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From The Faithful Navigator….. David Spinks
I take this opportunity to welcome you to our new website and introduce you to the George L. Gettier Assembly No. 780. Our assembly was formed in 1923 originally aas past of Council 770 and was so identified until 1975. At that time it was renamed Assembly NC-0780. Charlotte Fourth Degree Assembly NC-0780 was the 3rd to be formed in North Carolina. At that time the States Economy was based on textile and tobacco and the State was nearly all Baptist. As you can imagine the Knights of Columbus were not very popular and we were often confused with the KKK, which did not help matters. St. Peter’s Catholic Church was the center of all Catholic Life in Charlotte at that time. The activities of Assembly 780 at that time centered on the Third Degree K of C Council 770, and was under the leadership of our first Faithful Navigator, M.I. Benner. The activities were held in the old army hut from Camp Green, behind St. Peters Church located in the center of Charlotte until1928. In the spring of 1929, a home was purchased and converted to a Club House in West Seventh Street. A clubhouse was then built on a tract of land encompassing 140 acres near Mint Hill from 1953 till 1971.
The present brick Club House which houses Council 770 and Assembly 780 is on East Kingston Ave. This building was built in 1971 and has been our home for the past 30 years. Assembly 780 Knights continued to promote patriotism throughout these past years. The Honor Guard was quite active and by 1953, it numbered over 30. It was instrumental in the formation of two Charlotte and surrounding area Assemblies these being Assembly 2208 and 2531. The Sir Knights of Assembly 780 and surrounding areas lead the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade every year in Charlotte. It is important to note that when the city of Charlotte stopped funding the Parade the Knights of Columbus stepped in and guaranteed its continued presence in Charlotte. The parade starts traditionally from St. Peters Catholic Church and marches down Trade Street which is our cities main street. The Priest blesses the parade to start the procession each year and in 2002 we had over 50 Sir Knights in Regalia and a 40 fool float filled with Knights and their families. Ever since Bishop Bagley of Charlotte we have been consistently called to honor the activities of the Bishop in dedications, honoring the unborn, Baptisms, Weddings, funerals and the opening of Catholic Churches and schools. We have had the privilege of having our 4th Degree Color Guard at every Ordination for our Diocese. The most recent privilege we have had was to lead the Eucharistic Congress Procession down the streets of Charlotte and into the Convention Centre. This has been a wonderful opportunity for the Catholic Community to be witnessed by all our citizens and has been a great witness to what we believe. We were also requested by Bishop Curlin to participate in the celebration of the Chinese New Year for the Vietnamese Catholic Church, and very unique experience. The city of Charlotte has an annual Patriotic Day, honoring all our veterans and celebrated citizens, they turned to Assembly 780 to participate in Regalia to show our patriotic spirit to the city of Charlotte for which we are well known. There were 35 Chartered Members for Assembly 780 in 1923 and were lead by its first Faithful Navigator, M.I.Brenner. The expansion of the Fourth Degree Organizations into Western North Carolina was recognized on August 19th,1973, when the Supreme Master, Daniel Coruet, established a General Assembly with the Fourth Degree Assemblies of 780 and 6451. This new Assembly was named the Charlotte General Assembly.
The Fourth Degree Assemblies of Western North Carolina continued to have joint activities. Honor Guards and Initiation of Officers were continually held throughout the years. In November of 1988, the Faithful Navigator, Ed Comiskey, initiated a name change to the present George L. Gettier Assembly 780. George Gettier was an inspiration and the spirit of the Assembly for years and because of him memory and his efforts in personally invigorating the Assembly after World War II , OUR Assembly has honored his memory.
I hope that you all understand that we are the most visible arm of the Catholic Church, this was most evident in the recent visit from His Holiness Pope Benedict, at every event we were front and center even on the lawn of the White House. I pray that you all participate at every event you can and take great pride in knowing that His Holiness has a great affection for the Knights of Columbus, this is most recently evident in the Basilica Dome in Washington, D.C. My pride and excitement are immeasurable when ever I see our Brother in Regalia and I hope you will share that emotion. I encourage all to make a real effort to get your Regalia, you will never regret that investment. The Fourth Degree’s greatness lies in its Sir Knights and only in your participation will you honor responsibility.
Vivat Jesus,
Faithful Navigator |
