Every Sunday morning before Mass, the Knights of Columbus Council at St. Peter the Apostle Church in Carthage, Tennessee gathers to pray the rosary. Carl Rasmussen, Knights of Columbus financial secretary, says, “we promote men to pray more and be more family oriented.”
The Carthage council formed in June 2025. For eight months prior to that, the men met as a roundtable of the Knights of Columbus council in LaFayette, Tennessee. A roundtable only requires two officers, rather than the eight needed for a formal council. “In 2025, we had enough individuals interested in starting our own council. We figured it would be easier to help the priest if we had our own council at St. Peter the Apostle,” Rasmussen explains.
Prior to the establishment of St. Peter the Apostle Church, Rasmussen served as grand knight of the LaFayette council. “I knew enough to start a council here. When we first started in Carthage, we had 22 knights who had experience in other councils. Most of us live in the Carthage area but we went to other parishes before St. Peter the Apostle was formed, some driving as long as one and a half hours to Mass,” Rasmussen states.
The group’s current projects include a Fish Fry during Lent, a monthly pancake breakfast after Mass, Trunk-or-Treat for community children, an Angel Tree to collect Christmas gifts for the Upper Cumberland Resource Center, and singing Christmas carols at an assisted living center then distributing bags of candy to the residents. They also help out around the church by decorating for Christmas and Easter and working on maintenance of the buildings and grounds.
“The Knights are mainly for enhancing the parish, the families, the community. Our families get involved in anything we do. We have a K of C Ladies Auxiliary which also assists with activities. We’re trying to do the best we can with what we have to meet the needs of the families. The guys are very serious,” Rasmussen says.
That commitment also includes participation in religious education programs at the church. “Any time there’s a class that the church puts on, we’ll publicize the class at our meetings and encourage our members to sign up. At most of these classes 35 to 40 people show up,” Rasmussen says.
The Knights of Columbus plan to start even more projects. In addition to all their current projects, the knights want to start family movie nights in the church hall, organize retreats for men, start a prison ministry, mentor children, and encourage more men to join.
“I enjoy being around the Knights, and they make it fun doing these programs,” Rasmussen states.
-Mary Ellen Pellegrini
