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Rhodes Hall at 3540 East Tenth Street is available for rentals, including wedding receptions or any other special events. Contact Gene Bickwermert at (270) 683 2126 for information.
Owensboro Council 817 of the Knights of Columbus
3540 East Tenth Street, P.O. Box 1295
Owensboro, Kentucky 42302
(270) 926 6959
CONTACT US FOR INFORMATION ABOUT COUNCIL 817
BOOKLETS AND ONLINE COURSES ABOUT THE CATHOLIC FAITH AVAILABLE!
CHECK OUT THIS FATHER MICHAEL MCGIVNEY DESKTOP !
The Knights of Columbus is a Roman Catholic fraternal
organization devoted to the Church and our community. Our organization is service oriented with many activities through
which the members may serve the local community, our parish communities, our youth, our families, and our Church.
The OWENSBORO COUNCIL 817 is one of the many Councils in the Daviess County area, and is one of the largest in Kentucky with
nearly 200 members. Our Council was formed in 1903 as the third in Kentucky. We have had many homes over the years, but we
currently are located at 3540 East Tenth Street, Owensboro, KY, just behind St. Pius X parish.
The membership of the OWENSBORO COUNCIL is drawn primarily from the parish families of
Blessed Mother,
Our Lady of Lourdes,
St. Pius X,
St. Stephens,
Sts. Joseph and Paul,
and Sts. William and Lawrence, although we do have many members belonging to other parishes in the area. Many members of our
Council are very active in our parishes, and you probably would know or recognize them, but not realize they are members of
the Knights of Columbus.
The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 in New Haven, Connecticut, by
Fr. Michael J. McGivney, a parish priest at St. Mary's Catholic Church.
In 120 years, we have grown to include 1.6 million members worldwide -- the largest
Catholic fraternity in the world. In 2003 alone, the Knights donated over $125 million and over
60 million hours of service
to charitable causes.
Our Council is only one of over 12,000 around the world. Our 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. We are committed to the ideals of charity, unity,
fraternity, patriotism, and defense of the priesthood. We are consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and unequivocal in our
loyalty to the Pope. We are firmly committed to the protection of human life, from conception to natural death, and to the
preservation and defense of the family. In 2003, our Order donated nearly $45 million to the Church and performed over 25
million hours of service to our parishes. Our Order sponsors many programs to encourage personal and spiritual growth,
including the Family Hour of Prayer for the New Millennium, and the Marian Hour of Prayer, and Keep Christ in Christmas. In
addition, we distribute prayer cards and audio cassettes on how to pray the Rosary.
We donate rosaries at the rate of 10,000 per month. We also sponsor and online search of the
Catechism at our web site www.kofc.org.
The Knights of Columbus believe volunteerism in service to our Church, our communities, our families, and youth are a hallmark
of our Order. We support the Church in its work to defend human life by providing financial assistance to national and local
right-to-life groups, and by printing and distributing millions of pieces of pro-life literature at no charge. We support
the Special Olympics at both the local and national levels. We support health programs through programs and donations. Our organization promotes programs which support sexual abstinence until marriage and that help inform people
about the dangers of pornography. Our Order also sponsors an insurance program, in which participation is NOT a requirement
for membership. We offer this as a service to our members, and our insurance company is one of the most highly rated in
terms of assets compared to outstanding policies in force. This program goes back to one of the core philosophies on
supporting our families in all circumstances.
The role of the OWENSBORO COUNCIL is to practice the ideals of the Knights of Columbus here in our local community and
parishes. We sponsor many social and charitable events which focus on the aspects of community, Church, family, Council, and
youth.
In the last few years, the OWENSBORO COUNCIL has donated nearly $140,000 to local schools and charities, including the Special
Olympics, Right to Life of Owensboro, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, YMCA, Safe Children Foundation, Dream Factory, Catholic
Charities, the Pitino Shelter, the Self Advocacy Center, Owensboro Catholic High School, Apollo High School, Burns Middle
School, Brescia University, among others. One of our largest charitable projects occurs the first weekend in October, along
with all councils in the Commonwealth, for our Campaign to Aid the Mentally Handicapped (a.k.a. Tootsie Roll Drive), where
proceeds are earmarked to help these special members of our community.
In addition to serving our parishes in various ministries, the OWENSBORO COUNCIL serves the local Church in a number of
ways. We are currently sponsoring a seminarian through the K of C RSVP program designed to assist seminarians and postulates
defer some of their expenses associated with college. We have also donated
over $5000 to the Fr. Raffo fund, a statewide fund
designed to ensure that all Kentucky seminarians and postulates are assisted. Additionally, we participate in the Roundtable
Program where one member from our Council represents his parish and acts as the contact between our Council and the parish
priests to assist with any matters when called upon. Our families our important to us, too.
We sponsor a number of family events throughout the year, including a Halloween party, a Christmas party, and Easter Egg
Hunt. Social Nights afford opportunities for our families to get together informally. Our Council also holds a number of
more formal events to recognize special occasions. We sponsor annual Masses to honor our deceased members and to honor our
founder, Fr. McGivney. Our Council recently celebrated our hall mortgage burning and
100th anniversary with formal sit-down
banquets and dances.
We have a number of projects directed toward our youth as well. Our largest youth program
is part of the international Basketball Free Throw program. At the local level, the OWENSBORO COUNCIL sponsors over 1000
children annually who compete to shoot the highest number of free throws. This is the largest program of its kind for the
Knights of Columbus in the Commonwealth, and one of the largest in the nation.
We are also actively involved in the annual 'Just Say No Rally' for the area
4th graders to learn about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.
Members are the strength of any organization, and new members are always welcome. If you would like more information about
the Knights of Columbus in general or the OWENSBORO COUNCIL in particular, please contact us. We welcome all Catholic
gentlemen who are at least 18 years of age and who believe in these ideals to join us. We encourage you to "MAKE YOUR FAMILY A
PART OF OURS".
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, VISIT HTTP://WWW.KOFC.COM, OR VIEW THE VIDEO EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME*
*MAY REQUIRE A FREE REAL VIDEO DOWNLOAD
Last Updated 02/13/2005
