Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the Catholic Review, the official news outlet of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Copyright (c) 2024 Catholic Review Media. Used with permission.
Smiles and laughter filled St. Agnes School’s gymnasium in Catonsville, Maryland, the morning of Dec. 9. Schoolchildren in grades pre-K-8 arrived in waves to receive free winter coats from the Knights of Columbus and greet Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore.
“He just loves this,” Maryland State Deputy Anthony Salvemini said as he watched Archbishop Lori help students with their coats. “Every year, he comes out and participates.”
Since 2009, the Knights of Columbus has provided more than a million new winter coats to children throughout the United States and Canada through the Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids program. The Maryland State Council distributed 175 coats Dec. 9 to students at St. Agnes, with other coats designated for students at The Loyola School in Baltimore, Head Start and Catholic Charities locations throughout the area. In all, the Knights distributed 720 coats locally.
At St. Agnes, Archbishop Lori blessed the coats and sprinkled holy water on the them before they were distributed.
“With gratitude for God’s boundless love and for this gift of warmth, protect those who wear them,” he prayed. “Shield them from the cold. May they know they’re not alone but surrounded by a community that cares.”
Read the full Catholic Review article here.