In addition to all the normal operations of a Knights of Columbus council, there are special activities which celebrate our brotherhood, maintain our operations, and nurture our solidarity and friendship with one another. Remebering our patron, many Knights attend or participate in the Columbus Day parade in Baltimore and in the rededication of Colubus’ statue at Union Station in Washington, DC. There is also an annual Columbus Dall Ball in Glen Burnie, MD. The Ball is the main Maryland State event of the year! Many councils take out ads in the program book for the Ball.
Participatory sports are encouraged and our council has already acknowledged a desire to for a slow-pitch Softball Team. Beware Fletcher Council, here we come! Sports competition is an excellent way to keep our young members, both of age and of heart, active and involved. These members can serve as terrific recruiters for attracting younger members.
“Send religious Christmas greeting cards” has been a rallying cry over the past several years. As Knights of Columbus we are expected to live the faith we embrace. One of our strongest beliefs is that Jesus, Our Savior, was born of the Virgin Mary. There is a very easy and simple way to exhibit our beliefs in this secular society; send religious greeting cards, even to our non-Catholic friends and associates. Request and use the religious postage stamps also. The Grand Knight should appoint a chairman to coordinate his council’s sale of Christmas cards. A beautiful, varied, and inexpensive assortment of these cards is available through the State Council. There is no better program available that enables us to send seasonal greetings the proper way and to make money for our charities at the same time. The cards have been very popular.
The annual Maryland State Council Incentive Program is a car raffle conducted for the benefit of the State Council’s Scholarship and Charity Programs. The program also functions as a very easy-to-run council fundraiser. The Grand Knight should appoint a chairman to coordinate his council’s sale of the raffle tickets. Discuss with him ways to promote participation by the council membership. Pass on all program information to the chairman and council newsletter editor for publicizing to the council membership. For each ticket sold, the selling council will remit 40 cents to the State Council. The remainder, up to 60 cents, is retained by the selling council. The State Council pays expenses for the tickets, posters and prizes. The State Council Incentive Program offers an excellent opportunity to jump start your fraternal year and to build up your council’s treasury.
The special Knights of Columbus license tags, which contain a five-color emblem of the order, followed by four numbers are available. These special tags may be used on automobiles, multipurpose vehicles or trucks, and may be interchanged between any of the three.
The Knights of Columbus license plates may be obtained by following these procedures.
- Complete a copy of the approved application, including the member’s signature.
- Send application along with a check made payable to the Maryland State Council,
Knights of Columbus for $35.00 to the State Council chairman (this fee is a one time
charge). Your application will be forwarded to the Motor Vehicle Administration. - Your new license plates will be mailed directly to you. When you purchase these new
tags, the MVA will transfer the remaining time on your present registration and provide
you with new stickers. After receipt of the new tags, please return your old tags to a
MVA office and obtain a receipt (failure to do so will result in a fine). - Please provide your council number.
Applications can easily be obtained from the State Council web site or from the State License Plate Chairman.
The council can hold potlucks and activities for its own enjoyment and fraternity. It can also offer such activities as fundraisers to maintain the council and its operations. Councils hold dinners, dances, parties, golf tournaments, crab feasts, bull roasts, Christmas parties, ice cream socials, pancake suppers (particularly on Shrove Tuesday), and we could easily plug into the parish’s annual Soup and Stations during Lent. Councils take trips to see shows in New York or even for the casinos of New Jersey.
As for awards and honors, the Knight of the Month and the Knight of the Year awards are signs of true appreciation to men, saying they have accomplished a job well done!
O great and glorious God, You imbued Your holy priest. Father Michael J. McGivney, with deep priestly virtue and especially with pastoral concern for the poor, the orphan, the widow, for the Christian education of youth, for the protection of the faith of the working man of his day.
Now that his priestly ministry continues to spread to countless millions throughout the world, through the efforts and influence of the Order of the Knights of Columbus, which Father McGivney founded, we beseech Your, Heavenly Father, to raise Your faithful servant, Michael, to the honors of the altar. We ask this favor through our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Mother, Mary and our Mother, Amen. 
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