Knights of Columbus St. Matthew Council 10852

History

St. Matthew Council was established on April 1, 1992, by the Supreme Council and under the sponsorship of St. Vincent de Paul Council 9560. There were 74 charter members of the council and they elected James Nass as the council’s first Grand Knight.

Throughout the Council’s history its membership steadily increased and now stands at more than 440 Knights. Over the years the activities of our council clearly manifest the primary principle of the Knights of Columbus: In Service To One, In Service To All. The vision and leadership of the Council’s Grand Knights have directed the membership to accomplish many great things. What follows are summaries of some of the charitable works that Council 10852 has performed in its relatively brief history.

In conjunction with our ladies auxiliary the Columbiettes as well as our Squires Circle for boys 11 to 18, the Council supports the parish of St. Matthew both financially and in service. We have made contributions with a pledge to the building fund and other initiatives. We volunteer time, such as for parking control for Christmas and Easter and setting up the Christmas Crèche. Knights give prayer support to the parish by participating each week in Eucharistic Adoration. Over the years we have helped set-up and tear down for various parish celebrations.

Our Council also supports the community at large. Our LAMB (Least Among My Brethren) Foundation contributions to organizations that assist the intellectually disabled in our area have steadily increased over our history and now surpasses $60,000 a year. We provide Thanksgiving dinners to more than 100 families through the Sisters of Charity. At the Uptown Men’s Shelter in Charlotte we provide, prepare and serve a meal every month and through our Operation Exodus program we construct handicap-access ramps for the needy free of charge.

We have sponsored and presented two Broadway plays for the community at large – Late Nite Catechism and Sister’s Christmas Catechism. We serve fish dinners on Fridays in Lent. We prepare and serve a Family Breakfast each month. In December we provide a bonus and have St. Nicholas on hand to speak to the kids about the true meaning of Christmas.

We host family picnics on national holidays as well as an annual picnic for the St. Matthew altar servers and their families. We also support pro-life activities and the parishes SPRED (Special Religious Education) Ministry.

Grand Knights of Council 10852
James Nass 1992 -1993	Ed Switzer 2001 - 2003
Mike Brannon 1993 -1994	Joe Hughes 2003 - 2005
Charles Bowling 1995 - 1997	Greg Argenas 2005 - 2007
John Norton 1997 - 1999	Richard White 2007 - 2009
Tim Clare 1999 - 2001	Robert Desch 2009 -