Richmond native Charles Maurer appointed supreme treasurer for Knights of Columbus

Charles Maurer, left, shakes hands with Carl Anderson, the supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, during a June meeting at the organization’s headquarters in New Haven, Conn. Maurer, a member of St. Andrew Parish in Richmond, was recently appointed the Knights of Columbus’ supreme treasurer, one of its highest offices. (Submitted photo)

By Sean Gallagher

Since his grandfather and father were elected the leader of the Knights of Columbus’ Richmond Council #580 in Richmond, it might seem natural that Charles Maurer would follow in their footsteps.

He did when he was the council’s grand Knight from 1980-82. But now, Maurer has gone far beyond where his father and grandfather trod.

Earlier this month, Maurer, 61, was appointed the Knights of Columbus’ supreme treasurer, one of its highest offices. As a result, he and his wife, Tonya, have moved to New Haven, Conn., the home of the Knights’ international headquarters. It is the first time that they have lived outside of Richmond.

“[The appointment] is encouraging me to take that extra step in my life of doing more for the Knights,” Maurer said. “I’m very humbled and know that I’ll have to step up and be a better Knights of Columbus member.”

Humility was one of the first words that Father Todd Riebe used to describe Maurer, who is a member of St. Andrew Parish in Richmond with his wife.

“He is so humble,” said Father Riebe, the pastor of the three parishes that make up the Richmond Catholic Community. “The good guys sometimes finish first. It’s great. Everybody’s so happy for him.”

Humility was also a focus of Supreme Knight Carl Anderson’s praise of Maurer.

“Quiet and humble and an example of a dedicated Catholic, Maurer has been a mentor and key figure to the Indiana Knights of Columbus for many years,” Anderson said. “He is a tireless supporter of the charitable activities of the Knights of Columbus, and a man who brings not only great fraternal experience, but also the invaluable experience and perspective of a successful small businessman. That experience will add in important ways to the extensive experience of our Supreme Council.”

The Supreme Council’s gain is a loss for the Richmond Catholic Community since Tonya has been its secretary for 14 years.

“We’re willing to make that sacrifice for the greater good because of their commitment to the Knights,” Father Riebe said.

Maurer instilled that commitment in his three sons, all of whom are Knights.

His son, Steve, 39, followed in Maurer’s footsteps and served as the grand Knight in Richmond.

“It’s a pretty good thing to just know that you have that connection,” said Steve. “It’s a pretty awesome feeling knowing that you have yourself and three other relatives before you that [have] run the council, [and] been active members trying to keep the council going.”

Now Maurer will be working hard to help councils around the world. And he is committed to doing that, in part, because he knows how important the Knights of Columbus has been in helping him to be a good husband, father and Catholic presence in the broader community.

“[Being a Knight] has brought me closer to my faith,” Maurer said. “All that we do and stand for as Knights of Columbus members makes you realize that we have a religion that needs to be stood up for and appreciated.”

Now, as one of the Knights’ top officers, he is in a position to help the organization’s 1.6 million members around the world do the same.

“I’m so honored to even know him and to be associated with him,” said Fred Campbell, a longtime friend and fellow Knight. “I know he’ll be a valuable member to the Supreme Council up there, making all of the decisions that affect so many of us brother Knights and our lives and what we do to make a better world.”

Tonya believes her husband’s 44 years as a Knight have prepared him well to help make these decisions.

“When he was younger, he was just so shy,” said Tonya, Maurer’s wife of 42 years. “It was hard for him to get up and talk in front of groups. I think that, over the years as he’s progressed through the [organization], he’s become more confident and his commitment has allowed him to be more verbal about that in front of groups.”

Holding higher positions of leadership in the Knights of Columbus over the years helped Maurer gain that confidence.

He led the Knights of Columbus in Indiana as its state deputy from 1996-98. And for the past decade, he has been a member of the organization’s supreme board of directors, a position that led him to meet two popes and a president of the United States.

Given Maurer’s rise in leadership as a Knight, perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise to him that he was asked to serve as the organization’s supreme treasurer.

But to Maurer, who has worked his entire adult life at his family-owned hardware store in Richmond, the offer was not only a surprise, but came with a speed that was even more shocking to him.

In late July, Anderson talked with Maurer about the possibility of him serving as an officer in New Haven in a couple years.

Maurer talked about it with Tonya and told the Knights’ leaders that they would be open to the move. Then things began progressing quickly.

After some officers in New Haven announced their retirements in mid-August, the supreme board of directors elected Maurer as its supreme treasurer effective on Sept. 1. He expects to serve in the position for five or six years then he and Tonya will move back to Richmond.

“It was a total shock when I was asked if I’d be interested in that position,” Maurer said. “I’m just really humbled that they would ask me to make a step of that nature. Everything is just happening so fast. It’s a whirlwind, and our heads are spinning a little bit.”

Speaking from his family’s hardware store on Sept. 2 just days before he and Tonya moved to New Haven, Maurer still had a hard time believing how far he has come since joining the Knights as an 18-year-old in 1966.

“Who would have ever thought that a young man from Richmond, Indiana, would have met two popes, shook hands with a president and even make it to the national board, which has only 24 members?” Maurer asked. “And then to move one step above that into an officer’s position is just unreal.” †