Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest

Dec 21 - The Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest is held by the Knights of Columbus as a fun way to get young people more involved with their faith.   This year we had 15 fourth grade students at St Elizabeth Parish School participate.  The three winners were recognized and given gift card prizes after the Prayer Service for the school.

Thanks to Phil Forlano and Paul Converse for coordinating this year!

Church Decorating For Christmas

Dec 15 - We were asked to by the Parish Decorating Committee to help with the activities for the upcoming Christmas season.  This included decorating the interior and exterior of the church.   In  January, we helped pack it all away until next year!  Many  thanks to the Brothers who volunteered to help out.

2018 Christmas Party

December 1st - Our Annual Christmas Party was held at the Hilton Garden Inn Exton (near Eagleview).  The hotel staff did a wonderful job of taking care of us, and preparing a terrific meal.  We had music, dancing and a lot of fun being together.  Grand Knight Mark Lukenda made a special presentation to PGK Curt Zingaro for his many contributions to our Council over the years, including organizing this event.  Curt recently moved to Pittsburgh, but we were fortunate to have he and his wife join us for this years' event.

Click here for pictures!

Lord’s Pantry Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner and Toy Distributions

Each year at Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Lord's Pantry holds special events to help local families enjoy their holidays, and each year members of our Council and their families lend a hand to help make these events a success.  At Thanksgiving, complete turkey dinners are distributed.  At Christmas, complete dinners and gifts for the children are provided.  There is even a Santa Shop for mom and dad to look for additional items for the kids.  It's a terrific event, and one that really helps everyone get in the spirit of the season!  Thanks to John Magee for again coordinating, and to everyone who volunteered their time.

Click here for pictures from Thanksgiving,  and Click Here for pictures from Christmas!

Religious Cards and Gifts – Keep Christ In Christmas

Nov 3 - As part of the Keep Christ In Christmas project, we again offered religious cards to our parish community.  This year, in addition to cards, we offered a selection of religious merchandise including rosaries, ornaments, Advent calendars and other items that could be purchased as gifts for family.  The response was very positive!  We especially appreciated the support from EFF in expanding the program!  We are planning on doing it again next Christmas, and may offer selected religious merchandise at other times during the year.

Seminary Visit

Nov 18 - A group of 10 Brothers and wives ventured to St Charles Borromeo in Wynwood for a visit.  We were given a tour of the Seminary by one of our RSVP Seminarians, Deacon Deacon Anthony Raymundo.  Deacon Carson Kain was able to join us for Evening Prayers in The Immaculate Conception Chapel.  Finally, our day concluded with supper where we were joined by Deacon Raymundo and Eric Tamney, another of our RSVP Seminarians.  It was inspiring not only to see the history all around us, but also the energy and progress at St Charles.

Many thanks to Martin Gagne for arranging the trip, and preparing our meal!

VA Welcome Home Carts

Nov 15 - Our Council made final delivery of 30 Welcome Home Carts, plus additional household items, to the Coatesville VA Medical Center to help support Veterans moving into permanent housing.  The carts contain a number of essential items that help the Vets get settled in and off to an easier start.   For this project, we collected merchandise and cash donations from our Council and the Parish Community.   We also had nine classrooms from St Elizabeth Parish School join in putting carts together, while the kindergarten and first graders wrote "welcome home " letters for the Vets.    Click here to see pictures!

Thanks to everyone who helped make this project a success!

Villanova Special Olympics Fall Festival

Nov 3 - We were asked to again support the Villanova Special Olympics Fall Festival on November 3rd from 11am-2pm as Food Volunteers.  About 10 Brothers helped with a variety of roles including sandwich making, line monitoring, and being a nutritional greeter!  It is especially rewarding to spend time with the athletes, and participate in one of the largest events of its kind in the country!

Red Cross Blood Drive

October 6 - Since 2007, our Council has been supporting the Red Cross by holding blood drives.  This year, a dedicated group of over 50 donors came our on a busy Saturday morning to help address the current high level of need the Red Cross is facing.  Many thanks to all who made the commitment, and to Matthew Ward for again organizing this years event.  We will be back at it next Fall.  In the meantime, you can always find a location to donate by checking out https://www.redcrossblood.org/

Weekly Call To Prayer

From Friday, August 3, 2018 to Friday, September 28, 2018, we promoted the weekly Call to Prayer as a nine-week Novena for the Legal Protection of Human Life with Brothers and our Parish Community. In addition to the current invitation to fast on Fridays, participants were encouraged to pray one Our FatherHail Mary, and Glory Be for the intention of the novena.

Annual Soccer Challenge

Sept 14 - Although the weather was threatening all day, we were able to hold our annual Soccer Challenge on Friday, September 14 for all boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14.   The Challenge is a friendly competition allowing participants to demonstrate the most basic soccer skill:  the penalty kick.  Each age an gender has a Champion who goes on to compete at the Regional level and those winners go on to the Pennsylvania Soccer Challenge event.  We are excited to announce that two of our Saint Elizabeth’s champions went on to win the Knights of Columbus Soccer Challenge at the Pennsylvania state level:  Christopher Hull, 9 year old boys and Connor Ashe, 11 year old boys.  The Soccer Challenge is held locally every September.

Click here to see more pictures!

The Catholic Thing

For original content every day that provides fresh and penetrating insight about Catholicism and being Catholic into the public forum along with other commentary, news, analysis, and – yes – even humor, our Officers suggest checking out The Catholic Thing. Writers include some of the most seasoned and insightful Catholic minds in America: Michael Novak, Ralph McInerny, Hadley Arkes, Michael Uhlmann, Mary Eberstadt, Austin Ruse, George Marlin, William Saunders, and many others!

 

Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show

Sept 1 - 3  Many thank to everyone who signed up to help with the Ludwig's Corner Horse Show and Country Fair.  Our Council helped support this long-time Chester County event by assisting with the parking on the showgrounds.  Thank you to Joe Lagrossa for coordinating!

Church Property Monitors

August 24-26  We were asked by Father Mullin to lead the effort to monitor the church property during the Citadel Country Spirit Festival.  With the support of a number of Brothers and other members of the Parish, we were able to watch over the parking lot and grounds each day while the concert was taking place.  Many thanks to all who volunteered their time to help out!

Council Family Picnic

August 19 - While the weather didn't exactly cooperate with us this year, we had about 60 people show up for our annual family picnic.   A special guest appearance was made by Curt Zingaro.  We were also pleased to spend some time with Father Stokely, Father Chambers, and Deacon Eric Tammany, whom we have been supporting during his studies at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.  The food was amazing, and it was great to spend some together.  Thanks again to Steve and Shirley Puccino for hosting us.  See you next year!

Father Chambers Anniversary

July 29th - Father Francis Chambers has been a supporter of our Council for many years, both as a Brother Knight and our Chaplin.  It was our honor to participate in his 40th Anniversary Mass on July 29, 2018.  The Parish held a small reception in the Social Hall after Mass.  Click here for pictures! 

Induction Of Officers

July 10th - We held out Induction of Officers Ceremony in the Parish Social Hall after our General Council Meeting.  Snacks and refreshments where served to the Brothers and their family members afterwards.  Good luck to our new leadership team in the coming fraternal year!  Click here for pictures!

 

 

Patriotic Rosary

July 4th - Our Council sponsored a Patriotic Rosary in the St. Elizabeth Chapel  before the 9am Mass.  Inspired by Our Lady, the Patriotic Rosary is a powerful prayer for divine protection and mercy for our Nation and our  government leaders at all levels.  Each decade of the in rosary starts with a historical quote from famous leaders who helped develop our form of government. Each Hail Mary of the traditional Catholic Rosary is dedicated to each state of the United States.  Click here to learn more about this special prayer!

Fightin Phils Baseball!

June 27th - We had a group outting to Reading to watch the Fightn Phils play Erie at First Energy Stadium.  This was a family event, and despite the threat of sever weather, we had a good turnout.  Unfortunately, the Fightns lost, but the fireworks were great and the rain held off.  Thanks to Jim Smith for coordinating.

Click here for more pictures! 

Golf Outing For Charity

June 8th - We want to thank everyone who participated in our  2018 Golf Outing and Dinner For Charity at Kimberton Golf Club this year.  It was a huge success!  Although we didn't give away any hole-in-one prizes, the weather was great and everyone had a good time.  We had over 110 golfers register, our largest showing ever.  All money raised will go to support the charitable works of our Council.

Click here for a recap and pictures!

See you next year (June 7, 2019)!

Clothing Drive – to benefit the St.Vincent DePaul Society

June 2nd / 3rd - We held out annual clothing and home goods collection to benefit the St.Vincent DePaul Society.   Despite the weather, the parish community at St Elizabeth was again very generous with their contributions!  We collected approximately 540 bags/boxes compared to approximately 480 bags/boxes in 2017!  Thanks to the Brother Knights who turned out to help unload cars and pack the truck, and thanks to GK Steve Puccino for coordinating again this year.

  

Memorial To Unborn Children

June 1 - Our Council sponsored the installation of a beautiful memorial to all unborn children at the front of St Elizabeth Church.   Placed on the green off the parking lot and in front of the statue of Mary, it offers both a reminder and a place to reflect and pray for all those impacted.  Many thanks to Steve Puccino and Jim Smith for their efforts in making this possible.

Lord’ Pantry / Letter Carrier Food Drive

May 12 - Many thanks to the Brothers and their family members who helped out at the Lord's Pantry with the food items received from this year's Letter Carriers Food Drive.  There seemed to be more donations this year compared to the past few years, and so the staff at The Lord's Pantry appreciated the help unloading the trucks, sorting, and moving the food into the storage areas.  Thanks to John Magee for again coordinating.

Communion Mass and Breakfast

April 29th - Today as a Council we celebrated Mass together, and then adjourned to the Parish Social Hall for our Annual Communion Breakfast.  About 70 Brother Knights and family members joined for a wonderful meal prepared by Montesano Bros.  After our meal, Grand Knight Steve Puccino presented our Knight Of The Year award to Brother Mike Kasper, and our Family Of The Year award to Randy and Grace Till.

Many thanks to everyone who turn out, and to Father John for celebrating our Mass and joining us for breakfast.  Click here to see pictures!

Farm Project For The Hungry – Planting

April 28 - Spring is here,  and we started our Farming Project with the planting of the field.  This is the 12th year for the project, which helps to feed the hungry of Chester County through the Lord's Pantry in Downingtown.  We planted 700 pounds of potatoes today!  Many thanks to everyone who turned out to help.  Click here for pictures!

St Agnes Day Room Easter Donation

March 28 - This Easter, the Sharing Our Bounty committee at St Elizabeth organized a food collection to help the efforts of  The Lords Pantry in Downingtown and St Agnes Day Room in West Chester.  Our Council was asked to help delivery some of the food, and contributed an additional 20 Easter Hams to the Day Room program.

Lenten Fish Dinner

March 23rd - Thank you to everyone who signed up for our Annual Fish dinner this year.  We served almost 300 meals to our Parishioners and friends.  It was great to see so many people eating together in Parish Social Hall.

Many thanks to Joe Brennan for organizing, Vinny Montesano and Montesano Bros in Chester Springs for preparing an amazing meal, and all the Brothers who volunteered to help make this event another great success.  Click here for pictures!

Adopt-A-Trail

March - Our Council maintains the trail in front of St Elizabeth Church. The trail runs south from the front entrance of the church, to the covered bridge, and north from the front entrance to the trail marker at the end of the church property. Every year the trail is cleaned of trash during the spring and summer months. Several Brothers and their families signed up to walk and clean the trail for the months of April, June, August and October.

Wives Appreciation Mass and Social

Feb 10 - Our first Wives Appreciation event was held on February 10th.  We had over 30 couples sign-up for the event.  Father Stokely celebrated a special Mass and Renewal Of Vows, and then most of the group adjourned to the Brickside Grill to enjoy some light food and refreshments together.   Many thanks to Brothers Mark Lukenda, Joe Brennan and Steve Puccino for organizing and handling all the little things needed to make this a special event for us.

2018 Free Throw Championship

Jan 28th - We held our annual Free Throw Championship  at St Elizabeth Parish School.  We had 40 boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14 register and compete at the Council and District levels.  This is an international event, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, with events at local, state and national levels.  Click here for pictures! 

March For Life – Bus Trip To Washington

Jan 19 - Once again this year our Council sponsored a bus trip to Washington to participate in the March For Life in Washington, DC.  Over 40 Parishioners participated.  Click here for pictures!