JOHNS CREEK—The Fourth Degree Father Joseph T. O’Callahan Assembly of the Knights of Columbus St. Brigid Council won the international “To Be A Patriot” award for its contributions to the Johns Creek Veterans Memorial Walk.

It was one of only three groups out of 3,000 assemblies worldwide to win for the 2014-2015 fraternal year. The award was presented at the Knights of Columbus national meeting in Washington, D.C., this summer.

To be considered for the award, the Father O’Callahan Assembly submitted a 30-page presentation documenting the work its members did on the Johns Creek Veterans Memorial Walk project. The members spent 462 hours and more than two weeks to build a gazebo for the memorial with the materials donated by the Home Depot.

The Knights also donated and collected funds from area businesses and paid for the engraved marble benches and five of the six flags for the different branches of the military. The project was completed in time for dedication of the memorial park in November 2014. The Father O’Callahan Assembly first won at their district level (there are 174 districts) and then as the winning entry from among 20 provinces, they went on to the international level.

“The memorial walk construction provided the Sir Knights with a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the central principle of the Fourth Degree—patriotism,” said Grand Knight John Revell, of the St. Brigid Council.

The Fourth Degree Father Joseph T. O’Callahan Assembly has 121 members, and it was formed in 2013. The assembly is named after a World War II Jesuit chaplain who, after the ship on which he was serving was attacked and bombed by the Japanese, cared for wounded and dying men, and led in jettisoning ammunition and saving 145 lives. He received the Medal of Honor for his bravery.

“The Sir Knights were blessed to have this great opportunity to help with the memorial to show how much they love veterans and all that they have done to make us safe and happy in our daily routines,” Revell said.