ORGANIZATION NAME:   Knights of Columbus Council of St. Bridget #13834

Grand Knight — Ken Larsen - kennethlarsen@comcast.net

Deputy Grand Knight — Steve Cory

Financial Secretary— Nick DiMartino

Trustees:  Gaylan Adair, Jerry Jandacka, JK Marshall  

MEETING DATE:  The group meets the 2nd Monday of every month at 7 p.m. at St. Bridget’s.

HISTORY:  In October,1881, a group of men met in the basement of St. Mary's Church 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 become the world's largest Catholic family fraternal service organization with its incorporation on March 29, 1882. The men sought strength in solidarity, and security through unity of purpose and devotion to a holy cause. They vowed to be defenders of their country, their families, and their faith. These men were bound together by the ideal of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the Americas, the one whose hand brought Christianity to the New World.

Knights of Columbus believe that a man is defined by his actions as a follower of God and a leader in his community. They believe that a man is more than a simple man when he bears the title of “Knight.” (This information is from the Knights of Columbus website at kofc.org.)

In 2004, Jerry Jandacka, along with a few interested men, headed a Roundtable to form a council at St. Bridget's. In order to form a council, they needed to recruit thirty First Degree candidates.  After several months, enough men signed up to form a council. One of the next decisions was to focus their efforts on support of programs for the youth in the parish. To announce their existence, they threw a Kick-Off barbeque after Saturday Mass. Their first contribution as a Council was to replace the "St. Bridget Church" signs that grace both entrances to the church.

DESCRIPTION:  The Knights of Columbus is international in scope, with several levels of leadership. Besides the service component, one of its most valuable functions is to provide an opportunity for Catholic men to gather, support and enjoy one another. It is a fraternal organization.

The Knights of Columbus has four degrees of membership. The First Degree teaches Charity, the Second and Third degrees teach Unity and Fraternity respectively. The Fourth Degree teaches the virtue of Patriotism.

In order to be called a Knight, you must first go through the First Degree ceremony after which you will be allowed to attend regular meetings at the parish.

ACTIVITIES: The Knights of Columbus at St. Bridget's have been visible in many events: the Elephant Stampede, a fundraiser for our sister parish in Africa, Namitembo; weekly Social Hours after Mass; church decoration at Christmas time; the Night on the Town fundraiser for parish youth mission trips; the Knights of Columbus Indoor Golf Tournament; the statewide Knights of Columbus Free Throw Tournament; Lenten Soup Dinners; Lenten Food Drive; the parish Easter Egg Hunt; and the Annual Parish Auction.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:   If you are a Catholic man, at least eighteen years of  age, believe in God and the Catholic Church and want to serve your parish community through support of others, and the enjoyment of getting to know other men in the parish, the Knights of Columbus is for you.  Please contact Membership Chairman, Jerry Jandacka, at jandacka@comcast.net for more information. 

* information from the Knights of Columbus website