New Member Information

Frequently asked questions about the Knights of Columbus. Click on the question to find the answer.

What has your council done to promote the spread of "Christian Family Values" and to support the needs of your "Parish Family"?
Why should I join the Knights of Columbus?
Who can join the Knights of Columbus?
What does it cost me to join?
How much time am I expected to contribute to the Knights of Columbus?
Besides the monthly meetings, what am I committed to support?
If I would like to join the Dexter Knights of Columbus, or am interested in getting more information on the council, how can I go about it?
What kind of activities do the Knights get involved in?

The Vision of Father McGivney

Founded by father Michael J. McGivney, curate at St. Mary's parish in New Haven, Conn., the Knights of Columbus was chartered on March 29,1882, in the state of Connecticut.

The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal organization of Catholic men like yourself, based on the principles of "Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism". The primary objective of the council is to promote "Christian Family Values" through active sponsorship and participation in "Church, Civic and Youth Activities" throughout your community.

By the end of 1897 the Order was thoroughly rooted in New England, along the upper Atlantic seaboard and into Canada. Within the next eight years it branched out from Quebec to California, and from Florida to Washington.

Dexter Council 2959 History

The Dexter Council was established in 1946 with 52 Charter Members. Martin Farrell was elected the First Grand Knight. The Council owned a building downtown which housed Ziegler's Meat Market on the ground floor, and the KofC Hall above it. The building was next to the present day Dexter Pharmacy. The rent from the meat market paid the mortgage. In 1978 through the efforts of many of the members, a new hall was built on Dexter-Chelsea Rd. As of 2003 the Council has a membership of over 180 men.

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What has your council done to promote the spread of "Christian Family Values" and to support the needs of your "Parish Family"?

The easiest way to answer your question is to address the four principles upon which the local council of the Knights of Columbus was established. Again those are "Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism".

• Charity
  

Charity: The love of man for his fellow man; an act of goodwill; benevolence; a giving of help, such as money, to those in need.

Catholic, Protestant or Jew; believer or non-believer; black, white or yellow; from here or elsewhere, the local council of the Knights of Columbus is here to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

• Unity

Unity: The state of being one; united, oneness; continuity of purpose; and arrangement of parts that will produce a single harmonious effect.

But "Unity" also implies having common beliefs and supporting common causes. One of the key issues the council has supported has been the "Right to Life" movement. The efforts of the Dexter council, along with other councils of the Knights of Columbus as well as other religious organizations, has resulted in a 32% decrease in the number of abortions in the past ten years.

However, the most obvious example of "Unity" is demonstrated by the way the Knights of Columbus work together to accomplish their many goals. The Knights of the council constantly work together to plan, coordinate and complete numerous fund raisers throughout the year. Their efforts are key to the success of the council's ability to support various charitable causes and activities.

• Fraternity

Fraternity: Fraternal relationship; brotherliness; a group of men joined together by a common interest for fellowship; a group of people with the same beliefs, interest, work, etc.

While the principle of "Fraternity" is the glue that makes the local council effective, it is also the source of a great many personal friendships. In this rush and hectic world, it provides a feeling of belonging and friendship, frequently missing from much of our lives today.

• Patriotism
  

Patriotism: Love and support of one's country.

The local council of the Knights of Columbus is not only a fraternal organization dedicated to the ideals of "Christian Family Values", but also supports the ideals of the "United States of America". This completes the traditional theme of "God and Country".

While not a radical religious organization trying to impose its religious values on others, the council actively believes all Americans are responsible for the actions of their government. As such, they actively support those causes they believe to be right and just.

And in times of national crises, the council will encourage the government to seek negotiated settlements when possible, and will support the men and women of the armed forces who have willingly volunteered to defend our nation and the cause of freedom worldwide.

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Why should I join the Knights of Columbus?

The answer is quite simple, we need your help. The Dexter council is one of the most active in the state of Michigan, and we come from one of the smaller parishes. But as we have shown, we can't do it without the support of the parish family.

By joining the Knights of Columbus, you can accomplish three things:

1) You'll formalize your commitment to help. Many of you help already and the council gratefully acknowledges the support. But the more of us we have working together, the more we can accomplish and the easier it will be.

2) You'll get a feeling of belonging to a group of like-minded men. The men and their families that are active within your council work well together. They gain an opportunity to meet new people, and establish new friendships. These new relationships only increase the feeling of belonging within the parish family and add warmth to your presence in church. This is important as our community continues to grow, and along with it, our parish.

3) You'll have an opportunity to obtain additional financial security for your family. Financial security is available through the Knights of Columbus insurance program. Increased support for your family is a bonus that comes from the fraternal aspect of the organization.

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Who can join the Knights of Columbus?
The Knights of Columbus is open to all Catholic men age 18 and older, who are active practicing Catholics. Your local chapter has members ranging is age from their late teens to early seventies.

By active practicing Catholics, we mean men who regularly attend church and celebrate the Sacraments of the mass.

What does it cost me to join?

There is a one-time administrative fee of $25.00 and annual dues of $35.00. The administrative fee and the first years dues must be paid prior to being inducted in the local council. If you cannot afford to pay the dues and administrative fee, they can be waived with the concurrence of the council.

the purchase of low-cost group or whole life insurance for the Knights of Columbus is encouraged, but not required for membership.

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How much time am I expected to contribute to the Knights of Columbus?

The Knights of Columbus conduct monthly business meetings the first Wednesday of each month.

Quite honestly, the business meetings can be very dull and boring at times. Show me a business meeting that is always entertaining and we will gladly style ours after it. Boring or entertaining, business meetings are very important activities. They are needed to coordinate the activities of the council, plan for the year ahead and to discuss and vote on those issues relating to what charities or activities the council should support.

In addition, these meetings give local community leaders, as well as representatives from various charitable activities and organizations a chance to come in and discuss their needs, plans and objectives.

But like any organization, without a continued infusion of new blood, the organization can get into a rut, or overlook an obvious need. That is why the Dexter council constantly encourages the men of your parish to join. Again, the bottom line is " we need your help". When we say we need your help, we also mean we can use your ideas. Quite simply put, everybody had ideas that can contribute to the success of the council.

Besides the monthly meetings, what am I committed to support?

Obviously we would like all of our members to actively support as many of our activities as possible. But all of us have jobs, many of us travel, and most of us have families to support.

Therefore, the Dexter council only asks that you "help with what you can, when you can". If each member of the council would support just one of the fund raising or charitable activities a year, the work load would be distributed over a large number of men and their families.

In terms of hours committed, the council may ask you to assist once or twice a year for five or six hours at a time.

But there are other ways you can contribute to the efforts of the council. These may include building something at home that the council needs to support their activities, or repairing a piece of hardware that has worn out. Or it could be something as enjoyable as a Saturday golf outing, or helping with the "Children's Christmas Party".

The bottom line is that " we only ask you to help with what you can". That is what working together is all about. And it is this attitude of working together to help others that has made the Dexter council the success that it is today.

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If I would like to join the Dexter Knights of Columbus, or am interested in getting more information on the council, how can I go about it?

You can fill out the information card and mail it to our membership director :

Dexter Knights of Columbus
Council #2959
Attn: Membership Director
8265 Dexter Chelsea Rd.
Dexter, MI 48130

OR

e-mail us at: dexterkofc@ameritech.net
click here to send an e-mail.

What kind of activities do the Knights get involved in?

DEXTER KOFC
Past/Present Council Activities

Love thy
family.
Worship
Together.

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