Knights of Columbus Commits $1.4 million to Aid Churches Damaged in Floods

Gift contributes to K of C effort to build up Catholic families, strengthen parish life

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Dec 14, 2017, 08:00 ET

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Dec. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus is providing $1.4 million to repair or help rebuild churches that were destroyed or badly damaged in the late summer hurricanes that assaulted Texas, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"Getting parish facilities up and running again does not just meet a practical need," said Knights CEO Carl Anderson. "The people in the affected areas see the revival of their churches as a spiritual joy and as an important signal of recovery for the larger communities that surround these churches."

Knights of Columbus Charities raised $3.8 million for disaster relief in the months following the disasters. More than $720,000 was used to pay for food, water and other critical supplies in the immediate aftermath of the hurricanes. On a local level, many Knights took the initiative to rescue those stranded by rising waters and to help neighbors in a variety of ways.

The Knights of Columbus has also earmarked a significant amount of money for upcoming church repair efforts in Puerto Rico. The Knights earlier donated $100,000 to the Archdiocese of San Juan and provided generators, food, water and other necessities to aid relief efforts.

Church repair and renovation has been a key component of Knights' relief efforts in the past. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which struck the New Orleans area in 2005, the K of C contributed $6.7 million to various dioceses to help rebuild the Catholic infrastructure in the area, aiding in the repair of schools, churches and other buildings.

"The Knights of Columbus is committed to building up Catholic families and strengthening parish life," said Anderson. "The effort to restore these much-needed houses of worship is appropriate for the Knights, who are most effective within the local parish structure of prayer and service to others."

The churches in Texas include:

Our Lady of Victory Cathedral, Victoria	$150,000
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Houston	$125,000
Shrine of the True Cross, Dickinson	$125,000
Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Rockport	$100,000
St. Joseph Catholic Church, Port Arthur	$100,000
St. Mary's Catholic Church, Beaumont	$100,000
St. James Catholic Church, Refugio	$60,000

The churches and other structures in Florida and the Virgin Islands include:

St. Peter Catholic Church, Big Pine Key	$360,000
Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea, Key West	$120,000
Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Frederiksted, V.I.	$100,000
San Pablo Catholic Church, Marathon	$60,000
St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Church, Orlando	$25,000
Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School, Miami	$25,000

The K of C was founded in 1882 by Venerable Father Michael McGivney, a parish priest, in New Haven, Connecticut. It has grown to include 1.9 million members worldwide. The Knights set a new all-time record for charitable donations in 2016, with more than $177.5 million in donations and more than 75 million hours of service valued at $1.8 billion. Consistent with the K of C's longstanding policy, 100 percent of all disaster-related donations were allocated for relief and rebuilding efforts.

SOURCE Knights of Columbus