Knights of Columbus: Bringing the Faith Alive in Service and Fraternity

Charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism — these are the four guiding principles of the Knights of Columbus. Everything that the Immaculate Conception members do falls into one of these categories.

Greg Schmidt has been a Knight for about six years and is currently serving as Grand Knight with our parish’s chapter. For Greg, involvement in the Knights has been an overwhelmingly positive experience — he admits he wishes he would have gotten involved earlier. The organization has been a great way for him to serve both our parish and the greater Willoughby community.

“My dad was always a Knight,” Greg says. “It meant a lot to me to get involved in honor of my dad.”

Greg has also found the Knights to be a great place to meet other like-minded men and has made lifelong friendships through the organization.

For one recent project, the Knights partnered with several local organizations to build a women’s center that provides free prenatal care. They also donated funds to purchase ultrasound equipment for the center. Knights members pitched in to help with the construction of the center. “We try to help out anywhere we can and get done what needs to be done,” Greg says. “Many hands make light work. It’s amazing what happens when you have a bunch of people, with different skills and different gifts, all working together.” An October spaghetti dinner was the first dinner fundraiser the Knights have had the opportunity to host since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fundraisers support several worthy causes — one being a scholarshiptype program for parents who have more than one student at Mater Dei Academy.

The Knights also installed a Nativity scene in downtown Willoughby each Christmas season — this has been a project for at least 40 years. The Nativity scene can even be seen in the popular movie A Christmas Story.

Recently, the rectory needed a new roof over the entryway. The Knights volunteered their time to complete the project. They also prepare sandwiches for the soup kitchen. In March, they plan to start a men’s weekend retreat.

“We are trying to help people in human needs and help with spiritual growth if we can,” Greg says. “Blessed Fr. Michael J. McGivney founded the Knights with this principle. He was looking for ways to help people in his poor parish. He wanted people to look after each other and that’s what we do.”

As Greg notes, being a member of the Knights has given him more trust in the Lord. In times that he has assisted with big projects, he wondered how they would get done — and the Lord has shown His faithfulness time and time again.

“Our humanity wants to hold us back,” he says. “When you know the Lord wants you to do something, it’s amazing how it gets done. Your faith grows, and you see the amazing things that can happen.”

Greg invites other men of the parish to consider joining the Knights of Columbus. It’s a fun way to meet people — there are monthly business and social meetings — and to give back.

“The Knights is a great way to offer your time, talent, and resources,” Greg says. “If you are interested in living out your service to Christ, this is a great way to do that.”

If you would like to learn more about the Immaculate Conception Knights of Columbus, please contact Greg Schmidt at 440-479-6234 or justgregjts@gmail.com.