Council Activities

The Knights of Columbus is an organization whose members espouse the principles of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. These are referred to as degrees. For a brief history of the Knights of Columbus, please visit the History page at this website.

Meetings are held at the council hall located at 553 East Washington Street in South Bend on the second and fourth Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m.

The Santa Maria Council #553 was established in 1901 and is the original Knights of Columbus council in the South Bend area. The first Grand Knight was John G. Ewing from 1901 to 1904. Our council has a proud tradition of service to our members, the church, and our community. Members of the Santa Maria Council are parishioners at many of the local parishes in the South Bend area, including St. Matthew Cathedral, St. Joseph, St. Patrick, St. Hedwig, St. Augustine, St. Casmir, St. Adalbert, Holy Cross, St. Stanislaus, Little Flower, the Crypt, Sacred Heart Basilica, St. Anthony, and Christ the King. Our members are active participants in Council activities as well as activities in their parish communities.

As you will see, the Santa Maria Council #553 is a very active council. In addition to all that we do, Council #553 is proud to serve as the host council for the Father Julius A. Nieuwland 4^th Degree, Assembly #242.

The Santa Maria Council #553 holds business meetings twice a month, on the 2nd and 4th Monday, at 7:30 pm. Our 4th Monday business meeting is preceded by an officers meeting at 6:30 pm. Before each meeting, we recite the Rosary. On the 2nd Monday, we are joined by the Ladies and recite the Rosary jointly.

As an active council, we host a large number of council activities at the council hall, and off site, throughout the year.

On a monthly basis, the seniors play cards on the second and fourth Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00pm.

In months where there is a fifth Sunday, we host a Corporate Communion on that Sunday at the council hall. Open to all Knights and their families, Corporate Communion begins with a mass at a local parish followed by a breakfast buffet at 10:00 am. Corporate Communion is an excellent opportunity to share fellowship with our brother Knights and their families.

Annual activities include: a New Years' Eve Party, Annual Respect Life Program; Lourdes Charity Dinner/Dance to raise funds to send a pilgrim to Lourdes, France; Fish Fry Dinners on Friday evenings during Lent; Annual Tootsie Roll Drive (donations to agencies that help persons with disabilities); Annual raffle of 2 season tickets to home Notre Dame Football games; Annual Corn and Sausage Roast in August; Notre Dame Smokers (a pregame speaker event held on the Campus of Notre Dame}; and the Ladies' Auxiliary Annual Christmas Party.

Supported by the generosity of the activities of our Council, and all Indiana Councils, Gibault is a home for kids who have been removed from their communities because of their behavior. Gibault was founded in 1921 by the Indiana Knights of Columbus as a home for wayward boys. Over the years, Gibault has evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of troubled kids everywhere. Today, Gibault serves boys and girls and has provided life-changing opportunities for more than 8,000 children and their families. Our Council is proud join with Knights from all over Indiana in supporting Gibault. We invite you to visit the Gibault web site to learn more about Gibault.

Lourdes Pilgrimage has been a major under taking of Santa Maria Council #553. Each year, since 1961, we have sent at least one person, afflicted with a serious illness and/or disability, to the famed Catholic shrine at Lourdes, France. Please visit the Lourdes Pilgrimage page on this website.

Notre Dame Football Smokers have been a tradition at the Santa Maria Council for over 60 years. For more information about the ND Football Smokers, please visit ND Smokers page on this website. An excellent website that should be visited is the Notre Dame Smokers website. At that site you will find a wealth of information regarding the history of the Notre Dame smokers, and information germane to upcoming smokers.

The Santa Maria Council sponsors activities throughout the year that benefit the Church, Youth, Family, Community, and our Council.

Council Activities