Be a Knight in Catholic armor
Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published January 24, 2006
Shelby Twp. – Ronald Phipps says he put off joining the Knights of Columbus until he realized the Knights understand that fathers of young children can't always make it to meetings and events.
"I'd wanted to join for a while, but felt I didn't have the time to dedicate myself to it, so I put it on the back burner," says Phipps, 33, who joined St. John Vianney Council 11772 at St. John Vianney Parish in Shelby Township in December.
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Ronald Phipps, of Washington Township, joined St. JohnVianney Council 11772 of the Knights of Columbus inDecember at St. John Vianney Church, Shelby Township. | "But a brother-in-law, Dave Thieda, helped convince me that the Knights value your involvement, even if you have to fit it in with the demands of having a young family," he adds.
During its Feb. 25-26 membership drive, Knights will be on hand at all Masses in most churches of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Talk to one of them or call (313) 274-3223, or access www.mikofc.org for information about joining.
Phipps' enrollment night was the night before his wife's due date for their youngest child. "But the guys are great, and our grand knight, Carl Grewe, is a great guy, and he understood I might have to leave at any moment, Phipps says.
Actually, he made it through the ceremony without an emergency call, and Heather Phipps gave birth to their son, Connor, several days later. That makes three children for the Washington Township couple, joining another son, Nathan, 3, and a daughter, Veronica, 2.
"I'd been wanting to join a faith-based men's group as my next step in involvement with the Church – the kind of group where everybody has common values and goals in service to the Church – and I had several colleagues and friends and family members who are Knights," Phipps continues.
He says he already knew that Knights everywhere sell Tootsie Rolls to benefit developmentally disabled persons, and that the Knights at St. John Vianney had built all of the parish's religious education classrooms.
Something he didn't know before joining was how the Knights do things to help elderly Knights or their widows, Phipps says. And he says his council is helping a young family where the father died in his 30s, leaving six children.
K of C
The Knights of Columbus have:
- 70,150 members in Michigan;
- about 31,000 members in the Archdiocese of Detroit;
- 390 councils statewide;
- 125 councils in the archdiocese;
- Contributed $6 million statewide in charitable giving in 2005, plus millions of hours of volunteer service.
| For all the fund-raising the Knights do, "it's not all about money," Phipps says – "they also value members' donations of time and effort."
"They want you to be involved and to grow in the community," he adds.
Phipps says he believes his membership in the Knights has strengthened him spiritually, even in this short time. "It's made my values and beliefs stronger. When you talk with these guys, everything's positive. You know, you have your struggles raising a young family, and you're talking to guys who have been through the same thing," he says.
Other young men should consider joining the Knights, which accept Catholic men 18 and older, Phipps says.
"Instead of just going to church on Sunday and going home, you find there's a lot more to (being a faithful layman) than that. I think anybody who joins the Knights will see the same thing," he adds.
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