Founded by a young parish priest now on the path to sainthood, the Knights of Columbus (www.KofC.org) has helped strengthen men, their families, their parishes and their communities since 1882. Today, there are more than 1.9 million members of the Knights of Columbus engaged in service to their neighbors and charitable works across the world. The Knights of Columbus stands as the strong right arm of the Church, and challenges its members to grow in their faith through programs, fraternity and vital resources such as its award-winning magazine, Columbia, and many other exclusive member communications.

The Saint John Paul II Knights of Columbus Council #8 was founded at St. Mark Church in 2011. While only men may become Knights, Council 8 has always been a family focused organization engaged in providing service to St. Mark Parish and the surrounding community. Some of the events that Council 8 participates in are:

  • Coats for Kids – The Knights purchase coats to distribute to children in need. Our coats are distributed at St. Theresa’s in Bridgeport every year before Thanksgiving.
  • Praying the Rosary – Before every meeting, the brothers meet to pray the rosary. Also, in the months of May and October, the brothers meet every day to pray the rosary.
  • Church Support – The Knights volunteer to help parishioners in need through monetary and service support. The Knights also help at Church functions, such as cooking at the parish picnic and hosting a pancake breakfast.
  • Food Drives during Advent and Lent – Council 8 has collected food to stock local food pantries in Stratford and surrounding communities.
  • Chili Cook Off – Our council participated in a chili cook off with two other councils. This was a fun event to meet other Knights in our area.
  • Annual Council Cookout and Picnic – Early every summer we hold a cookout with our families. We share great food and friendship at this annual event. It is always one of the highlights of our Columbian year.

Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. We have a monthly business meeting on the first Thursday of the month. We also have a social meeting on the third Thursday of the month. Meetings begin at 7:30 pm and finish in about an hour or so. For additional information please contact any of the following:

Grand Knight Paul Iacozza, 203-257-6206, p.iacozza@carbtrol.com
Deputy Grand Knight Tom Rodia, 203-400-9197, trrkar78@aol.com
Recruiter Dave Robertson, 203-913-7484, drobertson@outlook.com