Who We Are
The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic, family, fraternal, service organization. Our guiding principles are Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. Since our founding in New Haven, CT in 1882, the Knights have grown to a membership of over 1.9 million. Knights are found in every state of the Union, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines and many other parts of the world. Our highly-rated life insurance organization ranks among the Fortune 1000 and helps protect families with over $105 billion of life insurance policies in force.
At the heart of the Knights of Columbus is our faith. Knights are referred to as the right arm of the church. Since its founding, the Knights of Columbus has been in solidarity with the Catholic Church, the Holy Father and the bishops, priests and religious. Our Order has a special devotion to our Patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary. By praying the Holy Rosary, we ask Mary to intercede on our behalf to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In 1948, the Knights formed Catholic Information Service to provide, at low-cost, Catholic publications to individuals, groups, and institutions requesting them. Over the years, the Order has helped fund numerous church construction and restoration projects.
As the Order has grown, its benevolence has multiplied as it continues to break previous records for charitable contributions and volunteer service. In 2018, the Knights donated $185.7 million and 76.7 million volunteer hours to charitable causes.
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Some of the charitable works that Council 10852 has performed in its relatively brief history
In conjunction with our ladies’ auxiliary the Columbiettes, our Council supports the parish of St. Matthew both financially and in service. We have made contributions over the years to various projects at St. Matthew, ranging from the stained glass windows in the main Sanctuary to the renovation of the Parish Center Kitchen as well as many other initiatives. We volunteer time, such as for parking control for Christmas and Easter and setting up the Christmas Crèche. During December, we have Breakfast With Santa for the little ones.
Knights give prayer support to the parish by participating in weekly Eucharistic Adoration and many of our members belong to other ministries of the Church. Over the years we have helped set-up and tear down various parish celebrations.
Our Council also supports the community at large. Our LAMB (Least Among My Brethren) Foundation contributions to organizations that assist the intellectually disabled in our area have steadily increased over our history and our lifetime total to this cause now surpasses $1,000,000!
We provide Thanksgiving dinners to more than 150 families through the Missionaries of Charity. We provide, prepare and serve meals every month and through our Operation Exodus program we construct handicap-access ramps for the needy free of charge.
We also serve fish dinners on Fridays during Lent. In December we provide a bonus and have St. Nicholas on hand to speak to the kids about the true meaning of Christmas.
We plan to host family picnics on national holidays, where all family and friends are invited, as well as an annual picnic for the St. Matthew altar servers and their families. We participate in the Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade, followed by our St. Pat’s dinner. We also support pro-life activities and the parish’s SPRED (Special Religious Education) Ministry.
So just a few short hours with one of our programs can enrich your life and members of your family, and your community.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you do for me.” — Matthew 25:40
Vivat Jesus
The Columbiettes of St. Matthew is the women's auxillary to the Knights of Columbus St. Matthew Council #10852.
Purpose
The Columbiettes, an organization of Catholic women dedicated to our Patronesses, Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Theresa the Little Flower and St. Joan of Arc, are comprised of affiliated Auxiliaries of the Knights of Columbus Councils. A Columbiette Auxiliary is in existence only with the consent and approval of the Council with which it is affiliated. One of our purposes is to aid our Council spiritually, socially and financially. The Columbiette Auxiliary upon request aids said Council in all its endeavors.
Our purpose is to:
promote the spiritual, social and charitable welfare of our members
to instill a steadfast conviction relating to the proper place and function of Catholic women in safeguarding the religious, civil and economic rights of all Catholics
to rely upon the intercession of Mary, our Mother and Model, for guidance in guarding the common good, and to work through her, on loving and aiding all members of the human family and to give assistance to the Knights of Columbus in all their activities upon request.
History
In 1939, Monsignor J. Francis McIntyre, at that time the Chaplain of the New York Chapter Knights of Columbus, and who later became Cardinal McIntyre of Los Angeles, California, seeing great numbers of women coming out of a Communist rally at Madison Square Garden, conceived the idea of a ladies’ organization to work with the Knights of Columbus. The New York Chapter Knights of Columbus formulated a plan for such an organization. Their plan called for the establishment of Auxiliaries in each Council and to coordinate the efforts of all under the direction of the parent group. On March 2, 1939, the first Columbiettes were instituted in New York City. Since that memorable day, many new Auxiliaries were formed and eventually State Councils and a Supreme Council were established. The Columbiettes are now an international organization of Catholic women presently established in the United States and Canada.
To join or ask a question, contact us at columbiettes10852@yahoo.com or contact Kathy Balding at (704) 560-0678. For more info, please visit The Columbiettes of 10852.