COUNCIL INFORMATION
Who We Are
The St Jude Council is a very vibrant and active council in our local community and the St Luke the Evangelist Parish. We are made up of Catholic brothers and their families who are committed to their Catholic faith and the principles of being a Knight of Columbus; Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. We only ask our members to do what they want to do, when they can do it. We are very, very flexible with schedules and we never pressure our members. We are very open to new ideas for events and we are always looking to improve the events we run.
What We Do
Here is a partial listing of our activities and involvement:
- The St Jude Open – an annual event to assist a family or an individual who are in dire financial need. In 2021 we assisted a single mother with stage 4 breast cancer and a husband with stage 4 brain cancer.
- People Helping People – assist the elderly or needy in the community with household tasks or small projects they can’t do or afford to have done for them.
- Food Pantry – providing holiday food baskets 3 times a year, manpower to unload incoming shipments and financial assistance.
- Parish – beautification projects in Plaistow and Newton and Knights serving as ushers, lectors, ministers, altar servers and on the finance and pastoral councils.
- Holy Angels Kindergarten – painting, small carpentry jobs and other tasks as needs arise.
- Seminarian Support – provide financial assistance to 4 seminarians.
- Blood Drives – two times a year in partnership with the Red Cross.
- Scholarships – award two scholarships yearly.
- Pro Life – we hold periodic pray sessions and rosaries for Respect Life and
we provide financial help to local pregnancy care centers. - Golf League, Family BBQ and Council Christmas party.
- Helping the Mentally and Physically Challenged – In our local community and in NH through our annual Tootsie Roll drive.
- Spiritual Reflection – We hold periodic spiritual reflections and rosaries.
The Beginning of our Council
The first interest in forming a council to support Holy Angels Parish and the Plaistow, Atkinson & Hampstead communities was recorded on April 22, 1969 in a letter from Supreme to Albert Giroux. It wasn't until 5 years later on June 13, 1974 that an organizational meeting was held at the Holy Angels Parish Center. The Council was chartered Sept 15, 1974 with 30 charter members. Norman Dumont served as our first Grand Knight.
Naming of the Council
Our Council is named after St. Jude of Thaddaeus, who is the Patron of Hopeless Causes. He was a brother of St. James the Less, and a relative of Our Savior. He preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Lybia. Saint Jude is invoked in desperate situations because his New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them. We came upon the name as follows:
On August 1st, 1974 the council voted on 7 different possible names for the council. From the initial vote, our Council would have been called Holy Angels Council, but it was decided that additional names would be submitted at an August 8th meeting. Again the same name was selected, but as fate would have it, an objection arose and a motion made to reconsider the naming of the Council. A final vote was taken with St. Jude Council, this time receiving the most votes!