Kehoe Council #1764 at 828 Elm St., Ludlow, KY 41016 US - History of Kehoe Council
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History of Kehoe Council |
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On October 11, 1914, Father James Kehoe Council Knights of Columbus, was founded under the leadership of the first Grand Knight, John J. Donovan. Further honors were bestowed upon Brother Donovan, when, on October 4, 1954, Pope Pius XII honored him by his appointment as a Knight of St. Gregory The Great. The ninety-four years that seperate the leadership of John J. Donovan and our present Grand Knight, Chuck Wilke, record an ever increasing list of achievements for our church and community.
In 1965, Father Kehoe Council owned it's own home on Elm St. in Ludlow, Ky. This building was multi-storied, where the council hall was on the 2nd floor and the first floor was rented out to a business establishment. That year, a big step in the history of the council was made when we purchsed the Catholic Atheletic Club building and grounds, located on the waterfront of the Ohio River. The selling price was approx. $30,000. This property again fronted on Elm St. in Ludlow, but much further west of the other location with the northern boundary being the river. Since the purchase of this site, new council hall of about 2000 sq. ft. was added to the front of the original structure on the upper level. The lower level, or main hall, was completely rebuilt and enlarged. While this facility is very beautiful, especially in the summertime, it has one drawback, that of being in the flood plain. A river stage of 51 ft. puts the river in our lower level. The river has visited us many times in the past, the worst being on March 5, 1997, when the river rose to a height of 64.7 ft., which placed it 4 ft. in our upper level.
In 1972, a beautiful outdoor shrine was built of rocks with spraying water, and encased a life-sized statue of Mary, Our Blessed Mother. On October 13, 1979, William Hughes, Bishop of Covington, celebrated a Mass at our Outdoor Shrine, dedicating it to our Blessed Lady. The Shrine, and photographs of it, have become the signature of our Council.
To encourage academic pursuits, especially among the children of our members, in 1956, Kehoe Council established a scholarship program for the children upon completion of the 8th grade. Since then, each year, monetary awards have been given to the winners. Kehoe Council also provides annual grants for tuition assistance to the students of the four remaining Catholic elementary schools in the inner-city of the Covington Diocese in Kenton County.
Kehoe Council is very active at all levels in the Anti-Abortion, Pro-Life movements: the Tootsie-Roll Program for our exceptional people: the Free-Throw Contest for our youth: and in the support of all worthwhile civic-community activities.
Since the founding of Kehoe Council and continuing to the present, our members have served with distinction as board members of both public and parochial schools; as mayors of cities; as city council members; and as county commissioners, county judges, state senators, and state rperesentatives. Kehoe Council members, aware of their duty to Church and State, proudly take their places in these many activities and lend their talents in their particular area of expertise.