Duhawks and Knights

Loras College is home to many campus based organizations that aim to accomplish a variety of things for the betterment of the community, and Loras as a whole. The Knights of Columbus is one such organization that has made significant improvements and changes for the Loras community. The Loras College Knights of Columbus council was founded in 1986, and is not your ordinary campus based organization. The Knights of Columbus are a universal and fraternal organization founded by Michael J. McGivney in 1882 aimed towards charitable action by Catholic men of faith. Over 2 million Catholic men are involved worldwide within councils of their own. What makes Loras’ council different from the rest is the turnover in members. The Knights of Columbus offers fraternity for members within church communities for long periods of time. With council 9224 being campus based, there is a lot of turnover in members every year. The council is by no means the same as it was four years ago, which can be a cause of challenges in consistent organization and leadership. The last couple of years have been a time of restoration and rebuilding for the Loras Knights. Grand Knight Charles Putbrese said, “We are really excited about our future commitments and involvement here on campus. We have undergone a period of restructuring in our council, and have updated our knowledge on events and organizational requirements. We hope to have a greater and more impactful presence on campus in the coming years with our growing numbers and voices.” Council 9224 has been able to host a series of events throughout the year, and has many in store for the coming months. These events include pancake breakfasts, Chipotle dinners, Knights vs Fraternity Flag Football, Knight o Grams, Knights vs Seminarians basketball, and the upcoming famous Night with a Knight auction event. Members of the council also had the opportunity to attend the Iowa Rally of College Knights at Drake University. “IROCK was a great experience to meet up with members of other college councils in Iowa. We bonded and grew as brothers in Christ over a short period of time, and gained a lot of useful information to take back with us to our campus councils” said Putbrese. The Knights focus their efforts and actions on Faith, Community, Family, and Life. Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said, “We are answering Pope Francis’ call to go to the peripheries. We can reach halfway around the globe to help those in need and we can reach to our neighbor next door. And we do that every day. That makes us witnesses to the faith.” Grand Knight Putbrese said, “Many of our events have been primarily focused on fundraising over the past couple of years. We are hoping to change the mindset and focus our efforts more towards community and campus wide service projects and helping out Loras organizations however we can.” The Knights here at Loras are always welcoming new members. “If you are interested in joining, we would love to have you! The time commitment is what you want to make of it. We hold meetings after Sunday evening masses about once a month. We highly encourage anyone who is interested to reach out to myself or any other members of the council on campus to get some more information” said Putbrese.