News & Announcements

DID YOU KNOW...?

Knights Of Columbus Council 2544, Dunellen, NJ
Did you know worldwide ...?

 - The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney, who was beatified in 2020 after officially having 1 miracle attributed to him by Pope Francis.
- The Knights of Columbus has 15,900 councils and 2 million members
- In 2019 the Knights raised and distributed over $185 mil. and contributed 76 mil. volunteer hours
- Our life insurance program has $22 billion in assets and 41 consecutive years with A++ rating (highest possible)
- Our life insurance program invests only with companies that are true to Catholic values
- Global charities include; Special Olympics, Global Wheelchair Mission, Habitat For Humanity, Right To Life, K of C Ultrasound Initiative, K of C Disaster Relief, Veterans Programs, Christian Refugee Relief, and K of C Vicarius Christi Fund (The Pope's good works), among others.
- In 1954 the Knights successfully lobbied the President and Congress to have the words "UNDER GOD" added to The Pledge Of Allegiance.


Did you know the Dunellen Council 2544 ...?
- Our council serves Our Lady of Fatima and St. John The Evangelist parishes. In addition, our Fourth Degree Assembly 1775 also serves Our Lady of Mt. Virgin and St. Francis Cabrini parishes.
- Our council was chartered on Oct. 8, 1924 and our Assembly was chartered on Aug 12, 1978.
- Our primary fundraising activities are Lenten Fish Fries, Sunday Breakfasts, Right To Life Rose Drive, collection for people with disabilities, and raffle games at our council home.
- In 2020 we supported our parishes with donations totaling almost $4,000 despite pandemic related restrictions on our fundraising events.
- In 2020 we also made donations to our seminarians to help offset their education costs.
- We supplied, cooked, and served food at a picnic reception for our seminarians to celebrate their ordination as Transitional Deacons in August.
- We organized and led a prayer service for police officers and first responders in October in Washington Memorial Park in Dunellen.
- We held successful blood drives in August and October.
- We donated 24 new winter coats through the K of C Coats For Kids program.


We welcome Catholic men over the age of 18 to join our organization and help us serve our parishes and community. Talk to any Brother Knight, email us at koc2544_dunellen@yahoo.com, or visit our website kofc2544.com. 

Prayer Service for Law Enforcement Officers

On October 4th the Knights of Columbus Council 2544 held a prayer service for Law Enforcement Officers. The event was held in Washington Memorial Park in Dunellen. Attendees included members of the Dunellen Police Department and other Dunellen first responders, elected officials including Mayor Jason...members of the Knights of Columbus, representatives of The American Legion and VFW, scouts, and many families and grateful citizens.

 

The event was not a demonstration or rally but an opportunity to show gratitude and respect to law enforcement officers. Mayor Jason Cilento led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance, Knight of Columbus member Jeff Marren led one decade of the Holy Rosary, and Knight Harry Buttito led the crowd in reciting the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, Patron Saint of Police Officers. Grand Knight Jim Whelan reminded everyone that the words “under God” were not part of the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954 when President Eisenhower and Congress approved the addition after being petitioned by the Knights of Columbus to do so.

FISH AND CHIPS DINNER

Our Fish and Chips Dinner was held on Saturday, September 26, at The Columbian Club. The event was planned to run from 4:00PM to 7:00PM. We had such a large turn-out that we were forced to close at 6:15 because we ran out of food! Thank you to all who purchased meals and our apologies to our supporters that wanted to partake but were turned away. The event far exceeded our expectations. We had limited outdoor dining but the majority of meals purchased were take out. Thank you to all brothers who came to help. It was fun to finally have an opportunity get back together to work, have some laughs, and enjoy the company of brothers. 

Council 2544 holds reception for our Seminarians

An outdoor barbeque reception was held for our new Deacons Ariel Bautista and Greg Zannetti  August 2nd at Our Lady of Fatima. Both Seminarians served at Our Lady of Fatima, Ariel during the summer of 2019 and Greg during the summer of 2020. They were ordained as Transitional Deacons by Bishop Checchio the previous week. Both Deacons were given gifts of $500 to help defray their education expenses. Our council set up, purchased, prepared and served the food, and did the cleanup. Thank you to the many brothers who helped out. Our new Deacons, Father Paul, and parishioners were very pleased with the event. A number of parishioners mentioned that this was the first time they had been out in the company of others and were grateful to the Knights for supplying a safe environment for this celebration. Please continue to pray for these two young men, and for our new member Tony Echezona as they continue to study for the priesthood. Also please pray for our brother Jacinto Fernandes as he studies to become a Permanent Deacon. 

 

Field Agent Information

Our Field Agent is Mr. Michael Garofalo, FICF. 

732-397-4365

michael.garofalo@kofc.org

 

Call Mr. Garofalo with any questions about your life insurance needs or financial planning.

Columbian Award for Council 2544

On September 18 district Deputy Art Troccoli presented THE COLUMBIAN AWARD to Past Grand Knight Dr. Tom Connors for our accomplishments in the 2018-2019 year. Congratulations Dr. Tom for a job well done. We thank you for your leadership and guidence as Grand Knight these past 2 years.

Fund Drive for Individuals with Special Needs

Members of Council 2544 collected money for individuals with special needs on the weekend of September 28-29 at local Quick Checks, Piscataway Wal Mart, and at the intersection of Grove St. and Prospect Avenue. We collected a total of $3,006.76 for the weekend. On the weekend of October 5-6 we collected before and after all Masses at Our Lady of Fatima Church. That collection raised an additional $1,722 giving us a total of $4,728.72. On the weekend of 10/19-10/20 we collected $407 in cash plus loose change. 

After coin and all donations were counted we collected $5,335.03. I am very pleased with the result and very appreciative of the help. Special thanks to co- chair Alan Kulig who worked almost every shift over 3 weekends. Others also contributed multiple shifts. Hopefully more brothers will help next year so we can beat this result.

 

Money collected is distributed to Special Olympics, Arc of Union County, Arc of Middlesex County, and the For Keeps Program at St. Peter's Hospital. Thank you to all brothers who gave their time for this collection. Special thanks also to brother Don Florek for scheduling Wal Mart and brother Stan Sudol for scheduling Quick Checks.

 

Eyes For The Needy

Knights of Columbus Council 2544 donates 684 Pairs of Eyeglasses for the Needy

 

During the month of July, the Knights of Columbus Council 2544 collected 684 pairs of used eyeglasses for donation to New Eyes for the Needy.  This Millburn based group sorts, measures, refurbishes, and distributes prescription eyeglasses to those unable to afford them.  Since beginning collection in 2017, the Knights of Columbus have collected over 1,500 pairs of eyeglasses.  If you have old pairs of glasses that you would like to donate, there is a receptacle in front of the Council Hall (647 Grove St., Dunellen, NJ) and in the narthex of Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church (501 New Market Rd., Piscataway, NJ).

 

Special thanks to brother Alan Kulig for coordinating this important program.

 

SEMINARIAN BARBEQUE

On August 2, 2019 Knights of Columbus Council 2544 worked with Rev. Father Paul DaSilva, Pastor of Our Lady Of Fatima Church in Piscataway, on a special event for the Seminarians of the Diocese of Metuchen. The afternoon started with a Holy Hour for Vocations at Our Lady Of Fatima Church from 5PM to 6PM. This was attended by 13 seminarians along with some parishioners. After the Holy Hour, seminarians, priests, and guests went to the rectory lawn to enjoy a barbecue dinner purchased, prepared, and served by the Knights of Columbus. It was an evening of good food and fellowship.

We enjoyed meeting and getting to know these young men. Many of these men are already members of the Knights of Columbus and they were most appreciative of the Holy Hour and also the opportunity to share the company of each other, the priests in attendance, and their brother Knights. As our Seminarians left at the end of the evening, they were very grateful and also asked us to pray for them. We promised to do so.


The Knights of Council 2544 are delighted and proud of the opportunity to play a role in this special evening. We hope to make this Holy Hour and barbecue an annual event.