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The Mesa Knights of Columbus Council 3419 was chartered with 68
members on May 9,1951. The first recorded meeting of the new Council occurred on June 28, 1951,
at the Christ The King Parish Hall. The Council General Fund reflected a balance of
$214.08 and the Benefit Fund balance was $569.02. Thirty-one members held $49,000.00 in
Knights Of Columbus insurance. On February 17, 1952, the Council voted to start a Building Fund and assessed each member an
additional $1.00 per year, although the Building Corporation was not established
until December 13, 1955. Interesting to note that in June 1952, a three-piece
band costing $35.00
for the Installation
Dinner was
considered 'too expensive'. The dinner was attended by over 100 people at a cost of $6.00 per
person with the Council paying half. During 1953,
the Council voted
in January to sponsor
a booth at the Maricopa County Fair. In June of the same year, the Council
voted to support the Mesa City government initiative to desegregate the
Rendezvous Swimming Pool. The following month, the Council held it's first social event with a lamb
barbeque at Christ The King church and netted a profit of $286.00. On March 24, 1954, the Council
paid $33.00 for the State K of C Per Capita Assessment compared to the 2001 semi annual State
Assessment of
$409.00. In March 1958, a Council motion was passed to identify a new club (council)
location in town. The Council also started a $70.00 a month donation to the Building
Corporation. In December of the same year, the Council started serious discussion on the purchase of land (330' X 330') located at
1620 East Broadway, Mesa, Arizona, 85201. The land was estimated to cost $10,000.00 and a
proposed building (40' X 80') constructed on the site was estimated to cost
$15,000.00. The
Council viewed proposed building drawings, approved the purchase of the land using $10,000.00 from the General Fund, and granted authority to the Building
Corporation to sign deeds and other legal documentation on December 23. 1958. The land was purchased on March
24, 1959, and the city zoning
approval was received the following month. Within a month, the Council received 4 building construction bids with
the lowest being submitted by Glen Lamb Construction at $28,000.00. In July 1959, the Council voted to move ahead with construction of a building; however,
the building was down scaled to 3,621 square feet (51' X 71 ') and designed to accommodate expansion at
a later date. Corporation Bonds at 6% were approved to finance the $12,000.00 building. The Council Hall was the
site of
Sunday Mass during the construction of the Christ The King church. At 7:30 a. m. on July 28, 1960, a small group of Knights gathered for
the ground-breaking ceremony and the first Family Communion Breakfast was served in the hall on
November 13, 1960.
Several
months earlier in September. a scandal erupted in Mesa when a non-Catholic circulated a bogus K of C Oath. 1960
highlights included the beginning of a monthly steak dinner for $1.00,
purchase of a 50 Star flag, purchase of $25.00 worth of dance records. and
participation in the American Legion Veteran's Day parade with a motorized float The formal dedication of the new K
of C Hall took
place on April 3, 1961, in honor of the Blessed Mother. One of the first council projects occurred in March 1962, when members prepared a piece of land adjacent to the Christ The King
church, which was developed into a school playground. During 1963, the Council initiated monthly dances with an entrance fee of $1.00. Council membership
totaled 160
members. The Council voted on June 9, 1964, to change the name of the council to 'Infant Jesus of
Prague'. A statute, which remains in the building today, was dedicated and
blessed by the State Chaplain, Father Barnabus. The first
recorded initiative with students of Christ The King School came in January 1965, when the
Council sponsored a Washington's Birthday Essay contest for the 5th and 6th grades. The winner
received a $25.00 bond. In December 1965, the Council requested that the Building Corporation Officers meet to discuss selling
or leasing the Council Hall. Looking around the
Council Hall walls, one would have seen photos of the Past Grand Knights, the Council Charter and associated awards. The
1966 New Years Eve celebration at the hall included a live band and breakfast for
$7.50 per couple. The early years of the Council saw many "joint events" and gatherings with the
Chandler Council, which had been established several years earlier and in 1967, Council 3419 sponsored a joint
Installation of Officers from both the Chandler and Mesa Councils. The first regular visit by a K of C Insurance Agent was noted on August 8, 1968. In February 1969, the Council netted
the first' big bucks' in profit for a chicken barbeque, when it netted a profit of $1,155.50. During the same year, the Council sponsored a
US Citizenship
class for 20
aliens and
discussed the
possible creation of the Squires
and Ladies Auxiliary; however, there is no written documentation that either were organized or became viable organizations. Annual Council dues were raised to $24.00 per year in 1972 and have
remained the same
through
2001. In July 1974, the President of the Building Corporation reported assets of $51,535.00, which included the K of C property, building
and $6,259.00 in cash. The Tootsie Roll Drive conducted the same year netted $2,182.00; the
second largest amount raised in the State, and the Council share was donated
to the Mesa MARC
Center. August 12, 1975, the Council began monthly breakfasts with the proceeds being donated to support Christ The King and Queen of
Peace Schools. November 9, 1976, reflected the first mention of the Council participating in the annual K of C
Basketball Free Throw Championship although the Supreme Council initiated the
program in1973. During the year 2000, forty-seven Christ The King students participated in the Free Throw competition and First Place State winners included
Jenny Churosh (age 11) and Christina Wirth (age 12). Jeffery Haasls (age 11) won the second place State trophy. The
25th Anniversary of the Council was celebrated at the Hall on May 10, 1976, and included dinner at $3.00 per
person and carnations for the ladies. The Council hosted a special dinner in January 1979, for Mitch Tibbedoux, who
was celebrating his 68th year as a Knight of Columbus. In July 1981, the Council applied for
a Bingo License and began weekly Bingo games in January 1982. It was noted that the Council first participated in the Christ The King Parish Festival In 1983. Following 23 years as a Knight of Columbus Hall, the property was sold to Christ The King Parish on
July 12,
1983, and
all memorabilia was removed from the walls and either stored, or in the case of the Grand Knight photos, returned to the
individual. The Council continues to meet at the Hall for their business meeting on the
second Tuesday of the month and socially on the fourth Tuesday of the month. On November 9, 1993, the Council voted unanimously to change the Council
name to
'Christ The
King Council 3419',
to better identify and unite with the Christ The King Parish. Since the inception of Council 3419. the member knights and families have been very active In Christ The King Parish,
providing ushers, Eucharistic ministers, lecturers and donating countless volunteer hours in support of the Parish Festival and religious programs. The Council has
contributed significant financial support to the church and school initiatives for a security system, hymnals,
carpet, priest
retirement fund,
new school furniture., teacher appreciation programs and repair and upkeep of
church facilities.
Vocations have been a priority over the years and the Council has continually
provided financial support to a seminarian or postulant as well as financial support to
the sisters that operate Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery The Council places a strong emphasis on youth and Catholic education.
Over the years, the Knights have continued to support and provide financial
assistance for Scholarships, Christ The King Adopt-A-Student, religious education
programs at Christ The King, Saint Ann's and Queen of Peace parishes. The Council has actively supported the Christ The King Scouting, Life
Teen Programs,
Basketball Free Throw, and summer camp scholarships. Major community projects completed over the years by the Council include
a Basketball court at Camp Tepeyac and the Sunshine Acres Orphanage baseball field. Other projects where
man-power and funds were contributed
include: the Chapel of the Gila, Saint Joseph's Camp and the packaging and mailing of 300 dozen
cookies and comics to Desert Storm soldiers. The disabled community has received Council support through the MR Tootsie Roll Drive. As a
result, financial assistance has continually been provided to the Christ The King Ministry for the
Disabled and the Mesa MARC Center. Arizona State Knights of Columbus also support camping sessions for the disabled with a portion of the
yearly-collected funds. Food for the Poor Donations, Christmas Adopt-A-Family, Halloween Parties, yard
cleanup programs and financial grants for disaster assistance are the Council's way of supporting the less fortunate. Other more recent Council programs have included: Annual Fish
Fry, Family and Knight of the Month, Mother's Day Carnations, Baptismal Roses, and
sports competition
including fishing, golf and softball. Recently, one family from our Council was selected
as Arizona's
State Family of the Year, a recognition that expresses the high esteem the Knights place on family values
and service
to the community. Council records reflect that during the Council's 50-year history, 310,296 man-hours and
$570,873.00 were donated to church, youth, community and council projects. Today, Council
membership
totals 120 members and we have just begun to serve. |