These Men They Call Knights...The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic family fraternal service organization of Catholic men committed to serving the Church, our families, and our community.
The Knights were founded by the Venerable Servant of God Fr. Michael J. McGivney on March 29th, 1882 in the basement of St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Connecticut. Fr. McGivney's vision was for a Catholic men's society that could provide insurance to care for its members widows and orphans should the breadwinner die. He only hoped to ever have a thousand members so that each Knight's widow could receive a $1,000 death benefit to support her family. With 1.8 million members worldwide, the order has far exceeded Fr. McGivney's vision. Father McGivney chose the name "Knights of Columbus" because, as a Catholic Order, he felt we should relate to Christopher Columbus, the Catholic discover of America. "Columbus" would emphasize that it was Catholics who discovered the North American continent. At the same time "Knights" would signify that the membership embodied noble ideals of spirituality and service to church, country, and our fellow man. College Knights
The first college council was founded at Notre Dame in 1910, and in 1919 Mount St. Mary's council was founded. The college council program has since grown to over 17,000 Knights in 241 councils worldwide, including 5 college councils in Maryland.
Sedes Sapientiae Council #13295 at University of Maryland was chartered on March 13th, 2003 to serve the Catholic Student Center community. We do this through service events, cleaning the CSC and maintaining the grounds, organizing food drives for local food pantries, and running an annual Pig Roast for the Catholic community on Maryland Day. The council meets the first Tuesday of each month at 8:00 p.m. in the CSC Conference Room. Our Mission: "To form strong, faithful, and virtuous Catholic men by uniting them in fraternity. Together, we serve the Church and the UMD community." Our Vision: "To be a fraternity of dependable Catholic leaders raising the standard for men of our generation." How Do I Join?
_ Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to all practicing Catholic men, who are at least 18 years old. A practicing Catholic is one who follows the Commandments of God and the precepts of the Church.
The Knights of Columbus is not a secret society, but we maintain the secrecy of our ceremonials in order to effectively teach the principles of our Order - Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism - to members joining and striving for full membership through the First, Second, and Third Degrees. The First Degree ceremony introduces the virtue of Charity. It is during this ceremony a man joins the Order. The Second Degree imparts the lesson of Unity and continues a brother's path to full Knighthood in the Third Degree. The Third Degree, sometimes called the "Knighthood Degree," tests whether a man has learned the lessons of Charity and Unity, and teaches men the lesson of Fraternity. A Brother Knight is considered a full member after taking his Third Degree. Please click here for more information about when you can join! |
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Council Patroness:
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Past Grand Knights
Justin Huber, March 12, 2003 - Dec. 2004
Alan O'Connor, Jan. 2005 - Dec. 2005 William Mullen, Jan. 2006 - Dec. 2006 Thomas Baummer, Jan. 2007 - June 2007 Mike MacDonald, July 2007 - June 2008 Chris McGrath, July 2008 - June 2009 Kevin Ewing, July 2009 - June 2010 Nicholas Wagman, July 2010 - June 2011 Jay Schaefer, July 2011 - June 2012 Phil Goglas II, July 2012 - June 2013 David Burkey, July 2013 - June 2014 Danny Baxter, June 2014 - July 2014 Avellino Ernestanto July 2014 - June 2016 Antonio Zarrelli July 2016 - June 2017 Matthew Hollister July 2017 - June 2018 Jacob Richard July 2018 - June 2019 Franklin Daily July 2019 - June 2021 Chris Desrochers July 2021 - June 2022 Sam Silverstone July 2022 - Present |
