Andover Knights of Columbus

Building the Domestic Church

The family is the first and most important place where we as Catholic men experience our Catholic Faith.   As more and more Catholics drift away from the benefits of regular participation in our Parish Life, the Knights of Columbus endeavor to promote the family as a "domestic church" where all members of the family can grow in their knowledge and practice of their faith.  We seek to support the needs of each family in the sacramental life of the Parish.   We do this through programs that promote our Catholic Identity in our family life and by encouraging our fellow Knights to serve their parish as a vehicle for engaging their whole family into active participation in our faith.

Strengthening our Parishes

Knights of Columbus councils have always responded to the most urgent needs of the Church, particularly through charitable and social outreach.   Brother Knights must further their catholic commitment through service to our parishes and the support of our priests.  The evangelization of family life today is born out of the outreach of those of us strong in our faith to those of us in need of this strength.   Our parishes must be beacons of the new evangelization and it is the duty of the Knights of Columbus to ensure that these beacons are always lit.

Andover #1078's Building the Domestic Church Activities

 

Keep Christ in Christmas Campaign

Through the sale of Magnets at various events and masses, the Andover Knights of Columbus challenge the secularization and the commercialization of Christmas by reminding families of our parish that Christmas is a Catholic Holiday celebrated to commemorate the birth of a new messiah.  The Keep Christ in Christmas campaign is a small but important program that invites families to celebrate Christmas in its secular and national trappings but to still remember its Catholic roots and the important role this day plays in our faith.  

Food for Families

Feeding the hungry is a Corporal Work of Mercy and the Knights of Columbus are proud to reach out to food pantries, shelters, and other programs that offer food to those in need.  By supporting the family's physical needs we offer a chance to focus on their spiritual hunger.  Through this corporal work of mercy, member knights are strengthened in their faith, bonded more deeply to their communities, and live the life that Christ taught us to live.  Each year, the Andover Knights of Columbus hosts a food drive where we collect donations in food and money to provide sustenance to those in need.  

Simple Supper and Stations

Each Lent, the Andover Knights of Columbus sponsor a Lenten Fish Bake series and also support a Stations of the Cross Program.  Both programs take place on Fridays in lent.  Typically, we host/support these events on the first, third, and fifth Friday of lent.  The event invites families to meditate on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ while also keeping the lenten tradition of fasting and abstaining from meat on Fridays.  The remembrance of the Lord's passion and the fasting and abstinence are opportunities to grow closer to our faith and in doing so closer to our church.  The Lenten Fish Bakes provide a community spirit where this closeness to church and God becomes closeness to parish and parish community.  

Feast of St. Augustine and Parish Festival 

Every August, St. Augustine Parish commemorates the patron saint of our church.  Our Holy Father, St. Augustine is commemorated through a special Mass of Celebration which is served by the Fourth Degree Color Corps and by many brother Knights through their ministry work.  Once the mass has ended, the parish community relocates to a Festival Atmosphere with food, music, games, and Christian fellowship.  Brother Knights serve on the parish committee that organizes the event and the major contribution of the Andover Knights of Columbus is the providing of food for over 200 attending parishioners.  Member Knights also assist with setup and break down of the event and oversee various other parts of the festival.   We support the festival as an aspect of our commitment to Building the Domestic Church as events such as these create a community spirit in the church that invites families to engage with the parish.  By fostering this sense of community, a bond beyond our shared Catholic faith inspires and invites families to strengthen their ties to our parish.

Consecration of the Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family

The Knights of Columbus offer Prayer Cards to parishioners attending the Feast of the Holy Family mass held on the first Sunday after Christmas.  The prayer cards are designed to help families come together and consecrate themselves under the protection of the holy father and in doing so strengthen their lives in Joy of Christ's Birth.

Family members are invited by the celebrant share this prayer together at home or within the unity of the faith during mass.  The symbolic gesture being that we strengthen our church by strengthening the family that worships in 

Font Resize
Contrast