Bishop Buddy Council #6031 was originally formed at St. Michael’s Parish on January 23, 1968. We celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2018. Our council is named for Bishop Charles Francis Buddy, the first bishop of the newly formed Diocese of San Diego after it was split off from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

The Knights of Columbus is an independent organization and councils do not “belong” to a particular parish, but they are allowed to operate there at the pleasure of the pastor. When Bishop Buddy Council began at St. Michael’s parish, the pastor wanted more control over the Knights as a parish organization. When council leadership took exception to this, the council was no longer welcomed at St. Michael’s and was in need of a new home.

When the new St. Gabriel’s parish was formed in June of 1973, a number of the council’s members became members of the new parish. Our founding pastor, Fr. Charles Dollen, welcomed us with open arms and Bishop Buddy Council has had a home at St. Gabriel’s ever since. After Msgr. Dollen retired, we enjoyed a good relationship with his successor, Fr. Jay Brady. He was succeeded by Fr. Michael, who has come to rely on the Knights for support in many areas of our parish life.

During the 1970’s and 80’s our pancake breakfasts and our fish dinners provided our young parish with the fellowship opportunities it needed to grow and prosper as a parish family. Our monthly corporate communion masses and other events helped us bond as brothers and as friends, and made us visible to the parish at large, which helped to attract new members as the parish grew.

Since moving to St. Gabriel’s in 1973, our council has had more than 32 men serve the council as Grand Knight, many of whom served for more than one term. Many of our Past Grand Knights continue to participate in council activities and hold positions of leadership within the council.

Over the years, this Council has earned many awards from Supreme, including Supreme’s most prestigious award, the Star Council Award for outstanding achievement in membership, insurance and service outreach programs. We received this award again for the 2018-19 Columbian Year for the first time in many years.

The Knights continue to be active in the parish, with many serving as Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, Sacristans, Ushers, Lectors, Choir members, CCD teachers and more. The Knights participate with Helping Hands on food distributions, and help with setup, cleanup and operation of the annual Fun Fest. The Knights also provide scholarships for children of parishioners to attend college or technical schools. In addition, we support candidates for the priesthood and sisterhood both spiritually and financially.

Each year the Council conducts a major fund raising dinner and auction in the fall, and provides fish dinners on the Fridays of Lent.