 |
Knights of Columbus L/Cpl. Paul R. LeHoullier Council # 2078120 Maple Street Ext. Somersworth, New Hampshire 03878 |
 |
K of C-Home Officers History Events (slideshow)
Celebrating Fraternity, Volunteerism and Family, is the K of C for YOU?
The Knights of Columbus is more than just making friends it’s a total family experience.
The K of C began in 1882, when Father McGivney and a small group of pioneering Catholic men founded a society designed to provide much-needed security for widows and orphans of Catholic parishioners. Father McGivney’s original idea grew quickly, becoming an order of Catholic men and their families, dedicated to promoting the concepts of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. Today we number 1.8 Million Catholic Brothers in Christ.
- Charity flows from the nature of God and it aims at an unrestricted love of both God and neighbor. Charity makes possible heroic works of self sacrifice, in addition to the ordinary actions of self giving.
- Unity – together we can accomplish far more than any of us could individually. So we stick together…we support one another. As a Knight of Columbus – you can count on the support and encouragement of your brother Knights as you work to make life better in your parish and community.
- Fraternity – The Venerable Michael J. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus, in large part, to provide assistance to the widows and children left behind when the family breadwinner died – often prematurely. In the Knights of Columbus, we watch out for and take care of one another.
- Patriotism – Members of the Knights of Columbus, be they Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, Cubans, Filipinos, Poles, or Dominicans, are patriotic citizens. We are proud of our devotion to God and country, and believe in standing up for both. Whether it’s in public or private, the Knights remind the world that Catholics support their nations and are amongst the greatest citizens.
L/C Paul R. LeHoullier Council 2078 was established November 13, 1919 with over 100 members. Due to the unfortunate event of a fire and some difficult hard times the Council was a closed in 1970. The Council was reactivated on April 2, 1980 with an initial group of 52 members who became the core group of our membership at that point.
Since our reactivation as a Council in 1980 we have won several state and supreme awards during those Columbian Years. These awards were given for our outstanding participation in the activities we mention below. They are displayed in the back of St. Martin’s vestibule. However our first commitment is to the parishes we represent, St Martin’s, Holy Trinity (Now Ignatius Parish) and St Mary’s of Rollinsford.
We elect a Grand Knight, who is head officer, followed by the election of the rest of the governing officers (13). We have yearly dues payable in January. Our meeting is once a month on the First Sunday of the Month at 7:00 p.m. in the basement of Holy Trinity Church Hall in Somersworth.
Awards and Honors:
Sponsoring Seminarians, winning the Vocation Sponsorship for many years.
Awards for Project Adoration.(This is for public adoration and Healing on First Fridays.)
Our awards are derived from performing the services outlined below, as well as achieving our quota for new members and taking advantage of the excellent Knights of Columbus Insurance.
We have received each year at the State level at least four awards for our excellent programs.
The Council supports over 24 projects each year. We are a small Council with membership below 75 members, but the Council projects we participate in has made us one of the best in the State of NH.
Projects we participate in or sponsor include:
- Supreme Knight Program called “The Tootsie Roll Drive.” Monies collected are given to the Maple Wood Elementary School and NH Special Olympic participants.
- Sponsored Four different Youth programs in the churches we support.
- “Christmas Cash Calendar” raffle. The monies raised from this project are used to support a seminarian in our State and other church needs.
- Supreme Council program, sale of Christmas Cards for the “Keep Christ in Christmas” program. The monies realized are used to support parish activities.
- For the last four years we have adopted a child from the Holy Land thru the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) program.
- Sponsored in our Council a program that is called the Drug and Alcohol Awareness contest. Our Council has had winners at the NH State level and these youths received a $100 bond each.