New charitable service organization formed at St. Mary of Gostyn Parish

Parishioners from St. Mary of Gostyn (SMG) in Downers Grove recently established a new council of the Knights of Columbus. This is the first time that SMG has had its own council; in the past men from the parish participated in Knights of Columbus councils sponsored by other Catholic churches.

"We decided to form our own council because we wanted to develop programs and events that will respond specifically to some of the needs of our parish, in addition to doing charitable works for the community at large," said Art Kraft, KoC Grand Knight and one of the founders of the new council.

SMG Council 16062 installed its inaugural group of officers on March 1 with a Mass and induction ceremony presided by Joliet Diocese's Auxiliary Bishop Joseph M. Siegel.

Some of the Council's upcoming activities include a food and clothing drive from March 7-22 for the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton, a St. Joseph's Table (dinner) event on March 19 at the parish, and assisting in the organization of the parish picnic in the fall. They also sponsor St. Mary of Gostyn's annual breakfast with St. Nicholas held every December.

With more than 16,000 councils and 1.8 million members from around the world, the Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. The first council was established in 1882 by the Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney at St. Mary's Catholic parish in New Haven, Connecticut. John F. Kennedy, Mike Ditka, Vince Lombardi, Babe Ruth, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, Speaker of the House John Boehner and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush are just a few of the famous past and present members of the Knights of Columbus. In 2013, the worldwide organization donated more than $170 million along with more than 70 million hours of charitable service to a variety of causes.

For more information about Knights of Columbus Council 16062 visit their website at

http://www.stmarygostyn.org/?page=MinistriesKoC

St. Mary of Gostyn is the oldest Catholic parish in Downers Grove, serving the area since 1891. Located in eastern Downers Grove at 445 Prairie Avenue, the parish was established by a small group of immigrants from Gostyn, Poland. Today the parish has more than 2,800 families for a total of 10,000 parishioners. More than 600 children attend its religious education classes and more than 500 students are enrolled in its grade school, which serves students from preschool to eighth grade. In addition, more than 100 ministries provide services to parishioners, the Downers Grove community and neighboring towns, states and countries. For more information about the parish and school, visit their website at http://www.stmarygostyn.org