Membership Benefits
As a member of the Knights of Columbus you and your family enjoy many benefits, including 12 free issues annually of the Columbia magazine, the world's largest Catholic family magazine, eligibility to join the Knights of Columbus top-ranked life insurance program, and many more family and personal benefits.
Service to the Church, Parish and Community
In a typical year we sponsor a Saint Patrick's Day party, three Blood Drives, the Easter Egg Hunt, the Children's Christmas Party, a Spaghetti Dinner, the parish New Year's Eve Celebration and those great First Sunday pancake breakfasts.
These activities raise money for charity while enriching the social life of our parish. During the 2007-2008 Fraternal Year the Council, on behalf of the members and the parish as a whole, distributed nearly $14,000 to various religious and community non-profit organizations.
In addition to the public parish events, the council responds when called upon to perform other charitable works for parishioners in need. We also participate in a statewide event called KOVAR (Knights of Virginia Aiding the Intellectually Disabled) (aka the "Tootsie Roll" drive), a Virginia Knights of Columbus Charity established in 1971 to provide financial assistance through grants and home loans to tax exempt organizations providing training and assistance to citizens with mental retardation.
Faith, Family and Fraternity are what the Knights are all about
 In addition to our Catholic service mission, Family and Fraternity are at the core of the Knights of Columbus.
Father McGivney understood that the first duty of a Catholic husband and father is to his family — to care for their needs while alive and, to the best of his ability, to provide for their care in the event of his death. He also knew well the tragic needs of Catholic families of the deceased men in his community. Central to Father McGivney's founding vision for the Knights of Columbus was providing for the financial security of Catholic families, particularly the widows and orphans of deceased members.
The first purpose listed in the Order's 1882 charter is "rendering pecuniary aid to its members, their families, and beneficiaries of members and their families." The establishment of a financially sound insurance program for members of the Order was a primary goal. Today, lack of adequate financial resources is still a great threat to family life. Now, more than ever, the Knights of Columbus continues to address the temporal needs of Catholic families, especially through one of the most highly-rated insurance programs in the world, currently with over $50 billion in force.
We also know how to have fun. Over the years we have held family activities such as Family Picnics, Kings Dominion trips, and, at social meetings, an occasional card game.
Some men join the Knights to give something back to the Church and the parish. Others may have always wanted to try their hand at cooking for a few hundred of their fellow parishioners. Whatever reason you choose to join the Knights, you will enjoy a sense of "belonging" in an organization that shares our religious beliefs, brings together like-minded men in a common cause, and offers the opportunity to develop and cement friendships for years to come. |
