Wisconsin Family Volunteers at Parish, in Community
Contact: Andrew Walther, 203-824-5412, andrew.walther@kofc.org; Matthew St. John, 203-584-6129, matthew.stjohn@kofc.org; both with Knights of Columbus
SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 8, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Joseph and Mary Uchytil family of Greenville, Wis., has been named the International Family of the Year at the 131st Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus.
Joseph is an 18-year member and past grand knight of Msgr. Gehl Council 7895 in Greenville, where he expanded outreach programs and improved fundraising. He and Mary are the parents of five children: Michael, 18; Mikayla, 17; Matthew, 15; Marcus, 13; and Maria, 10.
"The Uchytils, as individuals and as a family, are consistently 'there' for each other, and for their church and community," said Wiconsin Knights of Columbus State Deputy Timothy Genthe, who nominated the Uchytils for the award.
At their parish, Sts. Peter and Paul, Joe and his sons greet parishioners as they arrive for Sunday Mass. The children are altar servers and Mary and several of the children sing in the choir. Both parents and Michael are Eucharistic ministers and help teach the children's Liturgy of the Word.
"The parents are true mentors of their own and other children through such activities as youth sports and the couple's highly recognized robotics program for nine- to 15-year-old kids, and also by raising funds for research into kidney disease and for the Make-a-Wish Foundation," said Genthe. "This family puts its faith into action on a daily basis."
The family rallied around young Marcus when it was determined that he would need a kidney transplant. He and his siblings took the opportunity to serve Mass at the American Family Children's Hospital in Madison while he was staying there. Mary has also established a ministry called "Crafts of Love," which makes items for patients with serious illnesses, especially children with cancer.
"Joe and Mary's mentoring has been taken to another level by their decision to home-school their children, incorporating the religious education program of their parish into a rigorous academic curriculum," said Genthe. "This has helped the children to excel academically, with the two oldest having already earned significant collegiate course credit while still in high school."
The family also helped to develop by-laws for the teen group of the local home-schooler association, with a heavy emphasis on teen leadership and service outreach.
"Through their leadership positions in the organization, the children are demonstrating some of the same mentoring skills acquired from their parents," said Genthe.
The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by Father Michael McGivney, a parish priest in New Haven, Conn. With charity as its central commitment, the organization has grown to 1.8 million members worldwide. During the past year, Knights donated more than $167.5 million and more than 70 million hours of service to charitable causes.
