Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary to host joint national convention with juniors in Maryland
The Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary will hold their national conventions this month in the Washington metro area, gathering the nation’s largest Black Catholic organization for business matters, fellowship, and strategic planning.
For the second time in history, the junior and senior divisions will meet back-to-back, with the junior knights and junior daughters convening July 17-20 and the senior nationals from July 20-23 . All six divisions of the order (males and females at the junior, third-degree, and fourth-degree levels) will gather at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Rockville, Maryland.
“Thr isn’t just a meeting. It’s a celebration of who we are,” said Junior Supreme Knight Carlton Gardner Jr. in a video announcement released in May.
“Maryland is the place to be in July.”
KPC will host a number of events during the weeklong gathering, including a tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture for the junior knights and ladies, divisions which are open to young Catholics between the ages of 7 and 18. That event, and their prayer service with Dr. Ansel Augustine at the Marriott, will take place on Thursday, July 17.
They will host a second prayer service on Friday morning, ahead of a joint reception that evening for the junior and senior divisions. Following the reception, the fourth-degree Ladies of Grace will hold their annual Irene T. Green Performing Arts Extravaganza.
Saturday, July 19, will feature the junior division’s social justice rally at the Marriott, and the joint convention Mass of Thanksgiving will be held there on Sunday morning at 10am ET. Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Military Services, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops, will serve as the celebrant.
The conventions' joint public meeting on social justice will take place Sunday evening at 5pm, followed by the St. Peter Claver Foundation gala and concert for the senior division with the Too Much Talent Band. The national convention banquet will take place Monday, July 21, at 7:30pm.
The KPC leaders, who manage the international organization of more than 15,000 members, have noted that the convention will also feature workshops, business sessions, service projects, and other special events. Upwards of 3,000 attendees are expected to attend the conventions.
Throughout the joint convention, an in-person donation booth, raffle, and silent auction will be held to benefit mothers and young children via the Stepping Stones Shelter in Rockville. Donations can also be made online.
This year’s major sponsors for the national convention include Xavier University of Louisiana, the nation’s Catholic HBCU, and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
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