Council Activities
The numerous councils of the Knights of Columbus take pride in being able to help serve their local parishes and communities through various activities and events. Each of these are guided by one of four different focuses:
FAITH - FAMILY - COMMUNITY - LIFE
Council #5207 hosts and takes part in a variety of activities every year to help support others through a combination of spirituality, volunteerism, fund-raising, and donations. The council has an ongoing list of activities that we support each year but we are also open to our members bringing up other activities that we can help with that fall within these ideals. Below are just a few out of many activities that this council focuses on as a whole.
FAITH
Spiritual Reflection - Adoration
Our council supports and promotes the weekly Eucharistic worship experience of Adoration. Held in the Divine Mercy Adoration Chapel and sometimes the Cathedral, this provides each of us and our families a quiet holy place for contemplation, prayer, and reflection.
Vocation Support
Through this program, the council and parish families will raise funds to help support the seminarians in our area. In addition to monetary donations provided, the council, families, and the church parish will help provide the seminarians with moral support and prayers for their success.
The Rosary
Taking part in this helps encourage devotion to Mary, the patroness of our Order, and emphasizes the importance of prayer in community and as a family. In addition to encouraging others to include this within their lives, our council strengthens this belief by coming together to pray the rosary before each monthly meeting.
Sacramental Gifts
The sacraments stand as the most significant events in the life of the domestic church. The Knights of Columbus will be there to support and embrace our parish families during these essential moments of their encounter with Christ. This council is funding the new Baptismal Font for the new Cathedral.
FAMILY
Consecration to the Holy Family
The Knights of Columbus are working to help revitalize our parishes by urging our parish families to devote themselves to the ideal model of familial love set by Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Prayer cards are provided to help the families during devotion and our parish priests provide a homily based on the Holy Family.
Keep Christ in Christmas
The Knights of Columbus want to promote the true spirit of Christmas in our homes, schools, parishes and communities through their faithful acts, celebrations and a variety of activities. Our council hosts a poster contest for elementary kids and an essay contest for middle school kids, as well as providing an annual Christmas party.
Family of the Month / Year
The Knights of Columbus work to promote and support the development of strong and vibrant families. Each month, the council selects one parish family that models Christian family values and visibly lives them every day. Once a year, each participating council also selects one of the previous 12 monthly winners to represent the council / parish as the potential international Family of the Year.
Good Friday for Families
We want to help bring families into a more robust practice and better understanding of our Catholic faith and the triduum. In an effort to increase parish attendance and involvement, the Knights of Columbus work to help educate their parishes on the vital importance of Good Friday and also provide education about the plight of Christians in the Holy Land.
Community
Lenten Fish Fry
Every Friday during Lent (excluding Good Friday), the council will host a Fish Fry in the Sacred Heart School Cafeteria to provide non-meat options for the community who are committed to fasting during Lent. This helps bring the parish and others together while also raising money for for the council to support local causes, such as pregnancy center support, supporting seminarians, and many others.
Free Throw Championship
Since 1972, councils have sponsored the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship for boys and girls from the ages of 9 to 14 to provide an athletic outlet and encourage the values of sportsmanship and healthy competition.
Tootsie Roll Drive
The Tootsie Roll Drive has been an annual donation program that has touched and helped people with physical and intellectual disabilities since the 1970's. In 2018, councils provided fund-raising endeavors that contributed a total of $185 million and over 75 million volunteer hours to helping various causes.
Father Daughter Dance
The council hosts an annual Father - Daughter dance which provides a wonderful social experience for everyone. It provides dads with the opportunity to teach their daughter by example how they should expect to be treated by others in a positive and respectful manner. Also, this experience helps that family create beautiful memories that strengthen their relationship and will forever be remembered.
LIFE
Novena for Life
The protection of life is a sustained prayer intention of the Church, and in particular of the Knights of Columbus. Knights remain firmly committed to defending the right to life of every human being – from the moment of conception to natural death. To commemorate and bolster this important cause, councils promote a novena, nine days of sustained prayer, to build up a culture of life in our parishes, homes and wider community.
Silver Rose
Each year, from early March through mid-December, Silver Roses are stewarded by councils along routes from Canada to Mexico. Every stop the Silver Rose makes throughout the pilgrimage is a rosary-centered occasion for Knights, parishioners, and community members to pray for respect for life, for the spiritual renewal of each nation, and for
the advancement of the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Pregnancy Support Centers
The Knights of Columbus works hard to help change public hearts about abortion by showing love for both mother and child before and after birth. Councils help provide material, financial, labor and other support to pro-life pregnancy centers that help women during pregnancy and following the birth of their newborn children. Our council holds an annual Lacrosse Tournament for schools around the state to gather donations for our local Catholic Charities Pregnancy Support Center.
Blood Drive
One thing that truly can make a difference in a person's life is the act of donating blood. Our council holds a blood drive each year to help encourage others to share this precious gift.