St. Joseph Shrine Parish, Brooklyn at 8743 US-12, Brooklyn, MI 49230 US - Knights of Columbus Council #6223

The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by Fr. Michael J. McGivney in New Haven, CT.  His reasons were simple:  1) To help Catholic men remain steadfast in their faith; 2) To promote a tie of fraternity among them; and 3) To set up a simple insurance plan so widows and orphans of members would not end up in dire financial straits.

The men who founded the organization called themselves the Knights of Columbus; knights in the sense of the ideals of spirituality and service, and Columbus after the Catholic discoverer of America, Christopher Columbus.  At the time the organization was begun, it was hoped that every parish in Connecticut would eventually have a council.  That goal has certainly been surpassed, as there are now over 12,000 councils with over 1.8 million members in 13 countries.

There are 4 levels or degrees in the K of C.  The first three degrees cover the three things Fr. McGivney and his first council set out to address.  The 1^st degree is charity, helping those who are less fortunate.  The 2^nd degree is unity.  At the time the Knights was formed, there was open hostility towards Catholics, and the idea was to give men a sense of belonging and the strength to remain steadfast in their faith with the help of the ‘brothers’ in the Knights.  The 3^rd degree is fraternity.  In the 1800’s, life insurance was not affordable for most people, and through the Knights, the men could help each other out as needed in bad times.  In 1900, a 4^th degree was added.  It was to foster patriotism through responsible citizenship and love of country. It is the members of the 4^th degree who wear the regalia and serve as honor guards at civic and religious functions.

The K of C is an active, ‘hands-on’ organization.  The Supreme Council, which is basically the governing body of the whole K of C organization, takes on projects of fairly large scope.  The restoration of the façade of St. Peter’s Basilica is an example.  It also develops and promotes programs for the state and local councils to participate in.  State councils develop their own programs as well as aid local councils in their operation.  In Michigan, the Knights are the main supporter of Boysville (now called Holy Cross Children’s Services or HCCS), through both the state and local councils.  At the local council level, such as ourselves, any kind of project can be taken on, at our will.  We are proud that our council, which is on the smaller side, is very active and we are highly regarded at both the diocesan and state levels.

So who exactly are we?  We are the Irish Hills Knights of Columbus Council #6223, and we are about 130 Catholic men strong.  We do a lot of things for a variety of causes, from activities here at St. Joe’s, to supporting seminarians internationally.  Some of the things we do are a combination service/income activity, such as the breakfasts we put on every month or the Big Band Dance.  Most of the ushers here are Knights, and many of us are lectors, commentators, and Eucharistic Ministers.  The Nativity set that is put up on the village square in Brooklyn every Christmas is owned, set up, and maintained by us.  We have installed a number of wheelchair ramps in homes in the area, supplied a water softener, washer, and a car for a parishioner in need, roofed a house, helped transport people to their doctor, hospital or do errands, etc.  We sponsor a free-throw contest for the youth, and Super Bowl party every year.  We sponsor a very successful boxing club.  We give scholarships of $500 to our young parishioners heading to college and have also given money to the Youth Group for World Youth Day in Toronto in 2002 and the Youth Conference in Houston in 2003.  On a broader range, we naturally support HCCS, and received an award at the state convention for giving the most over our quota in the diocese.  We regularly give to the VA Hospital in Ann Arbor, support pro-life events in the area, and support the Thomas Moore Law Center in Ann Arbor.  In conjunction with TMLC, we have an ongoing program wherein we give posters of the United States motto “In God We Trust” to area schools, to be hung in their classrooms and other buildings.  To date we have given out several hundred posters to most of the schools in several counties and continue to do so.  At Christmastime, we donate about 60 sweatshirts to the kids at HCCS.  Also, while it is not one of our own projects, we donate money, time and labor to the Nativity display at the Family Center, which supports the prescription drug program for the elderly of Lenawee and Jackson counties.  The money we collect from our annual Tootsie Roll drive goes to Special Olympics, the St. Louis Center in Chelsea and HCCS.

As you can see, we do a lot and we give a lot, especially when you consider that this is only a sampling of all that we do.  Many of our members do a lot of good things on their own, too, without any recognition.  While it sounds like a lot of work, and sometimes it is, that doesn’t mean we don’t have a good time doing it.  Personally, I think that’s why we are as successful as we are for a small council.  A lot of friendships have been fostered through our work and it shows.  Like any successful organization, we are always looking for ‘a few good (Catholic) men.’  If you would like to be one of them, or have any questions about the Knights, contact me, John Mosko, Grand Knight; or membership director, Tom Hubbell.  We will be happy to talk to you.

Thanks for reading about us.