Knighthood has returned to Saint Louis University. Since
establishing their presence on the campus, the SLU chapter of the
Knights of Columbus has worked with charities in St. Louis,
providing funds for projects and encouraging members to participate
in their respective parishes. College Knights perform activities
with the church, council, community and family.
SLU’s council was re-established in 2003. The council was
founded at SLU in the 1950s and reinstated in the 1990s. Although
officially chartered as a student organization in 1990, the chapter
fizzled out because of lack of membership.
When interested students sought to resurrect the group,
paperwork could not be found. Therefore, on Wednesday, Feb. 25, the
Student Government Association granted them a new charter.
“At SLU, it is a way for guys that are devoted Roman Catholics
to act as a fraternity, participating in social activities as well
as coming together by participating in service projects,” said
Grand Knight Erik Lundgren.
Last fall the council raised money for the Special Olympics.
Recently, the Knights held a fund raiser in memory of Nicholas
Sloan, a St. Louis Police officer who was killed in the line of
duty.
Members of the SLU Knights lead others in the rosary prayer on
Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. in Notre Dame Chapel and Friday at 1:30 p.m.
in St. Francis Xavier College Church.
On Saturdays, members gather in front of Planned Parenthood on
Forest Park Parkway where they silently pray the rosary.
The Knights of Columbus motto is “In service to one, in service
to all.” The founders of the Knights sought strength in solidarity
and security through unity of purpose and devotion to a holy cause;
vowing to become defenders of their country, family and faith.
The core virtues of the Knights are charity, unity, fraternity
and patriotism.
“We are a charity organization and through charity works we try
to increase fraternity, yet to the knights, charity is the first
principle and the fraternity follows,” Lundgren said.
SLU’s council is currently comprised of 44 individuals. There
are more than 1.6 million members in the Knights of Columbus
worldwide.
Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to practicing
Catholic men who are in union with the Holy See and are at least 18
years old. A practicing Catholic is one who lives up to the
Commandments of God and the precepts of the Church.
In addition to increasing membership and becoming established as
a student organization, the council hopes to institute an endowment
in which the council could make significant charitable
contributions or help in aid for the building of a new chapel on
campus.
