Notre Dame’s Knights of Columbus Council hosts dinner to support Christian refugees

The Notre Dame Knights of Columbus will host a benefit dinner for Christian refugees in the Middle East on Saturday, January 30,  at 7 p.m. in Carole Sandner Hall.

Gabriel Said Reynolds, Professor of Theology and an expert on Christian-Muslim relations, will give a keynote address on the political and theological differences between the two religions and how these differences spark conflict. University Catering will serve a Mediterranean-style dinner.

All proceeds from the dinner will be donated to the Knights of Columbus’ Supreme Council fund for Christian Refugees.

When asked about his hopes for the upcoming event, Grand Knight Henry Dickman told the Rover, “It should be a really wonderful evening, and I hope that many will take advantage of the opportunity to donate to a worthy cause and learn about one of the most important challenges that our world faces today.”

The Knights of Columbus Christian Refugee Relief Fund was created to aid Christians, a religious minority in the Middle East, who are the victims of violence in Iraq and Syria. The relief fund pays for medical aid, housing construction, and other general aid, according to the Supreme Council’s website.

The Notre Dame Knights of Columbus Council has previously donated to the Christian Refugee Fund, giving $3000 dollars raised from its famous Steak Sandwich Sales during the fall of 2015.

The Notre Dame Knights of Columbus have been selling steak sandwiches before home football games since 1973. Since then, the group has raised more than $1.5 million for charity.

The 2015 Irish football season was a historic season for Knights’ Steak Sandwich Sales. The organization raised $93,000, the largest amount raised in council history, exceeding the previous record of $72,000 raised during the 2014 Irish football season.

Chancellor Brendan Coyne told the Rover that the group’s steak sandwich sales were highly successful this year. “This season, we were very blessed with great weather and energetic support from our team,” he said. “This enabled us to sell more steaks than ever before and have a great time doing it.”

Some of the traditional recipients of donations from the Notre Dame Knights of Columbus are Corvilla Homes for the Mentally Disabled, Gibault Children’s Services, and the Women’s Care Center.

This year, the Knights began to couple their charitable donations with weekly service outings. Groups of three to six Knights visit their partner locations to offer about two hours of service, ranging from bowling with the members of the Logan Center to building a greenhouse for Greenbridge Growers.

Deputy Grand Knight Joseph “Rudy” Rudolph said he believes the council’s success stems from its fraternal aspect. “Fraternity is the root cause for every success our council has had,” he explained to the Rover. “Any activity the Knights of Columbus is involved in, whether it be grilling steaks, recruiting members, or dressing in tuxes to go see James Bond, fraternity is the glue that builds community that binds the council together.”

First Degree Knight Julian Mancini also shared his view on the success of the Knights with the Rover. “It feels great to serve others and spend time with your friends, but the best part is that you can start and end it all with a prayer,” Mancini said. “The service projects, the rosaries for the pro-life cause, [and] the celebration of the Mass together all bring us closer to each other, but more importantly, closer to Christ.”

The Notre Dame Knights of Columbus is the oldest college council in the nation and is dedicated to the pillars of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. If you are a Catholic man over the age of 18 and are interested in joining the Knights of Columbus, please email knights@nd.edu.

Evan Holguin is a sophomore Program of Liberal Studies and Italian major. People often confuse him with a penguin. Contact him at eholguin@nd.edu.