KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

 STAR OF THE SEA

COUNCIL 371

BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY

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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

Coats for Kids

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 willCoats for Kids in Newark N.J. 2009 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 inCoats for Kids in Newark N.J. 2009 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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