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Knights of Columbus
Saint John the Evangelist Council #4895
On October 2nd. 1881 Father Michael McGivney, the assistant pastor of St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut, gathered a group of men in his parish basement and created the Knights of Columbus to be a lay organization for Catholic men, for fraternity and to help and support families of deceased members. Today, The Knights has grown to an organization of over 2 Million members with representation in USA, Canada, Mexico, The Philippines, UK, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, South Korea, and France. They continue to pursue their objectives of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. St John the Evangelist Council 4895 was Chartered on February 1, 1960 and today has a membership of over 120 Brother Knights. Since their inception, the Knights of St John’s parish have provided over $800,000.00 in charitable support to a wide range of Charities, the Church and our community. They have also provided over 500,000 hours of community services to both St John the Evangelist Parish and the community. In September, 2010, as part of the Council’s 50th Anniversary, The Knights donated, to the parish community of St John’s, a stone “Monument to the Unborn” and a reflection plaza. This was in support of the Order’s dedication to the Right to Life for all people. Fraternally, the Council offers members and others the opportunity to meet and socialize while having fun. The Council supports programs and activities that allow Brothers to make new friends within the community and to contribute / create / participate in projects that are important to the Parish and beyond. This includes the Council’s “Knights North” multi-year project of providing support to the Inuit of Natuashish (Davis Inlet), Labrador. Locally, the knights undertake a number of projects which affect many well-known local organizations. These include the Special Olympics, a pancake breakfast before the Annual Whitby Santa Claus Parade, providing local schools an opportunity to participate in the “Free Throw Program” which can result in Elementary School participants advancing to Provincial, National, and International competitions. Several other local charities benefit from the Council member’s participation in local Charity Bingos. In addition to their financial contribution to St John the Evangelist Parish, the Knights assist in maintaining the church facilities, especially at Christmas through cleaning the woodwork in the Church, erecting and removing the external Nativity Scene and providing the Knight’s “Keep Christ in Christmas” program. The Council also provides support to parishioners through praying the rosary programs and supporting the Rose of Durham by distributing roses each Mother’s Day. Many of our members and parishioners have enjoyed BBQ meals provided by the Knights at the Parish’s Annual fun Day, Regional Priest’s meetings and other parish events. The Council provides a number of opportunities for our member, their families and parishioners to come together to enjoy food, music and events to raise charitable funds and participate in fellowship. St Patrick’s Day Pub Night with live music, Ray Hayes Memorial Night, a Steak Dinner evening, and the Council’s Annual Golf (indoor) Tournament which supports the St Vincent de Paul Society, St John Conference. The Council gathers its members and families together each year for the Council’s Memorial Mass, communion in a body, Communion Breakfast and its Ladies Appreciation Night. The individual members of the Council are able to learn and practice leadership skills by participating in the Council Executive. If you are interested in finding out more about the Knights of Columbus, you can contact: Grand Knight: John Stafford (905) 809-1731, 509kent@gmail.com Or you can visit the Knights of Columbus State or Supreme Websites. St. John the Evangelist Council #4895 |
