Knights of Columbus
give St. Michael School $5000
By Bethany Comella

The Knights of Columbus presented St. Michael School with a check for $5000. The donation comes as part of the fundraising drive at St. Michael School, which has faced budget deficits and declining enrollment in recent years.

Pictured at the school are Fr. Felix Dalimpuo, School Principal Pauline DeCann, and Knights Richard Bogan and Joey Nicosia.

Bogan and Nicosia toured the building with DeCann, meeting and chatting with the students and teachers who will be helped by the financial donation.

Bogan emphasized to the students the importance of Catholic education, and shared that his own sons were both graduates of the school. Both he and Nicosia hoped that the donation would set an example to others who were considering investing in St. Michaels and Catholic education.

Bogan said, 'I know that my two boys went through St. Michael's, and we were very appreciative over the years for everything that the school and the church did for them.'

The pair also visited Mrs. Rigney's 6th grade Religion class, where the students were discussing their favorite saints.

Bogan told the students that the founder of the Knights of Columbus, an Irish-American Catholic priest named Fr. Michael J. McGivney, was on his way to becoming a saint. He founded the organization in 1882, and in 2008 Pope Benedict XVI approved a decree recognizing the 'heroic virtue' of McGivney.

The Knights of Columbus has since grown to 1.7 million members, with over 68,695,768 man hours of voluntary service and $145 million in charitable contributions for 2007. Membership is comprised of Catholic men over the age of 18.

To learn more, contact DeCann at 331.2297 or pdecann@dor.org

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