Carmelites receive donation from Knights of Columbus to help with monastery's restoration

Friday, Jul. 24, 2015

HOLLADAY — The Knights of Columbus Council 602, which is based at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, presented a checked for $50,000 to the Carmelite nuns at the Holladay monastery on July 10; the money had been collected over the past several years and included proceeds from the sale of some properties that belonged to the Colombian Society and the Knights of Columbus, said Tom Catrow, the council’s Grand Knight.

“The Columbian Society is part of Council 602. It started back in the 1920s and the money that is raised has always been used for charity,” said Catrow, adding that  the Knights felt like the nuns deserved the donation.

The Carmelite monastery is undergoing renovations, and  the nuns survive through  donations of the community, so the Knights donation happened to be a very good fit, he said.

“We (Council 602) are all for the Carmelites; they are a special group of people devoted to God, so we really enjoy helping any way we can,” said Catrow, emphasizing that the Carmelites don’t go out asking for donations. 

“People may think that they have money, but listen to me: They don’t; they literally live in poverty,” said Catrow. 

The monastery renovations have included repairing the chapel and the addition of an infirmary and a small event center.

“They wanted to have a space to use for small events, and for part of the year it will be used to hold the prizes for the silent auction of their fair,” said Catrow. 

The annual Carmelite Fair’s silent auction raises a significant portion of the monastery’s annual income. Many of the baskets for the auction are assembled at the monastery. 

This year, the Carmelite Fair will be Sept. 21.

Council 602 is the oldest Knights of Columbus Council west of the Rocky Mountains, “so different councils throughout the state of Utah, even on the rest of the west, were formed as an extension of it,” said Catrow.

Members of the Council volunteer their time at the fair and also support the Carmelites with another annual event that raises money to help defray the nuns’ health-care costs.