Faith Leadership

When you live and share your faith you become a shining light and help to others. Those are words that help describe the Knights of Columbus Council 5322 at St. John Vianney Church. 

Like the Cordova Community Council, St. John Vianney Church celebrates 50 years of service to the community this year. Many churches value community service as a way of living their faith, and the Knights of Columbus has been a leader in this effort.

Like many church organizations, the Knights perform many services for their own parish. They host regular breakfasts, a parish Easter egg hunt and support St. John Vianney School. They hold Crab Feeds and make the annual Parish Festival happen and on and on and on.

When a truck went barreling through the front door of the church in a spectacular crash, Fr. Moroney first turned to the trusted Knights for help in rebuilding.

But the Knights have also reached out into the Rancho Cordova community in many other ways in recent years.

You saw them at the California Capital Air Show where they have been standout volunteers for the past three years.

Their members work magic at the Cordova Community Christmas Tree Lighting, and helped host the event for many years on the front lawn of their magnificent church on Coloma Road.

The Knights have been especially helpful at Rancho Cordova Fourth of July, organizing and staffing several all night patrols in Hagan Park, protecting equipment and tents and fireworks - even babysitting the visiting Clydesdales. Some members stayed up all night on patrol, went home and grabbed a shower and went off to other obligations. Rancho Cordova Fourth of July is indebted to the Knights.

Knights annually hold a Tootsie Roll sale fund-raiser to benefit children with mental disabilities, and collect money and buy dozens of wheelchairs for local veterans.

They even turned out to hoist up a tent when Navigator Elementary School opened so that children there would have shade during the hottest months of the school year since trees were so young they offered no relief.

This year, the national Knights of Columbus organization is once again looking for ways to serve through "Neighbors Helping Neighbors: A Summit on Volunteerism in response to the economic crisis." We look to them for leadership.

The slogan of the Knights is: "In Service to One. In Service to All." The Cordova Community Council honors that effort with our "Faith Leadership" award and thanks to the Knights of Columbus Council 5322 for helping make our community a better, more caring place to live.