HR0676 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0676 LRB094 14730 RAS 49699 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Knights of Columbus Mattoon Council No. 1057 is celebrating its 100th Diamond Jubilee Anniversary this year; and

WHEREAS, The Knights of Columbus Mattoon Council No. 1057 (Council) was granted a charter by the Supreme Council of New Haven, Connecticut, on November 26, 1905; on that day, an initiation was held and a charter class of fifty members was received into the order; from its very first meeting to the present time, the Council's records of meetings give evidence of its years of assistance to others; and

WHEREAS, The Council has upheld the highest standards of dedication in providing service to its church, its community, and its nation for a century; following the formation of the Council, the new members worked to increase their ranks and to put into practice the principals of Columbianism, which are unity, fraternity, charity, and patriotism, in Immaculate Conception Parish and in the Mattoon community; and

WHEREAS, In early years, the Matoon Council was confronted with the problems common to many at the time, such as racial bigotry and religious intolerance; in the early 1900s, the Knights were in the forefront proclaiming the brotherhood of all men and put into practice the Christian ideals of racial understanding and religious tolerance; the Knights again took the lead in the 1930s in trying to alleviate the suffering of many in the community, as members concentrated on helping the priests of the parish with many of the functions and in taking leadership posts when school or parish projects were undertaken; and

WHEREAS, As World War II progressed, the Council started its blood donor project, which is still one of its most important continuing projects; the Mattoon Council also became more active in other areas, such as polio fund drives, numerous youth programs, and school and church renovation projects; it was also during this time that the Council answered the call of the Bishops to aid and assist the Newman Program for students in public colleges and universities, which has grown to become the number one priority project in the State, with the Council now raising over $1,300 per year for this vital program; and

WHEREAS, Following the war, the Council was instrumental in providing and erecting the war memorial for the deceased servicemen from the Mattoon community that still stands in front of the Mattoon City Hall along with the eternal flame; in the 1950s, the Council took on important leadership roles in fundraising projects for St. Mary's School and St. Joseph School of Immaculate Conception parish and implemented more family related activities; in the 1960s, the Council joined with the Knights of Columbus nationwide and made a greater commitment to help the young people of its parish by participating in activities such as teaching CCD classes, assisting Boy Scout groups and similar organizations, and providing various social functions for the youth; and

WHEREAS, In 1971, a seemingly small project of selling "Tootsie Rolls" in order to raise a few dollars for programs for the mentally handicapped was adopted by the Council; few realized at the time how this project would grow to become one of the continuing activities of the Council involving the enthusiastic participation of the majority of its members and an annual goal of nearly $10,000, with almost $250,000 raised over the past 34 years; and

WHEREAS, Over the past quarter of the century, the Council has sponsored and organized the Annual Knights of Columbus Picnic on the Immaculate Conception Church grounds, which has become quite a successful event, as it provides a venue for all of the parish organizations to participate and raise funds for their individual causes; the Council has also been nationally recognized numerous times by being awarded the Star Council Award, the highest award granted by the Supreme Council and four members of the Council have been elected to the Hall of Fame of the Springfield Diocese Chapter of the Knights of Columbus; and

WHEREAS, The Council has worked diligently to maintain and grow its works of charity; a recent accounting of contributions over the last 10 years shows that the Council has contributed over $300,000 to numerous charities, churches, St. Mary's School, youth groups, and vocations; and

WHEREAS, The Council has remained very involved in parish activities; it assisted the parish with fundraising efforts for a new parish center and formed "The Apostles", a group of parishoners who volunteer their assistance with maintenance and repairs around the church, school, parish center, and rectory; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Knights of Columbus Mattoon Council No. 1057 on the occasion of the organization's 100th anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Knights of Columbus Mattoon Council No. 1057 as an expression of our esteem and with best wishes for the organization's future success.