Pilgram Icon Program

Overview

Every few years, the Knights of Columbus selects an icon of a saint whose patronage is particularly inspiring to Knights and their communities. Each jurisdiction receives one or several of these icons which travel from council to council and serve as the centerpieces for prayer services in parishes throughout the Order. More than 174,800 council and parish prayer services with some 22 million participants have been held since the first traveling pilgrim icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1979. For Pilgrim Icon Program resources, visit www.kofc.org/pilgrimicon.

 

A Higher Purpose

Spread devotion to St. Joseph and pray for the courage to stand up and carry out our mission of protecting, defending, and raising future generations.

Schedule

There will be four (4) icons traveling throughout Ohio.  Each district will be able to host the icon for one month.  Councils interested in hosting the icon should schedule with their District Deputy.

Resources

(Updated 11/26/2021)

#5050- Pilgrim Icon Prayer Service Booklet

#11221- St. Joseph Prayer Card

#10739- Vertical Poster

#10738- Horizontal Poster

#11126 - News Release

St. Joseph Presentation (PDF)

St. Joseph Presentation (PPT)

Action Steps

  1. Identify a program chairman to oversee all action steps and delegate tasks as needed. If coordinating with the parish, confirm pastor approval with the grand knight, and then set up subsequent planning meetings.
  2. Working with your jurisdiction’s Pilgrim Icon Program chairman, coordinate when your council is scheduled to receive the icon.
  3. Review the Pilgrim Icon Prayer Service Booklet (#5050) and identify council and parish members to fulfill the various roles required in the service. Examples include a leader for the readings, such as a member of the clergy or council officer, additional lectors, a cantor or choir, and musicians.
  4. Working with your jurisdiction’s Pilgrim Icon Program chairman, determine if enough booklets remain from previous services. Additional copies of the Pilgrim Icon Prayer Service Booklet (#5050) and St. Joseph Prayer Cards (#11221) can be ordered through Supplies Online via Officers Online.
  5. Prior to the Pilgrim Icon prayer service, use the Pilgrim Icon News Release (#11266) as a model to create and distribute a tailored release to your parish, council, and local media.
  6. Build public interest for the event! Promote the Pilgrim Icon Program in your parish and larger community through a variety of efforts:
    1. Prominently display promotional posters (which can be ordered through Supplies Online)
    2. Bulletin announcements
    3. Pulpit announcements
    4. Posting on your council and parish website / social media pages
  7. Invite council officers from the next host council to your prayer service.
  8. Hold your Pilgrim Icon prayer service with the following guidelines in mind:
    1. Provide the music director of your parish with the hymns for the prayer service ahead of time so he or she can prepare
    2. In advance of the service, advise the lectors to recite the readings at a moderate pace to ensure the service is truly reverent
    3. Throughout the evening, be ever mindful of the intentions of your prayer service
    4. No money should be collected at the service itself
  9. At the close of the prayer service, formally present the icon to the next host council. Council officers from the next host council can receive the icon at the front of the church or meeting place after the final prayer or final blessing and process out of the prayer service.
  10. Collect all Pilgrim Icon Prayer Service Booklets (#5050) and other resources, to be sent along with the icon to the next council.
  11. Strongly consider hosting a dinner or other social event in conjunction with the prayer service. Although the Pilgrim Icon Prayer Program cannot be double counted for other Faith in Action programs, you can coordinate other programs, events, membership drives and fundraisers to coincide with the time your council has the pilgrim icon.
  12. To gain credit for your program, complete the associated reporting forms.
    1. IMPORTANT: Immediately after your program is finished, complete the Fraternal Programs Report Form (#10784). This data is used to track the impact of the Pilgrim Icon Program on councils and their communities.
    2. At the end of the fraternal year, complete the Columbian Award Application (#SP-7)