[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 138 (Saturday, October 28, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO THE ALPENA KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS ON THE OCCASION OF THE 
                      COUNCIL'S 100TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Saturday, October 28, 2000

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, the Knights of Columbus, an organization 
that has been called ``the strong right arm of the Catholic Church,'' 
was founded in 1882 in the basement of a church in New Haven, CT.
  The importance of this unique fellowship of men, gathered together to 
do good works in their community, was quickly recognized, and men came 
together in other communities to form their own local groups. In 1900 a 
council of 30 members was formed in Alpena, MI, in my congressional 
district.
  I recently had an opportunity to join the members of the Alpena 
Knights of Columbus Council 529 for their 100th anniversary. Now 500 
members strong, this council personifies the strength and viability of 
the Knights of Columbus, which has grown to more than 1.6 million 
members worldwide.
  I said, Mr. Speaker, that the Alpena council personifies other 
councils. This is most true in the good works the council does. It 
sponsors activities for both boys and girls, buying jerseys for teams 
in such sports as baseball, hockey and soccer teams. It supports 
Boysville, a camp in Clinton, MI, and it provides assistance to the 
families of its members, a hallmark of Knights of Columbus councils 
everywhere.
  Where this council differs from others, Mr. Speaker, is in the nature 
of its single biggest fundraiser, its annual Wild Game Dinner, which is 
held the last Friday in January. The council puts its best northern 
Michigan culinary foot forward with a game feast of salmon and trout, 
of deer, moose and elk, of rabbit and muskrat. Approximately 500 diners 
are expected each year, and the council can expand its charitable fund 
by about $50,000 annually from this event alone.
  I had the pleasure of addressing members of the Alpena council 
recently, and I spoke of our own efforts here in Congress to bring a 
sense of religious commitment to our public service through the 
Congressional Prayer Breakfast. We, too, are a body brought together to 
do good works on behalf of others. It remains my fervent hope that, 
despite the widely divergent views on every issue that are brought to 
the House floor, we will be kept humble, ever conscious of our 
commitment to service, and ever focused on working together, even when 
we disagree.
  I pray the next 100 years of the Alpena Knights of Columbus will find 
their membership ranks filled, their good works expanded, and their 
example of fellowship and public service a bright beacon for 
individuals, the private sector and public servants like us.




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