Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden, will be honoring the Knights of Columbus at the agency’s 17th annual Justice for All Dinner and Awards Ceremony on Oct. 14 at Resorts Hotel in Atlantic City. The annual dinner honors those who have been exceptional in their works of charity and mercy and serves as a fundraiser, with all proceeds used for the vulnerable throughout the six counties of the Camden Diocese.
It is an appropriate year to recognize the efforts of the Knights of Columbus, particularly their leadership and contributions to Catholic Charities and other relief agencies throughout the pandemic, said Kevin Hickey, executive director of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden.
In April 2020, the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council provided an emergency $25,000 contribution to Catholic Charities’ food banks and distribution programs – a contribution made possible through the order’s newly established Leave No Neighbor Behind Fund, which has provided more than $1 million in grants to food banks across the U.S. and Canada.
Only two weeks prior, the fraternal organization announced plans to mobilize its 1.25 million U.S. members to help in more than 20 cities in 16 states and the District of Columbia.
This spirit of charity is, as Supreme Knight Carl Anderson described, “the order’s first principle and the basis for all we do as brother Knights.” The Knights of Columbus, on the local, state, national and international level, have stayed true to their devotion to charity – whether it’s feeding the hungry, carrying out innovative disaster relief programs, keeping children and families warm during winter months through clothing drives, or raising funds for persecuted religious minorities overseas.
Hickey reflected on the Knights’ contributions with gratitude. “The Knights of Columbus founder, Father McGivney, would be proud of his sons living the Knights’ heart for charity, serving those on the peripheries even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Knights have clearly been shaped by his legacy.”
He pointed to Father McGivney’s recent beatification as another reason to celebrate and honor the Knights. The child of Irish immigrants, Father McGivney was ordained in Baltimore in 1877 and served a largely Irish-American immigrant community, as well as widows, orphans and other vulnerable people. He was serving as a priest in Connecticut when he died of pneumonia in 1890, which new research suggests was caused by a coronavirus not unlike the source of the currently pandemic.
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden usually serves around 24,000 people annually, but since March of 2020, thousands more have found themselves seeking assistance, some for the first time – for food, housing assistance, mental health crises, bills, domestic violence situations and more. Throughout the pandemic, the staff of Catholic Charities continued to carry out their mission to serve those most in need, regardless of faith.
On a local level, Catholic Charities will also be honoring the work of five Disciples of Mercy awardees during the Justice for All Dinner and Awards Ceremony. The Disciples of Mercy awards were created in 2015 during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. They are given to one individual or small group from each deanery who carries out works of mercy, charity and justice in their own communities.
Noted Kevin Hickey, “By their example, our Disciples of Mercy honorees remind us that we are all summoned to the work of charity and selflessness. Everybody can do something to make the world just a bit nicer, less cold and more welcoming to those on the margins in our communities.”
All are welcome to submit a nomination for the Disciples of Mercy awards; nominations will be open until Aug. 30. For more information about the event, honorees and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.CatholicCharitiesCamden.org/JFA2021.
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