By Caroline Powers
Contributing Writer
The St. Bonaventure Knights of Columbus (K of C) Fr. Thomas Plassmann Council welcomed five new inductees to its chapter this past Sunday.
The group held a private ceremony at the University Chapel at 4:30 p.m. as the inductees made their First Degrees, which is Charity. There are four degrees of Knighthood. Each degree of the Knights of Columbus exemplifies one of the four Principles of the Order. The other degrees of the group are Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. Unity is the “membership degree” and to reach full knighthood, members must also complete the third and fourth degrees, Fraternity and Patriotism. The fourth degree, Unity, is different in that it functions at the regional level and is separate and associated with colorful capes, chapeaux, and sabers.
Freshmen Ethan Kibbe and Bill Fried, and sophomores Jonathan Weber, Zach Schute and Rob Allen officially joined the Knights of Columbus. There are about 30 Knights in the student body. Jason Damon, a junior history major, is the Grand Knight, and Mike Specht, also a junior history major, is the Deputy Grand Knight.
The St. Bonaventure University Kinights Council began in 1960 under the leadership of Father Malachy Wall. Originally named the Sons of Columbus, the K of C members decided that “Knights” was a more appropriate name for what they wanted to group to be, Damon said.
The national group officially obtained corporate status on March 29, 1882, according to the Official Knights of Columbus website.
More than 130 years later, the group is on the front lines in terms of serving the Church, defending the faith, forming a brotherhood of committed men and performing charitable acts. Before the First Degree Ceremony, most of the Knights at St. Bonaventure did community service at the Warming House for two hours. The Knights also do community activities such as trips to nursing homes and clothing drives, Specht said.
Today, the Knights continue to be the “strong right arm of the Church,” as said by St. John Paul II. Two million members strong worldwide, members of the K of C perform millions of hours of volunteer service and donate millions of dollars to charity every year.
Councils locally tend to be based in parishes (there is a council in both Allegany and Olean) as well as colleges around the country. The councils are sources of fraternal brotherhood, charitable outreach and catechesis.
“This is a great group to be a part of with over two million Knights worldwide,” Specht said. “It’s a great and humbling feeling to be a part of something greater than yourself. But it is not just about the unity, for being charitable towards others is the main goal.”
