TROY — It is not every day you find a Knights of Columbus council that owns its very own chapel but Troy Knights of Columbus Council 9266 has just that. The chapel, located on the Council's property on Lebanon Road, in the southern part of Jarvis Township near Troy, was once St. John the Baptist Church in Black Jack. It was closed 18 years ago, and was suppressed four years later in 1996.

The church was built in 1883, replacing the original log cabin church. At one time the parish church had a school, and a house for the religious sisters who taught there. The school and sisters' residence are long gone, but a church hall built much later on the property still stands.

When the church was suppressed and the parish was merged with St. Jerome in Troy, the Troy K. of C. Council purchased the church property, and is using its hall for monthly meetings and other events. The old church, located several yards from the hall, is still standing. Occasionally the Knights open the old building, letting people go in and look around. The interior painted walls, statues, pews, painted designs, and stained glass windows have held up well.

There are still people in the area, who have strong ties to the old church, says Mae Grapperhaus, a reporter for the Troy Times-Tribune. She was baptized there, grew up in the parish, attended the parish school, and was married at St. John's. Her recent story for the Times-Tribune told about the old church and recent action by the Troy Knights of Columbus to do something with the building.

"We simply don't have the money it would take to tear the old church down — even if we wanted to do that — let alone make all the repairs it needs," says Tom Tritsch, president of the St. John the Baptist Foundation, which is an offshoot of the Troy Knights of Columbus Council. "The building is showing its age and lack of routine maintenance and repairs. All that costs money — money the council simply doesn't have," said Tritsch.

A foundation was established to maintain and restore the chapel to its former grandeur. In October 2007 the foundation was deemed a 501(c) 3 charitable organization.

The foundation's mission is to raise and dispense funds for the maintenance and renovation of the chapel, relieving K. of C. Council 9266 of that responsibility. Tritsch said that the council is looking into how it will use the chapel, once it is restored. "We might hold prayer services there, or conduct some of our council sessions there when the right occasion comes up," said Tritsch. "We have talked about the possibility of renting the chapel out to people or organizations for a special occasion."

Grapperhaus says she is excited about what might happen to her old church. "There are a lot of good memories there," she says.

For more information, or to make a donation to help the foundation restore the chapel, e-mail . Checks and money orders should be made payable to St. John the Baptist Chapel Foundation, and sent to the St. John the Baptist Chapel Foundation, P.O. Box 335 Troy, IL 62294.