The Knights of Columbus Council 5611 in St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish, Spring Lake, has gained a state representative in its newest member.
Assemblyman Sean T. Kean of District 30 recently joined the K of C council that recorder Paul Leddy referred to as “short on members but long on charity.”
“It’s an honor for our council to have a high-profile Christian leader like Assemblyman Kean join us and help foster the Knights’ principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism,” Leddy said. “We pray that recognition will inspire others to join us in our mission.”
Leddy called Kean a “Christian community man,” whose family – which includes a set of triplets born in 2012 – are new members of St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish. They previously belonged to St. Rose Parish, Belmar, and Kean served on the board of St. Rose High School.
“He joined because of his love of God and the Church,” Leddy said. “Like me, he has a family and works … we’re close in age, and I think when you look back after 25 years of work, you tend to ask yourself, ‘What should I do now?’ He’s looking around the community to see what he can do.”
Kean himself acknowledges that he knew of the organization before joining, but then a friend who was part of the KOC explained their mission in detail. Their good works appealed to his desire to make the faith more visible in society.
“I believe it is important to participate in Catholic service because our society is going through very challenging times,” Kean explained. “Religion is increasingly being neglected and placed in the rear by society, and the KOC are positioned to increase the profile of Christianity and Catholicism as a way of life for individuals.”
The KOC Council 5611 has about 200 members as of now, many of them retired. Its current projects include visiting neighboring churches to increase awareness and to raise funds to help those with mental disabilities and to benefit BirthRight. Soon they will conduct their annual scholarship drive to help students pay for Catholic high school.