The Knights of Columbus San Salvador Council is happy to participate in the PA Knights of Columbus Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest again this year! Last year we had a ton of submissions and were proud to recognize winning submissions from our council at the state level for both the 8th and 9th grade!

This contest encourages today’s youth to be more connected to their community and their faith. The goal of this program is to involve young Catholics in grades 8 to 12 (public, private, parochial or home schools during the current school year) in civic discourse and instill in them religious and life-affirming values. The essay should be 500-750 words on a specific topic, changing every other year. Entrants will be judged on grammar, style, and how clearly they present the theme in a way that showcases creativity, imagination and overall development of the topic.

Essay’s should be submitted to the council no later than Tuesday, October 29, 2024. All submissions should follow the above guidelines and be attached to the Submission Form.

Submissions can be emailed to the council at: kofcsouthphilly@gmail.com or mailed to us at the below address:

Attn: Knights of Columbus Council 283

Epiphany of Our Lord Parish

1121 Jackson Street

Philadelphia, PA 19148

Topic for 2024-2025 Fraternal Year: 

Virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good. It governs our acts, orders our passions, and guides our conduct by reason and faith. It also encourages Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. The call to live a virtuous life applies to individuals in every state of life and occupation, including our elected leaders. 

What are the two most important virtues for an elected leader to possess, and why? How can you determine if the leader has these virtues?