Knights of Columbus

Guide Lines provided for Galveston / Houston Diocese - Knights of Columbus Veteran Affairs (V.A.) hospital visitation program.

KC, V.A. Coordinators will be present for instructions and handouts of Catholic veterans name to be visited.

Guide Lines

1) Wear your KC’s shirts - to identify the hospital who we represent.

2) Bring your families and Catholic Daughters. Children under 15 will remain behind on the lobby floor with Guardian.

3) V.A. hospital cafeteria opens on Sundays at 8:00 a.m. If you desire to have a little breakfast, coffee, etc.

4) Arrive early, Catholic veterans names will be handed to KC’s at 10:00 a.m. After protocol instructions.

Protocol Instructions

  1)   When introducing yourself to the hospitalized veteran, please do not ask them “How are you doing?” 

        remember, as far as we know they might be on their death bed.

  2)   Introduce yourself as “Good morning, My name is ____ I am from the Knights of Columbus,  a Catholic fraternal order.

        And I am here to say a prayer for you.”  Insure that you introduce your fellow Knights and ladies that are with you.

  3)   If there happens to be a Protestant veteran in the same room and they request a prayer, please do not deny them,

        for we are Catholic and deny no one.

  4)   Due to the number of patients that is on your list, try not to spend not more then five minutes per patient.

        If you get done with your list and there is still time allowed before mass starts go get another list for visitation.

  5)   Be back to the lobby at 10:45 a.m. for mass attendance.

  6)   By us visiting the patients, we are helping our catholic chaplain priest complete his mission.

  7)   On the veteran visitation list place the following letters to identify which veteran needs prayers, communion or visitation

        by the priest. Place the letter by their name: ( C=communion, P=prayers and V=visitation) nothing else on the list.

  8)   If the veteran is sleeping Do Not Wake him or her up. Just move to the next name on the list.

        If there are color coded bar signs on the door do not enter. Health reason for the veterans safety.   

  9)   If the veteran request for you to get an item from their room, (bible, water, etc.) please let them know, that you will request

        the nursing station to get it for them. We are not allowed to touch anything in their room, due to health reasons.

10)   If they request to be wheeled to the chapel for mass. Let the Nursing station know. We are not allowed touch the veterans, 

        but we can wheel them to and from mass ourselves.

11)  Please do not give any articles to the veterans such as Rosaries, books, prayer blankets, toiletries, etc. Let the priest make that decision.

       It’s been known…in one case we had a veteran swallow a rosary thinking it would cure his cancer. Later that night the hospital had to

       do surgery to remove the rosary from his stomach. 

12)  If your council desires to bring books and magazines they can be placed on the counters on the first floor as you come in to the Hospital.

       It has been requested by the hospital not to overwhelm them with books, magazines and paperbacks for they no longer have library storage. 

Where to find the V.A. visitation schedule list on our website.

www.ghknights.org (enter)

On top of the left hand corner of the page, you will see an icon Honoring Veterans with U.S. flag. (enter)

Next you will see VA hospital Visitation Schedule

2023-2024 VA Council Attendance  (enter)

Color coded months for visitation:

Find your council number and look for the color that represents your council.

This color identifies which month your council can attend the V.A. hospital for visitation.

If for some reason in the month of your council visitation is scheduled conflicts with the parish activities you can reschedule the following

Sunday. You normally have four Sundays in a month. You can go any time during that month. Your council can determine when to make a

V.A. visitation decision.

Example: 

Council 7382, Color Code is Yellow. 

Yellow indicates for the months of August 2023 and February 2024

This council can go any weekend for those two months of July 2023 or February 2024.

AS OF RIGHT NOW ALL COUNCILS ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND AS MANY SUNDAYS AS THEY WANT.

WE NEED TO MAKE AN IMPACT TO THE HOSPITAL THAT WE ARE SERIOUS IN VISITING OUR VETERAN HEROS.  

GOD BLESS AMERICA!! 

See you there. God Bless our order.

Fr. McGivney pray for us.

Location:

Directions (Google Maps)

2nd floor

Time: 10:00 a.m. veteran room visitation start 10:15 a.m.

10:45 return back to the chapel for mass at 11:00 a.m.

V.A. cafeteria will be open at 8:00 a.m. on the first floor.