[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 52 (Thursday, April 15, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                CELEBRATING A CENTURY OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

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                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 15, 1999

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, people who give back to their community are 
a precious resource. For my home town of Bay City, one wonderful 
example of how valuable this precious resource can be is Knights of 
Columbus, Council #414, which this week celebrates its most special 
100th anniversary.
  Forty-nine men from Bay City and Saginaw met on April 16, 1899, to 
organize Valley Council 414, with its first home at the Old Cottage 
Hall on the corner of Sixth and Madison. While some members withdrew 
from 414 in order to form other new councils in Saginaw and the 
surrounding area, by December 29, 1915, the Bay City Council 414, 
renamed as such in 1902, had grown to over 1,500 members. A proud but 
sad point of history was made when in 1917, Francis McCauley became the 
first Bay County and Council 414 member casualty in France during World 
War I.
  Over the years, Council 414 has grown in members and has moved 
through several facilities that have served its diverse needs. At the 
same time, it has held true to the main purposes of the Knights of 
Columbus, founded by Rev. Michael McGivney in 1882--charity, unity, 
fraternity, and patriotism. It has held its loyalty to the Catholic 
Church and the Pope. The Knights of Columbus have promoted solid values 
through its promotion of family life, charitable disbursements to needy 
people and disaster victims, its ``Crusade for Life'' in defense of the 
unborn, insurance for its members, an educational trust for children of 
members who are killed or totally disabled due to military service or 
in performance of their duties as full-time law enforcement officers or 
firemen, and student loans to Knights, their families, and members of 
the clergy.
  Council 414 has worked particularly hard to provide charitable 
assistance to the crippled children and adults of Bay City, as well as 
to the mentally challenged. Its ``Klown Unit'' provided more than 2,200 
hours of enjoyment to children at schools, hospitals, special events, 
and the Special Olympics last year. The Knights have been wonderful 
friends through their visits to senior citizens. They also provided, 
without charge, assistance with their Pall Bearers Group at over 400 
funerals since the group's inception more than a decade ago.
  Mr. Speaker, at a time when we ask whether or not our people have a 
sense of values, and whether or not they are prepared to recognize that 
the government alone cannot provide all of the assistance that people 
may require, we need look no further than the Knights of Columbus, and 
inspirational units like Council 414 of Bay City. I urge you and all of 
our colleagues to join me in congratulating Grand Knight James F. 
Morrisette and the more than 640 members of Council 414 on this very 
special 100th anniversary, and in wishing them many more successful and 
fulfilling years to come.

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