CHARITY, UNITY, FRATERNITY, PATRIOTISM

The Montana Knights of Columbus recently announced that during the 2009 fraternal year, members and their families gave over $210,000 to a wide range of charitable, youth, community and church activities and programs.  This last spring, the Montana Knight of Columbus sold $38,120 worth of raffle tickets to benefit Special Olympics.

Additionally, there were over 140,000 volunteer hours expended for these activities by the 51 councils, State Officers, State Chairmen and District Deputies.  There are over 5,200 members State wide.

"These totals represent a remarkable outpouring of generosity in money and, more importantly, in personal commitment on the part of the Knights," said Rod McElwee, State Deputy of the Knights of Columbus in Montana.

The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic family fraternal service organization made up of over 13,000 Councils. World-wide there are over 1.8 Million members. Member can be found in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Poland, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, Guatemala, Guam and Saipan. It is the largest organization of Catholic laity in the world.

Internationally, councils volunteered 69.3 million hours of service to programs serving the Church and their communities and contributed $151 million to charitable and benevolent causes during 2009.

In a statement issued at the Order's international headquarters in New Haven, Conn., Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight, Carl A. Anderson said, "the volunteer hours and dollars given by Knights in Montana added to those of their brother Knights throughout the world stand as a testimony to the remarkable generosity of these Catholic laymen who are committed to the highest ideals of service to the Church and their communities.

Knights of Columbus are Catholic gentlemen committed to the exemplification of charity, unity, fraternity, patriotism, and defense of the priesthood. The Order is consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Order is unequivocal in its loyalty to the Pope, the Vicar of Christ on earth. It is firmly committed to the protection of human life, from conception to natural death, and to the preservation and defense of the family. It was on these bedrock principles that the Order was founded over a century ago and remains true to them today.

The official home web site of the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus can be reached by clicking on the [Councils] link below. If you want to join this organization of Catholic men, there is a local council near you. For more information contact the organization in your community, or e-mail us by clicking on WEB MASTER at the bottom of this page.

Vivat Jesus!