Council 697 and a Century of Service

For more than 105 years, the Knights of Columbus has had a constant presence in Racine doing works of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. Council 697 of the Knights of Columbus was

founded on  Aug. 3, 1902, when nearly 60 charter candidates were initiated at a gala event in Racine. Council 697 became the 11th K of C council in Wisconsin.

Nearly 400 Brother Knights from Milwaukee, Janesville, Beloit, Madison, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Chicago and other cities gathered at Castle Hall for the daylong initiation and conferring of degrees. District Deputy Maurice McCabe of Milwaukee, Grand Knight Paul Carpenter of Milwaukee, State Deputy Supreme Knight Henry Killilea and others performed the degree work at the installation. While the men were occupied with the ceremonies, ladies and other guests enjoyed the 73-degree temperatures on a trolley tour of Racine.

Immediately following the installation, a grand banquet attended by more than 500 people was held at the Lakeside Auditorium at Third Street and Lake Avenue. Racine attorney Martin J. Gillen, elected first Grand Knight of Council 697, served as toastmaster at the banquet. Among the many speakers was former Wisconsin Attorney General J.L. O’Connor. Schulte’s Orchestra entertained while guests enjoyed a “menu fit for a king,” reported the Racine Daily Journal.

Among the charter members was Racine Mayor Michael Higgins (1899-1903), whose son James later served as Grand Knight. At the founding, Deputy Grand Knight was John F. Clancy, the Warden was Thomas McGraw and chaplain was Father Thomas B. Johnson.

The charter home of Council 697 was established at Baker Hall, 523 Main Street, above the Rialto Theater in Downtown Racine. Meetings were held

on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Just four years after its founding, Council 697 had grown to 197 members and was fifth largest in the state. In May 1906 the Racine Council hosted the fifth annual convention of the K of C Wisconsin State Council. There were 25 local councils in Wisconsin at that time with 3,600 members.

By 1907, Council 697 had grown to 300 members. “No organization in the city is showing more rapid increase in membership or doing more good  than is the local branch of the Knights of Columbus,” the Racine Daily Journal wrote on April 15, 1907.

Among notable early and lifelong members of Council 697 were the Rev. John B. Harney, Superior General of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (the Paulist Fathers) and Rev. Thomas Regan, chaplain of the U.S. Navy who served in World War I and World War II.

“The council has always been active in the charity work of the city,” read a 1914 article on the Knights, “especially during the Christmas season when an effort is made to look after those in need.” During its early decades, Council 697 regularly distributed food baskets to the needy, contributed $1,655 to the Marquette University Endowment Fund, raised $5,500 for St. Catherine’s High School,

held blood drives, conducted missions for non-Catholics, and much more.

During its early decades, the Council organized and sponsored concerts by “high-class musical organizations” each year, and also put on a lecture series on topics of local interest. The Council organized a Glee Club in 1922 that opened to rave reviews at the Orpheum Theater with the Little Symphony of Chicago. In those days the Knights developed a sterling reputation for musical performance, from the 50-voice Glee Club to instrumental soloists to vocal quartets. Glee Club director Frederick Schulte went on to found the Racine Symphony Orchestra in 1932.

The Council also had a variety of athletic leagues participating in baseball, basketball, tennis and other sports.

From its earliest days, Council 697 made patriotism a staple in its activities, sending care packages to soldiers in World War I and raising funds to help veterans and their families. In April 1917, Martin J. Gillen, the founding Grand Knight, gave an impassioned speech in support of homeland defense and aiding the war effort.

“A great wave of enthusiasm rose in the wake of the eloquent appeal and with the purpose of eliminating even the slightest delay in matters so vitally important to the people of the country, the local Sir Knights at once organized their committee to co-operate with the citizens’ committee of defense,” read one news report.

In May 1911, the first eight Knights from Council 697 joined the Fourth Degree Assembly in Milwaukee at an exemplification at the Milwaukee Auditorium. The Fourth Degree of the Knights of Columbus focuses on patriotism – the love of God and country. Among those first Sir Knights from Racine was Rev. Anthony G. Weiler, council chaplain.

A Fourth Degree Assembly was organized in Racine in 1946 and chartered in October 1947. It is now known as Monsignor Anthony G. Weiler General Assembly 1207, which has long been active in fostering patriotism in the community and in area schools.

The Knights pledged $1 million to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., for a 3,780 square foot
mosaic depicting themes related to the incarnation of Christ.

Since 1893 Brother Knights have enjoyed a magazine dedicated to the Order and the Faith. First called The Columbiad, the publication name was changed to Columbia in 1921. The full-color monthly magazine includes feature articles on the Catholic faith, the history of the Order and many other subjects.

The Knights of Columbus has teamed up with the Wheelchair Foundation for the ongoing purchase of wheelchairs that are sent to needy people around the world. An estimated 100 million to 150 million people globally are in need of a wheelchair, but fewer than 1 percent own or have access to one. Each $75 donation is matched by the Foundation to purchase one wheelchair.