A Presidents Day Message from the Knights of Columbus

The official flag of the Order features the green ensign

borne by Christopher Columbus’ ships on their voyage to the New World.  It flies over our hall alongside the Stars and Stripes.  As a Catholic society in union with the Holy See, we also use the Papal flag, which is on display in the Madonna Room.

History of the Marian Council

Minnesota’s first Knights of Columbus council was chartered in 1897,

in St. Paul.  At that time, the Order was virtually unknown west of the Alleghenies.  Our state proved fertile ground: by the time the Fourth Degree was established in 1901, Minnesota had 11 thriving councils.

Through two World Wars, Minnesota Knights served heroically in battle.  They also funded field hospitals, orphanages, and recreation centers.

The 1950s were halcyon days for the Order.  Most men belonged to some kind of club.  Many of Minnesota’s 200 Knights of Columbus councils owned buildings, where fathers and sons recreated under the Church’s watchful eye.

The ‘50s also heralded suburbia.  New councils were chartered on the urban fringe.  Ours was founded in 1955 by 56 men raising large families south of Minneapolis.

Marian Council #3827 grew in lockstep with the Richfield-Bloomington area.  Young residents found membership advantageous, both spiritually and socially.  Soon ours was the largest council in Minnesota.

Ground was broken in 1957 for Marian Hall, on a dirt road surrounded by farmland.  At the time, the Grand Hall was the largest un-pillared ballroom in Minnesota.  It quickly became the social epicenter of the south Metro.

Weekly dances attracted capacity crowds.  Thousands of couples held wedding receptions in the same room where they “met their match.”

The hall was built largely by members, several of whom owned construction firms.  Labor and materials were donated or provided at cost.  The words “of durable and permanent character” appear frequently in specs.  After 55 years, no one has found a single crack in the foundation!

At first a “bottle club,” members rented lockers to store their favorite spirits.  As laws changed, the first of two additions to the hall included a lounge bar.  A formal dining room and lower banquet area followed.  The Madonna Room (named for our patroness and Mother) is a quiet space for meetings, prayer, and nursing mothers.

In 2007, the 3,000th wedding reception was held at Marian Hall.  Other memorable events of that year included a vocations dinner and concert, a one-act play, Girl Scout sock hop and a 700-person “Fiesta for Fred,” raising funds for a local youngster battling cancer.

We owe a debt to our founders and young members.  Their foresight provided our council with a permanent base of operations.  Their enterprise retired the mortgage.  Today, Marian Hall is also home to dozens of non-profit organizations.  It is self-supporting, so we can focus our resources on serving the Church and community.

We are still growing, serving new generations of Catholic families.  While other social clubs have closed, Marian Hall still stands as a testament to Christian charity and fraternity.  In fact, the Knights of Columbus is the only fraternal society that is growing.

Our Benefits

Are you worthy of the title “Knight?”  Are you a man who serves others?

Maybe you coach soccer, lead a scout troop, help at church or are an election judge.  An everyday hero.

Too busy to for us?  No–you’re doing what we do.  Look around.  The men you admire are Knights of Columbus.

Join us.  We are a fraternity of Catholic men serving the community, defending family life.  All we ask is 24 hours a year, doing what you already do.  Membership costs pennies a day.

Benefits of membership:

• Our award-winning magazine, Columbia
• Free insurance for you and your spouse
• Access to top-rated life and long-term care insurance
• Daily Mass offered for deceased members and spouses
• Socials, retreats, volunteer, fundraising activities
• Leadership development, networking
• College scholarships and loans
• Children of Knights killed serving their country* receive full college tuition

What’s stopping you?  If you are a Catholic man age 18+, you owe it to your family to join us.  Contact us now.

* Long before 9/11, we recognized our heroes.  Established in 1919, the Swift scholarship provides tuition, board, books and fees for survivors of active-duty military, police, firefighters and first responders killed in the line of duty.

Join us.