Oct. 12, 2011
The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's fraternal organization, has honored Catholic University Council 9542 for its outstanding fraternity-building programs.
The CUA council received the 2011 Council Activity Award Oct. 1 at the Knights of Columbus College Council Conference in New Haven, Conn. The award recognizes the council's OverKnight Program, which provides off-campus retreats for upperclassmen and underclassmen to meet and discuss their faith. The retreats are always held the evening after an initiation ceremony as a way of immediately involving new members.
"An event like this fulfills the mission of the Knights of Columbus internationally because it inspires men to build a community among brother Knights that empowers them to serve their community," said Timothy McEvoy, grand knight of the CUA chapter. "The strong bonds that develop on the OverKnight continue to be strengthened by community service, prayer together, and subsequent fraternal opportunities."
McEvoy, a junior from Lafayette, N.J., majoring in mathematics, said the key to the council's success has been its commitment to relationship building and community service.
"The council plans to strengthen its commitment to service, especially during the University's 125,000 hours of service campaign this year," he said. "The Knights of Columbus commit to community service as a way to bring Christ to others."
Catholic University is celebrating its 125th anniversary with the Cardinal Service Commitment to perform 125,000 hours of service in gratitude for the blessings of the past 125 years by Founders Day, April 10, 2012.
The CUA council's service activities include ushering for the annual Vigil for Life, fundraising for Relay for Life, and participating in campus-wide community service projects. Council 9542 also hosts praying of the Rosary on Thursday evenings in Caldwell Chapel.
The Knights of Columbus enjoy a long history with CUA. In the early 1900s, the organization donated $500,000 to endow graduate studies fellowships at the University. More than a century later, it donated $8 million to renovate the former Keane Hall and transform it into McGivney Hall, the new home of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, a graduate school of theology affiliated with both CUA and the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.