Knights of Columbus

Our Lady of the Chesapeake Council #10881 of the Knights of Columbus was chartered on April 20th, 1992 and now includes over 75 members. We are a Parish-based Council affiliated with Our Lady of the Chesapeake Roman Catholic Church in Pasadena, Maryland. We are heavily involved in Church ministry with outreach activities to the community, to youth and to God's Special Children. The Council conducts an Officers/Business meeting on the first Wednesday and a General/Social meeting on the third Wednesday of each month at 8:00 pm at The Gathering Place at 8325 Ventnor Road, Pasadena, MD.

The Knights of Columbus are Catholic gentlemen committed to the exemplification of charity, unity, fraternity, patriotism, and defense of the priesthood. The Order is consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Order is unequivocal in its loyalty to the Pope, the Vicar of Christ on earth. It is firmly committed to the protection of human life, from conception to natural death, and to the preservation and defense of the family. It was on these bedrock principles that the Order was founded over a century ago and remains true to them today.

If you want to join this great organization of Catholic men, Our Lady of the Chesapeake Council 10881 will be more than happy to welcome you. There you will find brother Knights working to fulfill the central mission of the Order: giving aid to widows, orphans, the sick the poor; striving in charitable works; serving the Church and unified in following its teachings; supporting brother Knights in their temporal and spiritual needs and acting for the good of their country.

On Oct. 2, 1881, a small group of men met in the basement of St. Mary's Church on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut. 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. They sought strength in solidarity, and security through unity of purpose and devotion to a holy cause: they vowed to be defenders of their country, their families and their faith. These men were bound together by the ideal of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the Americas, the one whose hand brought Christianity to the New World. Their efforts came to fruition with the incorporation of the Knights of Columbus on March 29, 1882. They were Knights of Columbus.

The founder and first officers of the fledgling organization chose the name "Knights of Columbus" because they felt that, as a Catholic group, it should relate to Christopher Columbus, the Catholic discoverer of America. This would emphasize that it was a Catholic who discovered, explored, and colonized the North American continent. At the same time "Knights" would signify that the membership embodied knightly ideals of spirituality and service to Church, country and fellowman.

The Order has been called "the strong right arm of the Church," and has been praised by popes, presidents and other world leaders, for support of the Church, programs of evangelization and Catholic education, civic involvement and aid to those in need. With a membership of over 1.6 million men, the Knights of Columbus is now the world's largest lay organization in the Catholic Church. There are over 12,000 Councils throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Panama, the Virgin Islands, Guatemala, Guam, and Saipan.

Copyright Supreme Council of Knights of Columbus, 1999,
1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510, (203) 772-2130, infor@kofc.org

Chaplain	Vacant
Grand Knight	James McCutchan	(410) 360-1163 jillnjimmac2@juno.com
Deputy Grand Knight	Sonny Bigelow	sonnybigelow@comcast.net
Chancellor	George Ochs
Warden	John Thomas
Recorder	John Donnelly
Financial Secretary __________ Lecturer	Rich Losier __________ Dave Sellers
Treasurer	Alan Laing
Advocate	Vacant
Inside Guard	Paul Drgos
Outside Guard	Vacant

Trustees

William Kornmayer, PGK (1st yr.)
Leonard Bosse, PGK (2nd yr.)
Karl Holub, PGK (3rd yr.)

Members of Our Lady of the Chesapeake Knights of Columbus Council 10881 and their families continue to actively participate in various church service activities throughout the year.

� Mass � Knights serve as Eucharistic Ministers, ushers and lectors at most of the Masses. Children of some of the Knights volunteer as Altar Servers while several of the wives help to prepare the altar for the Masses. One Brother Knight leads the music ministry for all Masses with several Knights participating as a lead cantor, choir members and musicians.

� Religious Education Program and RCIA Teachers - Knights from the council and their spouses serve as Religious Education Program and RCIA teachers in the parish and in their homes.

� Youth Minister - One of our Brother Knights leads the Youth Ministry Program at Our Lady of the Chesapeake Church as a full-time position. He is supported in this very popular teen program by his wife and sister.

� Hospitality Committee - One weekend each month, the Hospitality Committee has a �welcoming party� after all the Masses with refreshments served in the church foyer. A Brother Knight leads this activity with two fellow Knights and their spouses helping regularly.

� Bereavement Committee � Two Brother Knights serve on this committee which provides and distributes food in The Gathering Place banquet facility to grieving family members and friends following funerals. For obvious reasons, these Knights are always ready to respond on short notice.

The council held its annual awards ceremony in January 2007. In addition to the awards for the winners of the �Keep Christ in Christmas Program,� awards were presented by the Grand Knight to the council�s selection for Police Officer, Fire Fighter, EMT, Catholic Teacher, Family and Knight of the Year. State Delegate Nic Kipke, Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold and Maryland State Deputy Ed Haynes joined us for the evening to congratulate all of the award recipients. Delegate Kipke also presented congratulatory resolutions from the Maryland House of Delegates. The year 2007�s recipients were:

This event was well received by the community as shown by the largest attendance yet of any of the council�s awards ceremonies including a significant turnout from the Youth Groups at OLC. Following the awards ceremony, council members hosted a reception for all in attendance. The Maryland Gazette provided media coverage before and after the event.

On Mother's Day 2007 the council held its annual Mother�s Day breakfast following all Masses to honor the mothers of our parish. This event was conducted in "The Gathering Place" at Our Lady of the Chesapeake Church. This year it is estimated that the council served over 300 guests (approximately 250 being served after one Mass alone). There is no charge for this event with the council relying on a �free will� offering to help defray costs. Any proceeds exceeding the actual costs for the food are donated to the parish to be used towards the mortgage on the banquet facility.

The Knights of Columbus of Our Lady of the Chesapeake provide festival security and assistance during The Irish Festival in November at the Timonium Fairgrounds. Funds that are raised at this event support several of the council's efforts including the Annual Awards Night and the Baptism Program.

In November 2004, the Knights of Our Lady of the Chesapeake prepared breakfast for the parish Time and Talent Weekend Event. The Knights took care of welcoming the diners, cooking and serving the breakfast, and cleaning the tables. About 375 people enjoyed the scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes, pastries, coffee cake, coffee, tea, milk, and orange juice. Deacon Don Latrick planned this event to acquaint the parish with the various church committees including the Knights of Columbus. Although the breakfast was provided at no cost to the parish, donations were accepted. Any profit was donated to OLC's building fund.

Our Lady of the Chesapeake Knights of Columbus continued its rich tradition celebrating the coming of Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, born to offer eternal life, to forgive sin and to rise in glory on Easter. Advent is a time of repentance, and a time of preparation for Christmas. This year, the youth of Our Lady of the Chesapeake celebrated the beginning of Advent by completing posters indicating how they keep Christ in Christmas. This year�s Keep Christ in Christmas Poster conveyed the sense of spirituality felt by many of our parish families. The poster contest celebrates Christ�s presence not only at Christmas, but his presence at all times; especially when we need Him the most. At this time in our country�s history, when the fight for peace against those who would cause chaos through random acts of violence against innocents is in full fervor, it is Christ�s assurance that he is present that gives confidence and hope.

In December, Brother Knights, act as judges, review all the posters and cast their votes for the best of the best in each Grade grouping. Several lively discussions among the judges illustrate the difficulty in choosing a �winner� among the entries. Ten judges and two coordinators, and the support of the religious education director at the parish, make this contest once again a huge success. The council awards are presented at our January awards meeting along with other community and council awards. Our council presents a $100 US Savings Bond to each of the first place winners and plaques to the top three entries in each category. Every child receives a certificate of participation.

This year�s Keep Christ in Christmas Poster conveyed the sense of spirituality felt by many of our parish families and had the largest number of participants in the council�s history. Thanks to all of the participants, and the members of our council who supported this program, the poster contest was a huge success and we look forward to many years of continued growth.

The Gallagher House, a program of Catholic Charities, is a home in the Pasadena area for adults with limited life skills, and is supported by Our Lady of the Chesapeake's chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Our council sponsors an annual Christmas celebration for the residents of The Gallagher House--complete with Santa Claus, Elves, Christmas presents and refreshments.

The Council Baptism Program recognizing the importance of every child born and baptized into the church is now in its eighth year. We have continued to present certificates of welcome to the baptized children and Knight of Columbus rosaries to the children (and their parents) baptized at Our Lady of the Chesapeake Church. A red rose, representing life, is also given to each mother in recognition of her decision to bring a new life into the world and into the Catholic faith. Since the program�s inception, we have recognized well over 400 children. Hardly a week goes by when we don�t have certificates to present. This project has gained attention for our council in our church and community. The program continues to grow in other councils from what we have been told.

The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic family fraternal service organization with 1.6 million members. It provides members and their families with volunteer opportunities in service to the Catholic Church, their communities, families and young people.

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.

Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to practicing Catholic men in union with the Holy See, who are at least 18 years old. A practicing Catholic is one who lives up to the Commandments of God and the precepts of the Church. Application blanks are available from any member of the Knights of Columbus. For information regarding membership, please contact our Grand Knight James McCutchan at 410-360-1163 or email at jillnjimmac2@juno.com.