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Knights of Columbus Father Robert Ross - Council 6095 Stanton, CA |
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Knights of Columbus Father Robert Ross - Council 6095 Stanton, CA |
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Council presents
Certificates of Appreciation to priests of St. Polycarp |
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Past Grand Knights John Norton & Ray Untiet at the Fireworks Booth |
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These men, of this fledgling organization, were chartered on March 29, 1882 to be known as the 'Knights of Columbus'. Like the Knights of Yore, the organization embodied the ideas of spirituality and service to Church, country and fellow man. Today, the Knights of Columbus has blossomed into an international society of more than 1.70 million Catholic men in some 12,000 councils throughout the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Guatemala, Guam and Saipan. They have dedicated themselves to these basic ideas: Charity. Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. The framework of our great organization is that we are a "Catholic, family, fraternal, service organization". This theme permeates the entire Service Program: all church, community, council, family and youth activities. CATHOLIC is the common denominator for all our members. Catholicism serves as the foundation for continued growth for our faith in God. FAMILY is the very basis of society around which all our programs and activities evolve. FRATERNITY means banding together for the purpose of providing for spiritual and material welfare of our membership. SERVICE means our involvement with and commitment to Church, community, council, family and youth. As the Order has grown, its benevolence has steadily increased. In the past decade, the Knights have raised and donated nearly $1 Billion to numerous charitable causes and volunteered nearly 400 million hours of service.The Protection of Human Life - The Knights of Columbus is unambiguously and proudly pro-life. In accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church, the Order defends human life from the moment of conception until natural death. Building a new Culture of Life where every human life is welcomed and protected by law is one of the highest priorities of the Order! Church Support - Supporting the Catholic Church has been a hallmark of the Knights of Columbus. From funding the restoration of the facade of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome to operating an usher ministry at a local parish, the Knights of Columbus serves the Church in countless ways. Annually, the Order raises and distributes more than $45 million to Church groups in support of programs at the local, national and international levels. Local Knights and their families donate more than 25 million hours of volunteer time to the Church each year. ‘In Solidarity with our Priests’ – we heartily support Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life!Through the years we have dedicated ourselves to God's calling. We become involved and participate in what is taking place in the world around each and every one of us. Conditions of present life require that we participate in shaping social issues and political issues, from speaking for the unborn to lending our hands to the less fortunate, and from making our society a place where there is more justice to where there is more love. The challenge to the Knights is trying to see where God is asking us to go and in what direction to move. By becoming a Knight you can be an added voice, a helping hand to humankind, a sign to someone less fortunate - that God truly loves and cares for them. Why Join The Knights of Columbus?? Camaraderie! Community Involvement! Growing in one’s faith! Supporting the Church! Protecting one’s family! Helping others and expressing love of all! These are a few of the reasons that Catholic men and their families join the Knights of Columbus!
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KNIGHTS OF
The emblem contains a shield mounted upon a
Formee Cross. The
shield is associated with medieval knights.
The Formee Cross represents a traditional artistic design
of the Cross of Christ through which all graces of redemption
were procured for mankind.
This then represents the Catholic spirit o the Order.
Mounted on the shield are a fasces standing
vertically and crossed behind it, an anchor and a dagger or
short sword. The
fasces, a bundle of white birch rods, is symbolic of authority
which must exist in any tightly bonded and efficiently operating
organization. The
anchor is the mariner’s symbol for Columbus, patron of the
Order. The sword
was the weapon of the knight when engaged upon an errand of
mercy. The shield
expresses Catholic Knighthood in organized merciful action and
with the letters K of C, it proclaims this specific form of
activity. The red, white and blue in the background
of the shield and the foreground of the Cross of Malta are the
colors of our country.
Red is the symbol of hope, of calm tranquility under God
and of confidence in the protection of our country.
White is the symbol of nobility of purpose, of purity of
aim and of crucible—tried ideas to be carried out. The ecclesiastical symbolism in which red
becomes the reflection of the drips of Christ’s redemptive blood
shed upon Red is the symbol of Faith, of belief in Christ, in the Redemption and in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ. White is the color of the Eucharistic Host, pledge of God’s Eucharistic presence among men, of the infinite love God has for man and the overwhelming affection which God has for each individual. White is the symbol of Christ-like charity. Blue is the color of Our Lady’s mantle in which she wrapped her beloved Son through Whom came salvation to a sinful world. Blue is the symbol of hope.
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In October of 1881, a young priest named Father Michael J.
McGivney called together a small group of men to meet in the
basement of St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Connecticut. His
purpose was to help Catholic men remain steadfast in their
faith, promote closer ties of fraternity among them, and set
up a system that would help fellow members and their
families in times of hardships.