Knights of Columbus (KoC)
The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal, benevolent society of Catholic men, founded at New Haven Connecticut in 1882, by Father Michael J. McGiveny and a small group of pioneering Catholics to provide much needed security for widows and orphans of Catholic parishioners. Today our mission is:
"Together, we're empowering Catholic men
to live their faith at home, in their parish,
at work and in their community."
Charity is at the heart of our work and our faith.
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Our goal is to promote social and intellectual interchange, to protect and promote Catholic interests, and to foster a spirit of fraternity among citizens of all races and creeds. Our Catholic men and their families are dedicated to promoting the concepts of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. Today, there are more than 1.8 million members in over 14,000 councils on three continents and numerous Island nations around the world.
For the Knights of Columbus, charity means supporting a virtually boundless variety of projects.
There are three Knights of Columbus Councils in the Divine Mercy Parish:
1. Saint Clement Council 8831
2. Saint John XXIII Council 7302
3. Saint Andrew Council 10486
All practicing Catholic men, aged 18 and older are invited to connect with any of our
councils to become involved. Information is available in each of the churches in our
parish after Masses are celebrated.
St. Clement Council
Fr. William J. Donnelly Council 8831
MEETING: the 2nd Tuesday of each month
LOCATION: Church Hall at 18 Gaston Rd., Dartmouth
Our Council focus is to provide support to our Church through Priests and is very much involved in support of our community, church liturgy and finance as well as youth.
We invite all practicing Catholic men 18 and over to contact any member of the Knights of Columbus to get involved. With more Catholic men we can do much more. You can volunteer as much time as you wish.
SOME OF WHAT WE DO:
For our Church: we provide financial support, support to liturgical events, parish breakfasts, support to parish socials, parish novenas, etc.
For our Community: we provide community bingos, rosary prayer time, support to SVDP, support to the parish back pack program, hall set up for events, upkeep service for the church
For our Youth: we provide scholarships, bursaries, support for Chalice, support for the hats and mitts program, support for the grab and go program, as well as organize and conduct free throw events
For our Council: we provide Insurance opportunities, fellowship meetings, socials, family of the year recognition, support to parish website, visits to the sick.
CONTACT: Our Grand Knight is Dennis V. Smith,
gk8831nskofc@gmail.com
St. John XXIII Council 7302
MEETING: the 2nd Wednesday of each month, 7:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Chambers in Church Basement at 35 Colby Dr., Dartmouth
The Saint John XXIII Council, hosts a monthly brunch on the last Sunday of the month after both masses which allows the church goers to get together in an informal manner. We host various groups in our church hall. Our largest event the last couple years has been our Mother’s Day Dance.
We look forward to have you become a member of our team and invite you to bring your ideas for future events to our meetings.
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SOME OF WHAT WE DO:
In the past year, our Council has supported Hope Cottage, spiritual direction, youth, Christian Refugee Relief, support for Ukraine and for victims of the Turkish/Syrian earthquake and many other ministries.
Over the years, our Council has made several thousands of dollars in donations to Saint John XXIII Church and the Divine Mercy Parish as well as the Special Olympics. We have supported seminarians and have run the "Keep the Christ in Christmas" competition for children every year. We also offer a post-secondary scholarship.
Amongst other things we support are Chalice, the Annual Back Pack program, our church youth group, the Christian Refugee Relief, and more.
CONTACT: Our Grand Knight is Bill Sheridan,
St. Andrews Council Fr. Joseph Mills Council 10486
MEETING: the 2nd Sunday of each month
LOCATION: Parish Hall on Disciples Way off Cow Bay Rd., Eastern Passage
The Knights of Columbus work requires dedication, perseverance and faith to help those in need in our Community. Catholic men are welcome to join us in our efforts.
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SOME OF WHAT WE DO:
Our Council holds a Community Breakfast on the First Saturday of the month at the Parish Hall advertised on Seaside FM radio. The breakfast has been a staple in the community for many Years. We are part of the larger Service Club community participating in their Annual Christmas Hamper give away.
The Grand Knight along with the King Lion are the Greeters of the joint New Years Levee held at the Lion’s Hall each year. We have in past years run a successful 45s card game at the Lions Club on Horne's Rd. We have a good relationship with the Shearwater Military Chapel with their Pastor along with the pastor at Divine Mercy Parish joining in our annual Family Christmas Dinner.
We have recently reached out to the community with assistance to Family in Crisis, Dartmouth Homeless encampments and joined with Divine Mercy and St. Peters Councils to help a family with urgent heating assistance. We run a successful Mental Health fundraiser at our Breakfasts for our local hospital.
The council awards a Bursary to an Eligible High School student each Year. We join with other Councils of Divine Mercy in supporting our Priests and our Faith Community as well as other Ministries in the Parish such as the Stations of the Cross, St. Andrews Cemetery Clean-up, and joining with CWL to bring a Christmas Party to the local Senior’s Centre.
CONTACT: Our Grand Knight is Sean Hurley,