SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Knights of Columbus Marikina Valley Council 6178 in Marikina City, the Philippines, was honored for its spiritual and charitable outreach to a remote tribal community.
The council was awarded the 2013 International Church Activity Award at the 131st annual international convention of the Knights of Columbus held in San Antonio this week.
The Luzon council's goal was to help bring the Catholic faith to the Dumagat tribal community, which lives in the remote district of Paglitao, accessible only by a two-and-a-half hour journey on foot. The mountain trail is not passable when it rains.
The Knights' ministry to the Dumagat people has included a number of different projects, including the construction of a Catholic chapel in the village. The council has also sponsored the ministry of catechists, who stayed in the village for months and laid the groundwork for ongoing conversion of the Dumagats.
Careful not to neglect the material needs of the people, the Marikina council also provided emergency aid, including rice, canned goods, coffee, sugar, vegetable seedlings, and children's toys at the cost of PHP 500,000 (US $11,390). While much-needed charitable aid to the community was a priority, the apostolate's chief focus was on the highest form of charity ― the offer and sharing of faith.
Sixty-five members of the council have participated in the program, collectively volunteering more than 3,600 hours of service. To date, the program has assisted more than 900 people.
The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by Father Michael McGivney, a parish priest in New Haven, Conn. With charity as its central commitment, the organization has grown to 1.8 million members worldwide. During the past year, Knights donated more than $167.5 million and more than 70 million hours of service to charitable causes.
