The History of Council 6168
In 1960 Sam Kellner was a major developer of Beverly Hills, Florida. He
brought residents from New York to Florida by train, catering mostly to
retirees. There were few Catholic residents here in the early 1960’s. With
the steady influx of northern retirees, the Catholic population gradually
increased. The first Catholic Mass in the area was held in the new Beverly
Hills Recreation Hall on December 19, 1964, officiated by Father James Hoge.
There were 90 in attendance. By 1969 there were 691 registered Catholics
living in Beverly Hills and 19,000 Catholics in all of Citrus County. The
population of the county at that time was 75,000.
Founders
Thanks to foresight and efforts of Father James Hoge, William Roach, Rick
Zollo and Robert Doyle, Abbot Francis Sadlier Council #6168 was dedicated on
May 31, 1969. William Roach was elected first Grand Knight. In June 1971
the Ladies Auxiliary was formed. Millie Tagliaferro was elected as the
first President.
Council Hall
For the first 10 years our meetings were held at the Recreation Hall in the
Lions Den. In June 1978 we bought land and started construction on our
Council Hall. It was dedicated on October 6, 1979. The Council headquarters
is dedicated to the designer, organizer and builder, Deputy Grand Knight
Matteo Tantillo. In 2001, the building was renamed the Father Virgil P. Power Hall in memory of
our past Chaplain.
The Future
We owe much to our early brother Knights. Their example set the stage and
the foundation they created has been carried on in an exemplary manner.
From our humble beginnings of 30 members in 1969, we have grown to an
extremely vibrant organization of 342 members today.
We continue to prosper under the leadership of our current Grand Knight,
Jim Louque.
