COUNCIL INFORMATION
Short History of Father Edward Fox Council 6747
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The Father Edward Fox council was founded on December 14, 1975 in St. Mary's parish hall on Wilson Street. The council currently serves the parishes of: St. Mary's (Blacksburg); Holy Spirit (Christiansburg); Holy Family (Pearisburg), and All Saints (Floyd). The council is named after Father Edward Fox, the first circuit priest who rode from Charlottesville to Wytheville. He was the first pastor of St. Mary's in Wytheville. The council was the first chartered in Virginia west of Roanoke. There were 35 charter members from Christiansburg, Radford, Dublin, and Pulaski.
The council met in St. Mary's Parish Hall from 1975-1979 and in Windsor Hills Apartments Club House from 1979-1983. The current council home is located at 400 College Avenue in Christiansburg, Virginia. The Fourth Degree Assembly was established on July 12, 2001 and named in honor of Father James A. Burge, former pastor of St. Mary's Parsih in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Virginia Tech Raffle Ticket Sales at Kroger
As part of their annual fund raising activities, the Father Fox Council sells raffle tickets for the Virginia Tech Football season tickets. A special thanks goes out to the following Brothers: Frank Gwazdauskas; Bert Rodriguez; Joe Mukuni; Dennis Jones; Bill Murray; Sam Swindell; Asa Weber; Tim Leake and Nelson Carey. These Brothers conducted a successful raffle sale at the Krogers on Main Street in Blacksburg on Saturday, June 20th from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm bad weather and all. A total of $323.00 worth of tickets were sold or $40.00 an hour. This is the first of many organizied raffle ticket sales. Stay tuned!
40 Can's or $40 for Lent
Through the leadership of our Financil Secretary, Brother Nelson Carey, council 6747 organized the 40 cans or $40 for Lent program at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Blacksburg. The council accepted donations of can goods as well as financial donations to benefit the St. Mary's Caring Closet. A check for $733.00 and over 300lbs. of canned goods was presented to Father Remi Sojka, Pastor of St. Mary's.
Martyrs of Christ the King Reliquary
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Throught the efforts of our Chaplain Sir Knight Reverend John Prinelli (Deceased 2012) and by special arrangement of the Knights of Columbus Father Edward Fox Council 6747 and the Father James A. Burge Assembly 2707 of Montgomery, Giles, and Floyd counties, the Martyrs of Christ the King Reliquary visited Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Christiansburg, Virginia from April 18-21, 2013. This precious reliquary was commissioned by the Knights of Columbus to be presented at Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in Mexico on Sunday, March 25, 2012. It contains relics of 25 saints and 13 blesssed-including six saints and three blessed who were members of the Order of the Knights of Columbus who were martyred during the persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico in the 1920's. The story of the martyrdom of one of the saints - Father Jose Maria Robles Hurtado - was told in the movie, For Greater Glory, which premiered in theaters throughout the United States and Mexico in Spring 2012.
Knights of Columbus Religious Freedom Essay Contest
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In their annual contest, three students were named local champions of the 2014 Knights of Columbus Essay Contest in grade 8 from Blacksburg. Father Edward Fox Council 6747 in Blacksburg, Virginia sponsored the contest at St. John Neumann Academy.
Each contestant wrote their essays on the theme of: What is the Responsibility of a Catholic Citizen in a Free Society? The winners were 8th graders Olivia Wharton, Hannah Fleenor, and Meigs Helms. As the overall contest winner, Olivia Wharton’s essay will represent District #25 of the Knights of Columbus at the state level contest.
The goal of the Knights of Columbus Essay Contest is to give students the opportunity to define the role of a Catholic citizen in a free society, and to strengthen the bond between the Knights of Columbus and their local Catholic schools.
Each of these winners were awarded a certificate and monetary award on Tuesday, January 27, 2015 during a Catholic Schools Week assembly at St. John Neumann Academy.
Local Knights of Columbus Ask Students to Show How to “Keep Christ in Christmas.”
Blacksburg, Virginia – Knights of Columbus Father Edward Fox Council 6747 invited students at St. John Neumann Academy from ages 5 through 14 to participate in the organizations international “Keep Christ in Christmas” poster contest.
The contest was conducted locally with winning entries advancing to the district and then state, national and international levels. The winning entries will serve as the basis for a series of new Christmas posters that encourages a deeper understanding of the holiday. Posters were 11x17 and reflected the theme of Keep Christ in Christmas.
The 2014-2015 Keep Christ in Christmas poster contest winners were: Lily Kennedy 1st place 5-7 division; Addision McSorley 2nd place; Christopher Kaatz 1st place 8-10 division; Rusel Steele 2nd place; Jessa Braak 1st place 11-14 division; and IIy Fleenor 2nd place.
Each of these winners were awarded a certificate and monetary award on Tuesday, January 27, 2015 during a Catholic Schools Week assembly at St. John Neumann Academy. The first place winners advanced to the district level where Christopher Kaatz and Jessa Braak were selected to advance to the state level contest for their age divisions.
Knights of Columbus Buy Ultrasound Machine for Valley Women's Clinic
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Local Knights of Columbus Councils 6747 of Christiansburg and 11693 of Radford joined together with St. John Neumann Academy, Blacksburg to raise $23,888 to help Valley Womans Clinic in Radford purchse a new Ultrasound machine and services. The Supreme of Knights of Columbus contributed matching funds as a major part of the donation to cover the entire cost. Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo blessed the machine on May 15, 2014.
Knights Helping Knights
During the Spring of 2014, the Knights of Columbus Council 6747 and the St. John Neumann Academy Knights developed a program named Knights Helping Knights. This program is a collaboration between the Knights and SJNA where the students participate in Service Projects. PGK Claude Steele met with 7th and 8th grade students to discuss What the Knights of Columbus are and the importance of the use and support of ultrasound machines during one of their religion classes. The students raised funds by selling hot dogs in support of the purchase of an ultrasound machine for the Pregnancy Resource Center (Valley Womens Clinic) in Radford.