OUR COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC GENTLEMEN
Are you aware that since 1989,there has been a group of around 150 men in the St. Pius X Parish community that has contributed thousands and thousands of dollars to help our Church, Community, Council, Family, Health Services, Pro-Life and Youth activities? This same group has also donated thousands of volunteer hours in these areas as an organization of Catholic Gentlemen.Are you aware that since 1989,there has been a group of around 150 men in the St. Pius X Parish community that has contributed thousands and thousands of dollars to help our Church, Community, Council, Family, Health Services, Pro-Life and Youth activities? This same group has also donated thousands of volunteer hours in these areas as an organization of Catholic Gentlemen.
Who is this group? We are the St. Pius X Council 9976, Knights of Columbus. Brother Knights and their families that help each other, their church, community, youth and families to be better citizens. AND, for their efforts, your parish council for the 2001 - 2002 year, was one of only three councils out of over 50 in Montana to receive the highest annual "STAR AWARD", from the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, New Haven, CT. In fact we received three Star Awards in a row then.
Our council, as is the entire Order, is dedicated to the Blessed Mother and Her Holy Rosary. Each newly initiated member receives a Rosary, Blessed by our Supreme Chaplain, for their personal use.
Our national Supreme Order, that started with around 30 men in a church basement, in 1882 in Connecticut, now has over 1,800,000 members in over 15,000 councils, similar to St. Pius X Council 9976, from Poland, to the United Kingdom, through Canada and the Americas, to Japan and Korea. Our K. of C. Insurance program is rated one of the top ten in the country.
Nationally, each year, Knights donated hours and raised money to equal $1+ Billion dollars for charities to our church and communities. The Knights are big supporters of the Special Olympics and have donated millions of dollars and thousands of hours towards the success of the local, state and national Special Olympic program.
Our Order's founder, Father Michael J. McGivney's cause for canonization to Sainthood, continues to move forward.
Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, our Order was one of the first to respond with a disaster fund of over one million dollars for survivors of any Knight who was an Emergency Medical Tech, Police, Fire or Armed Forces Personnel killed in the line of duty. Plus, the families of ANYONE killed in those disasters,received $3000.00 in emergency funds per family from the Supreme Office, regardless of who they were. K. of C. Insurance Agents delivered the first checks within three days after 9/11. As always with our Order, every child of any Knight who was killed while serving in any of the above capacities is eligible for a Catholic education in any Catholic college or university - free of charge. The first recipient of one of these scholarships started college in 2002. St. Pius X Council contributed $200.00 to the Survivors Fund.
After hurricanes that have devastated southern states, the Knights of Columbus has provided millions of dollars in reconstruction aid. Many Knights journeyed to those areas and worked to restore the cities. The Knights, on the Supreme level, have provided, free of charge, wheel chairs to those that needed them in Haiti and other storm damaged areas around the country.
On our local level, some of the projects we have been involved with over the years have been: new Church building project, Parish Christmas Candles or Angles, Salvation Army "Dress-A-Child", St. Vincent de Paul remodeling projects, ushering at air shows, Christmas tree sales, Assisting during Mass, Annual Tootsie Roll Giveaway Drive that helps state and local organizations that assist people with special needs, Presbyteriat Dinner, St. Pius Day Picnic, Parish Family Sunday Communion breakfasts, Memorial to the unborn and paver walk in Calvary Cemetery East of Church, Annual RCIA breakfast for the parish, Build a wheel chair ramp for a parish member and help with a wheel chair ramp for another, Parish Senior's Giving Thanks Dinner, Council Memorial Mass & dinner for departed Brother Knights, Remodel of the Youth Center, sponsor St. John's Squires Circle #587 Youth Group and Blood Drives. These and many more activities keep the 150+ members of the "men's" club of the parish occupied.
We also sponsor public Adult Bingo on Friday evenings at 7:00pm. Proceeds go toward our Council charity programs. We invite every Catholic men, over 18 years of age, to investigate membership in St. Pius X Council 9976 Knights of Columbus. Contact the Parish Office for contact information.
Our Mission
Who is this group? We are the St. Pius X Council 9976, Knights of Columbus. Brother Knights and their families that help each other, their church, community, youth and families to be better citizens. AND, for their efforts, your parish council for the 2001 - 2002 year, was one of only three councils out of over 50 in Montana to receive the highest annual "STAR AWARD", from the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, New Haven, CT. In fact we received three Star Awards in a row then.