St. Benedict's Knights of Columbus will present its annual golf outing to benefit St. Francis Home on Friday, June 13, at Blackwood Golf Course, 510 Red Corner Road, Douglassville. Registration will begin at 7 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at 8 a.m.

Individual golfers may also participate and will be placed in groups of four. The cost includes the green fee; use of a cart; breakfast; lunch; unlimited beverages; and snacks, including hot dogs.

Coffee, bagels and doughnuts will be served for breakfast. Lunch will include steak served with potatoes, a vegetable, salad, bread and dessert. There will also be an option for non-golfers to purchase dinner only.

The golf outing will include door prizes for all golfers as well as contests, including longest drive, closest to the pin and mulligans.

"When you (get) a mulligan, you can apply it on any hole, so you can reduce your score," explained Richard Conte, who holds the office of recorder for the Saint Benedict Council of the Knights of Columbus, which was founded in 2008 at the Church of St. Benedict in Mohnton.

All entries are due by Sunday, June 1. Proper golf attire, including soft spikes, is required. For more information and to register, contact Joe Drahus, golf committee chair, at 610-763-2844.

Conte explained that the golf outing did not take place for several years but was held again in 2024. "We stopped (having the outing) for three or four years, and we resurrected it last year, so this is our second 're-annual' event," he said, noting that 33 teams completed in last year's outing. "It's a nice course - not too difficult. People can be competitive there."

The beneficiary of the fundraiser, St. Francis Home in Reading, is a nonprofit faith-based facility that offers hospice care to people with a terminal illness, regardless of their ability to pay. The charity was selected by the Rev. Monsignor Edward Domin, former Church of St. Benedict pastor.

"The previous pastor was a chaplain (at St. Francis Home)," Conte noted. "We discussed the charity with him last year and he selected the hospice, which we thought would be a good choice."

The golf outing is just one of the several activities presented each year by the Knights of Columbus, which is led by Grand Knight Michael Maiers Sr. The group holds fundraisers, like designer bag bingo and Lenten Fish Frys, with all proceeds donated to local charities. The Knights also offer an annual scholarship to students attending La Salle Academy and Berks Catholic High School.

From October 2024 through March, the Knights completed various fraternal projects, including presenting a Halloween Trunk or Treat, coordinating the parish Christmas bazaar, supplying food and beverages to firefighters battling the Neversink Mountain fire last November and providing support to Hurricane Helene disaster relief efforts in North Carolina.

The Church of St. Benedict presents a Hospitality Sunday breakfast for the congregation on the first Sunday of each month. For June 1, the Knights of Columbus will host the event and provide the breakfast food.

"The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal benefit organization founded and focused on cornerstones. The cornerstones are charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism," Conte explained, noting that members must be at least 18 years of age and practicing Catholics. "We help out at church events. We ask people to volunteer at least one or two events a year."

For more information about the Knights of Columbus at the Church of St. Benedict, visit http://www.knightsofsaintbenedict.org or call the KnightLine at 484-263-0322.