The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by a 29-year old priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, in the basement of St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Connecticut. Today, more than a century later, the Knights of Columbus has become the largest lay organization in the Catholic Church.

As the Order has grown, its benevolence has multiplied. The Order continues to break all previous records for charitable contributions and volunteer service. In the past decade, the Knights donated nearly $1 billion to numerous charitable causes and nearly 400 million hours of volunteer service. In 1998 alone, the Knights donated an all-time high of more than $110 million and 55 million volunteer hours to charitable causes.

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.

St. Anthony Knights of Columbus:

• Support various charitable groups in the area
• Sponsor a Central American child
• Help support a young man studying for the priesthood
• Operate the monthly 50-50 raffle
• Sponsored several traveling icon visits to our Parish
• Will be running the ticket raffle for the spring Chicken Dinner Festival
• Work closely with the Boy Scouts, providing support
• Hold a membership appreciation dinner at Christmas time

The St. Anthony Knights of Columbus sponsor several fundraisers annually:

• Sunday Breakfast Buffets
• Tootsie Roll sales- to benefit kids with special needs

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 7;30 P.M. in Padua Hall. Any practicing Catholic gentleman who is at least 18 years of age is invited to become a member of our organization. Be a part of something big and important! If you are interested in becoming a member of our St. Anthony Council, please contact the Parish Office.