St. Elizabeth Council 8747 is affiliated with the San Jose Chapter. The Chapter consists of a group of Councils in the immediate vicinity within Diocese of San Jose. We are involved in a multitude of activities and we would like to share some of them with you now so that you can have an idea as to what is available to you now so that you can actively participate and become a viable member of the Council and the Knights of Columbus.

MEETING SCHEDULES

For the Council, meetings are held on the first Monday of the Month, Member meeting are right after the Officer's meeting.

The Council's Quarterly Family Pot Luck Socials and Awards Night are held on the 3rd Monday of September, December, March, and June.

For the Assembly, the Officers' meeting is held on the second Monday of the month while the members meet is right after officer's meeting

WEB SITE

Back in 2004, one of the members of our Council got an idea that he would like to create a website so that information about the Council and the Knights of Columbus could be made available for all to view. As a result of this effort, http://www.kofc8747.org was created.

As the web site has grown and matured, so has the number of viewers who have stopped by to view its contents, download its articles, and be directed by its links to Catholic related topics. For a Council who is in a Division III level, our web site has over 70,000 visitors a year and the number is increasing each year.

We urge you to consult this web site for news and information relating to both the Council and the Assembly. In addition to being able to read or download our monthly newsletters and calendars, the web site holds a wealth of information as to the activities of both the Council and Assembly in addition to links to Supreme's and the state of California's KofC website.

SOME OF OUR COUNCIL'S ACTIVITIES

These are just some of the activities that our Council does. We invite your suggestions as to activities that will help us as an organization to achieve our mission of service to the membership, our families, and the community at large.

Columbian Foundation Supporting PWID (People With Intellectual Disabilities)

One of the major yearly fund raisers we conduct is done in accordance with the San Jose Chapter, raising funds for our local high school’s program that assists in educating those children with intellectual disabilities. This fund raising drive is held in the September/October time frame and requires that each member of the Council be prepared to give some time to its success.

Our efforts in this endeavor come home to us in a most personal way when these very same students from Milpitas High School put on a social for us and thank us by reading some very personal letters. For those of us who have participated in the PWID Program, this can be a very heart rendering event.

BASKETBALL FREE THROW CONTEST

Usually scheduled in the February/March timeframe, the Basketball Free Throw Contest is a Knights of Columbus, nation wide, event that is open to all boys and girls from the ages of 10 years through 15 years of age. Participants can advance from local to chapter to regional and even national competitions. There is no cost to the participants.

 

CHAPTER DINNERS

Our Council also hosts the dinner meeting of the St. Joseph Chapter. The Chapter is made up of Councils in Santa Clara County. The attendees at these meetings are usually a council’s Grand Knight, Deputy Grand Knight, and one other member.

BLOOD DRIVES

Our Council, under the chairmanship of Brother Dick Jones, conducts 3 blood drives in cooperation with the Stanford Blood Center . Sign ups are taken 4 weeks prior to the scheduled event from both Council members and parishioners of St. Elizabeth.

 

FOOD DRIVES

Three times a year, our Council conducts food drives to assist the needy of our immediate area. These food drives are held at Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. In the past, these events were chaired by Brother Joe Byrne . Assistance from the members of the council is requested in order to sort and bag the donated food items.

 

 

CHRISTMAS CARDS

During the month of November, our Council participates in the Keep Christ in Christmas program of being one of the only organizations in Santa Clara County where you can purchase Christmas cards that express the REAL reason for the season. Members are asked to participate during those periods between the Masses to assist in the selling of the cards. Currently, our cards are available in English and Spanish.

 

THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDATION

The Wheelchair Foundation was not founded by the Knights of Columbus but it is an organization with whom the Knights of Columbus have partnered up with to raise funds for the purchase of wheelchairs for the many multiple hundreds of thousands of less fortunate people through the world who have been ravaged by disease and pestilence because of inadequate or complete lack of medical care.

Funds raised by the Knights of Columbus are matched so that your individual or group gift gets double the purchasing power to buy wheelchairs. More information can be found on our website.

ALTAR SERVER RECOGNITION

As the school year comes to an end, our Council makes an effort to honor those youth of our parish who have heeded the call to ministry and have actively participated as Altar Servers at the Masses. We make sure we recognize all of the Masses including the Vietnamese and Spanish languages Masses. The recognition is to let our young people know that we appreciate their efforts and hopefully encourage others to listen to the silent but continuous call that God makes to all of us to partake in service to our community.

 

 

 

QUARTERLY FAMILY POTLUCK DINNERS

In addition to being one of the largest fraternal organizations in the world, the Knights of Columbus is also a family organization. One of the activities that we conduct at the end of every calendar quarter is the Quarterly Family Potluck Dinners. At these events, we make it an effort to recognize those individual Knights and Families through the awards of Knight of the Month and Family of the Month.

BOY SCOUT TROOP 110

St. Elizabeth Council holds the Charter for Boy Scout Troop 110. We support the Boy Scouts in their effort to promote leadership, and an environment in which young boys can mature into productive citizens. Some of the members of St. Elizabeth Council have attained the highest honor in the Boy Scout program, that of the position of Eagle Scout.

While Troop 110 meets at a different location, we provide them the kitchen, equipment, and rooms from which to hold fund raising pancake breakfasts.

TEEN SPAGHETTI FEED

At the annual Teen Spaghetti Feed, our Council provides a check to the St. Elizabeth Teen Group to assist them in the costs associated with their annual retreat. The Spaghetti Feed is a great family oriented program that gives the teens the opportunity to put their best organizational foot forward as well as serve up a delicious spaghetti dinner along with a raffle of donated prizes. The proceeds that the Teens raise at their Spaghetti Feed goes to defray costs associated with their annual retreat.

THE CHAPTER CRAB FEED

The St. Joseph Chapter Crab Feed is held once a year for a very specific purpose Yes, everyone who attends gets their fill of fresh Dungeness crab but the end goal of this Chapter wide fund raiser is to provide funds for the Bishop’s CCD Fund which are presented to our Bishop at the, you guessed it, Bishop’s CCD Dinner. We provide the DJ for the Crab Feed.

RELAY FOR LIFE

Under the chairmanship of Brother and SK Skip Yenchik , both the Council and Assembly participate in getting team members together who in turn raise funds for cancer research. This event is held once a year at the Milpitas Sports Complex and involves participants to walk around a track for a period of time. There are other very inspiring ceremonies that recognize those who have survived cancer as well as for those whom cancer has claimed.

VOCATIONS

The Knights of Columbus are in the forefront for promoting vocations. Our Council along with all of the other Councils of the San Jose Chapter and Assemblies financial support to assist seminarians in their quest for the priesthood.

On our web site, we have dedicated a page that specifically addresses vocations by pointing out some of the many paths one can follow when replying to their call to enter the religious life.

PRO-LIFE

There is an old expression that we save the best for last. This was evidenced by Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding feast at Cana. There, he turned water into wine. As we recall the words of scripture, after performing this miracle, he instructed the servants to take some of the wine and present it to the chief wine Stewart. Upon tasting it, he went to the groom and said, “Most of the time, the good wine is served first. After people have had their fill, the lesser vintage is served. You saved the better vintage for last.”

Of all of the efforts, movements, talent, and treasure that the Knights of Columbus can muster, none has more importance than to defeat the horrors and the consequences of the misnamed and misdirected “Pro-Choice” movement.

One of the items that take place at all of the Council meetings is a event called, The Good of The Order. During this part of the meeting, a collection is taken up for various charities that our Council contributes money to. One of these charities is the Juan Diego Society which assists girls who have become pregnant and who have elected to carry their fetuses to terms and not have them aborted.

The Knights of Columbus considers the issue of life so sacred and important that the position of Pro-Life Chairman is a part of our Council. This chairman keeps track of activities where the forces of abortion are trying to achieve their goals and reports on it so members can reply.

So, what about you. If you have made this far in the Handbook for new members, you have a pretty wide array of choices to make as far as being an active participant in our Council, the St. Joseph Chapter, and the Knights of Columbus at large. Remember that you must go to the event, no events are going to come to you or wait for you to make up your mind.

An involved Knight is a person who receives many blessings. Don't sit on the sidelines idle, become involved. You will be glad you did.