Since 1988, the Knights of Columbus Sangre de Cristo Council 11696 has served as a quiet but constant pillar of support for our area. As a Catholic fraternity, the council meets monthly with a primary objective: finding ways to give back to the community, often through work that goes unseen and unnoticed.
Council 11696 currently consists of 50 members representing Questa, Cerro, Costilla, and Amalia, as well as a few members from Taos.
The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic fraternal benefit society. It was founded in 1882 by Father Michael J. McGivney to promote the principles of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. With more than 2 million members globally, the organization was originally established to provide a way to support single and widowed women whose husbands were lost at war. Today, the international group continues to protect families through insurance programs and charitable acts ranging from disaster relief to food drives.
Locally, the Sangre de Cristo Council focuses its efforts on three major charitable pillars. The Knights donate both time and money to the local food pantry; they offer college scholarships for young Catholic men; and they provide hoodies for children through a distribution program that serves Alta Vista Elementary, Questa Junior and Senior High School, Red River Valley Charter School, and Roots and Wings Community School. Beyond their core pillars, the council supports local culture and family traditions, including Mariachi Questa and the village’s annual Easter egg hunt. The Knights remain open to sponsoring additional community initiatives as they arise.
To ensure consistent community impact, each member maintains a volunteer log throughout the year, documenting their involvement and assistance where it is needed most.
The council’s core mission remains the support of the church and its capillas, or mission churches. Residents frequently see the Knights volunteering for cleanup activities or serving as ushers during Mass. To fund these charitable efforts, the Knights hold a pancake breakfast every spring and fall.
Michael “Mikey” Rael has served as the Grand Knight for the past four years. He is joined by members like Vince Ortega, who recently moved from Denver back home to Questa and chose to continue his involvement with the fraternity. One of the council’s goals for 2026 is to bring back the focus on assisting single and widowed women in our communities. “We want to assist women who need help gathering wood or maybe cleaning their driveway of snow. We know there are women in our community who need help and we intend to show up,” Rael and Ortega express. “We also plan to clean up our cemeteries this year. We’ll have planned clean up days with large dumpsters available.” Another goal for 2026 is to host prayer nights or offer community evenings where people can come and ask for a specific type of support.
Rael noted that the local council’s legacy began with its founding members. He credited Jake Valdez, Frank Gallegos, and Lawrence Jaramillo as the men who brought Council 11696 to life in Questa in 1988, establishing a tradition of service that continues 38 years later. If anyone is interested in joining the Knights of Columbus Sangre de Cristo Council 11696 they are encouraged to attend one of the open meetings, occurring the second Wednesday of the month, or talk to a member.
