Over 128 years have passed since Father Michael McGivney and that small band of devoted Catholic men founded the Knights of Columbus. Since that time the tiny seedling they planted has grown to a mighty tree, the powerful right arm of the Church. The Knights act as a modern day defender of the faith, sponsoring true, Catholic ideas, a strong voice for the oppressed and people of all creeds who are in need.

Forty-Six short years ago, another branch extended from that mighty tree. Led by the zeal and unwavering Catholic ideals as those early knights, Msgr. Armand J. Rotondi, M. C., pastor of St. Mary's Church, Plainfield, Illinois; John Kelch, a parishioner and member of the Knights of Columbus for 24 years and Mr. Rudolph Schlacta, District Deputy of the Knights of Columbus District #30, started the dream that was to become Good Shepherd Council #5573, Plainfield, Illinois.

On June 8, 1964, we held our first meeting conducted by District Deputy Schlacta, as we were not yet an official council and none of us had been exemplified (initiated) into the Knights of Columbus. After the meeting was convened, the following 25 men were initiated into the 1st and 2nd Degree, conferred on them by the ceremonial team from Joliet Council #382:

We then elected a full slate of officers, except for a financial secretary, who was appointed by the Supreme Council at our second meeting. Though we had no name or charter yet, only a number #5573, we all felt a special tingle of pride at our earliest strides. The newly elected officers then held a meeting and all agreed to present the name GOOD SHEPHERD for membership approval.

At our second council meeting on June 29, 1964 council members approved the name and also decided that the council meetings were to be held on the second and fourth Thursday of every month, except July and August when one meeting only would be held. Subsequently, this was changed to include the months of June, November and December.

The balance of the charter members had the 1st and 2nd degrees conferred upon them on June 29, 1974 and August 13, 1964. All who took their first and second degrees on these dates were considered charter members and their names appear on our council charter dated June 12, 1964. At last, we had arrived! Ready now to undertake the business of numerous activities for our council, church and community.

Each a new and exciting experience In 46 short years, Good Shepherd #5573 had been an example for other councils throughout the state with an extraordinary pace of growth and noteworthy achievements. How is it done? Good Shepherd's method is plain, old-fashioned, HARD WORK! We have dedicated men with a "can-do" attitude, fully aware of, and actively dedicated to the principles our order is founded on: Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism.

From the beginning, we have practiced these principles through church, family, council, community and youth activities on a national, state and local level. Within the church category, we have held several living rosaries, donated bibles to religious education and RCIA classes, participated in the Lenten Stations of the Cross, cleaned the church & helped set up for the Easter and Christmas services at various remote locations, provided Holy Thursday escort services and put up the outside Christmas lights.

Many knights and their wives serve on the Parish Council and other ministries as well as Eucharist Minister, Lectors, Ushers and Religious Education Teachers and Mentors. In conjunction with the Gardening Angels, we are in the planning stages of creating a "Memorial to the Unborn" which will be located in the new Prayer Garden (outside Area between the church and the commons). Our Pro-Life funds have been used to support Birthright of Joliet, Pro-Life talks, literature and NFPLA seminars for years. We are deeply involved in the Right-To-Life crusade against the Supreme Court ruling on legalized abortion and all the many other Pro-Life programs the Knights are involved in on state and national levels.

Fully aware of the growing need for priests, we help seminarians by participating in the Supreme Council's RSVP program, the annual State Vocation Raffle and our local Christmas card and gift program. We realize the importance of offering the member's family activities that will allow them to get involved and give them a sense that they are an integral part of our council.

The annual cookout in September and family fun night in January are a small sample of how we try to accomplish this goal. Other activities such as the children's Christmas Party and the Kane County Cougars outing are well attended. As for Community activities, we have been active with our annual float during Plainfield High School's Homecoming, Fort Beggs redevelopment & annual flag replacement program, sponsor three Blood Drives per year, participate in the Downtown Plainfield Candlelight Christmas activities (includes lighting of the Creche) by cooking chestnuts over an open fire (proceeds are donated to Birthright of Joliet), conduct our bingo games at Plainfield Fest each summer, participate in the annual Tootsie Roll Drive to raise funds for MH/LD children (in 2002 we set our council record by collecting almost $12,000) and donate funds to the Plainfield Food Pantry while providing them help in distributing food to the needy in the Plainfield area.

Youth activities include participating in the Supreme Council's Newman Apostolate fund designed to assist Catholic students on secular campuses with both moral and financial aid (we have exceeded our quota every year), participate in the annual State Council Free Throw Contest for boys and girls, have taken the altar servers to Chicago White Sox games, held a pizza/bowling outing, sponsor two boys and two girls at the annual American Legion Premier Boys/Girls State program, donate to scholarship funds at Plainfield High School, Joliet Catholic Academy and Providence High School and have sponsored the St. Mary's Youth Group for World Youth Day.

Each year we conduct the Bill Coblar Essay Contest at St. Mary's School. The topic of the essay is "The Value of a Catholic Education". In 1995 we became the charter organization of Boy Scout Troop #19 and in 2003 our Youth Director Matt Hacker, Jim Byrne and District Deputy Joe Cosentino formed the Shepherd of the Lord Squires Circle. Council activities include supporting the KC Charitable Assistance program as an emergency disaster fund. Our Council was instrumental in securing a $37,000 KC contribution to help rebuild our church after the 1990 tornado.

In 1995, the Ladies Auxiliary was formed. Three times a year we hold our Corporate Communion & Breakfast for our members and their families. The last two years, we sponsored the "Christmas Teddy Bear for Kids" program. This entails the visits to St. Joseph's and Silver Cross Hospitals in Joliet giving out teddy bears to the kids. If there were any Not given away, we donated them to the Plainfield Fire Department's Paramedics for distribution as they saw fit.

As with any organization, it takes money to support our charitable and service activities. Fund raising events are needed to generate these funds. Good Shepherd Council under Grand Knight Ray Weis began the very successful Lenten Fish Fries in 1980. This tradition was carried on by Don Conroy, Jerry Krupowicz, Grant Ohlson and Frank Schwartz. The motivation of the Knights came out again in 1985 when Al McCauley agreed to run the bingo games for Plainfield Fest 1986. Both of these events are well received by the local populous. Again the hard work has made them the success they are. We have held such fundraisers as the Feather Party/Turkey Raffle, the summer BBQ (started as a Harvest Moonlight Steak Fry Men's stag (smoker) on Weinhold's Farm) and in 1997 we added two annual Golf Outings (June - September) in which the proceeds are used to support our involvement with vocations.

Since 1964, we have earned many awards including the Columbian and Star Council (Double Star Council in 2007), trophies and plaques for outstanding council and council activities and meeting state goals for charity. At the age of 45 years, we are here to pay tribute to all the fine Catholic men past and present, the willing, always helping hands of the men of Council #5573 who have truly made this council the living, vibrant force that it is. This small council history reflects a pride that has taken us to where we are today.

Are we proud? Yes we are proud of our council; our record allows us to be. We are ever expanding with new members and looking for new horizons to challenge. Somehow we know that those first knights are looking down with a twinkle in their eyes, saying, "All of this in forty short years, and they are just getting started. God bless them!"