From Frances Sack

Middletown, Ohio……On Saturday, March 10 the Middletown Knights of Columbus Council 1610 will celebrate 100 years of serving the Middletown and area community with a Mass and dinner for their members and guests. During this year there will be many activities that will focus on their history, but also the history of the organization in the United States dating back to 1881 when the Knights of Columbus began.

On Oct. 2, 1881 a group of men met in the basement of St. Mary’s Church on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut. Called together by their 29-year-old parish priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, these men formed a fraternal society that would one day become the world’s largest Catholic family fraternal service organization. They sought strength in solidarity and security through unity of purpose and devotion to a holy cause: they vowed to be defenders of their country, their families and their faith.

These men were bound together by the ideals of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the Americas, the one whose hand brought Christianity to the New World. Their efforts came to fruition with the incorporation of the Knights of Columbus on March 29, 1882... they were the Knights of Columbus.

The Order has been called "the strong right arm of the Church" and has been praised by popes, presidents and other world leaders for support of the Church, programs of evangelization and Catholic education, civic involvement and aid to those in need.

Father McGivney’s founding vision for the Order also included a life insurance program to provide for the widows and orphans of deceased members. The Order’s insurance program has expanded substantially to serve more effectively the Knights’ growing membership.

Year after year, the Knights of Columbus has earned the highest possible quality ratings for financial soundness from outside ratings agencies. The Order provides the highest quality insurance, annuity and long-term care products to its members, along with many other fraternal benefits.

The Supreme Council is the governing body of the Knights of Columbus and is responsible for the development of the organization as a whole. Supreme Council duties include establishing the Order in new regions and setting up regional authorities, defining and advancing its values and goals, undertaking organization-wide initiatives, promoting awareness of the Knights’ mission worldwide, and protecting the families of members through its extensive insurance program. Members working in local or subordinate councils, however, carry on the majority of the Knights’ beneficial work.

The Middletown Council of the Knights of Columbus began as a church club known as the “Young Men’s Society of the Holy Trinity School”. As the club grew, two of its members, C.B. Niederlander and Emmett A. Meehan, members of a K of C council in a neighboring city, suggested that Middletown should have a council of its own. A petition requesting the institution of a council in Middletown was submitted to the K of C Supreme Council and the charter was granted on March 10, 1912.

The first meeting of Middletown Council 1610 was held on Thursday, March 14, 1912 in the Holy Trinity School hall. The primary objective of this first meeting was the installation of the newly elected officers beginning with C.B. Niederlander as Grand Knight. Other officers installed were: Ed Kramer, William J. Miles, Albert S. Fenzel, Frank E. Daly, Harry Williams, Jr., John F. Galeese, Thomas Sullivan, Charles I. Christman, Jones Cahill, John D. Christ, Thomas J. Galeese, and John Auer. In charge of the installation was M.O. Burns, County Deputy, Knights of Columbus.

A few years after the founding of Middletown Council 1610, the membership outgrew the space it was using in Holy Trinity School and rented rooms for its headquarters on the third floor of the American Trust and Savings Building at the NE corner of Main and Central. After several degree installations and highly successful social events, the membership grew so much that a larger place was needed for the council activities. This was obtained when the purchase was made of the large house across the street from the St. John property on First Avenue.

It was the old Hugh Vail house, known as Hillcrest, and was purchased in late 1919 from the estate of William C. Crane, the last owner, after a very successful subscription drive by the council. On January 1, 1920 an open house was held for the public and in July 1921 the membership authorized the building of an auditorium complete with stage and scenery on the south end of the structure. This then became one of the largest and best equipped dance halls in the area.

For over 80 years this building served as the home and meeting hall for K of C Council 1610 and a great gathering place for many public and private functions for all of Middletown. Due to increased operating expenses and decreased revenue from social activities, bingo and rental of the auditorium, the building was reluctantly sold in 2001.

The first principle of the Order of Knights of Columbus is charity, and Council 1610 has a long and generous history of giving, physically as well as financially. But, in order to give financial aid you have to have funds to give and the K of C has used various ways to raise money for their philanthropic endeavors. An early fund raiser was a “Minstrel Show”, very popular at the time, organized and put on by the K of C members themselves. An entry from the minutes of a 1914 council meeting shows $200 income from the minstrels. In 1917 the K of C sponsored a baseball team and allocated funds to buy balls and shirts, but after each game they had to be returned to the council! During World War I our council donated over $1800 to the national K of C war fund.

At the August 1, 1923 meeting a motion was adopted that a Boy Scout committee be empowered to organize a troop to be under the auspices of the council. Thus began the K of C sponsorship of scouting that started with Troop 7 in 1924 and continues to this day with Troop 20 and Cub Pack 22. In the austere 30’s and the war years of the 40’s money was being raised by raffles, dances, dinners, the annual 4th of July Festival and other social events.

During World War II, the Knights held dances for men and women in the armed forces and time and money was generously given to the USO and the Red Cross. In the 50’s thru the late 90’s the principal revenue generator for the K of C was Bingo. The biggest share of this went to our church's schools to fund their athletic programs. In the years 1959-62 the K of C gave over $15,000 as well as a considerable amount of time and energy to help build Bishop Fenwick’s football stadium and to buy equipment for other sports.

The giving still goes on. They still host an essay contest for 8th and 12th graders, donate funds to St. Vincent de Paul and Vacation Bible School, provide manpower for The Salvation Army and Measure Up collections. They sponsor a seminarian from our diocese until he’s ordained. This past year they were instrumental in raising money to purchase a $40,000 4D ultrasound unit for the pregnancy center here in Middletown. Middletown Knights of Columbus Council #1610’s motto is… Charity…it’s what we do.

If you would like to learn more about Middletown Knights of Columbus Council #1610, please go to their website: www.council1610.org.