What do we do?
The Knights of Columbus are involved in many acts of charity. Each council does something unique for their local church and community. Council #2531 has been helping the Vineland community and Christ the Good Shepherd parish for over 100 years. Since the founding of the council in June of 1924, our Council has done various charitable works in the four key focus areas of the Knights of Columbus, Faith, Family, Community, and Life.
Faith
The most important and core aspect of the Knights of Columbus is Faith. It makes the most sense that faith is the first of the four Charitable categories. Council #2531 has done many activities that support our parish and our clergy. Every year, we hold fundraisers where we support our local seminarians to help them on their journey to priesthood. Through the years, Knights who are also parishioners at Christ the Good Shepherd have helped at the parish, whether that be as money counters, security, ushers, readers, Adoration Sitters or Eucharistic ministers. During COVID, Knights were responsible for sanitizing and assuring that the churches had been cleaned of germs. We even have a Brother Knight who leads an entire parish program on the importance of the Eucharist. In addition the Knights over the years have also done various events with the parish such as Journey to Peace, devotion to the Silver Rose, a novena rosary to the Blessed Mother, selling Palm crosses during Palm Sunday, hosting breakfasts, catering and performing for the murder mystery dinner shows at Christ the Good Shepherd as well as numerous other events and fundraisers. Our event in faith is just not about supporting our clergy or the parish, it’s about spreading God and his word through the most important lesson Jesus taught us, helping others who are need of help!
Family
The second charitable category and the one closest to Father McGivney is Family. The Knights of Columbus is still carrying out Father McGivney’s goal to support families, especially those who are struggling, single parents, or families having children of special needs. The Knights of Columbus upholds the value of family and it’s something that Council #2531 upholds as well. Every year, Council #2531 participates in the Vineland Christmas Parade with a float, Keep Christ in Christmas. We even have our Color Corp participate as well by carrying the colors. Recently we have initiated a family of the month program where each month, our Council selects a family from our Council or Parish that has done many works in faith, charity, and upholding family values. We choose a family for that month and give them a certificate and a reward. At the end of our fraternal year, we pick a family from those that were chosen over the year to represent our Council at the State Convention for the Family of the Year Award. Of course, we also invite our families to various Council events and in turn express our thanks and appreciation to them because they are always there for us while helping us in our time of need.
Community
The third and the biggest of the three charitable categories is Community. Community covers a wide range of activities. Like true Knights, we keep the tradition alive by serving our local communities and helping in various ways such as hosting our annual Lenten Dinner. The proceeds from this event provide two students, a boy and a girl, at our local Bishop Schad Grammar School, with monies towards their annual tuition. We also support our local St. Vincent de Paul food pantry, and we have Knights who volunteer their time doing fundraisers like our breakfasts at the Parish. We host blood drives both for members and nonmembers while also sponsoring and gathering donations for areas that have been ravaged by natural disasters. But our biggest project by far has been supporting the people of Ukraine during the Russian-Ukraine conflict. Since March 2022, Council 2531 has collaborated with a Council in Poland to support John Paul II Council #15801 in Lviv, Ukraine. In addition, we have partnered with groups across New Jersey to assist Ukrainian refugees in Poland and citizens still in Ukraine by providing monetary donations, medical supplies, clothing, food, and more. Our efforts have resulted in shipping 17, 40-foot sea containers, totaling over 300 tons of essential items, including medical supplies, non-perishable food, clothing, diapers, school supplies, blankets, candles, sleeping bags, and toys. This continued effort by our Council involving local and state communities is a tribute to the community action we pursue in supporting someone in need. Specifically, this exemplifies fulfilling our mission to bring people together, no matter the location, to support those in need.
Life
The final charitable category, Life, holds equal significance to the others. Life is inherently valuable, regardless of an individual's stage or circumstances. This category includes unborn children, individuals with physical or mental disabilities, and those participating in alcohol or drug rehabilitation programs. Our Council supports a local bus for parishioners and anyone willing to attend the March for Life in Washington, DC; members also participate in this event. To help cover expenses for the bus, we organize an annual roast beef sandwich sale on Super Bowl Sunday. In January, we also display crosses and signs to visibly support pro-life initiatives. Additionally, in collaboration with Council #1910, in 2024 we bought time on a billboard promoting pro-life values while supporting Cornerstone Women’s Resource Centers. Members of our Council have also volunteered at the state Special Olympics. We believe that every life, regardless of differences or challenges, deserves respect, care, and support.
Photo of the Knights helping at the parish roast beef sandwich sale.
Photo of the Color Corp in front of our Christmas float.
Photo of the Knights after filling the second container for Ukraine.
Photo of the Knights from Council 2531 and Council 1910 in front of the billboard