The Perkiomen Council 3663, with Council headquarters located in Schwenksville, is composed of men from St. Eleanor, St. Clare and St. Mary’s parishes. The council meets the second Sunday of every month at 526 Main Street, Schwenksville, PA.  Meetings start at 7:30.  Our parish contact is Joseph Bondi 610-489-9379. E-Mail joseph.bondi@verizon.net

The Knights of Columbus is an international Catholic family fraternal service organization with nearly 1.6 million members in more than 12,000 local councils. Last year, Knights donated 60 million volunteer hours and $125 million to charitable and benevolent causes, sponsoring projects to benefit their church, councils, communities, families and youth.

Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to practical Catholic men in union with the Holy See, who shall not be less than 18 years of age on their last birthday. A practical Catholic is one who lives up to the Commandments of God and the Precepts of the Church. Application blanks are available from any member of the Knights of Columbus.

Acceptance of an applicant depends upon a vote of the members of the subordinate council in which he is making application. If favorably voted upon, the applicant becomes a member by initiation in what is known as the First Degree. He subsequently is advanced through the Second Degree and the Third Degree.  All priests and religious brothers who have duly made application for membership and participated in the ceremonials become honorary life members of the Order and are exempt from payment of dues.

There are modest initiation fees ad dues set by the subordinate councils under regulations established by the Supreme Council. The insurance privileges are available to all members who can qualify, which represents an important advantage of membership. For men in every walk of life the name of the Knights of Columbus engenders the image of a united organization, efficiently going about its tasks of charity, unity, fraternity, patriotism and defense of the priesthood. It is composed of men who are giving unselfishly of their time and talents in the service of God and their country.

• Yearly drive to raise funds for the PARC (Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens
• Sponsorship in conjunction with the Valley Forge Chapter of the K of C, a essay contest for 7 and 8 grade students on a topic related to Pro-Life or Morality.
• Sponsorship of the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship. This event invites children from age 10 through 14 to compete in respective age divisions and is sponsored annually with winners progressing through local, district, and state competition. International champions are announced by the K of C international headquarters based on scores from the state-level competitions. Last year more than 232,000 sharpshooters participated in 3,814 local competitions.
• An annual memorial mass and Communion Breakfast is held honoring deceased members of the Council. The winners of the essay contest are honored at that time.
• Two awards are given to eighth grade students of St. Eleanor and St. Mary’s recognizing improvement in scholarship and sports.
• The annual Rose for Life drive, held each year on the first Sunday of October, Respect Life Sunday, is conducted by the Knights. Proceeds are used to support various Pro Life activities. Last year, the Council raised over $4700 for this worthy cause.
• Various other activities are conducted on an annual basis. In conjunction with the Valley Forge Chapter, a bus is sponsored for the annual March for Life on Washington.