The following is from the Council’s 50 year anniversary program, which was celebrated in 1989.
The birth of Prince George’s Council, No. 2809, is officially recorded in the massive volumes of Knights of Columbus history as June 18, 1939, the date on which it received its charter. However, in the memory of those 146 godfathers of this Council—our charter members—there is recorded with equal significance those four to six months which immediately preceded the formal event. It was during this period that meetings were held for the purpose of organizing such a Council. It was in these months that the birth pangs of Columbianism were truly felt. Homes were visited, and the men were urged to attend the first organizational meeting at St. Jerome’s Parish Hall on March 22, 1939.
The support of the pastors of St. Jerome’s, Holy Redeemer, and St. James parishes was solicited, and the idea of having a Knights of Columbus Council in the Hyattsville, Maryland, area was received with enthusiasm by Fathers Czyz, Fealy, and Malloy. Other meetings were held in various parish halls, and finally on April 13, it was announced that the acting secretary had more than the required 60 applicants for forming a new Council.
With the aid of an enthusiastic and working membership, our Council grew to 184 members during its first year. It achieved the honor of being on the Supreme Council’s Honor Roll during the first fiscal year of its existence. At that time, it was the only Council in the State of Maryland to do so.
The first opportunity for the Council to celebrate Columbus Day came on October 15, 1939. Special services were held at St. Jerome’s Church in Hyattsville. The late Very Reverend Ignatius Smith, O.P., nationally known Dominican orator, preached the sermon. Armistice Day, 1939, was celebrated with a large open meeting at St. Jerome’s School Hall. Father Walsh, Chaplain of the Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., was the principal speaker. The meeting concluded with special prayers for peace.
The Council celebrated the formal presentation of its charter on February 24, 1941, with a Charter Night. All of the Grand Knights from our District and Washington, D.C., as well as State Deputy Loeffler, attended. On April 8, 1941, the earnest efforts of our Brothers J. Leo Merkle and R. Bernard Jones culminated in the first issue of a Council news bulletin. Brother Jones gave it the name “Knight Cap,” which it is called to this day.
These were trying times. It was fast becoming apparent to our members that the United States would not escape actual involvement in World War II. Congressman Sasscer of the Fifth Congressional District gave a timely address to the members on the Neutrality Act of 1939. While we recognized the necessity of materially aiding Russia in the successful prosecution of the war, we affirmed our stand against atheistic communism.
In April 1942, the Council made its first effort to assist the men of the Armed Services in the area. A smoker and dance were held in Laurel, Maryland, for the boys at Camp Meade. On November 8, 1942, our first Military Memorial Mass was held in Ritchie Coliseum at the University of Maryland. Notwithstanding the many members entering the armed services, regular meetings were held and many Catholic activities were sponsored.
We awarded medals to the honor students at St. James and Holy Redeemer parochial schools. A movie, The Perpetual Sacrifice, the story of the Mass in English, was shown at the Arcade in Hyattsville. Rosaries were recited at Council meetings for the Armed Forces. We embarked on a program of placing Catholic Bibles in public school libraries, participated in the Catholic Radio Hour, and actively supported proposed legislation directed toward supplying state-supported bus service for parochial school children and instituting a juvenile court system for the County.
We also found time to support other worthwhile causes. We had a blood donors’ program. Boys Town in Nebraska received a contribution—not much, but all we could spare—as did the Foundation for the Prevention of Infantile Paralysis.
Through the inspirational guidance and assistance of our first chaplains, Fathers Fealy and Roach, we made it through the most difficult of years—the beginning years.
The idea of a permanent home for the Council was uppermost in the thoughts of many of the members at this time. Consequently, in early 1945, we took the first steps toward achieving this goal when the Corporation Committee met with PGK Jack Aiello to draw up a draft of the Articles of Incorporation for the Council.
While the paper foundation for a permanent home was being laid, World War II drew to a close. We thanked God for its successful conclusion with a Victory Mass at Ritchie Coliseum at the University of Maryland and turned our attention to the matters at hand, the most important of which was the pending legislation liberalizing the divorce laws in the State of Maryland. We went on record against such liberalization and opposed its passage vigorously.
In an effort to instill in the youth an interest in the Knights of Columbus, we held a “Knights of Columbus Day for Boys” in Magruder Park. In June 1946, the Council undertook the sponsorship of the Triple Benediction and the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament. This service was held on the Sunday within the Octave of the Feast of Corpus Christi.
The 1945–1946 council year saw us march to the front in membership. We attained the honor of Century Club membership with 113 new and reinstated members, thus becoming the only Council in the State of Maryland to have achieved that honor at that time.
During the period February to June 1947, we took up the cudgels for the greatest effort of Catholic Action in which we ever participated as a Council. Under the stimulating and active leadership of our Chancellor (and later Grand Knight), H. Winship Wheatley, Jr., and strongly supported by the individual efforts of PGK J. Barker Morris, PGK E. Leo Walters, and John McBride, we submitted a bill to the County delegation to be presented to the State Legislature which, if passed, would have allowed parochial and/or non-denominational school children to ride public school buses over existing routes.
The bill stirred up considerable opposition. Over 60 members journeyed to Annapolis to testify in favor of this bill. Winship presented the House of Delegates with more than 2,200 signatures in favor of the bill. It passed both the House and the Senate, but our fight was not over. Governor Lane called a hearing on the bill. Our worthy Chancellor again presented our case and, in support thereof, presented the Governor with signed petitions containing more than 2,500 additional signatures beyond those originally submitted to the House of Delegates, requesting his approval of this legislation. Notwithstanding the loud cries of opposition by the separatists of Church and State, Governor Lane signed the bill into law shortly thereafter.
While the Council was carrying on its fight for “freedom of religion,” our Corporation Committee quietly proceeded with its work. In March 1947, it presented a Certificate of Incorporation for approval. We authorized the committee to file the incorporation certificate under the laws of Maryland.
Our search for a home site now began in earnest, and our efforts increased to provide funds for such a venture. We sponsored a successful carnival and auto raffle for the benefit of our new (and soon hoped-for) home. In the spring of 1948, we considered sites in Mt. Rainier, Hyattsville, and Riverdale.
On June 14, 1948, the membership of the Council and their families were singularly honored by receiving from His Holiness, Pope Pius XII, His Apostolic Blessing. The Reverend Michael Nardone, O.S.S.T., Provincial of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity, Rome Province, and a member of our Council, was the recipient of this blessing for the Council from the hands of the Holy Father. The accompanying parchment scroll with a picture of the Pontiff was hung in the Council meeting room. This was the first time since 1903 that a Knights of Columbus Council had been so honored.
Our Council and Court Prince George’s No. 1340, Catholic Daughters of America, co-sponsored a reception honoring His Excellency, Archbishop Patrick A. O’Boyle, the first resident Archbishop of the recently created Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. The reception was held on October 3, 1948, at St. Jerome’s School auditorium in Hyattsville. It was the first public reception held outside the District of Columbia in honor of His Excellency.
One of the most successful activities undertaken by our Council was the annual “Day of Recollection,” inaugurated on March 22, 1949, at St. John De Matha Monastery. On this first occasion, 91 Brother Knights set routine matters aside for a day, examined their spiritual lives, and made resolutions appropriate to their condition in life.
During the next few months, we moved our meeting place three times, finally ending up at the American Legion Hall on Eastern Avenue in Mt. Rainier, where we stayed for almost three years. But we had been biding our time. Our building fund, which had been receiving a certain portion of all money accruing to the Council since 1945, had grown to sufficient size that we could actively consider the purchase of land and building materials.
Our Knight Cap for September carried the official notice to all members that a special meeting of the Building Corporation was to be held on September 11, 1950, to consider the establishment of a permanent Council home site. The meeting was held, and a report was read which outlined the plans for financing a proposed building site on Baltimore Avenue near Berwyn, Maryland. A motion was made and passed to accept the report and to empower the Building Corporation officers to proceed with the signing of all necessary documents for the purchase of the property.
The building period in the history of the Council had begun.
During this time, and under the forceful leadership of then-President of the Building Corporation PGK Charles B. McClosky, many hours were spent by the Brothers of this Council in completing our first home on Baltimore Avenue. It stands as a monument to these zealous Brothers who had the farsightedness and courage to believe that we could finance and build our own home and who, without great fanfare, went out and did it.
We held our first social meeting in our partially completed home in June 1952. Our first business meeting was held there in September of the same year, and the upstairs was completed just in time to celebrate the New Year 1953 with a New Year’s Eve Dance. On January 29, 1953, we officially named our home “The Columbia Building.”
Although our main efforts were directed toward building our new home during 1949–1953, we continued to conduct those events intended to bring the Brothers into closer contact. In addition to those events which were made a part of our regular annual program—such as the Memorial Field Mass, Quarterly Corporate Communion, and the Day of Recollection at De Matha—we inaugurated the recitation of the Rosary at Council meetings during the month of October.
The Fourth Degree of our Council organized an all-night vigil of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday at St. James Church in Mt. Rainier, Maryland, and we supported a Christmas card movement to “put Christ back in Christmas.”
Now that our home was complete and our growing pains had lessened, our thoughts were directed by our Chaplain and Officers toward making Columbianism constructively felt by the public, primarily by the Catholic youth in our area.
In our 1954–1955 council year, our Youth Activities Committee had its inception. It began by helping establish Scout troops in both Holy Redeemer and St. James parishes.
In October 1955, we began the practice of reciting the Rosary and Benediction in four different parishes every Sunday night during the month of October. In January 1956, we considered the problem of boys who had a true vocation to the priesthood but were unable to pursue it because of a lack of financial assistance.
At a dinner and dance held on June 30, 1956, in honor of the Past Grand Knights of our Council, we presented a check for $300 to our Chaplain, the Very Reverend Monsignor James E. Cowhig. He accepted the contribution on behalf of His Excellency, Archbishop Patrick A. O’Boyle, for the establishment of a fund which the Council pledged itself to maintain for the education of a boy to the priesthood.
During Christmas 1956, we distributed large baskets to 11 needy families. This charitable effort has increased in scope annually and has become a permanent function of our Council.
We were called upon to exercise the virtue of charity in a rather unusual way on October 24, 1956. On that night, our Council was asked to help find blood donors for a little girl at Prince George’s Hospital. The little girl had AB-positive blood, a rare type, and the doctors, in their efforts to save her life, had used more than half of the hospital’s limited supply. Our Telephone Notification Committee brought the appeal to the attention of the members, and as a result, we were able to secure three blood donors for the little girl. The heartfelt thanks of that family will be remembered forever. Little did we know that this effort would blossom into the Council’s renowned Blood Donor Program, which has been handled so ably over the years by PGK Joseph Fernandez.
In June 1957, we extended our youth activities to include the sponsorship of a Catholic boy to the annual Boys State convention, devoted to the betterment of youth, especially in the area of government.
On September 15, 1957, our Council treated 30 boys from St. Joseph’s Home to a fun-filled family picnic day at the Annual State Council Reunion held at Gwynn Oak Amusement Park in Baltimore. A fitting reward for this good deed came unexpectedly when our softball team won the ballgame of the day, defeating Cardinal Gibbons Council in a close 5–4 battle.
Since then, our Council has shown its athletic ability at State and other inter-Council competitions. Our golf teams have monopolized almost every event they have entered, and our duckpin and tenpin bowlers have won more than their share of awards. The walls of our Council are covered with plaques and trophies won on the athletic field of honor. They complement the honors achieved by our Council for membership drives, religious programs, youth guidance, family awareness, and community contributions.
Under the guidance of Brother Felix Cechetti, a new youth activity was introduced on May 10, 1958: the Council’s first “Catequiz.” Sixteen students from five schools participated in the contest, which tested their knowledge of the fundamentals of the Catholic faith. We furnished prizes totaling $175 to the winners, to be applied toward a Catholic high school scholarship to the school of their choice.
On Sunday, October 12, 1958, under the administration of Grand Knight William Howard Ball, we introduced a “Living Rosary and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament” at St. Jerome’s. While sponsoring a Rosary and Benediction had been an annual event, this was the first time that the beautiful devotion of a Living Rosary had been attempted.
The ceremony was conducted through the use of our Knights as marchers in a procession around the darkened aisles of St. Jerome’s Church, each Knight symbolizing a bead of the Rosary. Fourth Degree Knights in regalia represented the “Our Father” beads. As each Knight recited his particular prayer, the candle he was carrying was lighted, and as the final “Glory be to the Father…” sounded, the congregation was surrounded by Knights holding lit candles.
In 1959, primarily as a result of the efforts of Grand Knight William LaGue, we acknowledged the need to recognize our Ladies and their many efforts on our behalf. Out of this recognition grew the Ladies of the Knights. They serve socially and spiritually as they assist at Council functions and in the promotion of charitable works.
Florence Dodgson served as the first elected President of the Ladies of the Knights when the organization became an official body of the Council on February 14, 1960.
On August 15, 1959, a shrine to Our Blessed Mother Mary was dedicated at our Council home.
In 1960, Grand Knight Richard Cooper, a staunch member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, started our Council Charity Committee and assisted the chaplains working at the University of Maryland in establishing a Newman Center. His work for the Newman Center was recognized by the Maryland State Council, and the effort was extended statewide to include other secular universities. In 1960, Dick was named Chairman of the Newman Club Committee of the Maryland State Council.
Realizing that many of our members were potentially good speakers if only given the opportunity, Grand Knight Charles J. Kenny instituted a Toastmasters Club, which gave our members not only practice but also instruction in the finer points of public speaking. Our Degree Team members have benefited from this program, and it remains available to our members.
One of the most important functions undertaken by our Council for a number of years was the presentation of a check to Archbishop Patrick A. O’Boyle of Washington, D.C., to help defray the cost of training a seminarian for the priesthood. Today, we participate in the Supreme Council’s program which encourages every Council to adopt one or more young men studying for the priesthood.
During this period, many of our Brother Knights joined with others from neighboring councils to start a Fourth Degree Assembly named in honor of Archbishop Michael J. Curley. This Assembly, utilizing our Council home as a base of operations, has been prominent in our religious and patriotic affairs.
In August 1960, our Crab Feast made the front page of The Washington Post, featuring both a story and a photograph. Our Council was brought prominently to the attention of the entire Washington area, noting that we dispensed 60 barrels of crabs, 1,000 ears of corn, 50 pounds of hot dogs, 10 kegs of beer, and all the soft drinks consumed on the premises.
Since then, our Council has sponsored many successful crab feasts and oyster, shrimp, and bull roasts for the enjoyment of our members and the financial support of our programs.
One of the most important charitable works supported by our Council is the aid we provide to the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., Memorial Institute for Handicapped Children. Over the years, our Council has been an active supporter of this worthwhile cause, with several of our members playing lead roles in this special project.
Largely as a result of the inspiration of our Grand Knight Robert Kernan and the untiring efforts of Brother Robert Gibbs and members of his committee, our Council, in September 1961, established its own credit union. Many members took advantage of their membership in PG Columbian Federal Credit Union, as it came to be known, to borrow funds for their original ten-year memberships in our Council’s Swimming Pool Corporation, the planning for which was then underway.
Coincident with these efforts, the Council’s Building Corporation established a Planning Committee chaired by PGK Robert Kernan. As a result of this committee’s recommendation, the Building Corporation located and purchased land on Cherry Hill Road and, under the leadership of PGK Richard Cooper, began work on building a swimming pool and recreation area. This initial effort paved the way for the location of our current Council home and has made a significant contribution to our beautiful grounds on Cherry Hill Road.
Our swimming pool opened with grand ceremony on May 29, 1964. Father Browne blessed the pool water while Father Walter A. Norris, Pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Beltsville, looked on with great pride, having played a key role in persuading the owners of the Cherry Hill Road property to sell it to our Council and thereby provide a location for Catholic family recreational activities.
Our swimming pool also enabled our members’ children to form swim teams that have competed regularly in the Prince-Mont Swim League in the Washington, D.C., area. Since their inception, these teams have carried the Council banner proudly, bringing recognition throughout the region.
For many years, our Council sponsored a Triple Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. It was first held in nearby parishes but was eventually celebrated at the Seminary of the Christian Brothers at Ammendale. This event consisted of a public procession of the Blessed Sacrament and three separate Benedictions at three different altars along the route of procession.
In addition, we have sponsored an annual Day of Recollection at De Matha and a Retreat Week at Loyola. In 1965, PGK William LaGue served as State Chairman for Loyola while also serving as State Council Treasurer. During his administration, with considerable assistance from Brother Robert Gibbs, our Council greatly increased its membership and received the Supreme Council’s Star Council Award.
Our Annual Field Mass was celebrated at the University of Maryland Chapel. Before the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the Mass was celebrated by bishops and later by University of Maryland chaplains. It was a colorful and deeply moving occasion, featuring the Fourth Degree in full regalia as honor guards, along with Boy and Girl Scout troops and military cadets. The sermon honored those who gave their lives for their country.
On August 8, 1966, the formal installation of Council officers was opened to the public for the first time. The officers and those officiating were attired in ceremonial robes, the Council chambers were arranged as for regular meetings, and all ceremonial paraphernalia was used. Since then, all Grand Knights have been publicly installed in ceremonies held in conjunction with a Mass and followed by a celebration at the Council home.
The first family evening Mass and Communion sponsored by the Council was held at St. Joseph’s Church in Beltsville on February 5, 1967. The Mass was followed by a family dinner coordinated by Francis Emory. The largest crowd ever to attend a Council Catholic activity was present at this first family Mass, Communion, and dinner. Over the years, our Council has sponsored many Masses and Communions—some for fathers and sons, some for fathers and daughters, and some for entire families.
His Excellency, Bishop Edward J. Herrmann, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., delivered a talk on ecumenism to members of our Council at a regular meeting on April 24, 1967. Since that time, many bishops, priests, and religious have been honored at our “Nights to Honor Clergy and Religious.”
In honor of one who devoted much time and effort to the Knights of Columbus, it was only fitting that our Council home was renamed the “Charles B. McClosky Building” in May 1967. The plaque recognizing the efforts of PGK McClosky and the other members who built the building was unveiled and dedicated at a commemorative service on November 11, 1968.
The first activity of the Social Action Committee began on November 3, 1967. It involved “sit-ins” or “talk-ins” with inmates at the Maryland House of Correction in Jessup. Joseph Searles, Sr., served as chairman. Father Luke Menncils, Chaplain at the House of Correction, personally appeared before the Council on January 8, 1968, to express his gratitude for our prison counseling program.
On November 11, 1968, at the McClosky Building, our Council held a special commemorative service for members who had passed away during the previous year. This marked the first time a Mass had been conducted in our Council home.
Brother Patrick Kane was named Coach of the Year at the first annual awards banquet sponsored by the Bishop McNamara Chapter, whose membership is composed of Grand Knights and Past Grand Knights of Councils in the Archdiocese of Washington. This award recognized Pat’s activities during the previous three years in both the Prince George’s and Montgomery County Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) programs for mentally disabled children.
During 1968–1969, Prince George’s Council No. 2809 became the largest Council of the Knights of Columbus in the State of Maryland.
In July 1968, PGK Raymond Sciannella, Chairman of the Economic Feasibility Study Group, commenced a study on the possible construction of a new Council home on the Cherry Hill Road property. In 1970, PGK Henry Bauer, President of the Building Corporation, appointed a committee consisting of himself, PGK Robert Kernan, and Joseph Searles, Sr., to purchase a tract of land on Cherry Hill Road adjacent to the swimming pool property.
Numerous challenges arose over the months involving title issues, property surveys, and financing. After six months of committee meetings, board meetings, and special Corporation meetings, the purchase was completed on May 5, 1971. The survey revealed 5.776 acres in the new parcel, bringing the Council’s total holdings on Cherry Hill Road to more than 13 acres.
On October 18, 1972, the “Knights of the Klown Table” was formed. Suggested by PFN George Petrello, Jr., the group was dedicated to charitable outreach through visits to the mentally challenged at Forest Haven, senior citizens in nursing homes, children’s hospital wards, and participation in Halloween and Christmas celebrations.
In early 1974, a number of Brothers expressed concern that the widows and children of deceased members seemed to drift away from Council activities. PGKs Robert Garrity and Robert Kernan, along with Gene Lyons, asked Grand Knight Lawrence Norris to appoint them as a committee to develop ways of retaining these loved ones within the Council community and incorporating them into the fabric of Council life.
With the assistance of Paul P. O’Dowd, Financial Secretary for 33 years, Knights of Columbus insurance representative Wilhelm Bucher, and the widows themselves, the committee planned and instituted what is now known as the Survivors Assistance Program. Through their efforts, steps were taken to ensure that the spouses and children of deceased members would receive a warm welcome at all activities and remain eligible for Council benefits, including credit union and pool memberships. They continued to receive the Knight Cap newsletter and The Columbian magazine and were honored guests at family events.
The widows themselves formalized their fellowship by organizing the Columbian Ladies Guild. Its purpose was to provide mutual support, assist newly widowed women, address the needs attendant to widowhood, and offer social activities in which they could participate. Through their annual Penny Parade, they raise funds for the Survivors Tuition Assistance Fund, which helps children of deceased members attend Catholic high school.
Because our program was the first of its kind to continue including Brothers’ survivors in Council life, it was featured in The Columbian. The need was so great and the response so positive among widows that the program was adopted nationally and is now part of the Knights of Columbus throughout the Order.
On August 19, 1974, more than 200 swimmers—most from the Council’s 8- to 17-year-old swim team—kicked off our Swim for Cancer, cheered on by University of Maryland football coach and Prince George’s County Cancer Chairman Jerry Claiborne. The swim marathon covered 250 miles, symbolically representing the distance from our Council home to Supreme Headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut. This highly successful event continues to raise funds each year to combat cancer and other serious diseases.
On Sunday, April 24, 1977, all Brothers and their families were invited to review the architectural drawings for a proposed new Council home on Cherry Hill Road. Recognizing that a major decision lay ahead, the Planning Committee arranged this meeting with the architect to ensure that the membership would understand both the design and the financial implications.
On Sunday, November 20, 1977, a final presentation was made to the membership, including a review of two years of committee work and a detailed explanation of the financial responsibilities involved. At a regular business meeting on Monday, December 12, 1977, the members voted to build a new Council home, to be financed in part through the sale of Home Bonds to the membership.
This decision fulfilled a long-held dream of the Building Committee, formed in 1975 and chaired by PGK Paul Nickolaus. Grand Knight Albert Walukonis officially broke ground for the new home on July 9, 1978, before a large gathering of Council members, former officers, and state and local civic leaders. All bonds were eventually redeemed by the Building Corporation, and a commemorative plaque listing the names of contributors now hangs in the foyer of our Council home on Cherry Hill Road.
In 1978, our Council was honored as the first-place winner—selected from nearly 7,000 councils worldwide—for our Tri-State Inter-Council Swim Meet as part of our Youth Activities program. The award was presented by Supreme Knight Virgil Dechant at the Supreme Convention in San Diego, California.
On May 24, 1980, the formal building dedication of our new Council Home was held. Ten months later, our new Home opened for the first time, and PGK J. Barker Morris cut the ribbon. The efforts of PGK Paul Nickolaus and the members of his committee were finally realized.
The Council’s Senior Citizen Club held its first meeting on August 19, 1980. The purposes of the Club are both social and spiritual. It exists for the joy and entertainment of its members and to extend charitable actions and spirituality to all Club members who are in need. This Club has given older members and their wives the opportunity to become and remain active in their Council. Fifty-eight men and women joined at the first meeting; membership today exceeds 250. Brother James Dwyer, Family Life Director, was the founder.
In June 1980, PGK Albert Walukonis was elected President of the Knights of Columbus National Bowling Association, the largest fraternal sports organization in the world. Thus, after almost 10 years of effort by local and state Knights of Columbus officials and local community leaders, the Association accepted the bid for our Council to host the 60th Annual Eastern Division Knights of Columbus Tournament in 1985.
The tournament was a ten-pin event in which Knights competed in team, doubles, singles, and all-events competition during the weekends between March 16 and May 12, 1985, for almost $540,000 in prizes. During the previous 20 years, our Council fared well in these tournaments in other cities; Prince George’s Council won the Eastern Division team scratch championship at Utica in 1972 with a score of 2911.
More than 500 teams entered the 1985 tournament, and many of them visited our Council to participate in the events we had planned for their arrival. It was estimated that local economies were stimulated to the extent of almost one million dollars during the visit to this area. Prince George’s Council underwrote the tournament, hoping that its success would support our many fraternal and charitable endeavors, and the outcome surpassed our expectations. We exceeded every net profit figure ever reported for a tournament during the 60-year history of the event. It took more than 200 Council volunteers to support an executive committee that was organized to demonstrate once again that we have the professional talent within our Council family to undertake any task we choose to challenge. Grand Knight Donald McVearry and Tournament Chairman PGK Albert Walukonis thanked everyone for a difficult and tiring job done exceptionally well; however, we, the members, should thank them and others for their leadership.
In June 1983, Grand Knight Robert Pease succeeded in publishing a new membership directory for our Council. In 1985, Grand Knight Gerald Webster remembered the many contributions of our clergy and religious to our Faith with a dinner in their honor. Many priests and nuns from the surrounding parishes and schools responded to his invitation and had a very enjoyable evening socializing with many of our members, touring our facilities, and learning more about the Knights of Columbus and our Council in particular.
In May 1985, Kent Jones, Chairman of our Physically Handicapped Committee, was named Citizen of the Year of Maryland for his efforts to help the mentally challenged.
Grand Knight Kevin Reilly tried to make Christmas 1986 a little happier for orphaned and abandoned children. Our members went to Toys R Us with the children of St. Ann’s Infants Home for a shopping spree and accompanied the children back to the Council Home for refreshments and to decorate our Christmas tree.
Brother Thomas Storck’s family tragedy (Tom was widowed at the age of 34 with four small children after the sudden death of his wife) and the Council’s reaction to it was the most meaningful event of the Council year 1987–1988 under Grand Knight Joseph Shepard. It brought the Council together more than any event occurring in the Council’s recent past and was a prime example of our fulfillment of the principle of Charity: when a Brother was in distress, the Council came to his assistance.
In June 1987, a new event—weekly money drawings—was initiated to increase club attendance and member participation. One pool was for Knights only, and the second pool was for anyone over the age of 18 who visited our Knights Room. This has proven to be a very successful event; members who won have been overjoyed, while members whose names have been drawn from the “Pot O’ Gold” but who had not signed the book have been “inspired” to become more active in their Council. The Knights Room has also benefited from the increased activity. Over the years, the Knights Room has been a happy place for our Knights and their families.
In July 1988, we installed Joseph Miller as the 50th Anniversary Grand Knight of Prince George’s Council. A man who joined our Council today would reap the benefits of the thousands who came before him; a new member would find a physical plant—two homes, a swimming pool, picnic area, softball field, and other amenities—which ranks among the best facilities of the Knights of Columbus. More importantly, however, he would find a fraternal organization that has fulfilled the fondest dreams of our founder, Michael McGivney.
Our programs have been inspired by the principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. Dedicated Knights serve as chairmen for our membership, church, community, family, and youth programs, but a new Knight should not rest on the laurels of those who have preceded him; there is more work to be done. Our history has shown that every Grand Knight has improved our fraternity. To cover all of the events in the 50-year history of Prince George’s Council, No. 2809, would require a document many times the length of this summary; a full documentation would require more than passing notice of all of the officers and chairmen who filled leadership roles in this Council. These dedicated men spent countless hours preparing and conducting the various events. Some, faithful to our honored heritage, continued traditional programs, while others pioneered new efforts. Some of these men were rewarded with high office and honor, but most have labored in the background and have received little public recognition. To all of these men and their families, we owe a debt of gratitude.
Bingo and catering should be singled out for special praise. How can we ever record and thank all of the men and women who have worked over the years? Raffles, Las Vegas nights, and other charity events have also helped raise the money needed for our fraternal and charitable efforts.
Sports and related efforts have drawn many to our Council. Softball, bowling, golf, swimming, horseshoe pitching, shuffleboard, and darts have had a special place in our Council and have been a source of enjoyment for our members. Without these special fraternal activities, it would be difficult to maintain the interest of our members.
Youth and family programs have been a priority for us; we should remember that we are first and always Catholic. Our chaplains have been an inspiration to us; they have helped us celebrate the great feasts of the Church. In recent years, we have been blessed by the many Masses offered in our Council Home or on our picnic area grounds. The Communion breakfasts have been especially helpful in promoting the practice of our religion.
The public does not know or concern itself with the degree work of our Order, but the members know that new members are instructed as they progress through the various degrees of the Order. Officers and members have their “batteries recharged” as they listen to the continued exemplification of the degrees. Each time one hears the words, one learns a deeper meaning. The unsung heroes of this effort are the men who spend long hours memorizing and who travel long distances to every corner of the state in support of the Third Degree Team. Publicly, they receive little recognition, but they are rewarded when men greet them many years later with, “I remember what you said when I took my degree.”
Our Council is not just a group of men who meet twice a month and try to exemplify the virtues of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. Other councils in the state and throughout the nation that are limited to that model have not grown as ours has. Our Council has reached out to satisfy the legitimate needs of our members and their families.
Our Council is enhanced by a proliferation of related organizations that are a source of fulfillment to our members and their families, among which are the Columbian Ladies Guild, Ladies of the Knights, the Building Corporation, PG Columbian Federal Credit Union, Senior Citizens, the swimming pool association, softball, bowling, shuffleboard, pool, the Blood Donor Program, Catering, Right-to-Life, Bingo, Toastmasters, the Fourth Degree, and the Chapter of Grand Knights.
This is where Prince George’s Council stands today. Its membership has grown to make it the largest in the state of Maryland; its physical facilities are the finest in the state and among the finest of all Knights of Columbus councils. Most of all, it remains true to its original purpose—the family remains the key to all Council programs. Each is designed to help Catholic men enjoy a rich and rewarding religious and social life together with their wives and children.
So, as we continue to live those annual events that have become a part of our Council year, our first 50 years come to a close. We have had many opportunities to play the role of God’s instrument in applying His truths, both as individual Knights and as a Council. We have used these opportunities to our spiritual gain. It is our enduring hope that during the next 50 years we will continue to remember that as Knights, “… we are constantly observed, our faith judged, and our Order appreciated ….”