I hope everyone enjoyed the St. Patrick’s Day Season. I also hope everyone had a very Happy and Holy Easter. Thanks to all the Divisions who took advantage of the constitutional discount and paid their National Per Capita early. Your efforts make it easier to plan for the good work of the Order. If you do not already have one in place, the next thing you need to do is create a plan to contact those division members who are delinquent in paying their dues. It is important to remember that our Constitution in Article XVIII Section 13 sets forth the framework for handling this issue. The framework lays out a list of constitutional duties with a timeline for completion before a member can be suspended. This framework gives the member every opportunity to maintain his membership. However, this process takes time and it is imperative that you initiate it as soon as possible.
State Conventions
This year is a State Convention year. The National Board has asked State leadership to send them information concerning the dates and locations for their state convention. The National Board would like to have representatives at as many state conventions as possible so that we can see firsthand the good work done throughout the Order. If you have not already done so please get that information to National Secretary Ray Lynch.
Hibernian History Tour
At the time of writing this article I have just returned from the AOH History Tour in Ireland. National President Sean Pender and National Historian Dan Taylor put together a great tour with unique site locations stacked full of historical information, Irish culture and plenty of time for your own brand of fun. Lastly, I need to tell you about a conversation I had with our bus driver. I knew he lived in another part of Ireland and when I asked him why he came so far to take us from location to location he told me he would do anything for the AOH. He told me a little bit about his family history and that he knew firsthand about the good work the AOH does in Ireland especially for those who need it most. Those are his words not mine. I could not help thinking that it is not only the organizations we support that appreciate our good work. It is also the people of Ireland, every day working men and women, who appreciate the good work we do together.