Charities

The Knights of Columbus Texas State Council Charity Program is a statewide initiative rooted in the Order’s founding principle of charity, which guides all activities of the organization. The program unites local councils across Texas in financial contributions, volunteer service, and community outreach to support the Church, families, and those in need.

State Charities Team:

Purpose and Mission

The primary mission of the Texas State Charity Program is to provide meaningful assistance to dioceses, parishes, and charitable causes throughout Texas. Charity is considered the foundation of the Knights of Columbus, inspiring members to serve God by serving others and responding to needs within their communities.

Structure of the Program

Each council in Texas is encouraged to contribute annually to the State Council Charities fund, based on membership. Funds collected are distributed in two main ways:

70% returned to local dioceses: These funds are allocated to each bishop, who designates specific charitable causes within their diocese.

30% used statewide: Supports broader charitable efforts, administrative needs, and additional programs across Texas.

This structure ensures that the majority of funds directly benefit local communities while still supporting statewide initiatives.

Key Charitable Initiatives

The Texas State Charity Program supports a wide range of causes, including:

Support for Seminarians and Vocations
Catholic Education and Schools
Programs for Persons with Disabilities and Deaf Ministries
Disaster Relief Efforts
Special Olympics and community outreach
American Wheelchair Mission
Pro-life and family support programs

Each diocese may prioritize different causes based on local needs, ensuring targeted and effective use of funds.

Fundraising and Participation

Funds for the charity program are raised through:

Council dues and voluntary contributions

Fundraising events (e.g., dinners, raffles, community events)

Individual donations and parish support

Members are encouraged to actively participate not only through financial contributions but also through volunteer service, embodying the Knights’ commitment to faith in action.

Recognition and Incentives

To encourage participation, the Texas State Council offers recognition programs such as:
Charity goals for each council
Awards for councils that meet or exceed targets
Charity pins for members who contribute financially

These incentives promote engagement and reinforce the importance of charitable giving within the Order.

Impact

Through the combined efforts of over 100,000 Knights in Texas, the charity program has a significant impact on communities statewide. It strengthens parishes, supports vulnerable populations, and responds to emergencies, reflecting the Knights’ commitment to charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism.

Conclusion

The Knights of Columbus Texas State Charity Program exemplifies the organization’s dedication to service and faith. By coordinating resources at both the local and state levels, the program ensures that charitable efforts are both effective and far-reaching, making a lasting difference in the lives of individuals and communities across Texas.

Bishop Thomas J. Flanagan Fund for Retired Priests

This fund is named in honor of the late Bishop Thomas J. Flanagan who served the

Archdiocese of San Antonio as Auxiliary Bishop from 1998-2005 and the Texas State

Council as State Chaplain from 2000-2002. This fund was established to provide support for our retired priests.

The primary way to contribute to this fund is by acquiring and displaying a Texas Knights of Columbus license plate on your vehicle. Donations can also be made by check, debit, or credit card at www.tkofc.org/donate-now/license-plate-program

State Council Charity magnets can also be purchased for $20. All the funds contributed are distributed equally to the fifteen dioceses in Texas each fraternal year to support our retired priests.

The Texas State Council introduced the license plate program in 2004 which means the program has been in effect for over 20 years. Currently we are granting each diocese almost $2,000 each year from this program. Since inception, the Knights of Columbus have provided over $500,000 to help our retired priests.

However, less than 1% of the Knights in the State participated. The easiest way to obtain your plate is to access www.myplates.com and locate the Knights of Columbus plates under the section for State Sponsored Charities and Organizations. The KC license plates are $30, or a specialty KC license plate is $70. The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles sends $22 to the State Council for retired priests for each license plate issued.

For the first time in 28 years, the Cardinal Medeiros Fellow Program is being expanded and improved to include more charitable causes and to honor more Cardinals with ties to the great state of Texas! The “NEW” Texas State Council Charities Fellow Program will be known as the

“Triumvirate Fellow Program”

and it is available now to recognize a deserving Knight or to expand your giving to very worthwhile State Charities causes!

The Cardinal Medeiros Fellow program was initiated in 1998 and as of the beginning of the 2026/27 fraternal year, there has been about 400 Brother Knights or their wives who were nominated and named Cardinal Medeiros Fellows.

Considering that there are about 110,000 Knights in the State of Texas, this has been a very exclusive group! For each of those Fellows a minimum $1,000 donation was made to the Cardinal Medeiros Trust Fund and the interest from that fund has been used to finance our Annual Texas State Charities Scholarships and Educational Grants. The program has also served as a great way to honor the contributions of deserving Knights, living or deceased, or their spouses and to pay tribute to Humberto Cardinal Medeiros who served the Diocese of Brownsville and the Texas State Council specifically.

So, why are we initiating changes to the program and initiating “The Triumvirate Fellow Program”?

Opportunity to grow: With over 110,000 Knights in Texas and a program that has been in place for 28 years, we should have many more Fellows than 400.

Broaden our Charitable causes: In addition to strengthening our educational aid cause, we will be able to impact other worthy charitable causes like Retired Priests’ welfare and Seminarian aid.

Increase the number of Cardinals we pay tribute to: While Cardinal Medeiros had a great impact and legacy in Texas and with the Knights, there are other Cardinals with strong Texas heritage and ties that many Knights would like to honor as well.

Increase awareness of the “Fellow” Program and Thus the Overall Contributions to Texas State Charities.

Create new levels of opportunity to recognize individual achievement among our Brothers and/or their spouses or generosity in giving.

How Will The Triumvirate Fellow Program Work?

Beginning October 1, 2026, the Triumvirate Fellow Program will be a progressive and sequential program with three levels of Fellowships:

I. The Humberto Cardinal Medeiros Fellow II. The Daniel Cardinal DiNardo Fellow

III. The Kevin Cardinal Farrell Fellow

There are plaques and lapel pins to recognize achieving each of these three levels, however, upon achieving all three Fellowships, a Brother Knight or his spouse will receive special recognition on the Texas State Honor Roll and will forever more be known as a Texas:

“Triumvirate Fellow”

What Are The Requirements To Become a Fellow?

Any Knight in good standing or his spouse, living or deceased, is eligible to be nominated for a Fellowship.

Knights are also welcome to self-nominate.

These Fellowships are sequential – in other words, one must start as a Cardinal Medeiros Fellow, followed by becoming a Cardinal DiNardo Fellow and finally a Cardinal Farrell Fellow.

A completed nomination form must accompany the nomination.

A minimum $1,000 contribution to Texas State Council Charities is required for each fellowship.

Multiple levels of Fellowships can be requested at any time.

Existing Cardinal Medeiros Fellows remain as such but are most welcome to advance to other levels of Fellowship and ultimately to become a Triumvirate Fellow.

Where Do The $1000 Donations Go?

Donations related to the Cardinal Medeiros Fellowship go directly to the Cardinal Medeiros Trust Fund that was established in 1991. Annually, the interest from this fund is used to fund Texas State Council Need-Based Scholarships and Educational Grants.

Donations related to the Cardinal DiNardo Fellowship will go to benefit Retired Priests in the State of Texas.

Donations related to the Cardinal Farrell Fellowship will be used to benefit Seminarians in the State of Texas.

How Will A Fellow Be Recognized?

A Cardinal Medeiros Fellow will receive a personalized 7x9 Cardinal Medeiros walnut plaque, a lapel pin with the image of Cardinal Medeiros and recognition on the Texas State Honor Roll which is on display at the Texas State Council office and at all State Conventions.

A Cardinal DiNardo Fellow will receive a personalized 7X9 Cardinal DiNardo walnut plaque, a lapel pin with the image of both Cardinal Medeiros and Cardinal DiNardo and unique recognition on the Texas State Honor Roll which is on display at the Texas State Council office and at all State Conventions.

A Cardinal Farrell Fellow will receive a personalized 7X9 Cardinal Farrell walnut plaque, a lapel pin with the image of Cardinal Medeiros, Cardinal DiNardo and Cardinal Farrell and unique recognition on the Texas State Honor Roll which is on display at the Texas State Council office and at all State Conventions. Upon attainment of the Cardinal Farrell Fellowship, the Brother will have the distinct honor of being recognized as “Triumvirate Fellow”!

Please click here for the Nomination Form for any or all the three Fellowships.

For any questions, related to the Triumvirate Fellow Programs please contact Brother Jake Fleischer, Cardinal Fellows Chairman at johnfleischer7@gmail.com or (214) 232-1084.

Special Olympics

Mission

The mission of the Special Olympics committee is to encourage councils to provide support for athletes with disabilities who compete in a multitude of sporting events designed to build character, promote friendly competition, and elevate good sportsmanship. Councils do this through volunteering at local events, sponsoring athletes, and raising funds for Special Olympics.

Goals

Work with DDs to ensure councils submit Form#10784 in a timely manner.

Encourage DDs to work with councils to recognize members who actively participate in Special Olympics and nominate them for the Chic O’Connor Award.

Reach out to DDs for reminders of upcoming Special Olympics events in their area.

Emergency Response Program

The mission of our emergency response program is to provide GUIDANCE and ASSISTANCE to our brothers and councils before and after disasters.

Utilizing our statewide network of Emergency Response Coordinators (ERC), we provide GUIDANCE to councils and Knights, thus allowing a concerted effort for all involved. Our relief ASSISTANCE comes through charitable giving from our brothers and councils.

For disaster relief, training, guidance, and resources, contact your ERC or E-Mail:

EmergencyResponse@TKofC.org

2026 - 2027 Texas State Emergency Response Coordinators

Mike Courtney

Charities Director

mikecourtney0666@outlook.com