Growing up, Ken Cutugno’s baseball and football coaches were both Knights of Columbus, and he recalls seeing them in their 4th Degree uniforms at Mass on Christmas and Easter.
“It is something I saw myself doing at some time in my life,” says Cutugno, a member of Holy Trinity Parish, Margate. “But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
His parents instilled in him the importance of serving the community and helping those in need, and modeled that behavior for him from a young age.
“Whether it’s mentoring young men, doing charitable work, fundraising, fixing things at someone’s house, or providing for someone in genuine need, I am always willing to help, just like my dad,” said Cutugno, who is now a 4th Degree member of Knights Council 7316 and district deputy for Atlantic County. “The Knights of Columbus do all these things, and give me a means to do these things in the name of charity, unity and fraternity, with no misconceptions, or the thought of an ulterior motive.”
Cutugno is one of many men serving his parish and local community through the Knights of Columbus across the Diocese of Camden. Today’s Knights support their local and global communities – and the Church – through a wide range of initiatives, while supporting men in their faith journeys. As councils seek to grow their membership, they are also working to spread the word to young men who might be interested in joining.
“We are the largest Catholic fraternity in the world,” said Joseph Mendo, deputy grand knight for Council 3546 and a member of Saint John Neumann Parish, North Cape May. “We always do membership drives to accept all Catholic men of all ages.”
Mendo emphasized efforts to recruit new members “so that we can continue to help our communities and churches all over the world.”
“Knights of Columbus are designed to serve others. We are your everyday normal gentlemen. We are sons, fathers, husbands and grandfathers,” he said. “We walk together as strong Catholic men. We rely on our faith. We support our priests, church and community.”
Daniel Gilliam is a district deputy from Cape May County, and a fellow member of Council 3546 at Saint John Neumann Parish. He joined in 2011, and is the current retention chairman for the Diocese of Camden.
“I was looking to strengthen my relationship with my parish as well as to understand the needs of my community, and see what I could do to [meet] those needs,” he said. “The Knights of Columbus provided a slew of opportunities to do that.”
Of the KOC principles of charity, unity and fraternity, Gilliam sees unity as the most prominent.
“No matter what age you are – 20, 50 or 70 – we all come together for the purpose of providing, whether for the parish or for a community,” he said. “That mission of unity is something everyone should experience. Just imagine what one person can do, but imagine when 20 come together and what can be done.”
In his council, those unified efforts have manifest in projects that have yielded more than 11,000 donated children’s coats, more than 150,000 pounds of donated food, the preparation of more than 250 meals on Thanksgiving, and a range of other supports to those most in need – including housing assistance, clothing and job opportunities.
Beyond Gilliam’s Council, Knights in other parishes across the Diocese have helped provide mobility equipment for members in need, hosted virtual meetings to engage with seniors during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, and send relief packages to Ukraine.
Don Olbrich became a member of Liberty Council 1910, in Holy Cross Parish, Bridgeton, in 2011, and is the diocesan membership chairman. He was originally asked in the 1980s to join, but held off because he had a young family and was busy building his career.
“As I look back now, I wish I had taken that opportunity to join when I was younger,” Olbrich said. “I have always been active in my parish, but the Knights provide you so much more to become a bigger asset to your parish.”
Another benefit, he said, is the friendships that are formed. “With nearly two million members, the Knights are dedicated to promoting and holding charitable events, assisting in natural disasters, the sick and needy, and promoting our Catholic faith,” he said. “That is why I feel the Knights of Columbus are so important today.”
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