
5 February St. Bridget’s Gala is scheduled in Woodbridge (Flyer providing details was forwarded to members on 6 January).
8 February Officer meeting is scheduled on a Tuesday and will be followed by the Division meeting in the Club Room on Monday the 14th which is Valentine’s Day.
We have Raffle Ticket sales on the 12th and 13th. Dates of other raffle ticket sales were forwarded to members on 6 January. These are after Mass, 15 and 16 January; 12 and 13 March. Three brother Hibernians are needed at each entrance of the Church at all of the Masses. Also, we need brothers to sell tickets at and during the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Please contact JP McCusker with the dates and times of your availability.
5 March is the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Alexandria. This is a major event and we will cover this and other March events in more in depth, later.
Freedom for All Ireland, Dominic Preston: No Report.
Historian, Mike Eggleston:
The Historian’s report on the Molly Maguires is at Attachment 3.
Immigration, Richard Ring:
Rich Ring’s report is at Attachment 4.
Pro – Life: No Report.
Veterans Affairs, Doug Morrison:
Doug Morrison provided the summary of Veteran Affairs. It is at Attachment 5.
Strategic Planner, Mike Riley: No Report.
Webmaster, Brian Tumulty: No Report.
Publicity, Brian Tumulty: Brian suggested that a division Facebook page should be developed for use by the members. The President advised that the Division Officers will discuss and report back on this.
Shamrock Degree: We have 15 or so brothers who are eligible and we should plan on doing three degree programs a year.
Hunger Project, Bart Emanuel: No Report.
Charities and Missions, Greg Rebbert: No Report.
Project St. Patrick, Rich Aleksy: No Report.
Auditors Report, Vince Fitzpatrick, Kevin Byrne, Mike Riley: Report to the state is due by 15 February.
Bills and Claims, Financial Secretary, Rich Aleksy: Rich had four vouchers. One was to the National Board for $778. Second was to the State Board for $135. Third was for postage, $100 and the last was to the St. Patrick’s Day parade sponsor for $1000.
Receipts (Income), Financial Secretary, Rich Aleksy: Membership dues income was $978; Bingo Kitchen was $100; tickets for the Ireland Trip: $190. Total income is $1,268.
Report of the Treasurer, Richard Ring:
All members were requested to review the Division 2022 Budget which was sent to all on 6 January. The budget was distributed and discussed. The President made a motion to approve the budget; second by JP McCusker. The membership voted to approve the budget.
January, 2022 Meeting Report for December 2021 Income/Expenses
| Starting Monthly Budget Balance for December 2021: $18,181.96 |
| December 2021 Deposits (INCOME): $330.00 |
| December 2021 (EXPENSES): $871.18 |
| Ending Monthly Budget Balance for December 2021: $17640.78 Uncashed Checks as of: 3 January 2022 1636 House of Mercy $ 450.00 9-Nov-21 21-024 1637 AOH Project St. Patrick $ 450.00 9-Nov-21 21-025 1641 Tragedy Assistant Program $ 450.00 9-Nov-21 21-029 1643 Boyle School of Dance $ 225.00 9-Nov-21 21-031 1644 McGrath School of Dance $ 225.00 9-Nov-21 21-032 1646 Tragedy Assistant Program $ 381.00 13-Dec-21 21-034 Total: $2,281.00 Closing Bank Statement: $19,821.78 Closing Bank Register Balance: $17,640.78 Date Updated: 03 January 2022 Bank Register is Reconciled. |
Unfinished business: The President asked that the minutes reflect the fact that we are no longer doing the Bingo Kitchen.
New Business: None.
Good of the order:
Brian Tumulty explained that a brother Hibernian’s wife has died. It was concluded that a sympathy card should be sent to the family.
Chris Sozio asked for prayers for the sick.
Adjourned: The President noted that the next Division Meeting is scheduled for 14 February, St Valentine’s Day. The President made a motion to adjourn. Second by JP McCuskey. The meeting was adjourned at 8:27 PM.
Attachment 1
The President’s Report
Unity, sirs, is a bond of strength to every person, to every enterprise and to every because that aims to accomplish anything in this world. It is as controlling as the power that guides the stars in their courses. It is firm in resolution, steadfast in purpose, invincible in attack, and impregnable in defense. Out of weakness it brings strength, out of despair hope, out of failure success. It is the inspiration of men (and women) and the greatness of nations. The Ancient Order of Hibernians aims to unite its members in sentiment, in purpose and in action.
And what was asked of all of us: “Are you willing to join with us in its bonds and be bound by its exalted precepts?” The answer is still “YES” I would hope.
We are a singular body of men whose focus is the forwarding of Hibernianism. We are going to disagree, sometimes even to the harshest of degrees, but remember, we are “Unified” in our efforts. I would hope that is why all of us are here tonight.
Father Ed has again agreed to be our Chaplain. He will try to make it to our meetings but does have other commitments. He does participate in about everything else Hibernian.
For all Officers and if I may also ask, Mike Riley and Mike Curry to stay after the meeting so we can practice the Installation downstairs.
The officers have decided to split some responsibilities: The Organizer currently is in general responsible for event coordination and Membership. The Organizer will keep these responsibilities but we wish to have an individual designated specifically with the responsibility of Membership coordination and will be responsible to the Organizer (Pete Hawkins). This is a call to the division for someone to step forward and assist Pete.
We also need a Pro-Life Chairman to fill the shoes of Mike McManus. I spoke with him and he would appreciate someone else stepping up to this challenging position.
Audit Committee: Vince Fitzpatrick, Mike Riley, and Brian Tumulty: Report to State due by 15 February.
Lastly, please be patient with new set of officers and chairmen. Give us a couple months to settle into and learn our new positions.
The 2022 Calendar
| Date | Event | Lead | Remarks |
| January | |||
| 2 | Bingo Kitchen | T Masarick | Fundraiser |
| 10 | Division Meeting; Club Room; 7:30 pm | Pat Sullivan | Organization |
| 15 | Raffle ticket sales – All Saints; Saturday (5:30 PM) Mass | JP McCusker | Fundraiser |
| 15 | Installation of Officers. Corporate Communion at All Saint’s – Attend 5:30 PM Mass, Installation will be held in Church after Mass | Fr. Ed, Brian Kiernan, Tom Masarick | Organization |
| 16 | Raffle ticket sales – All Saints; Sunday (7:30 AM, 9:30 AM, 11:30 AM) Masses | JP McCusker | Fundraiser |
| 21 | March For Life; Washington, DC | Thom Harrington | Religious |
| Starting | Audit Committee | ||
| February | |||
| 4 | Beer Tasting Fundraiser; Old Town Sports Pub (OTSP); 7:30 pm | Dan O’Leary | Fundraiser |
| 5 | Lt. Col. John Dowd LOAH St Bridgit Gala; 6:30-10:30 pm | Greg Rebbert | Social |
| 8 | Officer Meeting; Club Room; 7:00 pm | Pat Sullivan | Organization |
| 12 | Raffle ticket sales – All Saints; Saturday (5:30 PM) | JP McCusker | Fund Raiser |
| 13 | Raffle ticket sales – All Saints; Sunday (7:30 AM, 9:30 AM, 11:30 AM) Masses | JP McCusker | Fund Raiser |
| 14 | Division Meeting; Club Room; 7:30 pm (SHAMROCK Degree) | Pat Sullivan | Organization |
| 26 | Road Clean-up | Rick R. | Social |
| March | |||
| 1 | Officer Meeting; Club Room; 7:00 pm | Pat Sullivan | Organization |
| 5 | Alexandria St. Patrick’s Day Parade | Greg Rebbert | Social |
| 12 | Raffle ticket sales – All Saints; Saturday (5:30 PM) Mass | JP McCusker | Fundraiser |
| 12 | St. Patrick’s Day Parade | Vince Fitzpatrick | Social |
| 13 | Raffle ticket sales – All Saints; Sunday (7:30 AM, 9:30 AM, 11:30 AM) Masses | JP McCusker | Fundraiser |
| 14 (?) | Gaelic Mass; 7:30pm at St. Thomas Moore Cathedral; 3901 Cathedral Ln; Arlington | Pat Sullivan | Religious |
| 14 | Division Meeting; Club Room; 7:30 pm | Pat Sullivan | Organization |
| 17 | St. Patrick’s Day – Trip to Ireland Raffle Drawing; OTSP; 8:00 pm | JP McCusker | Fundraiser |
| TBD | VA State AOH Quarterly Meeting | Pat Sullivan | Organization |
Attachment 3
The Molly Maguires
In Ireland in the 19th century, conflict between landowners and tenants in Ireland intensified. In some cases, owners decided to change use of land for farming to cattle grazing which was thought to be more profitable. As a result, tenants were evicted. This led to the death of some landowners. The death of some animals was an unfortunate consequence.
The Ribbon Society was an agrarian secret society that pursued justice for the tenant farmers. Its members consisted of rural Irish Catholics. The Society was formed in response to the miserable conditions in which the vast majority of tenants lived in those days. Its objective was to prevent landlords from changing or evicting tenants. The name is derived from a green ribbon worn as a badge in the buttonhole by the members of the Ribbon Society.
Molly Maguires emerged in Ireland in an article published in the Times on 25 August 1845. The article was called the “Address of Molly Maguire to her Children”. Molly was thought to reside in Maguire’s Grove in County Leitrim, Ireland. The article explained rules to be used in land disputes, for example “No rent to be paid until harvest”. The Molly Maguires was another named used by the Ribbonmen.
Members of the Ribbon Society moved to the United States and in 1836 they were located in New York City and were known as the St. Patrick’s Fraternal Society. Their purpose was to protect churches against anti-Catholic groups. Ribbonmen had also settled in the coal fields of eastern Pennsylvania. Their purpose was to protect the rights of coal workers and prevent exploitation by mine owners.
On 17 March 1836 a group of coal mine workers arrived in New York City to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. These were from the Hibernian Benevolent Society in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. After celebrating, the miners met with members of St. Patrick’s Fraternal Society. Since both groups were secret societies, little is known about the meeting and no records survive. Shortly after the meeting, the Ancient Order of Hibernians was established in St. James Church in New York City on 4 May 1836. At the same time, the first division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians was established in the coalfields at Pottsville, Pennsylvania. From that day forward the name Molly Maguire was intwined with the Ancient Order of Hibernians and labor unions. Members of the Ribbon Society were at work in both the New York City and the coal fields of Pennsylvania. I’ve included a photo of life in the coal fields of Pennsylvania. Next meeting I’ll cover the Molly Maguire legend during the Civil War.
Attachment 4
The Immigration Report
In this report, I will talk about a book that highlights a change in Irish Immigration to the U.S. due to the 1965 Immigration Act and follow with a story on how it affected the neighborhood of Woodsides, Queens. Like most of these reports, I start down one path and end up finding stories that intertwine. The hardest part is to pull it all together to present something of a reasonable length.
“Unintended Consequences: The Story of Immigration to the U.S. and How America’s Door was Closed to the Irish” by Ray O’Hanlon tells the story of how the 1965 Immigration Act slowed Irish Immigration to the US down to a trickle. The book is a chronicle of failure and missed chances for the Irish,
Like many groups the Irish had numerous opportunities to carve out a bill that would allow significant numbers of Irish into the U.S. but time and again the opportunity was missed. A split in the opposition to the original bill between two important factions in the Irish community ruined the decent prospect of an Irish set aside in the bill completely.
John Collins, a rising young lawyer and other Irish leaders got behind a bill that New York West Side Congressman William Ryan had put forward and which made great strides, until the then future AOH National President Michael Delahunty urged the Irish community to support a different bill put forward by Congressman Peter Rodino of New Jersey.
The faction fight had its inevitable result and the Irish split led to the 1965 bill’s passage with no Irish set aside.
A key sponsor, Senator Edward Kennedy, admitted years later the bill had “unintended consequences.”
There have been other opportunities. When Tip O’Neill, the all-powerful speaker of the House, later offered a set aside for Ireland to the Irish government they incredibly turned it down, remarking they wanted to keep their children at home.
Then there was Congressman Michael Feighan of Cleveland, who altered immigration history forever. As chairman of the Immigration Subcommittee, he wielded enormous power.
He was in favor of European visas and merit visas — until he barely won a congressional race against an opponent who was Czech American, descendant of a country that had no access to visas. Determined to shore up his support among groups like Czech Americans, he opted for family reunification over merit. It was a momentous decision.
Down the years there were plenty of bills seeking changes to the 1965 Act such as Simpson/ Mazzoli and Kennedy /McCain, which ultimately went nowhere.
The only respite for Ireland was the advent of the Irish Immigration Reform Movement, a grassroots young Irish group that won 73,000 visas through the 1990 Morrison and Donnelly visa programs.
In his book, O’Hanlon has done a great job collating the different efforts and binding together a narrative that explains a quite difficult issue very well.
This leads me to the second part of this report. Since the 1965 US Immigration Act, it has become harder for Irish to settle in American and several communities are showing their age. Woodside, Queens, once a vibrant thriving Irish community, because of the lack of visa opportunities is seeing less young Irish settling and the older generation is fading away.
In 1964, Kenneth Natton was looking for something new. So, at age 18, he decided to move from County Longford, in Ireland, to New York. He went to the Embassy and paid the $30 fee and moved. After the mandatory five-year waiting period, he became a naturalized U.S. Citizen.
“It was automatic,” he said. “You didn’t need a lawyer back then. It was easy.”
What Natton didn’t realize was that things would soon change. In 1965, Congress passed the Immigration Act, which overhauled the American immigration system. Before the law passed, immigration from Ireland was, indeed, almost “automatic.” “I got in under the wire,” Natton said.
Now, Natton is in the same position as many other Irish immigrants: he is one of the youngest members of a once-vast, aging community. Since 1965, changes to immigration law, along with developments in the rest of the world and improving conditions in Ireland, have sharply reduced Irish immigration to the United States, and neighborhoods that once had a vast Irish presence maintain only hints of what they used to be.
In Woodside, once nicknamed “Irishtown,” the Irish community is still represented by Irish bars and restaurants, but there are few Irish people to enjoy them. And without further immigration reform, said Siobhan Dennehy, executive director of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in Woodside, the downward trend will only continue.
Eileen Colleran-Sprague, director of the Irish in Queens Oral History Project, said that in the early 20th century, several factors led to Woodside becoming “Irishtown.” Colleran-Sprague’s parents immigrated to Woodside in 1950, following other relatives who had done the same.
“They followed the trail,” she said.
In Woodside, Irish women found jobs as nannies, shopkeepers, and waitresses. Irish men, meanwhile, could find work in construction.
“Many men came over and worked as laborers,” she said. “Including my dad.”
Chris Boles moved from Sligo, on the coast of Ireland, to Canada in 1956, and to Woodside the year after that. He came to Woodside, he said, because he saw other Irish people settling there. “The Irish tend to follow the crowd,”
Another important factor: transportation. There was a huge boom out to Queens as soon as the subway was built. Once Irish movement into the neighborhood started, it didn’t stop: Irish immigrants followed their families.
Kathleen Dignan, for instance, came from Galway, West Ireland to Brooklyn at age 16 in 1957. She lived with her uncles in Brooklyn, then bought a house in Astoria. She moved to Woodside in the 1980s and has lived there for 32 years.
“We had the generation before us, that claimed us,” she said.
Unfortunately, the younger generation don’t come anymore. So, when all the elderly die off, who knows what happens?
Tighter immigration laws haven’t been the only cause of the Woodside Irish community’s downturn. Also important is the fact that the United States doesn’t present the unparalleled opportunity that it once did or appeared to — but other countries do. For example, Australia is an attractive destination. Ireland’s entry into the European Union has vastly expanded opportunities for education and prosperity. Additionally, in Ireland now, there’s a lot of job opportunities.
The result of this combination of factors has been a rapid decline in the Irish presence in Woodside. Once as high as 80% Irish, according to the 1996 book “The New York Irish,” today Woodside does not have a single ethnic majority. According to NYU’s Furman Center, Woodside is 36% Asian, 31% Hispanic, and 30% White.
Chris Boles, sitting on a bench in Woodside Plaza, a small park under the elevated 7 train tracks, gestured at the other benches around him, where he said Irish residents of Woodside had long congregated. “Used to be there were bunches here, you had to decide which one to sit with,” he said. “We’re getting scarce now.”
But, Boles added, “even though there’s no Irish left here, the neighborhood is okay.”
Angela Finnegan was sitting on the bench with Boles. Finnegan came to the United States in 1972 at age 17. She came for a two-week vacation and never left.
When she first moved to Woodside, she said, “I walked over to this park, met these people who’ve been so nice to me.” She pointed to Boles and to another Irish resident of Woodside, Peter, who was sitting on the next bench.
When she arrived, she said, the Irish were close. She would arrive at Woodside Plaza, and one Irish person would take her around introducing her to all the others.
“There’s not that many introducing anymore,” she said.
Attachment 5
Veteran’s Affairs
National:
The president recently signed the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), it does not contain language that would halt proposed eligibility changes at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC).
The FY 2019 NDAA required a plan to ensure ANC operations would continue “well into the future,” and DoD interpreted this as a directive to reduce eligibility. The draft rule change is pending as part of the federal rulemaking process; if enacted, the hardest hit will be Vietnam and Cold War-era veterans who have planned on this benefit for decades. It was not the original intent of the 2019 NDAA to end this benefit for elderly veterans.
A House Armed Services Committee (HASC) report on this year’s NDAA expresses the committee’s concerns regarding proposed eligibility changes and “directs the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit a report to congressional defense committees no later than March 1, 2022, on potential locations of the next national cemetery.”
Legislation is still required for a halt to ANC eligibility changes. The joint DoD-VA report to designate the next national cemetery that will afford full military honors can set the foundation for language in the next NDAA.
While a halt to eligibility changes was not included in the most recent NDAA, it was proposed as a Senate amendment. This issue will require continued advocacy as the HASC report is pending.
Finding a Long-Term Fix
Before ANC was an operational cemetery, service members were buried at what’s now known as the United States Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery (formerly the Soldiers and Sailors Home) in Washington, D.C. When the home was running out of room during the Civil War, ANC was designated as the next location. As ANC reaches capacity, it makes sense to pick the next location rather than end the benefit.
TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Preserve the National Cemetery Benefit
DOD ID CARDS
Retirees and their dependents who’ve been able to use expired Uniformed Services ID (USID) cards as part of COVID-related deadline extensions need to renew those cards by month’s end.
The extension applies only to beneficiaries holding cards with expiration dates between Jan. 1, 2020, and July 31, 2021. Currently serving members and their dependents had until Oct. 31, 2021, to renew their cards, while retirees and their dependents will have until Jan. 31. Please note: If your ID card is not expired, this extension does not apply to your card and you are not required to renew.
DoD officials announced in September they planned no further extensions.
State
Governor Elect Youngkin’s “Day One Game Plan” (inauguration this Saturday) includes suspending the most recent gas tax increase for 12 months, eliminating the grocery tax, doubling the standard deduction and exempting a portion of veterans’ retirement pay from taxation. He also wants to provide a one-time tax rebate of $600 for joint filers and $300 for individuals. We will have to see how that comes out in the months ahead.
History and Patriotism-Irish in the Military
The following is a list of Irish-American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who were awarded the American military’s highest decoration — the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor is bestowed “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Irish- American_Medal_of_Honor_recipients
Of the 3,464 Medals of Honor awarded as of September 17, 2009,[1] an estimated 2,021 (58%) have been awarded to Irish-American recipients, more than twice the number awarded any other ethnic group;[2][3] 257 Irish-born Americans have received the Medal of Honor[4][5] which represents more than half of foreign-born MOH recipients.[6] A monument to these Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients is located at Valley Forge’s Medal of Honor Grove; [7] erected by the Ancient Order of Hibernians.[8] The first Irish American to receive the Medal was Michael Madden, who received it for his actions in the American Civil War (Note that the earliest action for which the Medal of Honor was awarded was to Irish American U.S. Army Assistant Surgeon Bernard J.D. Irwin for the engagement at Apache Pass, February 1861. The award was made three decades after the event and after Madden’s award.
