2010-11 Outstanding College Council Award

Georgetown University Council 6375, Washington, D.C.

Knight of Columbus councils throughout the Order are called to work as “the strong right arm of the Church” and to continue the legacy started 128 years ago by Venerable Father Michael McGivney.

College Knights know that this is their mission; and, despite being faced with many obstacles, their challenge is to foster a culture of life on their campus and strive, by their actions, to build a civilization of love.
An outstanding college council not only knows and accepts these challenges, but faces this task with a sense of dedication and determination that elevates the entire Order and promotes a new Catholic evangelization on its campus.

While many college councils demonstrated impressive achievements this year, to be named Outstanding College Council is an exceptional distinction; and it requires exemplary achievement across the spectrum of program categories. This year’s winner demonstrated a strong commitment to community service, social justice activism and spiritual formation.

Recognizing that the Blessed Sacrament is the “source and summit of the Christian life,” these brother Knights organized 24-hour Eucharistic adoration on first Fridays during the academic year. They have used devotion to the Blessed Sacrament to foster brotherhood among council members by organizing fraternal dinners after adoration. These brother Knights also established a regular program called “Massketball” – as the name suggests, they gather for Mass and then play basketball together.
Demonstrating a commitment to charity, these brother Knights partnered with a local church to minister to the homeless. Starting at 5:00 AM on Saturday mornings, council members brought meals and coffee to the homeless throughout their city. They also volunteered with Hands on Housing, a local charity that renovates and repairs dilapidated apartments for low-income families.

To contribute to the intellectual life of their campus, these brother Knights established the McGivney Lecture Series. Featured speakers included Dr. Robert Moynihan, founding editor of Inside the Vatican, and Jesuit Father Ronald Murphy, who offered catechesis on the parts of the Mass. These Knights also continued to organize and host an annual conference – the Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life – which features lectures and discussions with prominent pro-life speakers and bioethicists.

These men embody Father McGivney’s founding vision for the Knights of Columbus, to care for families in distress. They organized a Christmas party for single mothers and their children at a local pregnancy care center. Every month, they volunteered at local grocery stores to collect donations and diapers for this pregnancy center, providing more than 1,000 diapers each month for needy families.

In recognition of their exemplary accomplishments and service, 2011 Outstanding College Council Award was presented to Council 6375 at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.