FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS, St. Timothy’s Council of the Knights of Columbus has worked hard while making it look easy, putting in more than 6,000 volunteer hours. On Dec. 4, several hundred Knights and their families gathered in the parish hall to celebrate Christmas and a quarter-century of making a difference in the church and the community.
Fr. Binh Nguyen, pastor of St. Timothy’s, has come to appreciate the Knights’ contribution to nearly every aspect of parish life.
“My experience with the Knights, especially at St. Timothy’s, is that they are a great role models for young men in our parish. I appreciate all they do to make the parish so vibrant.”
Indeed, there is hardly an aspect of parish life that doesn’t enjoy some contribution from the more than 300 Knights in the St. Timothy’s council.
According to Grand Knight Tim Bowman, the Knights were chartered in 2000 with 89 members, and the group is very active in the parish and in Laguna Niguel.
“People recognize the green shirt we wear and appreciate that the St. Timothy’s Knights are supporting the community — whether by cooking for events, helping people in need, providing emergency financial assistance, Red Cross blood drives and much more,” said Bowman.
The group is also very involved in Special Olympics and individuals with disabilities. In addition to the community projects, the council also supports priests and seminarians, disaster relief, Catholic education and a special project in Uganda.
According to Bowman, “We have raised more than $50,000 for the community by selling barbecue at the Sea Country Festival, and at the Interfaith Breakfast, which benefits South County Outreach and Family Assistance ministries. Our community service also includes an outreach team that helps elderly and disabled people with maintenance projects such as cleaning yards, building stair ramps, providing emergency assistance when needed, and just in general, helping them with what they need around their homes.”
The city of Laguna Niguel recognized the Knights’ 25th anniversary with a special city commendation presented by Mayor Gene Johnson and Councilmember Ray Gennawey, who is also a member of the Knights. And they do not ask, ‘Are you Catholic?’ Their mission is to help everyone. Members have construction, maintenance and financial expertise, so they can help people with tasks like filing taxes. For the families of members, they offer an insurance program and assistance to widows and families who need anything.
One might call the St. Timothy council the Knights of the Round Table because they often cook for parish events that aren’t specifically sponsored by the Knights.
“Among our members, we have an executive chef and a true barbecue pit master,” shared Bowman. “We can do very elegant sit-down dinners, not just bacon, eggs and pancakes.”