Mark Smith of Madison is proud of his Irish heritage, and as recent president of the Knights of St. Patrick of New Haven, he helped the club keep its mission focus through the difficult COVID era. The organization is the oldest operating Irish society in the state and continues a tradition of community service and engagement that Mark says he is honored to be a part of.

Mark says the Knights are a cultural and educational institution dedicated to preserving Irish heritage and community philanthropy. Immigrants from every corner of the globe have flocked to the shores of America for centuries, and, according to Mark, almost all faced discrimination and suspicion upon their arrival.

The Irish were particularly ostracized by their adopted homeland when they first began arriving in large numbers from the Emerald Isle in the early 19th century. During the 1840s, Irish immigrants comprised half of the immigrants arriving on America’s shores, making them a target for hate and discrimination. Signs stating “No Irish Need Apply” were common, and that hurtful history, says Mark, energizes the group to this day to strive to improve their community for everyone.

“Inclusivity is now a part of who we are, of gender, race, anything. We have no exclusions. Anyone who is interested in Irish culture can join; you don’t even have to be Irish,” says Mike.

Mark comes from a large family, all of whom are just as proud of their heritage, and several are members and past presidents of the Knights.

“I’m one of nine, so [I'm] from a big Irish family,” laughs Mike.

Mike is a project manager at the publishing department for Yale, a massive job considering the amount of printed material such a large institution requires. Mike says he’s been there for three decades and loves his position with the university.

“I’ve been there in different capacities. I started off in one spot, and after retirements and stuff, I moved around and really enjoy working for Yale,” says Mark.

But Mark says his real passion is for the Knights of St. Patrick of New Haven and its history.

A recently unearthed letter from one of America’s most celebrated authors is shedding new light on the group’s history.

“The Knights of St. Patrick are the oldest continuously operating Irish organization in 1878. Although, I have found some evidence in my research that we could have been formed in 1876,” says Mike. “I had been doing some research, and I found something interesting. In 1876, Mark Twain wrote a letter to our club. He was invited to our annual banquet in 1876 and couldn’t make it, so he wrote a letter published in a Hartford newspaper stating he couldn’t come. I found that interesting. During COVID, we had some time to focus on other things, and I had been doing this research and uncovered this letter. So, that was pretty exciting.”

In regard to COVID, the Knights were hit hard, just like most nonprofits. Without the ability to meet and without the ability to conduct fundraising, nonprofits were knocked off their feet like any other business.

Mike says he and the organization worked extremely hard during the pandemic to keep the club open and keep their philanthropic mission on track. Mike took over the reins as club president in 2020, just as the upheaval started.

“COVID was a really tough time for the club. We had a lot of virtual aspects to it, but we were closed. I don’t want to say we were dead in the water, but we were like many organizations at that time. Nobody really knew what to do. We all thought we were going to be down for two days, then two weeks, and it really turned into almost two years,” recalls Mike. “Navigating those waters was tough because we are a relatively small club with about 250 members. How do we open up safely? How do we open up responsibly? It was really a very difficult time for us and all groups like ours. We actually met outside on the sidewalk for a while to keep things as regular as possible. All those challenges were tough, but eventually, we evolved back into what we were. It was certainly an interesting two years.

The organization focuses on networking within the club and assisting members with their personal projects and tasks, while they also participate with numerous organizations and municipal groups to fundraise and support community efforts.

“The Pat Kelly Thanksgiving Dinner Drive is something we are very proud of. Last year, we delivered more than 250 meals. We are expecting to deliver more than 300 this year. Christopher Martin’s Run for Children, we partner with them annually and collect Toys for Tots. Last year, over 75 basketballs were collected for area children’s programs via that drive. We also host the John Smyth Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is a $1,000 scholarship. We support the annual Clothes Drive with donations going to The Amistad House and Loaves and Fishes on Olive Street in New Haven as well. That is an extremely important event for our club. We really strive to do our best for our partners,” says Mark. “There are so many events we support throughout the year. Our golf tournament, Public Safety Night, in which we honor a firefighter of the year, a police officer of the year, and a civilian public servant. That event is very special to the organization because so many people of Irish descent work in these positions.”

Mark says the club’s long history of giving back remains the primary motivation for him. The Knights’ ability to support causes and events like the St. Patrick’s Day parade in New Haven and holiday meal drives around the city are critical to the organization’s success.

“We support many community organizations, including veterans’ groups and Irish cultural organizations. There are numerous nonprofit organizations that we support by letting them hold their meetings at the Knights of St. Patrick, either at no cost or at a modest, well below-market cost,” Mark says. “The Connecticut Irish-American Historical Society, the Irish History Round Table, the Connecticut Irish-American Historical Society, the Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 7, the Greater St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, the New Haven Fire Department Emerald Society, VFW New Haven Post 12150, American Legion New Haven Post 210, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 281, and the Yale Police Benevolent Association all use our facility.”

For more information about the club, visit www.knightsofstpatrick.org