Briar Cliff reactivates Knights of Columbus council

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
Feb. 15, 2007

Students at Briar Cliff University have worked with Knights of Columbus to reactivate Knights Council #8562 on campus.

According to James Wrigg, Briar Cliff student and Grand Knight of the BC council, a few of the students at BC were already Knights in their hometowns.

"Since many of us are not able to make it home very often to be with our council we wanted to see if we could get a council started here," said Wrigg. "After talking about the idea with some other guys here on campus we found that there was quite a bit of interest in starting a council. So we decided that it would be a good thing to try and start."

Wrigg thinks that having a Knights of Columbus council at Briar Cliff is a good thing "because college campuses need organizations like ours."

"For many of our students who leave the safety of home it is difficult to stay focused on their faith when moving onto college," said Wrigg. "When teenagers walk onto a college campus they have no idea what is ahead of them and can easily fall into groups of people who do not challenge them to continue their faith. This is where organizations like the Knights can step in and help students keep their faith strong. One student standing alone will be molded by the community they live in, but many students united by faith will mold the community they live in."

The council has an active core group of about eight members that have been involved since the beginning of school last fall. Currently they have close to 20 students signed up. The chaplain for the council is Father Michael Erpelding, pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Sioux City.

Father Erpelding commented that the council at Briar Cliff became inactive several years ago. In the 1980s, he was one of the charter members of the council.

"It was suggested by both students and staff that this would be a good way for the Catholic men on campus to be a more visible and active presence to the campus community," said Mark Westrich, a campus minister at Briar Cliff. "I am already witnessing an increased sense of spirit in living Christian values among the new Knights. I am impressed by the level of enthusiasm this group is already showing at this early stage of formation."

Westrich is a member of the council as a Knight as well as serving as the one permanent position in the council and act as the staff advisor to the council.

The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal organization that was formed to protect the widows of Catholics, explained Father Erpelding.

"This is a men's organization," said the chaplain. "They also formed to assist the church in any way they can, especially in the areas of pro-life, vocations, prayer and handicapped."

Wrigg pointed out that Knights are guided by four core principles - charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.

"Here at BC we hope to enhance our campus in every aspect," said Wrigg. "We are offering alternative activities on weekends for the students here."

Westrich mentioned that the students have held a nice mix of both service and social events. They sponsored a welcome back to campus dinner last fall after the provost holiday. They held a Friday night bingo game for all students. "We have worked to support the recycling program on campus with monthly collections of recyclable papers across campus," said Westrich. "In addition, the council is planning a concert later this spring featuring local Christian rock bands."

At the end of the year, the council is planning a closet clean out. They are going to collect clothing and supplies to donate to the Bargain Center in Sioux City.

"We are also trying to unite the students on our campus through faith by being good examples of what it means to be Catholic and working with campus ministry to offer more activities in the church, for example, leading the rosary before Mass," said Wrigg.

Wrigg pointed out that overall the council hopes to "take the sometimes-invisible grace in our students' hearts and turn it into visible actions."

"Our council offers a healthy group where the young men on this campus cannot only be men but men of God," said Wrigg. "It is easy to come to college and be corrupted by the reality of life but our council unites Catholic men to stand up and say 'No, we will not give into the social pressures of being a college student.'"

As Grand Knight, Wrigg stated that reactivating council 8562 at Briar Cliff "has not been an easy task. It has only been through the support of other people that we have succeeded."

"I must extend my thanks to Marty Pasker and Ken Kafton who have worked directly with us in our quest to have a council," said Wrigg. "Also a special thanks to Mike Gaspers, the state deputy, who paid us a visit and boosted our morale. I cannot give enough thanks to my bother Knights here at BC who have worked very hard. My final thanks must go to Mark Westrich who is not only our financial secretary but also our faculty sponsor. We all give special thanks to him for all of the work he has done for our council."

"This has been an exciting project to be involved with," said Westrich. "I am greatly impressed by the high level of faith and the spirit to put that faith into action by the young men who are making this effort a reality."