The Knights of Columbus
Fast Facts:Catholic, men’s, fraternal organization
dedicated to service and supporting the Church
Not a secret society though ceremonials are private
Founded on three pillars: charity, unity, and fraternityPillar of Patriotism added after WW I
Began in United States but now in Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, and Italy, and Poland
Over 1.8 million members in over 15,000 councils
A Need for CatholicsFounder Venerable Fr.
Michael J. McGivney (1852-1890)
Reasons for Creating:Orphan and WidowTemperanceSecret SocietiesAnti-Catholicism
1882…A Humble BeginningSt. Mary’s Catholic
Church (New Haven, CT)Met in Parish
BasementOrphan and WidowGreeted with much
success
A New Experiment: The College Council
Notre Dame students wanted their own council
Debates with National Council (now Supreme Council)
In 1910, Notre Dame became Council 1477, the first college council
Since, nearly 200 other colleges have created college councils
Early History of Notre Dame Council1910s – began raising funds to purchase own
building1920s – began Santa Maria, a magazine
published for 15-20 years that reached 15,000 subscribers
1928 – made plans to construct building at Dillon Hall’s locationlost investments in Great Depression
1940s-1960s ran Bengal Bouts
A Council Home…Council 1477
finally got its dream of a building in 1967
Old Post Office granted to Council 1477 on permanent lease following a donation that set up a scholarship fund for minority students
Steak SalesStarted in 1974Evolved from
tailgating events started by Knights in 1950s
All proceeds go to charitymainly Gibault and
Corvilla Home, but many others
raised nearly $1 Million total ($60,000 this past year)
Steak Sales (cont.)Gameday Statistics:
~3,000 steaks sold per game
5,500 record for individual game (1988 Michigan)
~50 bags of charcoal per game
raise $8,000-10,000 for charity per game
Not Just Steak Sales…Eucharistic
ProcessionLenten Soup
DinnersRodzinka DinnersChess TournamentPoker SmokersDancesEdith SteinMovie Nights
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BasketballSteak GramsPenguin Race