Knights of Columbus Gastonia, N.C.

Welcome to the Knights of Columbus St Gregory Council 6700 website. This is our home on the Internet. Here you will find the latest news and information about us. Please take a moment to visit the online Calendar for upcoming events and our News page for featured articles. We hope you enjoy your visit and encourage you to check back often for updates.

Council 6700 received their charter from the Supreme Council on June 1, 1975. The council has met at St. Michael's since its inception, at first at the school and presently at the Parish Center. During the council's first year of LAMB they collected $2,968.00. Since 1981 gross collections have only been below $10,000.00 once and the best year was 1991 when $21,728.00 was collected. The total council collections through 1998 is $301,452.00.

The council's first major council activity was the restoration of St. Joseph's Church in Mt. Holly. St. Joseph is the oldest Catholic Church in the state and had not been occupied for many years. Members refurbished gravesites and other Church related properties. After the work was completed the Bishop held a Mass at the church. Since then Council 11076 has been keeping the Church in repair.

On June 1, 2007 the council celebrates its 32nd anniversary.

The St. Gregory Council is located at St Michael's Church, at 708 St. Michael Lane in Gastonia, N.C. The Grand Knight for 2007/8 is Roger Shepard. You can contact the Knights by using the contact form located on this site..

Business meetings are held the 1^st Monday of the month at 7:30pm in the Parish Center at St. Michael’s Catholic Church located at 708 St. Michaels Lane, Gastonia, NC and our monthly socials are held on the 3^rd Saturday of each month following the 5 PM Mass in the same place as the business meeting

The Knights of Columbus is a charitable, fraternal organization of Catholic men, 18 or older. The main characteristics are charity both in terms of dollars and time, unity, fraternity and patriotism.
The Knights of Columbus is the worlds largest lay Catholic family service organization. As their forebears did more than a century ago, today’s Knights and their families stand shoulder to shoulder in support of one another. Through their charity and the examples of their lives, they stand in service to all as witnesses to the Good News of the Gospel.

Although the Order is a “can-do” organization, its scopes and the role it plays on the world stage surprise people. They are amazed to learn that in the year 2000 Knights the world over combined to give more than 57 million hours of volunteer service and more than $116 million to a wide range of Church, community and charitable activities and programs. This was a record in both categories dating from the time statistics were first kept in 1977.

Most recently, through its $1.3 million Heroes Fund, the Knights of Columbus granted $3,000 to the families of each of the fire fighters, law enforcement officers and emergency services personnel who lost their lives in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. The aid was given immediately – the first check was hand- delivered just days after the tragedy – and regardless of faith or membership in the Order.

In the wake of the tragedy too the Order established an annual “Blue Mass” in honor of law enforcement, fire and emergency service personnel – those “Everyday Heroes” who risk their lives in service to our communities.

Examples of what the Knights do – day in and day out – abound. For example, the Order funds the satellite uplinks necessary to broadcast papal messages and ceremonies, especially at Christmas and Easter, throughout the world. The Knights paid the cost of the restoration of façade of St. Peter’s Basilica. The Order financed the restoration of the Maderno Atrium which leads to the Holy Door that is opened by the pope at the beginning of a Holy Year – the most recent being Jubilee 2000 held to usher in the third Christian millennium.

The Holy Father also receivers each year a contribution from the Order for his personal charities. The contribution comes from the interest earned on the $20 million Vicarius Christi (Vicar of Christ) fund. Each year the interest earned from this fund is presented to the pope. Since it was established in 1982 nearly $30 million has been provided to His Holiness.

The World Youth Days celebrated by the Holy Father every two years since 1987 have benefited from major funding and participation by the Order. At the World Youth Day in Toronto in 2002 the Reconciliation site in Duc in Altum Park was sponsored by a $1 million gift from the Knights of Columbus.