Double Star council continues service projects
By Joe Lee
MADISON — The meeting room at St. Francis of Assisi where the Knights of Columbus Council 9543 meets each month is loaded with awards. Plaques and citations take up an entire wall and date back over 20 years.
So what’s the importance of winning this year’s Double Star Council award?
“The Double Star Council has only been in existence a short time,” said District Deputy Philip Jabour. “To earn it, you must meet all the same goals as Star Council, but you must also double your membership quota.”
The Star Council award, which Council 9543 has won three times, is based on annual gains in membership, individual member involvement in parish service programs, and member involvement in the Knights of Columbus insurance program.
Council 9543, which won the Best Extra Large Council award in the state of Mississippi at the annual convention in April, easily met their goals.
Not only that, they added 33 new members in the past year.
“I’m not sure that’s a state record,” Jabour said, “but it’s the most I can remember any council bringing in since I’ve been involved with the Knights.”
Charles Wilkerson, the current grand knight and past membership chairman, has been active in the group for over a decade and has worked tirelessly to recruit new members.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be part of this council and serve as the grand knight,” he said. “These men are all fine Catholic gentlemen, and it’s great to get to know them and help us grow.”
The council is active in the community and works closely with St. Joseph School in Madison. Knights from Council 9543 are always at the grill flipping burgers at home football games. They cook for and cater many events with the school.
John Lacourrege, the council’s program director, is one of many members with a son or daughter at St. Joe. “We do what we do to serve the community and the Lord,” he said. “But it is nice to be recognized for our accomplishments.”
Council member Chris Manning and his wife Mary recently hosted the annual Mass to honor the wives of deceased knights. Deputy Grand Knight Greg Lovelady estimated that 140 parishioners attended, 40 were knights.
“It’s always a very meaningful event,” Lovelady said. He and fellow Knights John Gill and Johnny Biggert spent hours cooking and helping set up the festivities at the Manning residence. “We honor our deceased brothers with a candle-lighting ceremony and give their wives a rose after their husbands’ names are called. We want them to know that we remember those men in our hearts.”
Larry Roberts said, “The Double Star is a wonderful tribute to their accomplishments.”
Wilkerson, who is recovering from neck surgery, said there’s plenty of wall space in the meeting room for more awards.
“We’ll start filling up another wall if we need to,” he said. “When we win awards for reaching membership goals, it means we’ve brought in great new Catholic gentlemen to carry on our tradition of serving our community and strengthening our relationships with Christ.
“That’s what it’s all about.”
been in existence a short time,” said District Deputy Philip Jabour. “To earn it, you must meet all the same goals as Star Council, but you must also double your membership quota.”