Knights of Columbus Council #9287

Thank you for inquiring about becoming a member of the Knights of Columbus. Let me be the first to welcome you, and invite you to join our council. We serve the St. Thomas the Apostle community, located at 24th Street and Campbell Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona. The information below covers most of what you need to know. Should you have any questions, please contact our Financial Secretary listed below.
Financial Secretary - Council #9287
Patrick Schafer
Email: KofC9287.AZ@gmail.com

Who are the Knights?

The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization with more the 17,000 Knights in Arizona and more the 2 million worldwide. God, Community, and Charity, are the foremost principles of the Knights. For more information, please visit Supreme website at www.kofc.org or the Arizona State Council website at www.azknightsofcolumbus.org; or join our council's Facebook group at Knights of Columbus - STA Phoenix Council #9287.

What we do

The STA Knights do more than serve coffee and donuts after Sunday morning Mass. Council #9287 supports the entire St. Thomas community. This includes addressing the needs of the parish and parish school, as well as Seminarians. We provide financial support through various fundraising activities. In addition, we are often called upon to provide man-power for various events in the parish community.

If you are a member of the STA parish, and/or have children enrolled in the school, there are many great reasons to be a member of the STA Knights. Everything we do benefits each of us as members of the St. Thomas community. For example, donut donation revenues directly support STA Seminarians, and our school in the form of tuition assistance.

Meetings

Our council meets at 7:00pm on the second Tuesday of the month from September through June. Meetings are held in the Parish Hall located at the north end of the property. Meetings are typically less than one hour long. Should you be unable to attend, we will keep you informed via email and through our Facebook group.

Eligibility

Any Catholic male, 18 years or older, may join the Knights of Columbus.

How to Join the Knights - New Members

If you are new to the Knights of Columbus, you must first contact the council's Financial Secretary “FS” listed above. The FS will help guide you to a live CUF Degree Ceremony or the on demand online Ceremony. These ceremonies are held a few times a year at different locations throughout the greater Phoenix area. There are plenty of options to fit your schedule. If you choose the live Ceremony then you will be accompanied to the Ceremony by one of our council officers or members. Once you are "Knighted," you may attend our monthly meetings and events. Typically, the CUF Ceremonies take less than an hour.

Time Commitment

Understandably, you may be reluctant to join the Knights of Columbus due to concerns of a huge time commitment. However, this is not the case. Many of our council activities are typically held after Mass and require 20-30 minutes of your time. Our monthly meeting, the second Tuesday of the month, is typically less than one hour long. You can expect an annual time commitment of less than 24 hours.

STA Dads

Extra demands on your time by becoming a Knight are minimal. The service hours you dedicate to the school by coaching STA sports teams, or volunteering at the school events, fulfill service hour requirements for the Knights.

Council Requirements

Each Knight is required to participate in at least two council activities per year. There are a number of opportunities in which to participate. For example, you could represent our council by becoming a Eucharistic Minister or Usher in the church, or volunteer for a few minutes after Sunday Mass serving donuts.

Members who are unable to participate due to health issues or work schedules can participate by offering a daily prayer for our St. Thomas the Apostle community.

Dues

Annual dues are currently $35 per year, and are billed in January.

Benefits

Knights of Columbus members automatically receive a one-thousand dollar life insurance policy at no cost to the member.

Discounted Insurance

Additional insurance may be purchased through the Knights of Columbus. Life insurance, long term care insurance, and annuities are available to members only. Since K of C insurance is a privately held, no commercial insurance company can match our discounted rates!

Transfers

If you are already a Knight, and are transferring to our council, you need to contact the council Financial Secretary listed above. He will help you fill out a Form 100 transfer, and get you all set-up.