Knights of Columbus holds 133rd
anniversary celebration
PUTNAM — Although much has changed in northeastern Connecticut since 1892, Knights of Columbus Cargill Council 64 remains a force for good in the community. That was recognized July 20, when Knights and their families celebrated the council’s 133rd anniversary.
Observances began with Mass at St. Mary Church of the Visitation, followed with the blessing and dedication of the new St. Therese Parish sign on the church’s front lawn. The sign was recently commissioned by, and purchased for, the parish by Cargill Council, with generous support from St. Mary’s Circle 543 of the Daughters of Isabella, which is based at St. Mary’s.
Celebrations concluded with a memorial prayer service at St. Mary’s Cemetery at the grave of Cargill Council’s first grand knight, Edward M. Mullan. The service was held for the repose of the souls of the council’s deceased members and their families.
The Roman Catholic fraternal group was founded 133 years ago July 26, 1892, only a decade after the international Knights of Columbus organization was begun in 1882. Continuously active since its founding, Cargill Council was the 64th local council founded since the Knights’ parent organization came into existence, hence it being numbered 64.
Cargill Council’s original members elected Mullan, who later served as Putnam’s postmaster, as their leader, known as the Grand Knight. He served as grand knight from 1892 to 1895. He remained a member of the council until his death in 1916. Council officials held the service at his grave, to symbolize all the council’s Knights down through the organization’s first 133 years.
Although it may seem strange to some people to hold a celebration in a cemetery, the current Grand Knight, John F. Xeller, explained: “Cargill Council has had several homes here in Putnam since it started 133 years ago. “Its first home was in the Bradley Theater, downtown. Later we spent decades in a large building off the lower end of Church Street. Since 1976, we’ve been on Providence Street, in what used to be the Putnam Polish Club. Even though most current Knights identify with the Providence Street building, the grave of our very first Grand Knight is the perfect symbol for every member of Cargill Council, living and deceased, past and present.”
Today, with almost 200 members, Cargill Council 64 serves the four churches of St. Therese Parish, including St. Mary’s in Putnam, St. Joseph’s in North Grosvenordale, St. Stephen’s in Quinebaug and Most Holy Trinity in Pomfret.
In addition to support for its members and their families, Cargill Council maintains a dedicated, strong, ongoing commitment to the parish. The council also sponsors or assists year-round with many positive, local programs, including, among literally dozens of events, its annual “Joe Bousquet Christmas Giving Appeal” for the needy in the area, food drives for the local poor, providing free winter coats for local children and adults, a year-round program for the widows of its deceased members, an annual council golf tournament and continuing work to end abortion and assisted suicide and to otherwise support the “Culture of Life.”
Led by Grand Knight Xeller, he and the council’s other elected officers run Cargill Council. The organization does its own fundraising, using the net proceeds to pay for its programs.
caption:
Current Cargill Council 64, Knights of Columbus, Putnam, Grand Knight John F. Xeller led the council’s July 20 memorial prayer service at St. Mary’s Cemetery, as part of the council’s 133rd anniversary celebration. Prayers were offered for the repose of the souls of the council’s deceased members and their families. The service was held at the grave of Edward M. Mullan, Cargill Council’s first Grand Knight. Photo by John D. Ryan