On Oct. 2, 1881, a group of men met in the basement of St. Mary’s Church on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Conn. Called together by their 29-year-old parish priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, these men formed a fraternal society that would one day become the world’s largest Catholic family fraternal service organization. It soon became known as the Knights of Columbus. The Order is still true to its founding principles of charity, unity and fraternity. Knights are Catholic men, 18 years of age and older, who are committed to making their community a better place, while supporting their Church. Charity is the foremost principle of the Knights of Columbus. We are called to help those who are in need and as a Knight you can make a difference through service to others.
"ONLY IF I SERVE MY NEIGHBOR CAN MY EYES BE OPENED TO WHAT GOD DOES FOR ME AND HOW MUCH HE LOVES ME." – POPE BENEDICT XVI – DEUS CARITAS EST. (GOD IS LOVE)
St Martha’s Knights serve our communities in many ways. We assist our Church in its activities. We serve our Church & our greater community through our fundraising and service projects. We support our Knights in their spiritual outlook. Our Council prides itself on our family approach to our activities, whether it be our socials or other involvement. We include our families to the extent possible, in the many things we do.
We meet on the 1st Wednesday of the month (excepting July & August), in St Martha’s Knights of Columbus Hall, in the basement of St Martha’s Church. One must be a Knight to attend meetings.
TWITTER: FOLLOW US @ KOFC_9280 LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL #9280 HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/KOFC9280If you are interested in learning more about the Knights of Columbus please click the links below. kofc.org kofc.ab.ca If you would like to find out more about your local Knights of Columbus please inquire at the Parish Office at 403-381-8891.
Knights of Columbus 9280.
A fraternal organization of men with a membership of over nineteen million members around the world. The KofC empower Catholic men to live their faith at home, in their parish, at work and in their community. With service to their Order’s principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism, they are committed in making the parish community and beyond a better place while supporting their Church. St. Martha’s Knights are at the forefront of many parish, school, and community initiatives.
Interested in becoming a Knight? Email, Terry Graham at: [email protected]
Why become a knight?
Every once in a while when life slows down enough, we try to reflect on what makes us happy. The obvious ones of course include our family, living in southern Alberta and belonging to this community that we are so proud of. We are not just talking about Lethbridge, but our Catholic community, St. Martha’s Parish, and our parish Knights of Columbus Council 9280.
At this time in St Martha’s Parish history we have many young families in our congregation. We are all very busy as we try to balance the demands of life. It is also a time in our life when we are working hard to provide for our families while planning for the future. In today’s world, where often both parents work, trying to find time in our busy schedules, or money to help others, is not always easily done.
We are here to tell you we have found a way to accomplish all these things. The Knights of Columbus Catholic men’s organization is an easy, fulfilling way to meet these needs. We have found that belonging to the Knights of Columbus has been rewarding in many ways. We have met a group of men with similar values who we now proudly call our friends. Being part of this group we are able to help others with minimal individual effort. As the saying goes “many hands make light work.” There are also many fraternal benefits of just being a member that helps to protect our loved ones in times of crisis. Even if you can only give a few hours a year the benefits of being a Knight cannot be ignored.
As a group our council routinely gives to others through service, money and prayers. We have provided support to a number of university & college students who are part of the University & College Catholic community, and to our Youth through scholarships & school awards. In addition, we have donated significant sums to St Martha’s Youth Ministry Program, and St Martha’s Parish, including Father Sal’s Benevolent Fund. We have also donated to a large number of other Church & other charitable causes in the Lethbridge Community.Alone we could not afford to do this but as a Knight of council 9280 we helped raise these funds and it sure felt good to donate them to help others.
As a Knight, we believe:
1. In CHARITY – Being a not for profit organization we fundraise through fun events. For example, a Grey Cup party, pancake breakfast after Sunday mass, & the Lethbridge Air show to name a few. The profits go to help support others as the need arises.
2. In UNITY – In unity of our members, our families and our community. We sponsor family based events so volunteer time is actually family time.
3. In FRATERNITY – We stand proudly together as we build a better community while we strengthen our values as Brother Knights, fathers, husbands and families.
4. In PATRIOTISM – We have raised funds for wounded Canadian troops and sent care packages to Canadian soldiers. This helps us to feel good and makes us proud of who we are.
We have a general membership meeting once a month that is not mandatory to attend. We also have a family social generally on the third Friday of each month for a potluck supper. The social goes from 5-7:30 in our hall at the church. The hot dish is provided by the council. Desserts and salads are potluck. Generally we do not meet in July or August when school is out. The commitment here is low but the personal and spiritual rewards are incredibly fulfilling.
Along with our brother Knights of council 9280, we would like to personally invite all the Catholic men of our parish ages 18 or older to consider being part of our council. Our council’s direction is to involve ourselves in family oriented events so our loved ones can be with us. We have begun to attract younger members, including University students, but would love to see these numbers continue to grow. We would like to ask you to discuss the benefits with another member of the Knights of Columbus and especially your significant other.
There is much more to the Knights of Columbus then what we have described here. More information is a phone call away.
CHARTER NIGHT WAS CELEBRATED NOV 18, 1986 BY DISTRICT DEPUTY TONY GROTEN, AND STATE DEPUTY KEN BEAUCHAMP. 55 MEMBERS WERE SWORN IN. CLARENCE WATSON WAS INSTALLED AS CHARTER GRAND KNIGHT. MEETINGS WERE ORIGINALLY HELD IN COUNCIL 1490’S HALL, BUT WHEN OUR PARISH COMMUNITY MOVED TO THE CHILDREN OF ST MARTHA SCHOOL, OUR MEETINGS WERE HELD THERE.
OUR KNIGHTS WERE VERY INVOLVED IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE CHURCH CONSTRUCTION AND GUARANTEED A DONATION OF $80,000 BY 1995. THAT YEAR THE K OF C HALL WAS BLESSED IN THE NAME OF GORDON SWANSON, GRAND KNIGHT FROM 1993 TO 1994.
OUR COUNCIL CONTINUES TO BE AN ACTIVE AND INTEGRAL PART OF THE LIFE OF THE PARISH.
CLARENCE WATSON FIRST GRAND KNIGHT OF ST. MARTHA'S COUNCIL 9280 FORMER DISTRICT DEPUTY FORMER FAITHFUL NAVIGATOR