Knights of Columbus Council No. 8183 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Lake Ridge was awarded the distinction of Star Council this month, the international Knights organization’s top honor for local councils.
The Star Council Award recognizes overall excellence in the areas of growing membership, sponsoring Catholic faith formation programs and volunteering time through service-oriented activities.
To achieve this award, the council sponsored activities based on the pillars of the order: charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. Council activities were aligned with the order’s Faith in Action program — faith, family, community and life.
Council members supported both their parish and their community. They provided operational and logistical support for many activities including the Fall Festival, Spring Block Party, and the Music on the Lawn events.
Brothers supported living rosaries both at St. Elizabeth and at St. Thomas Aquinas Regional School in Woodbridge. They ran a local Food for the Needy program and donated all proceeds to diocesan Catholic Charities St. Lucy Food Project. The council provided continued community support at Catholic Charities St. Margaret of Cortona Family Transitional Housing and Mother of Mercy Free Clinic. They also contributed to KOVAR, a Virginia Knights charity for people with intellectual disabilities.
Children were a council focus during the year. The council sponsored a children’s Christmas party, Easter egg hunt, soccer challenge and a Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest.
The council also hosted hoagie sales during football season, a Mardi Gras dinner, Lenten soup dinners, and several pancake breakfasts throughout the year.
