2 minute read
The Knights of Columbus: Sharing in Camaraderie While Faithfully Serving Our Community
When it comes to the Knights of Columbus, the blessings are twofold — our community is blessed in so many ways through the Knights’ faithful service, and the Knights themselves are blessed by the fraternity and unity that are at the core of the organization.
Jeremaiah Seamann is the Grand Knight of Council #13584, which draws members from St. Michael in Spalding and St. Theresa in Ericson. Growing up, Jeremaiah always enjoyed helping his father with the Knights of Columbus fish fry fundraisers. Now, he is happy to be a part of this charitable organization himself.
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“I like helping to get all the events ready and then seeing people show up and really enjoying the food and events that we’re having,” Jeremaiah says. “It’s great seeing the way everybody comes together and helps out, bringing the community together to help out those in need.”
Similarly, Chuck Sweeney, Grand Knight of Council #1312 serving Sacred Heart in Greeley, also enjoys the opportunity to serve the parish and local community with his fellow Knights.
“We’re a pretty small community up here, so anything we do is all community-related,” he says. “We have a couple of fundraisers a year. The fish frys in Lent is the main one. A lot of people look forward to those, and we get a lot of support from the surrounding area. It’s nice to be a part of the Knights — people in the community recognize [the organization] and often ask for help, and we always chip in.”
In addition to the Knights’ many charitable activities, the organization is also focused on helping men become stronger in their Catholic faith. With this in mind, prayer plays a large role in all of their gatherings.
“You always start your meetings with prayer and always ask if a member has a prayer request or something to share,” Chuck says. “We also have a statewide Knights of Columbus prayer chain over email, and I know I utilize it a lot — I check it every day.”
Serving God and their local community side by side, the Knights of Columbus also develop a deep sense of fellowship with one another. In his more than 50 years as a Knight, Chuck has developed many treasured friendships in his council.
“People in this community have known each other for a long, long time, so whenever we get together, there is a lot of camaraderie and friendships,” he says.
Knowing the great blessing that participation in the Knights of Columbus has been in their lives, Chuck and Jeremaiah would encourage any Catholic man, young or old, to consider joining one of our local councils!
