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- As an integral part of the world's largest and most dynamic Catholic
fraternal organization, you will be united with 1.6 million Brothers and their
families in more than 12,000 local councils located in the United States,
Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Central America and the Caribbean.
- Your personal involvement as a Knight will provide opportunities, in
charity and fraternity, for service to the Church at the local, diocesan and
universal levels; to your communities; and to the less fortunate in our midst.
- Your active participation in council affairs: spiritual, fraternal,
family, social, civic-oriented, athletic and recreational- will serve as a
school of leadership and enable you to develop qualities that enhance your
strengths and abilities.
- You will enjoy a sense of "belonging" in an organization that shares your
religious beliefs, brings together like-minded men joined in a common cause,
and offers the opportunity to develop and cement friendships for years to
come.
- You will share in the sense of pride all Knights feel in knowing that
their Order is second to none in support of Our Holy Father, our Bishops and
Priests; in working for our fellow man, especially those most in need; and in
binding together to preserve traditional values in the face of attacks against
the family and innocent human life.
- Created the $20 million "Knights of Columbus Vicarius Christi" fund- the
earnings on which are conveyed annually to the Holy Father for his charities.
Since its inception this fund has generated more than $20 million for the
Pope's good works, and the corpus remains intact.
- Committed $8.8 million to the U.S. Bishops' Pro-Life educational campaign
since 1990, and budgeted an additional $1 million for the production of
pro-life materials, to overturn the pro-abortion mentality and defend the
right to life.
- Bring the Pope to the world at least three times a year by providing the
uplink cost for the televising of papal ceremonies, especially at Christmas
and during Holy Week- and the downlink in poor mission countries.
- Presented a new mobile television production unit to the Vatican
Television Center for the taping, recording and transmission of Vatican
ceremonies at a cost of $600,000.
- Established the $2 million Count Enrico Galeazzi Fund for the Pointifical
North American College for the benefit of the College and for U.S. Bishop- and
priest- students there; the Bishop Charles P. Greco Fund for the American
College in Louvain, Belgium, and the Father McGivney Fund for the Collegio
Pontificio Filipino, the Our Lady of Guadalupe Fund for the McGivney Fund for
Advanced Studies for Priests in Puerto Rico.
- Underwrote completely the renovation of the entire facade of St. Peter's
Basilica in Rome, the most famous church in the world, the statues of Sts.
Peter and Paul in St. Peter's Square, and the historic Rooms of the Architects
in the Basilica proper.
- Raised $1 million for the Bishop de Laval Fund, earnings on which annually
support the work of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
- Contributed, since 1981, over $14.8 million to thousands of seminarians
and postulants through the Refund Support Vocations Program, generating $3.2
million in rebated from the Supreme Council to participating councils,
assemblies and circles. Also established the $7 million Knights of Columbus
Vocations Scholarship Fund, with earnings funding the RSVP rebates and annual
$2,500 scholarships based on need to seminarians in theology.
- Erected the Knight's Tower and carillon of bells at the Basilica of the
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, completely renovated it
recently, and raised a $500,000 memorial fund in honor of Past Supreme Knight
Luke E. Hart to promote Marian devotion at the Shrine and to preserve the
Shrine in perpetuity.
- Provide the entire budget of the National Family Planning offices of the
U.S. and Canadian Bishops, and assist the NFP office of the Mexican Bishops.
- Created the Father Michael J. McGivney Memorial Fund for New Initiatives
in Catholic Education in the amount of $1 million, annual interest on which
funds projects designed to improve religious education in the U.S. and Canada.
- In 1998, raised and distributed $110.7 million and contributed 55 million
volunteer-hours in service to Church, community, youth and fellowman through
the "Surge...with Service" outreach program.
- Sponsor the Pope John XXIII Center's seminars for the Bishops of the U.S.,
Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and the Philippines on vital
life-death issues.
- Underwrite, through an annual assessment of $.80 per member, the Order's
Catholic Advertising Program, which provides free information on the Catholic
faith to interested inquirers- more than 8 million responses and more than
750,000 enrollees in correspondence courses through the years.
- Have distributed millions of special Knights of Columbus rosaries at the
rate of 10,000 per month, especially to new members, and now to former members
who are readmitted.
- Support a multimillion dollar Student Loan Program for members and their
children pursuing higher education, with all seminarians eligible.
- Provide support for such varied apostolate as the Eternal World Television
Network; the National Clergy Conference on Alcoholism; Morality in Media; the
National Catholic Office for Persons with Disabilities; the National
Apostolate with Mentally Retarded Persons.
- Make available to dioceses and religious institutions a mortgage loan
program at favorable interest rates. Over the last 15 years $197.5 million
were provided to 214 entities, mostly local parishes.
- Renovated St. Mary's Church in New Haven, the birthplace of the Order, and
entombed the remains of the founder, Rev. Michael J. McGivney, therein on
March 29, 1982. Completed the 110-year-old construction plan of the church by
erecting a 179-foot steeple, including a carillon of three bronze bells, atop
St. Mary's.
- Support the spiritual welfare of armed services personnel and their
families around the globe through a $900,000 fund for the Archdiocese for
Military Services.
- Sponsor daily Mass for deceased Brother Knights at St. Mary's Church in
New Haven and enable widows of Knights to receive COLUMBIA magazine
each month.
- Paid $86 million in death benefits to the families of deceased Brother
Knights during 1997 and $204 million in dividends to insurance members.
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Established a North American campus of the Lateran
University's Pope John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in
Washington, D.C.
- Candidate must be a practical Catholic man in union with the Holy See. Practical is defined as
"one who lives up to the Commandments of God and the Precepts of the Church.
- Candidate must be not less than eighteen (18) years of age on their last birthday.
- Contact any member of the council, including the Grand Knight, whose phone number is published in the weekly bulletin.
- OR...Call the Parish office and ask for contact information.
- OR...Send an email to us by clicking here and one of our council officers will contact you.
"Five Reasons..." and "Did you Know..." originally presented on the State of Montana Knights of Columbus website.
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