In 1223, St. Francis of Assisi decided to celebrate the birth of Jesus in a new way by recreating the Nativity in the Italian town of Greccio. According to his biographer, Thomas de Celano, Francis assembled what is considered the first crèche, saying, “Out of Greccio is made a new Bethlehem.” To mark this major octocentennial anniversary, the Knig...

The City Council of New Orleans awarded a grant of $10,000.00 to a Committee of Fifty appointed by the mayor that purchased Winchester rifles to conduct the massacre. In 2019, Mayor Cantrell acknowledged the role the City Government of New Orleans played in the massacre and recognized the contributions of Italians to the city of New Orleans. The ev...

Sen. Joe Vitale (D-19th Dist), in conjunction with the Knights of Columbus Council 6571, has honored two local residents for their service to the community. At the 18th-annual Italian American Heritage flag raising, held recently at Woodbridge Town Hall, Nicole Fancera was honored as “Ms. Italian America,” while Joseph Ragucci took the honor of “It...

Knights of Columbus Villa Marie Council 6342 of Absecon and Galloway Township will sponsor its 10th annual Italian Festival on Saturday, Sept. 25 at the Historic Smithville Village Green in Galloway township. The rain date is Sunday, Sept. 26. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be live Italian music at the main entrance provided b...

As one of its national goals “service above self,” UNICO members remain faithful to helping those in need, as an individual effort or in cooperation with other charitable organizations. Financial donations were given to the Knights of Columbus in support of their 40 Cans for Lent Drive, and to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which provides food an...

An obscene message was spray-painted on the base of the Christopher Columbus monument in Columbus Circle over the weekend. Authorities discovered the vandalization Saturday evening, less than three weeks after police took down the protective barricade that had surrounded the statue since last summer. A spokesperson for the Knights of Columbus’ nati...

Courage and Conviction: The True Story of Christopher Columbus is a thorough examination of the life and legacy of the fearless discoverer of America. Through expert interviews and archival footage, we look at the origins of Columbus Day and the symbolic role that Columbus has for Catholic immigrants, especially Italian Americans. Finally, the film...

America has always been a beacon for those brave enough to venture to her shores. Although, what they find might not always live up to their fantasies. Such was the case in the late 1800s, with wave after wave of Italian immigrants landing on the shores of America. The Italians brought with them their food, language and religion. However,  early Am...

Produced by the Knights of Columbus and National Columbus Education Foundation. The documentary will air Columbus Day weekend on EWTN with two separate showings: Sunday, October 11 at 10:00 p.m. Monday, October 12 at 6:30 p.m. *Note, after the documentary airs on EWTN it will be available for on Demand viewing via www.kofc.org/Columbus. Here is the...

They were one of the first American fraternal societies not to prohibit black membership in their constitution. During World War I, with the slogan “Everybody Welcome, Everything Free” atop their doors, they managed the only racially integrated facilities available to American troops, three decades before the U.S. military integrated its ranks. And...