|
 On
Oct. 2, 1881, a small group of men met in the basement of
St. Mary’s Church on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven,
Connecticut. Called together by their 29-year-old parish
priest, Father
Michael J. McGivney, these men formed a fraternal society
that would one day become the world’s largest Catholic
family fraternal service organization.
Father
McGivney dedicated his life to the spiritual and physical
welfare of others, creating the Knights of Columbus to
provide insurance for the protection of widows and orphans,
and the spiritual benefit of its members and families.
Today, a growing number of schools, medical centers and
social service agencies named for him associate their work
with his charisma, and the Knights of Columbus insures the
lives of more than 1.2 million men, women and children.
But beyond
charitable works, Father McGivney wanted each Knight's heart
and mind attuned to greater love of God and his Son, both
within the Church and within the family. That is his
spiritual legacy.
Through the
Knights, Father McGivney sought to form young Catholic men
into good spouses and fathers. He has become known as
Apostle to the Young and Defender of Christian Family Life.
He saw strong families as the foundation of his parish, of
the Church and of society at large. He was convinced that
the Catholic layman had a unique role in influencing society
and promoting the values found in what Pope John Paul II has
since named the Culture of Life and Civilization of Love.
Father McGivney did not use the vocabulary of the 21st
century, but he espoused the same Gospel values that
Catholics affirm today.
Increasingly, Church leaders realize that part of Father
McGivney's spiritual genius is that nearly a century before
the Second Vatican Council addressed the important role of
the laity in the Church, Father McGivney built a way for
laymen to make a substantial and enduring contribution to
their parishes, communities and physical and spiritual
security of their families. And he saw that by doing so one
parish and community at a time, Catholic families could help
build a better world. He was a man
ahead of his time.
Click here to view a chronological history of the
Knights of Columbus and their faith in action.
Knights
of Columbus Distribute
Winter Coats to Special
Needs Children in New Jersey
|
West Orange, NJ –
On Friday, December
18, the New Jersey
State Council of the
Knights of Columbus,
in conjunction with
several local
councils in the
Newark area, began
distribution of new
winter coats to area
children in need.
The first
distribution took
place at the Mt.
Carmel Guild Academy
in West Orange,
where special needs
children received
winter coats.
Additional
distributions are
planned at Blessed
Sacrament and St.
Michael’s schools,
as well as at other
locations around New
Jersey.
This event is
part of the second
annual “Coats for
Kids” initiative of
the Knights of
Columbus. Similar
distributions have
taken place in 11
U.S cities, and many
more will take place
in the weeks to
come. Overall,
Knights of Columbus
will
distribute
approximately 10,000
coats to needy
children this
winter.
The initiative
began last year in
an effort to help
families with
children living in
colder climates who
have been severely
impacted by the
sharp and sudden
downturn in the
economy.
“As our nation
faces tough economic
times, we believe it
is very important to
respond within our
communities in
concrete ways to
help those most in
need,” said Supreme
Knight Carl A.
Anderson. “Helping
children in need was
a fundamental reason
for the formation of
the Knights of
Columbus in 1882 and
continues to be a
very important
component of our
work today.”
The Coats for
Kids program is part
of the Knights’
“Help a Child in
Need” campaign,
which began in 2006
with a nationwide
television appeal
during the Christmas
season for donations
to charities that
support the needs of
children. The
Help a Child in Need
web pages provide an
extensive list of
such charities that
are supported by the
Knights of Columbus
throughout the U.S.
and Canada, as well
as in other
countries around the
world. |
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Last modified:
02/06/10
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Columbus Star of the Sea Council #371 Bayonne NJ ∙
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